a whole new world

With the abundance of things to see in the city, it is easy to look past some of the smaller essences that make the city its own. From the moment I stepped foot in Tangier, I've noticed one thing in particular that sets it apart from any other city- the smell.

The city air surrounds me as I walk down the street, past busy people walking by. The culture hugs my body, allowing me to feel welcome to the new city I've arrived in. As I start to feel a sense of comfort within the foreign land I stand on, something completely new hits me. The pungent smell of spices rushes into my nose. Kosher, ginger, black pepper, white pepper, sweet paprika, hot paprika,  cumin, cinnamon, saffron, turmeric, anise, nutmeg, gum arabia, fenugreek, bay leaves, Ras El Hanout. These scents are unfamiliar; so different from the smell of spices at home. Bins are filled with spices along the streets of the city, within the souk and of course behind the walls of the medina. The people, the places, the things all carry the smell with them wherever they go. This is the smell of Morocco. The one things that sticks to the air, reminding me just how far I am from home.

A walk in my shoes

Walking through Tangier is an experience in itself. I come from a small town in Massachusetts on the border of Connecticut; what you could consider cow-town. I am used to backroads, farms, no street lights and only the sound of peepers at night. Being exposed to the city life has opened my eyes up to another world.

Living in the city has been more of a culture shock to my senses, than it has been to myself. The city is always full of new noises- like those of sirens of ambulances, "bee doe bee doe bee doe.." that remind me of nothing more than the minions in the movie Despicable me. New smells- like abundance of spices used in traditional moroccan cooking. New sights- city lights and an orange glow illuminating off the clouds at night.

Upon leaving campus, I find myself one of the more quiet streets with only a few houses. I take a right and walk up a steep hill towards the American School Gates and the wall of the Spanish consulate. When I reach this main road there are many cars creating a traffic jam as parents impatiently wait for their children to get out of school. I take a left and continue walking uphill and pass a small bakery with homemade treats full of nuts and sugars very different from those in the US. The bakery is followed by a day-care center with colorful gates and windows that look like children's toys. Petite taxi's speed by and look like a turquoise blur to pedestrians. I come to the intersection of the next main street at a rotary- a Moroccan roundabout is one of the scariest things i've witnessed since i've been here. Theres no speed limit, no right of way. The cars beep to claim their order in the traffic circle. Quite frankly, I think most drivers would be more safe if they were to close their eyes and just go for it.

I continue walking to the right this time, and the city life starts to unravel itself. People fill the streets, and the sound of cars swallows me. I become part of the city; not just a pedestrian, but one more aspect making the city more diverse.  Men, young and old, stare and often make comments towards me. I'm never surprised when strangers wave to me or call me a "beautiful flower". These men will often shout "mama mia" or "hola" as many people from Spain come to visit the area. Women in this culture, however, are not as vocal as men. Women often do not make eye contact with me. When they do it is beyond mysterious. Their glare is one like no other; one of disgust or maybe the absence of thought at all. As I have now been here for a month, I understand that our culture is a lot different than that of the Arab nation. I now try to smile at the women here whenever eye contact is made. I believe that a gesture as small as a smile makes me less vulnerable to the stereotype of a "typical american". I am here not to intrude on the culture, but rather to understand and embrace it. I have found that this is, in fact, a universally understood gesture as more and more women will look at me and smile back- which is more welcoming than speaking at all.

As I approach the mosque, I find myself at another rotary and am almost in the center of the city. I wait for the green light before I cross the road, as pedestrians do not have the right of way. The streets are packed with petite and gran taxis driving as many as 6 passengers to their various destinations amongst the city. Men walk towards the mosque as the call to prayer is announced over the entire city in a disconsolate manner. When the call to prayer first rang through my eardrums it sent cold shivers throughout my body.

Men take their shoes off, and enter the mosque. The follow one person and pray toward the direction of Mecca. It's not as common for women to pray in the mosque, but when they do they must enter through the back door, where a wall separates them from the men. When someone cannot go to the mosque to pray, it is not uncommon to pray on a mat wherever they may be.

A few minutes down the road from the mosque I can head towards the medina, or towards Mexico Street, but those are both a story of their own which must wait for another day.

Cultural Insight

Mourad put together a small presentation for us, to help understand the culture and society we are now living in. The presentation taught us about the food, history, education, safety and other cultural insights. 

Moroccan artifacts!

Crushed stones, such as these, are used to make eye make-up.

Eyeshadow

Argan seeds used in skin and hair care. 

Homemade blush

Rose petals are used on skin, eyes and the body in general to freshen up.

moment in time

We're becoming friends, we're becoming family.

A mosque is seen in the distance. The houses of the city sit back to back. Clothes are strung out to dry. People stand upon their rooftop terraces.The colors of the buildings mix together to make a sea of color.  This picture is simply a perfect way to show that the differences between countries is exactly why each culture is beautiful.

"We all become great explorers during our first few days in a new city, or a new love affair." 

-Mignon McLaughlin

Starting on a good note!

Upon arriving to campus, we were all overjoyed by the hustle and bustle of the workers rushing to finish up campus for us. We settled in and our sight-seeing started right away. We started our first real trip as a bus tour.

This is  Cap Spartel, a light house found at the entrance to the straight of Gibraltar. Often considered the most northern point of Africa, Cap Spartel is a beautiful place to take pictures of the open ocean.

& of course there were photo opportunities such as this one, seeing as this is such a tourist attraction. Two young boys, around 10 years old or so, walked their donkey's over us and expected money after we enjoyed taking pictures.

While on the bus, we enjoyed seeing the beautiful coast line of both the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

We then made our way to Hercules Cave, another landmark in northern Africa. As we walked into the caves the walls were lined with handmade Moroccan artifacts such as clay bowls, keychains, rocks and other small trinkets.

When this photo is flipped, the shape formed by the natural rocks is a replica of the shape of Africa.

& of course we had to take pictures within the other caves! I think these pictures speak for themselves.

For a windy & rainy day, the ocean still looked beautiful.

Cats. Everywhere.

From here, we enjoyed taking pictures of the rock of Gibraltar over in Spain that we could see just across the pond.

Wild cats and dogs are everywhere. This guy was hiding in the grasses from the wind and rain.

For lunch we stopped at another lighthouse, however i'm not sure what the name of it is. It was beautiful, nonetheless.

Thanks for a great trip, Anouar!

ZzzZzz

Well, since posting last i've finally gotten the chance to sit down again, and write. I looked over my last post, and I realized that I must've been very tired, as it was full of grammar and spelling errors. So, I want to apologize- being so busy absorbing the new culture day-by-day drains my energy very quickly. My days often consist of short naps whenever the chance is available. However, I am now adjusted as i've been here for about a month. I will be updating a few more posts today, and sharing picture from each of the adventure i've had. Enjoy!