Guest Post from Mom

I am writing a guest blog to share my thoughts and impressions of Morocco. Brian and I visited Jenny for 2 weeks from June 10 – 23, 2008. We had a great trip and I will remember it for quite some time. Let me just say that from the moment we arrived until we left, Jenny took care of our every need. Her knowledge of the Arabic language and speaking it fluently was a never ending source of amazement to us. She was the best tour guide we could have hoped for. From arranging transportation in a petite taxi, grand taxi, train, horse and buggy; to reserving hotels and riads which are beautiful homes set around an open garden courtyard; to choosing restaurants of which some were local, traditional Moroccan foods and others, more American like Pizza Hut, McDonalds, and TGIFridays; to finding local sightseeing spots in each city; to bargaining and haggling with the street vendors in the souqs; Jenny did it all and she did it well. I may be biased, but I would like to add that Jenny has accomplished so much as a Peace Corps volunteer. She is a young woman who figured out how to navigate in a country where women are viewed much differently than men. Her work in youth development is really outstanding. It took a lot of perseverance to be the first PCV in her town and to start a youth program from the ground up. We are so proud of you.

We spent 4 days in Jenny’s town experiencing her life as a Peace Corps volunteer. We were invited to have lunch at the homes of 3 different families. It was like eating Thanksgiving dinner 3 days in a row. At each home we were seated in the salon after removing our shoes. Moroccans serve their tea in high style in a silver teapot along with a tray of nuts and dates before the meal. Eventually a kettle of hot water was brought to us and poured over our hands over a silver basin. Then the meal was brought out to a knee-high round table around which we were seated. The food was served in the center of the table for all to eat from. Each home served a piping hot tajine with vegetables and meat (yummy!). We tore off pieces of bread to scoop up the hot food with your fingers. Next, we were served a large tray of couscous with meat. Along with the couscous, a bowl of buttermilk was consumed (not so yummy!). And to top it all off, we ate Moroccan-grown fresh fruit (watermelon, honeydew melon, apples, bananas, grapes, peaches, oranges) for dessert. We were encouraged to eat more than we possibly could. Two of these families were the host family to Jenny. It was great to meet them and express our thanks for being her family in Morocco.

While we were in Jenny’s town, we went to the Dar Chebab to see her work and meet the boys. They are a good group of boys who come to the Dar Chebab to learn English and do fun activities. We played ping pong, Connect Four, Jenga, Old Maids, and put together a jigsaw puzzle with them. It was clear to us that these boys like and respect Jenny very much.

In the second week of our Moroccan adventure we did some sightseeing and traveled to Marrakesh, Essaouira, Rabat, and Casablanca. Each town or city had a wall surrounding the oldest part of the medina and something different to offer. Marrakesh was a hot, chaotic, lively city with a population of 970,000. The focal point of Marrakesh was the Djemaa el-Fna, a huge square in the medina complete with snake charmers, juice stands, story tellers, musicians, monkeys, and boxing matches. Brian loved this and likened it to the Steele County Fair multiplied by 1 million. In the evening this square comes alive with rows of open-air food stalls selling anything from seafood to shish kabobs. The souqs were nearby selling many local crafts. We wandered through the maze of shops and vendors looking at the slippers, rugs, metal works, leather shops, pottery, textiles, jewelry, fruits, vegetables, chickens, meat, nuts, spices, etc.

Essaouira was a picturesque Atlantic coastal town with a population of 45,000. I loved this charming town with its cool ocean breezes, whitewashed houses, stone ramparts, and fishing boats. The pace of life was much calmer and serene. We enjoyed our stay in a beautiful riad complete with breakfast served on the rooftop each morning. One day we walked along the beach watching the wind surfers and para sailers. One evening we watched the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean perched atop the stone ramparts wall.

Rabat was a large modern city with a population of 1.4 million. It is the capital of Morocco and home to many government buildings, museums, and monuments. The office of Peace Corps is also located in Rabat. Although it was a large city it had more of a relaxed atmosphere than Marrakesh. It was in Rabat at the train station that we ran into Dan, a Peace Corps Volunteer friend and his sister Becca, who was visiting from the USA. We met two other PCV’s Jeff and Lindsey. We also met Abdslam, a friend of Jenny’s. They met working at a spring camp. Abdslam is a student studying at the university in Rabat. This was very exciting for Brian and me. We had someone new to talk to that could speak English! We had a fun time getting to know everyone at a local spot called I Palatino where we had some drinks. One evening for dinner, Jenny wanted to go to a newly opened restaurant, you may have heard of it – TGIFriday. We treated Jenny and her friends, Abdslam, Dan, and Becca to dinner. We did some sightseeing in Rabat too. We visited the Kasbah Des Oudaias, a fort or citadel situated high on a hill overlooking the Atlantic. One day we saw the Chellah, a site of ancient Roman ruins. Next, we went to the Le Tour Hassan & Mausoleum of Mohammed V. The Hassan tower is Rabat’s most famous landmark towering above everything. On the same site is the Mausoleum where Kings Mohammed V and Hassan II are laid to rest. It is beautifully decorated in the traditional Moroccan style with elaborate zellij (tile work) from floor to ceiling. Another favorite day of mine in Morocco was the day we went to the beach. Abdslam helped arrange to have a taxi driver take us to the Temara Plage (golden sand beach) which was 13 K south of Rabat. We rented a beach umbrella and beach mats and spent an afternoon laying in the African sun and swimming in the Atlantic Ocean.

Our last city to visit was Casablanca with a population of 3.8 million. We spent only 1 day here before returning home. Jenny requested a hotel room with a TV and a bathtub, both rare in Moroccan hotels/riads. So we visited 1 point of interest in Casa, the Hassan II Mosque and spent the rest of the time in our hotel room doing some much needed rest and relaxation. The Hassan II Mosque is the world’s third largest mosque. At a cost of more than half a billion dollars, it is amazing. The mosque is partly erected on the water of the Atlantic. The minaret is the highest in the world at 210 meters. The inside is beautiful with marble floors and lots of granite. It has colorful zellij and stucco molding. The vast prayer hall is large enough to hold 25,000 worshippers. Outdoors can hold another 80,000 people. It fills up during Ramadan according to our tour guide. It is one of the very few Islamic religious buildings open to non-Muslims.

So this was the end of our Moroccan adventure. It’s hard to put into words everything we saw and experienced. We saw many social and economic contrasts in this country. The very rich and the very poor. Traveling on a city street we saw old cars, expensive cars, thousands of mopeds, and an equal number of donkey carts, and bicycles all during a single taxi ride. We saw women and men dressed in a variety of clothing. Women wearing the very traditional jellabas with full head coverings with only the eyes showing to very much American-like clothing. We saw very nice homes similar to those you would see in San Diego and we saw slums and everything in between. We heard the call to prayer. An unforgettable sound. Five times a day Muslims are called to come to the mosque to pray. The Moroccans place much emphasis on the family unit with many extended families living together in the same home. They take care of each other and share their possessions. I will take away with me the memories of the people in Jenny’s town. Their kindness and generosity shown to us was amazing.

Ssalamu ‘lekum,

(Peace be upon you)

Pat Bentley