Before I get started, I would like to apologize in advance should this post seem to be of the format “This happened and then this happened and then I did this.” I fear it is most inevitable when trying to inform you all of the adventures of the past week or so. From a tour day in my own home city of Rabat to an unguided excursion with assignments in Casablanca to a weekend retreat with three friends to Tangier, I have been quite the little jet-setter (sans the jet).

On Saturday the 23^rd, a group of us decided it was time to see some of the sights in Rabat. So we embarked from our center in the afternoon after lunch (this is the day before Ramadan) to walk all the way across town to Chellah. Site of the ancient Roman city of Sala Colonia and later the Merenid necropolis of Chellah, these ruins are now over-grown with fruit trees and wild flowers. From the viewing platform overlooking the entire site, one could clearly see the storks who have taken over the Islamic complex with car-sized nests on top of all of the tallest trees and columns, and even the tall minaret. My interesting fact for this trip was found in a walled pool that still attracts infertile women hoping for conception bearing hard-boiled eggs for the eels that lurk under the waters! For the entirety of the afternoon, we wandered about imagining the previous civilizations that lived in this now ruined land. For now, I am still in disbelief that I am living in a city that has a history predating the colonization of my own country!

On Wednesday the 29^th, our academic directors informed us that we were to take an unguided excursion to Casablanca. We were divided into groups, given research topics and 170Dh (about $20), and sent on our way. A short 45 minute train ride away, we arrived and immediately went to see the big attraction – the Hassan II Mosque. Built in the late 1980’s of nearly all Moroccan products, this mosque is the third largest in the world and boasts the tallest minaret at 210 meters. Not to forget its state-of-the-art heated floors, retractable ceiling, and spray of lasers pointing to Mecca, the entire financing of this monument was through imposed taxes and some private donations.

For our assignment, my group had to hail a taxi into a different neighborhood to find the Association Solidarite Feminnine – an NGO sponsored organization that works to prevent the abandonment of children by single mothers. In the society structure in Morocco, single mothers are often ostracized by friends and family, and as a result they often view their child as the root of their problems and do not create a relationship with the child. The small building housed in the middle of a lower middle class neighborhood serves as a center for teaching these women necessary skills for finding work, maintaining a household, and developing a relationship with their child. They currently have 56 clients, and the women are allowed to stay with the program for up to 3 years, at which point they are on their own. I personally believe this organization is quite essential and well put together. Though still small, the organization is working toward self-sufficiency and growth.

After lunch at Pizza Hut (because nothing else was open due to Ramadan), we hopped a taxi to the Jewish Museum in a suburb of Casa. Though more of a gallery, the museum reflected the coexistence of Jewish and Islamic people in the history of Morocco. The only one of its kind in any Islamic country, the halls of this former Jewish orphanage held artifacts of former synagogues and homes. Though dwindling in number each year, the Jewish population in Morocco has historically been a larger minority, and in turn, Morocco has been an example of religious tolerance.

We finished our day in Casablanca as tourists at Rick’s Café. Yes, as in from the classic film. Built in 2004, this piano bar closely mimics that of the movie, and we were pleased to watch the sunset from our nook that overlooked the medina.

After hitting a small wall with communication difficulties, a weekend in Tangier with some of the girls was a perfect retreat. We hopped the morning train on Saturday and arrived in Northern Morocco around lunch. Tired of the GO,GO,GO mentality of tourism, we opted for a more laid back approach to the city. We checked into our little hotel—a converted home set back from the street up the hill from the medina. For only 400Dh (about $45 USD), the four of us stayed in one room with toilet and pseudo-shower (more of a hose by the toilet). After a snack, we intentionally got lost in the city. From the beaches near a very Westernized strip of hotels and restaurants to the Kasbah in the old medina, we did not find a place where we could not view the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and/or Spain. At one point, we were following a wall that we though would lead to the Kasbah, and literally fell through a doorway to the most breathtaking overlook in the city. Feeling as though we had sufficiently explored the new and old medina in our 5 hours of walking around, we retired to our room until after sunset, when the city would awaken. Because many people stay in to rest until after sunset during Ramadan, the streets become quite busy after about 8pm. Men and women alike flock to the streets in search of food and entertainment after a long day of fasting. Tangier is no exception to this trend, as we found while trying to find food for dinner. Cafes were packed full of men, and most eateries were likewise full. After some pizza and ice cream, we called it a night.

On Sunday, we opted for a more tourist approach. Our first goal was to find the Kasbah and the museum housed in the former Sultan’s palace. After some prompting from helpful locals, we navigated the myriad alleys of the old medina and found what we had sought. The museum effectively displayed the great influences that have influenced and inhabited Tangier – from the time of the Romans to the Spanish Inquisition, this city holding the pivotal position guarding the Mediterranean has had quite a history.

Our museum-lover desires satiated, we headed back through the medina in search of St. Andrew’s church. On the way, we passed through the market with the Riffian women in their red and white striped skirts and richly-colored yarn-accented straw hats who come down from the Riff Mountains every Sunday and Wednesday. St. Andrew’s Anglican church was built in the late 19^th century on land given by the King. A beautiful collaboration of Arabic and European influences, the small sanctuary features the Lord’s Prayer in Arabic above the chancel and classic Moroccan molding over the altar in the tradition European lay-out.

We opted for lunch at McDonalds, again because of Ramadan. McArabias are quite the spectacle with seasoned meat patties wrapped in a pita and served with the standard fries and soda. While I am on the topic, the sodas here are a thousand times better than in the States. Sprite actually tastes like lemon and lime, rather than corn syrup. After a bit of research, we have determined that this difference is actually accounted for in the ingredients – they do not use corn syrup here, but rather prefer pure sugar. Though just as bad for you, the soda here is far better.

To finish our weekend in Tangier, we chartered a taxi to take us to the Caves of Hercules a few kilometers out of the city. Know as the welcome sign to Africa, this naturally formed cave has an entrance in the rough shape of Africa when seen from the ocean. We were able to explore the cave, as well as the cliffs around it. After an hour of playing on the rocks and taking in the spectacular blues of the ‘other side’ of the Atlantic, we headed back to town along a scenic road that gradually rose above the coastline until we could see the beach extending for miles alongside rolling hills and cliffs. I must say that the Atlantic is far more beautiful in Africa than in the Carolinas (though I may love our beaches).

After a lovely, relaxing break from the intensity of school, I still feel rejuvenated and am now expectantly awaiting a week-long excursion to Southern Morocco starting this Saturday. Travelling through the High Atlas Mountains and the Southern deserts, we will end up back on the coast in Marrakesh and Essouaira at the end of the week.