Im in Mo-Rockin Africa!!

When I had arrived in Marrakesh, Morocco, I did not know what to expect. My friends and I decided that we should spend a few days in Morocco during our time off. I had known little about Morocco except that it was in Africa, and less than an hour flight from Spain. Knowing that I could check Africa off my bucket list, I said yes with a smile.
After our bumpy and early flight from Madrid, we landed in Morocco. It was cloudy, so all we saw while landing was a quick view of the landscape; red was the dominant color. After filling out forms and gliding through customs, our tour guide awaited us. The group was called “Authentic Morocco” and they helped us create a great weekend. Our tour included meals, lodging, and transportation and guided tours. The cost was about 200 dollars. With our flight and many souvenirs, the cost came to around 350 dollars. Their site is called www.authentic-morocco.com.
Once we piled into the van labeled in French as “Transport Tourisme,” we started to see what Morocco was all about. We constantly dodged traffic on motorbike, bicycle, car and truck. Few of the roads contained dividing lines, and if they had them, they were ignored completely. The buildings looked like red mud and the streets were filled with markets trying to sell food, clothes or objects. Billions of flies were surrounding the food, destroying our already hungry appetites. After the short ride, the driver told us to get out so we could go to our hotel. I was scared for my life. Muslims dressed in their outfits were surrounding our van talking in Arabic, the official language of Morocco.
The streets destroyed my recently bought shoes, and we kept getting dirty looks from locals as we dragged our suitcases down the muddy path. Before we even had reached the hotel, the girls were getting glares and smiles from locals, and the men were being hassled to buy faux designer bags and shirts. Once we reached our hotel, which was unique but also very nice, we breathed a sign of relief. Because of the historic French connections, they also speak French, and are on all the signs in the city and country. The French occupied the nation for over 40 years until 1956 when Morocco became independent.
The marketplace is indescribable. Thousands of vendors were trying to sell millions of objects that are identical to the neighboring markets. Bartering is everywhere, which is rarely found anywhere in the United States. The smells have an odor that is not unpleasant, but different than anything I have ever smelled before. The theme between Morocco and the western world is that although close in geographical terms, Europe and Africa could not be farther apart. I realized all of this before even leaving the first trip in the van from the airport. Territory is everything. Although separated by the narrow Straight of Gibraltar, which is less than 9 miles at the narrow point, each nation speaks totally different languages, religions and culture.
Once I returned from Morocco, I became more interested in studying about the region. In one of the pictures attached, Matt Dobson is standing under a painting of a person we saw everywhere in Morocco. The person is King Mohammed IV, and he has been king since 1999 when his father died, who ruled for over 30 years. King Mohammed IV has been named the “king of the poor,” yet his wealth exceeds 2 billion, and about 1 million is spent on the palace budget alone each day. His father also helped find peace in the Middle East, but Morocco has a large Jewish population, and he was known to suppress domestic disagreement. I was surprised to learn of the large Jewish population here, but little more than 12 thousand still reside here. Over 200 thousand lived here while under French control before the formation of Israel.

The pictures of Morocco on wikipedia and other sites are not the images I see from my experience in this nation. I will always picture a marketplace so large and diverse that pictures, stories or textbooks will never be able to capture. The vendors knew English, or at least, numbers, so they could get tourists to buy their products. One vendor who tried to sell fake ray bans chased me down. He started the bidding at over 200 dirhams, but I got them for 40. These glasses broke the next day. Every 10 dirham’s is equal to about 9 dollars of 11 Euros. The bartering was fun for me and I bought a lot of really cool memorabilia from Africa, but for the sometimes rude and vicious vendors, it is their life. I recommend every MUDEC student spend time in Morocco. It is so different than Europe, and especially our bubbled lives in Oxford. Morocco is truly a place you have to see and experience before judging, appreciating or studying.

Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/791867.stm
http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/30/worlds-richest-royals-biz-royals07-cx_lk_0830royalintro_slide_8.html?thisSpeed=30000