Almost 4 years ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to spend my summer in Morocco to study Arabic. It was the first time I had ever travelled by myself to a foreign country....and foreign it was. When I stepped off the plane in Morocco at age 16, the overwhelming heat slapped me right in the face. (Being from Florida was no help when trying to battle sweat!) But next came the fast Moroccan Arabic from the customs agent (who still managed to tell me how beautiful I was in English), then the Arabic road and store signs that were illegible to me at the time. Thank goodness that French saved the day!
Now, at age 21, I have finally made my way back to the North African country that I fell in love with four years ago. As I stepped off the plane this time, I could not stop smiling as I read all of the Arabic signs, completely ignoring the French. I walked up to the customs agent who was very surprised to hear me speak Arabic. It took a little bit of adjusting, but I even remembered the little bit of Moroccan that I learned when I was here.
After going though customs, My travel partner and boyfriend, Oliver (Olly for short), and I figured out which bus to take in order to get to our hotel. The hotel was a ryad in the Medina, reachable only on foot through winding cobblestone roads. When we finally found the ryad, the receptionist told us that there was a problem with our reservation, but she had another place for us to stay. Well, that sounds kinda sketchy. But, she called a taxi and walked us to the new hotel, which was absolutely beautiful. When we arrived, we were even greeted with a kettle of traditional Moroccan mint tea and a plate of desserts. It actually worked out in our favor that there was a problem!
For the next two days, Olly and I explored the souks and Djema el Fna, the main square. Marrakech has a fair amount to see, but in my opinion the souk is the most interesting. We spent the first morning walking around, bargaining for jewelry, ceramics, paintings, shoes, and wooden boxes or carvings. We took a break in the square to drink the freshly squeezed orange juice for $.50, to buy a quarter kilo of my favorite golden zabeeb (raisins), and Olly got roped into taking a picture with a snake on his shoulders. Then we had lunch in the square to cool down and went for souk shopping round two! Since it started to rain, we took cover in a local cafe and drank mint tea while taking in the sights of the souk, the Koutobia (an Almohad mosque), and the passersby. When the rain stopped, we ate dinner at one of the local restaurants for the typical Moroccan cuisine of Tajine and couscous.
The next morning we went to the Majorelle Gardens, a beautiful private garden in the middle of the city. But the rest of day two was more of the same: shopping! This time I had a list of things to purchase so there was less looking, more buying, and a lot more bargaining! A wooden box for 120? I think not. How about 40? شكرا (thanks). A pair of shoes for 400? Absolutely not! How about 150? Deal. Plates for 160? No thank you! 100 sounds good to me.
After dropping off all of the goods back at the hotel, we ventured back out to Djema el Fna for dinner. We ate at a restaurant overlooking the square, and I enjoyed my pizza (Tajine and couscous weren't ever my thing) while Olly got his last fill of Moroccan food. After paying for the meal, we still had 33 dirham left, so why not test out our bargaining for the last time to get something for 30! We left the souk with 3 Dirham and 10 cents.
Morocco was my first experience in the Arab world, and it literally changed my life. Going back to Marrakech reminded me of where my journey to learn Arabic started and of how far I have come since then.
The sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Marrakech were just as captivating today as they were four years ago. The magic of the city hasn't changed a bit. Even though I went back to Marrakech a changed person, the affect the city had on me was the exact same as before.
Even though I was only able to spend 4 days in Marrakech, I know it won't be the last time I visit. A little piece of my heart is and always will be buried in the souk. So, morocco, بسلامة المغرب, (goodbye) but only for now. I am sure I will see you soon, ان شاء الله (God willing; hopefully).
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