Just over a week ago I returned from my first trip to Africa. Yes, Toto was playing in my head literally the whole time. I will note that this was a very atypical trip for me. The company I am studying abroad through includes this "excursion" and covers everything for us. This means each day was jam packed full of jumping on a coach bus, meeting a tour guide, taking a tour, eat, tour more, an hour or so of free time, coach bus, dinner, hangout at hotel, next day repeat.
Going into the trip I really was not sure what to expect. When I would start thinking about it, my imagination would wander. I would end up thinking about a place full of sand, mud houses, and the only transportation being camel. This was not the case at all. Instead I felt at times that I was in some alien market place, like what you would see in starwars, where there is a mix of modern tech but also an obvious lack of infrastructure. Morocco was by far the most exotic country I have been to. There was a definite culture shock. The streets were surreal because it was a juxtaposition between modern culture and ancient. One small shop would sell Iphones and next door there would be headless chickens strung up with flies all over. This is what I loved most was the surreality of Morocco. No longer had I only seen such places in movies or on a national geographic article. This shit is real, and right in front of me!
I am not huge on having a tour guide all the time. Traveling for me includes getting lost and adventuring through a new place but this trip was not that. I do admit that I'm not sure if I could have done a super successful solo trip there. The getting lost part would have been very easy, but finding my way back to my hotel, or communicating would have been much more difficult. Not once did I ever feel threatened unsafe and every local I met or saw was super friendly but there was a massive language barrier.
The standard of living in Morocco is not even comparable to homeless in the United States. Most of the locals live in small houses packed full with their family. On average families are not small either, most mothers have about 5 children. I do not believe I could live in Morocco much longer than two weeks. The culture is driven by a very strong orthodox Muslim religion. The locals do not drink alcohol, many do not eat meat, and having a social life is not really a concept they think about. The social life is maybe a few men getting together to watch a futbol game. Women do not leave the house. Men can not be friends with other women except their wives and vise versa. On our trip I had met an american gentleman who started a boys and girls club type program. He said it gives his life fulfillment but living there is not great. He talked about his wife and how coming from western culture to the Moroccan culture is night and day. She can not leave the house unless it is to go shop for food, but even this is frowned upon. She also has to censor what she wears, and not show too much skin. It was shocking actually seeing a culture like this in person. When I asked the american where his wife was he said, "Where she belongs...At home. " initially I giggled at the crassness of his response but stopped quickly realizing he was not joking. Although he does not agree with the culture he lives in it and has to respect it. I wish everyone could see a place like this to really see that they exist.
The food in Morocco is really nothing to write home about. In fact, most people on my trip ended up getting sick either on the trip, or the following week. I was not safe from getting sick and two weeks later I am still feeling the revenge. Only twice now have I almost pooped my pants, so I consider that a win. The food tastes pretty good and goes down well but really fights back. PLEASE Do not let this stop you from visiting Morocco because it really is a beautiful place and worth seeing. The culture is very different but beautiful in its own way. The blue city of Chefchaouen is surrounded by mountains and is really a gem. I really feel it is important to see the world, and places like Morocco to gain a well rounded perspective on how the world really is.
Thank you for reading this, if you have any questions please do comment or send an email. VIDEO UP SOON