Leaving Morocco

I'm at the end of my stay in Morocco. It has been a wonderful time. Ifrane is attractive and cooler than the cities, the people throughout Morocco are friendly and full of humor, the food has been great, the shopping productive, and Cheryl a wonderful hostess.

This weekend we went to a Riad in Fez. Although it was incredibly hot this was a great experience! The owner of the Riad took 12 years to refurbish it. It actually was five different merchants' homes that was combined. There was a beautiful pool and the rooms had all of the accouterments to make it quite special. I was up above looking down while Cheryl's room was at the ground level with a very high ceiling. Dinner and breakfast came with the room. We had lamb tagine and, of course, the many different Moroccan salads. Dessert was a very rich chocolate mousse. After dinner we went for a walk in the Medina. It is very easy to get lost since they have such small alleyway type paths and many of them look much the same since there are merchants everywhere. We thought we had ourselves pretty oriented but when we turned around to come back, many storefronts were closing up and things looked different. We ended up passing our turn and had to retrace our steps. As we made our 3 left turns, we were getting a big worried so asked some women who were walking in front of us if they could help. Apparently no one really knows their way well, so another man began to take us. Luckily, I saw the sign for our Riad and one of the women who worked there was waiting for us and stopped us and we started to walk on by with our escort. They say don't go out alone in the Medina but, although we got a bit nervous for a few minutes, we did pretty well navigating.

Breakfast on Sunday included the wonderful fresh squeezed orange juice you find all over Morocco, flat breads, their version of pancakes, and a chocolate crepe. After breakfast, Cheryl and I had a great tour of the Medina. Her friends, Thomas and Fazia, have a travel business where they hook people up for special adventures and they had set everything up. They booked the Riad and the tour for us. Fazia had also gone with us rug shopping earlier in the week so I feel like I'm getting to know her a bit. She came to Morocco on a studies abroad program when she was in college in Canada and she never went home. That was 13 years ago. Thomas, on the other hand, is a twin who is also a writer and runner. He is presently writing a book on barefoot running.

Ameen, our tour guide, was a wonderful, funny, informative man and a treat to spend time with. Of course, he knew his way around and was "certified" to be a tour guide. He had recently gotten his papers of marriage but the ceremony is planned for two weeks from now. He invited us to his wedding but unfortunately, I will be gone and Cheryl will still be back in the states. He took us around the different type areas of merchandise (fruits, chicken slaughtering area, silk threads, garments, embroidered belts, drums, etc.) and to the mosque, the two different schools, and ultimately to the tannery. Everything was a feast for the eyes -- and the pocketbook. It was hard to limit myself since prices are so much better here for many items. A few trinkets and some nice leather became the focus of the purchases here. Mostly, I loved experiencing the culture.

On the ride home from Fez in the later afternoon it was very hot. I appreciated the great old structures, the roadside honey stands (hummmmm, an idea for the Heitkam bee keepers crew), the traffic, and the adventure no matter the heat. I'm assuming it might be nice to visit in the fall when it is not so hot but for me it didn't matter. Although, I must admit, I've never had my hair up so much as since I've come to Morocco.

I ended my weekend watching a great Espana team win the World Cup! It was very exciting and I could imagine the activity in Alicante and Madrid as everyone celebrated. It was a bit more calm here but most were supporting Spain so there was some cheering and one horn honking.

Our final big meal was last night when we went to a very classy french restaurant at a special new resort that looks like Squaw Creek Resort -- except for the sculpted boar at the entrance and the sculpted horse lamp in the lobby. They had a wonderful duck dish that I partook in and the temperature was like one of those perfect nights in Reno. I'm starting to take "food pictures" that will be fun to share with my next door neighbor, Monica.

As my adventure here ends, I'm trying to figure out how to ship things back to the states and get some work things completed prior to taking off for Istanbul. I met with someone looking for more folks to hire as faculty and realized that I would have no problem in spreading the word of what a great experience this could be for some one interested in new adventures. It sure looks like Cheryl is enjoying it and there are many who have come and stayed. Of course, you have to be willing to handle the frustrations inherent in dealing with an new culture and the realities that some things become more complicated. But, for those adventurous sort, this is a great place to experience!

Morocco -- First Week

Well, I've been in Morocco now for six days. I expected to feel more culture shock than I have so far. Perhaps that comes from the fact that Ifrane, where Cheryl works and lives, is in a high mountain plateau and has a very french influence. Also, since it was so hot in Fez when they picked me up, we immediately headed up the mountain to beat the heat a bit and to ready ourselves for a small picnic outing with other University faculty families -- to celebrate 4th of July.

Cheryl (Woehr), an international counselor at TMCC, took a contract here for a year to teach and be the only counselor for an American style University of 1400 students. It is called Al Akhawayn University and was created by the King of Morocco and the King of Saudi Arabia. It is a beautiful campus. Most of the students are young people from privileged backgrounds who are living here in the residences. For many this is their first time away and they are trying to discover themselves. The faculty is quite diverse. Of course, there are Moroccan instructors but there are also American, Italian, Canadian, Turkish, and others. Cheryl set me up to do a presentation for students on Thursday. 70 students attended! It was interesting an fun -- just a little difficult due to the acoustics making it even harder for me to understand their french/arabic sounding English. I'm so impressed with how many languages everyone speaks and certainly wish that languages came easier to me.

We have gone to the spice market and shopping for rugs so far. Had a wonderful couscous lunch with the family of the rug shop owner. He has sold many rugs to Cheryl so they have become good friends. Friday is couscous dinner day and so his mother made this wonderful traditional dish of couscous, vegetables, and beef that we all shared. It was set in the middle of the table, we all had a spoon and section of our own, and we ate. There was he, his mother, his sister, his wife and her brother, and three of us at the table. Then the children were around playing. Their 8 month old daughter was the sweetest, large eyed little girl I've seen in a long time and they had a 2 year old little boy who was also delightful. The older children ate in a room separate and saw us periodically. I really appreciated being invited into their home and getting to see family life--what an opportunity for a family therapist!

The rug purchasing adventure was also an interesting experience. They pull out numerous carpets, overwhelming you with options, and then you start putting them in piles of yes, no, maybe. Finally, you do it again so you can start eliminating down to the ones that you want. There are many different types of berber rugs, some made of silk, some in wool, some knotted, some not, and very lovely differences. It was very hard to decide -- of course, now I want to go and get more.

We are taking off for a Riad in a few hours so I will report on the second half of the Moroccan adventure in a few days.

Alicante -- the final week

Well, this part of the summer adventure has come to an end. I had my final two classes, graded papers, sent Setare and Cody off to Madrid, and spent some nice times with the students. My European Women's History class continued to be a highlight. Pilar will remain a special person in my memories. Her energy, enthusiasm, manner of teaching and being with the students, and openness was a special treat. I hope to remain in contact with her in the future. Luis was already off for Madrid so I was only able to contact him via email but he, too, has a special way with the students. USAC is lucky to have these people working with them.

As the students were studying and planning their departures, the last part of the week was a bit low key -- except, of course, for the Espana games in the World Cup. This continued to also be a highlight. The Spanish clearly know how to celebrate and cheer. Setare and I found fans that are designed like the flag and Cody found a teeshirt so we were definitely in the right attire. And, Spain did not disappoint! They won two more games this week and are heading to the quarterfinals against Germany. What a great time to be in Spain. I only wish that I might be there for the finals when they win....

Many students left Friday so I ended up one last time at Lizzaran's Tapa Bar with "the mexicans" as they called themselves. Lauren, Mercedes, Lupe, Francisco, Cristine, and Andrea spent a great deal of time together and were always laughing. After saying goodbye to them, I found Maria and Kylene having paella with Maria's family to say goodbye there, too, took a walk down the esplanada and headed home to my last "normal night." I had to move out of the apartment and found a hotel close by to stay in for Saturday. Went to the beach one last time and met up with Irene and her boyfriend, Brian. They will be heading out on their month long trek tomorrow (to Spain, France, and Greece) so we decided to meet up to watch the final Espana game outside at Austin's with the great crowds. As mentioned earlier in this blog, we were not disappointed.

Sunday was departure day and I headed out for Morocco (with two suitcases and a backpack). My next adventure includes figuring out how do unload items inexpensively so I don't have to cart so much around to Turkey.

Granada, Spain

Although I'm going to Morocco, Setare and Cody are not so we had heard that Granada was a place not to miss. This would be their one opportunity. So, we watched beautiful fireworks on the beach Friday night, stayed up almost all night downloading pictures, and finally headed off on a 4 hour bus ride to Granada.

We arrived, found the local bus to our hotel, rested a bit, and then headed out to do some exploring. We were going to La Alhambra tomorrow morning so today was the bits and pieces day. Granada was the last stronghold of the Moors when the Catholics took over so there is a lot of Muslim influence in the architecture and food while still definitely being a Spanish town. We roamed some back streets and ultimately ended up at the great cathedral. This was the first one that S & C had seen so they were very impressed. It was gorgeous and certainly was every bit as interesting as the others I had seen around Madrid.

Another adventure for this day was to attend a Flaminco Show in the cave district. Rather than just going to the University for their performance, we decided to be tourists for a change. That meant we got picked up by a bus, given a walking tour of the area so we could see Alhambra at night, a drink in the show, and a ride home. Although we really didn't like being tourists this was pretty spectacular. We were lined up against the walls of a small cave and the Spanish crowd was very excited. They were singing and dancing themselves prior to the performance. If only we had known the songs so we could have joined in. Setare was cheering and laughing the whole time. Then the performances were in two blocks. We think it was the younger upstarts in the first group of three and then the older, more experienced dancers in the second group to perform. They were all very spectacular! The first group was very serious and the second group smiled, laughed, and even stopped to say "thank you" when some one in the crowd said "whapa!" Although I'm probably spelling it wrong, I believe the word means "beautiful!" What a fun night!

Sunday morning we headed off to La Alhambra -- spending about 4 hours walking around the grounds, seeing the old fortress, the gardens, the general living areas, and ending with the palace. It was probably a bit of a let down for Setare since she has seen many beautiful places in Iran when she has visited there in the past. But, it was still very interesting (but hot). When we returned we rested and decided to go out of Moroccan food since we were getting very tired of tapas. Tapas are served free with a beer but we wanted a real meal. We weren't disappointed -- two different chicken dishes, couscous, vegetables, and wonderful mint tea. Unfortunately, however, it made us arrive at the free classical piano concert we had come upon too late so we couldn't attend. Since Granada was having a special arts festival with many free performances, we decided to walk to a different one that was contemporary modern dance starting at 10 p.m. Of course, we got lost and finally found a lovely french/spanish couple that were out taking a walk who helped us find our way to the venue. Cody started trying his Spanish more and they were wonderfully helpful. Later I saw that they decided to come to the program as well. It was very good -- although a little hard for us to understand since we couldn't read the program to understand the symbolic meaning of the movements. Still..., we enjoyed it.

The final day in Granada was a bit low key. I think we were all ready to get back to Alicante yet the bus was not leaving till 5 p.m. We walked around, bought a few souvenirs, looked at more architecture, stopped at the bull ring, and got to the bus station. About that time, however, Cody noticed that we had a small problem with our bus tickets. When we were booking them on line we apparently had not changed the date for the return form the arrival and our tickets were for two days earlier. They wouldn't exchange them and there were no seats on this or the next two buses so we bought tickets for the 3 a.m. ride arriving in Alicante at 9 a.m. (Just in time for me to make it to my class). After doing some grading in the train station, we took the city bus back into town and found a nice place to have dinner. Tried to make another classical musical performance but this one was full within 5 minutes of ticket availability (we arrived at 8 minutes after). So I guess we weren't supposed to hear music on this trip. We walked to another venue that was in a park with 3 young gymnasts who were doing an avant garde performance. Interesting.

Finally we headed back to the bus station and made sure that we didn't miss this bus. Clearly, we were resourceful, though. Everyone stayed calm and we made the best of a confusing error. Cody and Setare are fun to travel with because they are so easy going--and they love Alicante!

"I love Alicante!!"

Well, I'm very far behind on keeping this blog up. Cody and Setare have come and gone already but I will share some of the great adventures we had during their stay. First, the title is in honor of Setare. She couldn't stop saying this the first few days she was here.

When I met them at the train station on Tuesday the 22nd I was looking at two very tired young folks. Apparently the train is not as easy to sleep on as one might think. Apparently they talked in monosyllables all the way here -- each one starting a dialogue to find the other one drifting off to sleep, I brought them to my apartment and they emailed and rested for a couple of hours prior to our beginning our crazy week of the Hogueras Festival. Little did they know that rest was not soon to come -- Alicante during this festival time grows from 300,000 people to over a million and people party with bands in the streets till around 6 a.m. Additionally, a band goes up and down the streets in the mornings to wake people up at 8, 9, and 10. Also, there are firecrackers going off all of the time. What excitement in the air. The University closes for Thursday and Friday as do many other businesses and the city is ready to celebrate!

Pilar, the instructor for our European Women in History class met the class at 7:15 p.m. so we could get an insider's view of the Festival and it's many traditions. As I might have said previously, there had already been several parades (traditional and character-based) that would go down the two main streets of the city centre for about 3-4 hours. Chairs were set up on each side of the road so folks could sit for hours to observe. Pilar's Uncle and Aunt dress up and have been doing the parades for about 50 years, including when she was a young girl and would go with them. We first got to meet them and her Mom as well as to see the areas that people pay all year to enjoy. Many small neighborhoods pay to have their special large street area where everyone eats lunch together (around 3 p.m.) and all ages play outside to the wee hours. I could certainly see the Creighton Way bunch taking to this activity with a lot of gusto.

We then toured around looking at the magical art structures that are created throughout the city. There are about 100 in total and they are placed in size and cost categories and compete for prizes. I've posted some pictures of them on Facebook but will try to see how to get a few up here in a bit. Most of these structures are cynical and satirical about politics and culture. They remind me of a cross between Mardi Gras and Burning Man -- what a great site to run around and see. There was a beautiful one representing the Picasso painting in the Reine Sophia in Madrid. (A special painting that he would not let be brought back to Spain until Franco was no longer in power). It is amazing that they are so willing to burn them on Thursday evening.

After our tour we were off to celebrate one of the student's 20th birthday (two other students had turned 21 last week). We ended up at one of the marina bars dancing till around 3:30 a.m. Although I had school the next day, the kids were able to sleep some and try to get up just to join up with others after their classes. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday was a whirlwind of activities -- market shopping, attending the 2 p.m. firecracker competitions, going to the beach, enjoying great food (paella, tapas, churros, etc.) running around town, watching futbol games, dancing, and moving through the crowds and noise. Wednesday night saw the largest beach party I have ever seen -- clearly a place that many high school students did and then Thursday midnight's fires were absolutely spectacular! It is truly hard to explain what we saw.

The idea of the Hogueras de San Juan (the Baptist) is a very old festival to celebrate the arrival of the summer solstice. The purpose of the rite is to "give more power to the sun." Symbolically the fire is also about "cleansing" so it includes the homemade bonfires on the beach where folks jump over the fires to mean moving into the new days. The big bonfires are the burning of these huge structures. Now Spain has, of course, made this into a party. The bambaros are playfully taunted till they turn the water on the crowd and everyone gets totally drenched. If you go to http://www.euroresidentes.com/Fiestas/Hogueras_Alicante.htm you can see many pictures of the activities I've been describing. Also, we have some wonderful pictures on our Facebook pages (Cody and I) if you want to see those.

This was a wonderful week for them to be here! Yo (Heart) Alicante!