متجر التوابل (Spice Shop)

I am researching education in the Middle East and North Africa and I was super excited to give out my surveys to Moroccan students. I researched this topic back in the United States, and it's so cool to have something that you read be in front of your eyes.

After school today, I went shopping in the medina. I was surprised at some of the prices from people that were vending on the streets without a store because they were so much cheaper than other ones. We also went to a really big spice store, whose owner is actually a friend of my friend's host dad. He was so hospitable! We were greeted by super sweet cherries and the best tea that I have had here (which is saying a lot considering I have tea like three times a day). He had a real pure supply of perfume stones, essential oils and spices. This spice shop definitely had the best spices I have smelt in Morocco. Just a side note-- most spice shops also sell drugs that are illegal in Morocco.

I am definitely going to miss the hospitality, (most of ) the smells and the eagerness of the people of Morocco!

\My amazing tea! Yes, it has a rose in it!

The row of essential oils.

So many spices!

استكشاف المدينة القديمة في فاس -2 Exploring the Old City of Fes

السلام عليكم!


Today was part two of my exploring of the old medina! This time we went really deep in to the old Medina and I'm so happy that I didn't end up super lost, something that would be really easy to do/.  We started out by looking through the Batha Museum, which had very nice Berber artifacts. My favorite things that to be the jewelry and clothes. After that, we traveled down Rue Tala Kabirah, one of the most important and hilliest streets in Fes. There are a lot of فنادق (Fnaadiq - market squares, can also mean hotels) on this street. I went to honey فندق! It definitely had a very distinct smell. Other فنادق that I visited were the honey, cloth and ceramic ones. We were also able to see the street where Ibn Khaldoun, a famous anthropologist from the 14th century, used to live. On that street there was an artisan store and so many beautiful oil lamps which looked like they might have had genies inside. Another museum that we visited was the Museum of Woodwork. and my favorite things there were the magnificent doors and a wooden carving of a Quran surah from the 13th century. We looked around at the mosques that were around the old medina and got to go inside the Qarawiyn mosque and pray. It's beautiful and in the past it used to be a university. It actually rivaled universities like Oxford and the likes. It was founded in the 9th century by a wealthy woman, Fatima al-Fihria. We also went to a loom where they made there scarves, clothes and curtains out of cactus silk in front of us. It was gorgeous! Afterwards, we needed to finish off some of our shopping and actually found pretty good deals.




I'm not done exploring this city yet though! I still have some places I want to see. I'm not ready to leave yet!

A view of Fes from the rooftop of the Woodwork Museum!

Inside the woodwork Museum -- even that was beautiful.

Inside the Qarawiyn mosque!

استكشاف المدينة القديمة في فاس Exploring the Old City of Fes

السلام عليكم!

Sorry for not having posted something in a while!

I've been under the weather for a little bit, but I feel a lot better :) ! I can't believe that I have less than a week left in المغرب (Morocco)! It's so bittersweet, but one thing is for sure -- I am extremely glad I decided to study abroad.

I buy a painting from every place that I visit in Morocco, because the art is beautiful and plentiful here. I've been studying and living in Fes, so obviously my nicest work of heart has to be from Fes. Last Thursday, my roommate Erin and I went shopping for some souvenirs that she needed and we ended up walking in to an art gallery. It was the first time I really saw oil pants and not acrylic pants and got a beautiful painting of a gateway that is really close to my homestay, In actuality, my homestay is in the perfect location -- it's on one of the major roads of the old medinah. When I say road, I hope you all know that cars aren't allowed here -- only donkeys and kitties! But please don't ride the cats.

This weekend is my last weekend in Morocco, so I decided to stay and make sure that I get to explore Fes intimately. Fortunately, the weather is beautiful (84 degrees with an amazing breeze).  Today, I visited the King's Palace Brass Doors. You are allowed to take pictures, but you can't sit on the grass! We maneuvered our way through the Jewish quarters which have buildings that are definitely architecturally distinct from the rest of Fes. We also visited the different gateways through out the city. I think there are 13 in total and I've seen most of them. The old city is actually protected by walls and the gateways are the entrance to this fortress. It's quiet a site. We also visited another rural fortress, the Kasbah Cherardah., which is unfortunately closed to tourists. I snuck a peak between the slightly cracked open doors though! It was a hilly walk up, but a breathtaking one at that, too. At the top of the hill was the Borj Nord, or a fortress that is now a International Weapon Museum. Some of the weapons were so ornate I could accessorize with them! Afterwards, we wandered down the streets of the Old City to souvenir shop. I got some good finds! In one of the stores, the merchant was selling tiles that were about a hundred years old and it was amazing to get to touch them. When I got home, my sister and I did karaoke in Arabic, English and Hindi!

Outside the brass doors of my palace -- haha ;)!

Borj Nord -- the Weapons Museum was inside here!

Such a beautiful sword -- it's encrusted with rubies and sapphires.

Al-Youm At-Thalith At-Thalathoon

Today is really, really hot! فعلا حار جدا ! It reached 105 degrees today, but then there was a nice shower of rain! For lunch, a few of us went to McDonald's. It was about the same price as back  home, but it is a status symbol for Moroccans. I can say that I've eaten a McDonald's cheeseburger, like the majority of all Americans! After class, I went to a concert that our school arranged with a traditional Moroccan band. It was super interactive, but I preferred to take pictures today! Afterwards, I went out for ice cream with my host sister, because she had her annual exam today. In Morocco, all students in each grade and all schools have the same exam at the end of the year.

One thing I really wanted to talk about is the community in Morocco. People say that Americans are very wealthy, but in reality, I think it is Moroccans that are truly rich. For the most part, each Moroccan has an amazing support system that most Americans will never get to experience. They have an intact nuclear and extended family. Both of these units always look out for  the individual. Outside of that, the community will look out for the individual. Even if you are not part of the community, for the most part. people will always try to help you out. For example, at the train station, someone else might grab your heavy bags. This might alarm the American mind. However in Morocco, this is welcomed and normal and solely means that someone wants to help you carry your bags. People are always looking out for each other. I have been helped so many times and I really appreciate this aspect of Al-Maghrib (Morocco), will miss it the most and will definitely try to implement it in my life.

Students in traditional band garb dancing with the Moroccan band.

Traditional Moroccan band!

Enjoying my cheeseburger from Mickey D's in Morocco!

Safr ila Casablanca wa Rabat السفر إلى الرباط والدار البيضاء

This weekend was so nice! The weather during the weekend in Fes hit around 105 degrees, so I'm glad I escaped it.
We decided to leave on Saturday morning. I had to be at Bank Al-Maghrib at 6:25 and I woke up at 6:00. I needed to be awake at 5:30, and even that was pushing it, but I scrambled to catch a taxi to leave my house at 6:15 and then get to the Bank at 6:25. My friend Marissa and I took the train at 6:50 and got to Casablanca at 10:50. Obviously, I had to try my conversation skills and interact with the people who were sitting in my train compartment :) . The girl who was sitting next to me just got married in Rabat and was visiting her family in a neighboring town. We saw the Mosque of Hassan II (مسجد الحسن الثاني)]. It was hands down, the most beautiful building I have ever seen or set foot in. It was huge and right by the Atlantic Ocean coastline, which made for a really nice breeze. I was super happy that I got to pray Salat ad-Dhuhr at the Mosque. What an experience.

Next, we ate and got on the train to Rabat, which took about an hour. We also met someone on the train, but spoke to her in English. She seemed to  be part of the upper class and went to school in Canada. We walked to our hostel and navigated the city with a map and our Arabic speaking skills. We eventually got there, and then walked along the sea side and saw Rabat's beauty and it's lively board walk. The first site that we visited was the Hassan Tower, one lone standing minaret. The mosque's construction began in 1195, but  was not finished, because the king building it had died. There were also pillars from the foundation remaining and in place. It was a sight to see children running among them. The Tower was adjacent to the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. It was beautiful and the ceiling was breathtaking. I got to pray Salat ul-Maghrib at the adjoining mosque which was exquisite, as well. We then found food in the Old City of Rabat. I got a huge plate of chicken, fries, salad and bread for less than three dollars. Overall, Rabat was less expensive than Fes.

The next day, we went and shopped in the Old City. For breakfast, we had Nutella with freshly baked bread and a pastry for about 50 cents. I bought a Moroccan soccer jersey and a traditional men's dress (jelabah). We then headed to see St. Pierre's Cathedral. It was interesting to see the strong Moroccan influence on the Cathedral's architecture. Afterwards, we went to the archaeological museum. It had tons of Roman, Phoenician and Islamic artifacts from all over Morocco. For 10 dirhams ($1.25) we got a two hour long personal tour. Of course the tour was in Arabic, but I was proud of myself for understanding most of what the tour guide was trying to say. Another cool thing about the museum was that we got to touch a lot of the artifacts, something that could never happen in the US. After the museum, we peeked inside the boulevard that leads to the Royal Palace (it's surrounded by fortified walls, but there are gates for people to get in and out).This was along the way to the Chellah, an archaeological site filled with Roman and Phoenician ruins. The settlement was also settled by Sultan Abu-Husan in the 14th Century. SubhanAllah, practically all the buildings were crumbing, but the mosque was almost perfectly preserved. It was a eerie and beautiful sight indeed. We then made our way back to the train station to make sure we arrived back to Fes before dark. I was very proud of myself and the experiences I had in Rabat - I solely relied on a map and my Arabic skills and did not get a taxi anywhere.

That's me in front of King Hassan's Mosque!

Inside the mosque -- so beautiful!

Rabat!

Posing with a soldier outside of the Mausoleum in Rabat!

Al-Youm Al-Thalatha w Al-Thalathoon

!السلام عليكم

Today is obviously Friday and I had class from 8 until 12. I came home after class and my sister Nouhayla took me to the Bounania Madresa/ Mosque. SubhanAllah it was a wonderful experience. I noticed that the elder women were in front and as you went back the women got younger. I had seen the Medresa in the walking tour of the old city, but it was amazing to actually pray Friday prayer. I understood parts of the Khutba خطبة, because it was in Fus-ha and not in Dharija. SubhanAllah what an empowering feeling. After the prayer, I shook hands with the women at the mosque ( مسجد or جامع). It was a beautiful sight. I then returned to my house and ate Couscous with my Moroccan family. I practiced speaking with my sister and mom, played UNO for a while and showed them my pictures. I also made a map of the places I want to visit in Rabat and Casablanca tomorrow. I am going to Casablanca and Rabbat tomorrow! I am scared, because only one of my friends is going with me tomorrow, and my map savvy friends are going to another city in Morocco. Oh well, I need to one thing everyday that scared me :) .

After I woke, my sister Nouhayla and I did my homework and after Maghrib prayer, we went out in to city. My sister Nouyhala is 11 and she knows Fus-ha better than I do! She has a lot of patience with me. She really is great. We went to my mom's salon and played with bubbles! We also visited Bab Bejloud, the city fortress and the markets. They were beautiful at night! Now after I eat, I will sleep, because I have to take the 6:50 train in the morning.

Also, I totally translated this blog post in to Arabic for my sister :) !


!مع سلامة
-Naheed

Medresa Bounania at the tour!

The room where the Imam leads Friday prayer.

Outside the door of the room where I prayed Friday prayer. No worries, took this picture on the tour not before/after prayer :) .

Al-Youm Al-Thalatheen

!السلام عليكم

We are moving super quickly in my Arabic class! We do around two chapters a week, and surprisingly I am picking it up really well. However, the dialect of Morocco, دريج (Darija) is an amalgam of French, the Amazir language, Spanish and classical Arabic, فصحى (Fus-ha), so sometimes it is a bit difficult to understand what people are saying to me. However, a lot of people here know English to some degree since there are a lot of tourists that visit. After class today, we explored the Old City streets by my house and I bought a cream puff for 1 Dirham, which is equivalent to about 12 cents. 12 cents definitely well spent! I also bought a cloth pencil case for 10 dirhams, which is a little bit above a dollar. I think I've got bargaining down -- name a quarter of the price that the shopkeeper says and slowly haggle to one-third or one-half of the original price. It's was initially super hard for me, because I didn't want to insult the shopkeeper!

The street that I live on is one of the main streets of the Old  City, and it leads to Bab Bejloud, one of the gateways of the city, and to a royal quarter where people will pray. I saw both today.

One side of the Bab Bejloud! It's blue on the other side!

!مع سلامة
-Naheed

Safr ila Sahara, Al-Youm Al-Ithanee

!السلام عليكم

I just got back from my trip to the Sahara desert. Going to the Sahara desert was the coolest thing I have ever done in my life, let alone Morocco. When we left the Xaluca Hotel in Erfoud, we went to the Tombouktouh Hotel in Erg Chebi. The scenery on the way down was beautiful. I noticed a definite Spanish influence in the towns that were further south. The way that the sun reflected the dunes was outstanding. We started to ride our camels 2 hours before sunset and got to our camp. The camel ride was AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. I definitely yelled when the camel stood up, but for the most part it was a pretty comfortable ride. Everyone was wearing their turbans, but I was just wearing my hijab! I think my camel's name was Amanel? The Amazirs (politically correct term for Berbers) who were leading our caravan spoke Spanish better than Arabic (their primary language is the Amazir language), so I got to talk to them for a bit with Spanish. When we got off the camels, everyone attempted to climb up the sand dune, which was about three quarters of a mile. It was a lot harder than climbing a mountain of the same height, because of the resistance of the sand. But I'm proud to say I made it to the top! I could see Algeria from there. Going down the sand down was especially fun. We then had Amazir musical entertainment and dinner. I tried my hand at learning the drums Amazir style! After that we laid out on the dunes just gazing at the sky, looking at the millions of stars, catching sight of serene shooting stars. Afterwards, I decided to sleep outside of the tent, because the breeze was so much better outside. The Amazir guides woke us up around sunrise, so we could ride the camels back to the hotel before the desert sun became unbearable. We left shortly after, and it was a nine hour ride back to Fez.

SubhanAllah!

So beauiful! I wish I got a better picture/

Oh hey, who's that on top of her camel?

The sand dune that we climbed!

Safr Ila al-Sahara, Al-Youm Al-Wahid (Journey to the Sahara Day 1)

Assalamualikum!

Yesterday we started our trip to the desert. It was an extremely scenic seven hour ride: We drove through the mountains and saw rivers, springs and breathtaking greenery. We stopped at Hotel Xaluca at the town of Erfoud for the night. It is literally a five star hotel. I was really tired so I wandered around the hotel, sat in the amazingly decorated Berber tent; sat by the pool for a little bit and went on top the roof to enjoy the view: I also had a decent conversation in Arabic with the gift store owner. Today we are stopping for lunch at a small town two hours from the hotel and then will start riding camels at pm. We are going to be camping out in the desert tonight. I am excited, but definitely scared too!

Ma salamah,
Naheed

Al-Youm Ath-Thalath Al-Ashroon اليوم الثالث العشرين

Steak with avocado juice for less than $8 :)

                                                     Trying to be fierce at the Bab Bjloud Garden!

Al-Youm Ath-Thaniya al-Ashron اليوم الثانية العشرين

السلام عليكم!

You can probably tell that I'm trying really hard to keep my opens :) .

مع السلامة,
Naheed

اليوم العشرين Al-Youm Al-Ashreen

Looking at the beauty of Fez.

The city of Fez sprawled out.

An addendum: There is something so poetic about sitting on your roof in Africa, with the wind gently nudging you, a clear sky and a million stars above you as you listen to serene music from the International Spiritual Music Festival. 

Safr ila Marksh السفر إلى مراكش

السلام عليكم!

Today's going to be a long post , so I'm going to write it out so the video doesn't take forever to upload :) !
I just got back an hour ago to my home in Fez from my trip to Marrakesh. The kitties outside my house  are meowing and it definitely feels like home <3.
My friends and I left to Marrakesh right after our classes on Friday and took the 1pm train down to Marrakesh. We took second class and the trains were very clean. The train had compartments that held 8 people, so 3 of us from my group sat together in one compartment along with people we didn't know. The people we met on the way there were very nice and they wanted to practice their English with us so we talked to them in a mix of English, Arabic and Dharija (the Moroccan dialect) along with sharing incredibly sweet watermelon and these Moroccan dumplings that were dipped in honey and sesame seeds. It took us seven and a half hours to get to Marrakesh. Those seven hours were incredibly scenic -- I saw the Atlantic Ocean, mountains, plains and rivers. When we arrived at the train station, we decided to walk to our hostel. We only had a map and compass and miraculously found our way there within forty-five minutes. The hostel was new, very pretty and incredibly welcoming. After settling in, we went to eat dinner at the Jamaa al-Fnae (جامع الفناء), a very busy square of the city that had a bazaar, tented restaurants, entertainers and food stands in every corner. It was an absolutely gorgeous experience with it's music, candles, lights and smells in the night. One of my favorite things about the square were the many lantern sellers who light their lanterns with candles inside. It was absolutely breath taking.
On Saturday, I got breakfast for 50 cents and it basically consisted of two scrumptious pastries. We passed by the  Jamaa al-Fnae (جامع الفناء) again and there were ladies approaching us for henna, people with monkeys and snakes who wanted to let us hold them and many freshly squeezed orange juice vendors. The square was on route to our next destination, which were the palaces in the city. The first palace was closed, so we decided to visit a tomb which housed past rulers. The second palace was close by and we even saw the arena where lion fights used to take place. Needless to say, it was beautiful. We decided to wander in the many market areas, and it was such a sensual experience for my senses- the smells, sights and noises were breathtaking. There were many spice, leather, jewelry and lantern stores. In fact, Marrakesh is famous for it's jewelry and leather. The store keepers were very friendly, gave us tea and showed us their entire inventory. It was a nice experience to smell and sample the spices in a spice store. At first I got some good prices, but then when we started heading back to  Jamaa al-Fnae (جامع الفناء), I started to get ripped off. However, by the end of the day, I was able to bargain my way to a great price for a lantern I got! For our dinner, we sat at a terrace overlooking  Jamaa al-Fnae (جامع الفناء). The view was absolutely beautiful and the dish I ordered was delicious.
Today basically consisted of eating breakfast and getting back to Fez. We got a little lost when we tried looking for the closest taxi stand to the station, but we got back in one piece.
الحمد لله.

Lantern vendor at night.

So many spices !

Jamaa al-Fnae (جامع الفناء) in the afternoon.

The lion fighting arena at the Palace.

مع السلامة,
Naheed

اليوم الرابع عشر Al-Youm Al-Rabi Ashr

Apparently, all this noise was from people dancing in the streets in preparation for the Sacred Music Festival! This place has character :-) !

The fountain in between  New and Old Fez !

So excited for my gummy worms, obviously :) !

اليوم الثالث عشر Al- Youm Al-Thalith Ashr

                                                     My lunch! Kefta with eggs and bread!

اليوم الحادية عشرة Al-Youm Al-Hadiya Ashra

استمتع! (Enjoy!)

مع سلامه  (Bye / With Safety),

Naheed

Al-Youm Al-3Aashr

Salam!
Today's been a long day so I'm going to write a post instead of trying to film my tired self. I went to Chefchaoeun today with other people. It was stunning. Life seemed to going at the right pace and I could totally see myself living there. The city is carved out of mountains and is pretty much all blue. It has a strong Andalusian and Moorish influence, because it was a refuge for Jews and Christians during the Spanish Inquisition. The Spanish also settled in to the city in 1920, too. The waiters spoke Spanish, so I got a chance to practice my Arabic. We got there around 9AM, so we decided to climb a up the mountain in Chefchaoeun since it wasn't too hot and there was a nice mystical fog. I was so proud of myself of how high I climbed and I could see mountains, hills, a river and the entire city of Chefchaeoun from that point.
The people were super nice and the vendors would not follow you around and overcharge you ridiculously, unlike other parts of Morocco. We accidentally walked in to the kasbah (castle), which I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to. There were also beautiful mosques, one known as the Spanish mosque which is nestled on top of a mountain.
I ate Spanish food (pinchitos) in Chefchaoeun and also got a pastry for lunch. For dinner, we decided to go to a cafe in Fes aimed at tourists called Cafe Clock. Everyone but me got a camel burger, but I was too scared to try it out and got a lamb burger instead. I also tried Fanta Limon and Hawai soda drinks, which are delicious. I really wish they had them in the States!
Tomorrow we are exploring/shopping in Fes with our mom, so I'm looking forward to it!

Dyes outside a store.

Stopping for a pick on the way to the top of the mountain.

Oh hey Chefchaeoun, you're beautiful.

-Naheed 

Al-Youm Al-Tase'a

الجمعة المباركة (Happy Friday!) 

Tajine and couscous in a tajine! It tasted so much better than any couscous I've ever tried!

My roommate Erin, my Moroccan dad Yousef, my Moroccan brother Anas, mother Zohra and brother Sami.

مع السلامة ,

Naheed

Al-Youm Al-Thamin (اليوم الثامن)

 :)

B'salamah,
  ناهد  (Naheed) 

Al-Youm As-Sadis

Salam,

 Excuse my awkward hijab style! And the type of dress I'm trying to say in the video is Kifthaan :) , not Kifnaan.

My shawarma with fries, fettucine and fries and Coke at Cafe Jahawara. It all cost less than $5 :) !

Me in a kifthaan (I think it was made for a taller woman, but it's beautiful!)

My host mom and I eating some sandwiches at her salon.

Al-Youm Al-Khamseen

An old picture -- but me at ALIF  (my school) :) !

Al-Youm Al-Arb3aeen

Enjoy!!

Roman princesses at the Roman ruins :) !

Panoramic view. Pictures don't do it justice sA.

Grainery!

B'salamah!

-Naheed

Al-Youm Al-Thlatheen

I'm not sure if the video upload will work today, so I'm going to write another entry today.

Today is Saturday, so we didn't have any ALIF related activities, even though my host siblings went to school. Instead, we went on a tour of the Medina of Fez (Medieval City). It was amazing and so much better than New Fez. I was expecting more people to be bothersome to us, but in general, Moroccan people are quite respectful.

The shops are beautiful. Moroccan goods are exquisite and pretty cheap. There were beautiful paintings, lanterns and jewelry. Right outside my house is a hijab store, dentist :), purse store and jewelry store. Waash hadi janaat ("Is this heaven in Moroccan?" Arabic.) 

We also saw a tannery, which is in all the Morocco tourist guides. It was such a unique place with such a unique smell that they gave us mint leaves to tolerate the smell. But the leather products were beautiful. I might buy a carry on from there so I can buy more things and take them home!

We saw beautiful medresas (religious schools) which were founded before Oxford was as well as a place where they make scarfs by hand and we tried on turbans! 

I feel more comfortable communicating in Arabic with my family and my ability to do so has definitely increased. InshAllah by the end I'll be able to surpass my expectation!

We're probably going to explore the bazaar later tonight; hopefully we don't get lost!

Blue Gate -- "Bab Bou Jeloud"

Tannery -- "مدبغة"

B'salamah,

Naheed

Al-Youm Al-Thwaney

Welllll it's taking forever to upload the video I made with this WiFi, so I'll just type out this blog entry :)!

Okay, so our day started with a crash course in Moroccan Arabic. It's so interesting to see how different the language is from Modern Standard Arabic. I'm taking classes at Arabic Language Institute in Fez (ALIF) and it's beautiful, just like all of Morocco. After that we took a tour of the Villa Nouveua (New City) of Fez, which is where wealthier Moroccans live. I was surprised at how Western the Moroccans there dressed! I looked more traditional Moroccan with my long blue skirt. We had amazing ice cream and saw the tourist-y parts of the New City. We didn't get a chance to see the royal palace, but it's 15 minutes from ALIF! Our lunch was Tajine with Couscous and it was delicious. There are so many cute cats who ask for food, but I've been told they can hurt me so I can't feed them :( . Afterwards we learned about Moroccan customs and manners, which are very similar to Indian manners.

I met my host family. They are sooo nice! I also think they're pretty wealthy, because they have WiFi. Speaking Arabic spontaneously is harder then I thought. Luckily, my homestay mom knows Spanish, so it's the best of both worlds. Also, our parents speak Modern Standard Arabic as well as Moroccan Arabic so that makes things easier. We had delicious chicken and french fries (batatas frites) for dinner. And Moroccan Sprite, which tastes like Indian Sprite. I have three homestay brothers and one homestay sister. The oldest one is at a University and speaks English well, but he will be back in two weeks. They take care of my roommate, Erin and I so well. Erin and I are a good pair, because I start spontaneous conversation and she's my go to Spanish translator!

                                                 Tajine with Couscous!!

ICE CREAM ICE CREAM ICE CREAM

Our beautiful classroom at ALIF!

Alhamdulillah I can hear the adhaan and nasheeds from outside the window of my bedroom.

Morocco, Alhamdulillah <3

Salam!

-Naheed