This week I got to experience the more rural side of Morocco. My host dad and I spent most mornings and evenings working on the farm. The chores changed depending on the day. They varied from irrigating the fruit trees, to rounding hay, making sure all the cattle had water, or harvesting the fruit. This also included routine trips to the slaughterhouse. I worked alongside seven Moroccan farmhands who are responsible for completing the chores on the daily. These workers spoke no English, no French, and no Spanish so communicating with them was a struggle, to say the least. Usually, I wouldn’t have much to say but often my host dad would have me explain things using whatever forms of communication were available. This was an important exercise because it emphasized how I will have to interact with most rural Moroccans.
While learning how to communicate my host father thought it would also be helpful to visit an average Moroccan farm family. Though working on the farm was a great experience, my host dad made it clear that his farm is not what you will find in a generational rural family. At the farm that we visited the family owned one milking cow, three sheep, and about five hectares of land. Compared to my host family’s operation this was exponentially smaller. The family lived in old ruins outside the city and although they had access to running water they didn’t have many of the other luxuries compared to the American farm life. It is a privilege getting to see both sides of local agriculture because they both play a vital role in the country’s economy. Morocco is so diverse when it comes to agriculture. They produce a plethora of fruits and vegetables, a variety of livestock, argon, and many different nuts and beans. They are successful in this because of how the several types the geography and climate in the country. Morocco exports to many different countries within Africa but their leading exporting nations are to Spain and France since they are so close to Europe. Though climate change has affected the way the locals farm they have done everything they can to adapt, for agriculture makes up more than 35% of the country’s economy. The producers continue to evolve and modify with the recurring challenge of higher temperatures and less rain every year.
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This week was very busy. We traveled to Ksar El Kébir to spend the holiday with Mohammed’s whole family. The holiday is a three-day event marked on the Islamic Lunar calendar. Families return to their origin and celebrate by traditionally slaughtering a lamb in an act of obedience to God. Mohammed’s family fully welcomed me as I was able to learn more about Moroccan customs and traditions and music. Over 25 of his family members meet every year at a 5 story home dedicated to their quality time. The whole family only resides there only once or twice a year for the holidays (depending on everyone's schedule).
The weekend started with a greeting from the entire family which consisted of lots of la bise’s and laughing. Because of Covid, the family wasn’t able to get together the last couple of years so they all had a lot to catch up on. The next day we dressed in traditional clothes for breakfast and had a literal feast that the older women and moms prepared. The men then prepared the sheep and each family slaughtered their own. Even though this is done every year some members prefer not to witness the slaughter because it is tough for them. After the slaughter, we spent the day preparing the meat to consume. They respect the sheep’s sacrifice by eating all parts of it and not wasting any of their meat. Throughout the next day, we spent eating the liver, heart, kidneys, and lungs. After that, we moved on to the more traditional cuts of meat. And after the third day, the holiday was officially over. I tried mostly all cuts of the meat but I didn’t prefer the less traditional cuts of meat. They had a really specific taste and texture that I was not used to. After the holiday was over we took a trip to Assilah for the beach! All of the cousins and a couple of the parents joined. The water was so cold but once you got used to it you were able to have fun. The day after we all loaded up to visit the blue city, Chefchaouen. All the buildings and walls are painted in different shades of blue. It’s unknown why everything is blue but there are many theories surrounding the origin of the paint. Though the city is located in the mountains the weather was still similar to the rest of Morocco. HOT. After exploring a good amount of the city we finished our night with dinner in Tangier. It was so great getting to experience this holiday with a traditional Moroccan family. The most fascinating part to me was the amount of culture that can be found in one family. When I first arrived I was greeted with ‘Salam’, ‘Bonjour’, ‘Hola’, and of course, ‘Hello’. Their families traveled from Spain and France to be able to spend the holiday with one another. Though I was surrounded by people originally from Morocco they also represented different cultures that they immigrated to. My favorite part was getting to see how these cultures not only interacted with one another but how they so freely flowed among their family. It seemed so effortless but I’m sure that’s from years of learning and compromising. Though this was my second full week in Morocco, I feel like it was my first actual week. Last week was orientation to the country, the culture, and the people. Now the real trial begins. When arriving at my host family they all welcomed me with open arms and kind smiles. The family consists of 6 people including three brothers and one sister. The El Boahdidi's live in an apartment in the city with a house at the farm that they retire to during the idle summer months. On their farm, they have cattle, goats, sheep, and ducks along with a variety of fruit and olive trees. They will move after the daughter is finished with her semester at university, but sadly I think I will have moved on to my next family by then. This week I have been learning how to communicate using only a few words. The Moroccan dialect is very specific and is quite different from classic Arabic that is taught in schools. I could not prepare for the language before I left which provides me with an adequate challenge now that I am surrounded by the language. Every day I try to learn a few new words to add to my vocabulary, which the children enjoy teaching. Although Arabic is their official language the majority of young students learn French, English, Spanish, and sometimes Italian in school. I never realized how intimidating it is to speak to native speakers when it is not your first language. I am always worried that I’ll make a mistake or that they straight up won’t know what I am trying to say. But speaking is the best way to learn and all have been very gracious with my inaccuracies. Last week I worked hard to understand the environmental challenges that faced Morocco and how this affected their agricultural sector. This week I focused more on the people and their culture. How they interact with one another, how their culture is present in everything they do, and the vast similarities that this family has to my own. To help with my cultural understanding of the kingdom we took a trip to Rabat. This is the country’s capital and where the royal family resides. We got to explore the ancient mausoleum, the royal mosque, and the family’s quarters. I enjoyed learning the history of the empire and the effect that colonization had on its people. Although they were fortunate enough to preserve many different traditions and customs, the influence of colonization is still present and affecting the inhabitants of Morocco. My main takeaway from the week: talking comes in many different forms. P.s. Big thank you to my friend, Trinity, for coining the term “‘Racco” |