I finally uploaded my pictures to photobucket. DH's uncle is Moroccan. They (his aunt, uncle, and two young cousins) live in Jersey but they also own a house in Morocco and go there to visit their family every other summer. DH's grandmother is the only other family to have gone to Morocco and that was years ago so I think they really enjoyed being able to introduce more of the "American" side of the family to the Moroccan side of the family. It was definitely an interesting two weeks.
The thing that stood out to me the most is how fortunate we are to be able to wear whatever we want here. DH and the other boys were able to wear shorts and t-shirts but I was expected to wear a jaleba (the long blue dress like cover I'm wearing in one of the pictures) sometimes when we went into town. I didn't cover my head but let's just say that I was pretty hot under my jaleba. The women even swam in their jalebas, which I imagine got pretty heavy when they were wet. Also, if there were too many people to fit around the table during meals, women would eat in one area and the men would eat in a separate area. Considering that I knew very little Arabic (I learned how to say thank you), I didn't enjoy being separated from DH, though his aunt was pretty good about translating what the other ladies were saying for me. DH said he got no translations and just sat in silence and stuffed his face. Oh and I gained 5 pounds after weeks of eating bread as a primary part of every meal... not to mention the nightly snacks of fried doughnuts, figs, and olives.
I have no pictures of Marrakesh because they didn't think it was safe for us to carry our camera but it was really interesting. There's a big open square that is filled with snake charmers and monkeys and performers. The square is surrounded by alley after alley of markets. I wish we could have spent more time there, but we were traveling with 15 people total and staying at friends of the family along the way so things were a little rushed. I can only imagine how most of us would handle having 15 people show up at our house to stay the night with only a few hours notice but they were all incredibly hospitable. All in all, it was a good trip.
4 comments:
WOW! Your pictures are awesome. I had so many questions (culturally related) as I watched your video. You did a great job clarifying those questions in your narrative.
As much as I run my mouth, that would have been a tough trip for me and then to be separated from the only person I could truly communicate with would have been murderous LOL.
How interesting that you had to take toilet paper, something we take for granted, everywhere you traveled.
Thanks Nihuru. I had completely forgotten about the toilet paper. Most of the public restrooms didn't have toilet paper and I found myself much more regular than usual so it was definitely a necessity.
nice pics. love the jilbab! looks like they gave you one made of hot synthetic fabric instead of cool cotton. i like having separate eating tables/areas for men and women. a lot of sisters are shy and won't talk much around men but amongst the women they can be the life of the party. glad you enjoyed yourself.
salaam
muslimah- I think you're right. The material had the feel of maybe polyester or something like that so that's probably why I was so hot (and boy was it hot!). Living in AZ, I thought I could handle it but the difference is that I don't walk around outside in the summer in AZ for extended periods of time. I probably wouldn't have minded the separate tables if I weren't so accustomed to talking to my husband during dinner but he probably loved getting a break from hearing me talk.
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