Watkins is in Fez, Chaouen, Tangier and Tarifa

If you’re reading these in order, we left off with Lunch on Saturday. If you’re not reading these in order, catch up here:

http://whereintheworldiswatkins.blogspot.com.es/2013/11/watkins-is-in-morocco.html

http://whereintheworldiswatkins.blogspot.com.es/2013/11/watkins-is-in-tangier-meknes-and-fez.html

Day 2, Part 2: Fez

After lunch it was back out to explore the city (Without siesta! Shocking! Actually though, the Spaniards on our trip complained.) of Fez. Our first stop was an artisan metal-working shop. The precision with which these men work is astounding. They make intricate geometric designs entirely from memory. There were beautiful platters, elephants, tea sets, genie lamps, and more. At one point, the lights went out and it was actually pretty scary. I hadn't realized until that moment that we were in an underground cave. The men that ran the shop assured us that it was normal, but it felt like the beginning of a Scooby-Doo episode; when the lights go out there are five, but when they come back on someone has disappeared into a revolving wall. Kayla and I linked elbows and held onto our purses until a couple of the guys we were travelling with found us with their cell phone lights. We left pretty darn quickly after that, but everyone was fine and had everything.

Aladdin Lamp! Taken during the
blackout.

Elephant!! If she hadn't been ridiculously expensive she
she would be coming to live with my other elephant since
they were the exact same size.

Treasures everywhere! It felt like Ariel's grotto down there!

Step 1: Throw the clay and make a base

Next on the agenda was a pottery studio that specialized in mosaics. They walked us through the whole process; from throwing the clay to store-ready. There were really cute kittens.

Step 2:  Make a thing and separate it from the base to dry

Step 3: Double fire- the bottom kiln is for the first
firing, the upper one is for the second

Step 4: breaking the fired ceramic pieces into
the shapes you want

Step 5: laying the tiles face-down in the design

Steps 6 and 7: cover with cement, let harden, then when dry,
flip and clean it up

Final products!

Kitten in a fountain!!

more finished mosaics

Hand painted designs done between firings

There are a lot of cats and doorways in this blog...

Unfortunately by the end of that tour it was already sunset so we had to go back to the hotel. How weird that felt in comparison to Spain, where 80% of life happens after dark! Since we had opted out of the dinner show we fended for ourselves at dinner time. We had an interesting experience trying to find someplace that had women there- I was definitely glad to have some company! We spent the rest of the night in the hotel room enjoying Thé Menthe (the best tea EVER! Think sweet tea made with mint.) and books.

Day 3: Chaouen and Tangier

Sunday was another day dominated by long stretches on the tour bus, but I think it was still my favorite day. The scenery was amazing!!

The view coming around the bend above Chaouen

 Chaouen was my favorite city in Morocco by far- there were so many more women and children around, and it felt a lot safer. It also felt cleaner and the people seemed nicer. Another reason I loved Chaouen was that the whole city was washed in shades of blue. It actually reminded me a lot of Greece. We walked all around the hilly little city with our guide, and then got to take a couple hours to explore by ourselves. Kayla and I literally took off running so we could get the most out of our time. No lunch for us, too much to explore! We discovered spice shops, bakeries, and more, and the more I saw, the more I fell in love. At one point I saw a little boy taking bread out of a stone oven and I followed him to his parents’ bakery so I could buy still steaming Moroccan flat bread. (I guess you can call me Aladdin; always one jump ahead of the breadline;)) Another interesting thing about Chaouen is that tons of people speak Spanish there, yet until 1920, it was prohibited to enter the holy city on a hill.

 

Kitties e'erywhere :)

Community bread oven building- you could feel the heat
coming out of it in waves!

street artist painting the doorways and vibrant colors of Chaouen

"The boutique of Aladdin's Grandma", an adorable spice shop!

Inside Grandma's

dyes for clothing, cosmetics, food, etc

There's so much geologic history in Morocco
that they practically give this stuff away

Homeward ferry

After re-convening at the bus we drove for another three hours or so until we reached the ferry in Tangier. We had to get there a couple hours early since the customs coming back into Spain were so much stricter than those leaving, but it still wasn't long until we jumped back into the modern world of Sevilla. Hasta luego Chaouen, te echo de menos. 

Watkins is in Tangier, Meknes, and Fez

This weekend, I checked another continent off my list! I'm by no means done with Africa, but getting that stamp in my passport sure feels good! Now I just need to get to South America (shouldn't be too hard, especially with my Spanish) and Antarctica (basically impossible unless you're a scientist).

We left Sevilla during the peak of Halloween party hours- around 5 am. As Kayla and I walked to the bus stop we were able to enjoy some awesome people watching and mediocre club music. The drunks were weirdly fascinated by our backpacks. By 9 am we were crossing from Tarifa, Spain to Tangier, Morocco on a ferry (ferry boat in Spain!!) and by noon I was riding a camel in Africa.

It's a completely different world over there. For more about my experience with this realization, go read "Watkins is in Moroco":
 http://whereintheworldiswatkins.blogspot.com.es/2013/11/watkins-is-in-morocco.html

Meknes: Day 1

Mosques are a shoe-free environment, so we
walked on little mats around the garden

We started the day with a tour of a beautiful little Mosque called "Bab el Mansur". We weren't allowed in, but we were able to look at their gardens and equivalent of a fellowship hall. The tiling was beautiful! I didn't take many pictures because it felt like an invasion of a sacred place, even though it wasn't during prayer hours.

Across the street from the Mosque was a market place with a street fair happening. Almost entirely men. Tried to see a snake charmer in action, but they brought that thing wayy too close to my face and I was like, NOPE.

That guy in black is holding the snake that made its way
around the circle

I still managed to take a picture of our shower
curtain for my mom. (MOM! I think they stole
your shower curtains!!)

Beautiful Cinderella Carriage selling rides at the fair

After a bit of very closely monitored exploring, we were back on the bus on our way to Fez. We were all so exhausted from all the travel that there was barely energy for dinner before lights out.



Day 2: I'm in Fez now. Fez is cool!

No estamos en Kansas nada mas, Toto! Friday was barely a taste of the culture shock that is Morocco. The first thing we did was wander (with a guide, mom!) through the Medina of Fez. (A Medina is their "old town"). It was so, so drastically different from anything I'd ever seen before, even the market in Jerusalem. There were eggs, produce,  fish and meats all laying out in the hot sun uncovered or refrigerated, but what really got me was the camel head hanging from a hook next to a butcher that was literally butchering a camel. Apparently that's pretty common practice in Morocco because the venders like to "prove" they're actually selling camel.

one of the open air squares

The market was a network of over 9,400 tiny streets, packed with over 83,000 shops and people bartering and trading at the tops of their lungs, yelling conversations from stall to stall. There were donkeys hauling things up and down the streets, and every time one got close there was a relay from person to person, like kids playing kickball in the streets. Then we pressed against the walls or jumped into doorways as they passed.

one of the larger outdoor aisles. That's my guide
for the weekend talking about the foot washing
station

indoor aisle

This is what a political advert in Morocco looks like; each
candidate gets their own square to graffiti with their symbol,
name or slogan. 

Donkey loaded down with cement

The 7 golden doors of Fez. Number 7 got cut off. Sorry bout it.

look at them being all studious!

 We also got to see their oldest university, supposedly the oldest university in the world. It dates back to the 800's (using the Christian calendar), and still functions as a monastery. We couldn't go in, but I creeped on them studying.

We were allowed to go into a little house that had been converted into a guest house however. They told us it was just a modest little place, but it was so cute!

The ceiling of the guest house- inside was like
a jungle! I didn't take pictures since people live
there. Front camera wins ;)

Wedding carriage things- like Cinderella!

Next, we toured various artisan shops. Totally a ploy to get us to buy things, and frankly it took away from my experience. It was like we were being paraded around to all his friends like money machines. But I guess it was a cool way to see how things in Morocco are made. We went to a jewelers, wedding dress makers, a textile shop where they turn cacti into incredibly soft pashminas (Yeah, I bought one. But I bartered my booty off- it was fun, and I got a great deal!)

Wedding dresses- the modest ones

Our guide being adorable

These belts and necklaces are Moroccan
engagement rings. The women use them as life
insurance; Your man left? You'll be okay,
you get to keep the bling.

We also toured a leather factory, which smelled like death. And I mean that literally; they gave us sprigs of mint to hold under our noses and cover up the permeating stench of rotting skin curing in the hot Moroccan sun. Then they tried to sell us leather goods. Not the best marketing strategy I've ever seen.

The curing tanks

I think this dude is mixing up the solution

The process did result in really pretty shoes though...

The spice shop

The last stop of the morning was my personal favorite- An apothecary shop! We were taught about the different uses of various herbs and spices, and how Moroccans use natural remedies.

Then it was time for lunch back at the hotel. What a packed morning! Go read part two of my weekend (The rest of Saturday in Fez, and Sunday) here:

Watkins is in Morocco

This weekend, I traveled in space and time. The second I stepped out of my vehicle I became an alien, thrown back decades, even hundreds of years in the past, surrounded by languages I don't recognize letters from. It was the most surreal experience! The only explanation is that I went by TARDIS. Or that Morocco is an hour behind Sevilla, I'm not accustomed to living in cities without modern conveniences, and I've never studied a language that doesn't use the latin alphabet. Choose your own adventure.

The crowd gathered round to watch a snake
charmer at the street fair

I've never felt more aware that I am a woman than I did in Morocco. On Saturday, we were riding back to the hotel at dusk in the bus, and I was looking for a place to eat. Almost immediately I  realized that all the cafes and restaurants still open were all filled with men. As in, not a single woman in sight. But it wasn't just men; the little kids playing on the street midday? All boys. Any women that I saw on the streets were tending children, doing shopping, or selling things. Which I found fascinating, because the tour guide was really proud of the fact that they had "a woman freed; they may have licenses to drive cars, taxis and buses, and can even go bathing!!" He was so thrilled. He also informed us that they have 60 women in their parliament, which absolutely shocked me. Apparently they reserve the seats for female representatives. Yet even with all this "liberated woman" talk, I still feel like a minority there. On Friday, we went to a street fair, and I saw maybe 3 women. Another thing he was very excited about was that there's a nationwide movement to have potable water in every household by 2015. They're also working on getting electricity to every home, but don't have a projected date.

Kids playing in the street

Experiences like these really make me appreciate how good I have it, especially in the states. I would love to get to truly experience what it's like to live here as a local someday. We get so used to our privilege, that the little things go unnoticed until they're gone. For example, being able to run the faucet on my toothbrush before brushing my teeth felt like a luxury when I got home. And I don't normally look twice at the tomato salad we have during dinner but knowing that it was safe to eat felt like a weight had been lifted. 

The point of this blog isn't to make you feel badly about having those things, or say that Morocco is in any way lacking or primitive, only different. I just wanted to highlight the differences, and encourage you to enjoy what you've got. Stopping to smell the roses and all that. :) Also, if you have the opportunity to go abroad and experience something like this, do. I was blessed to go to Tijuana, Mexico and serve with a wonderful group of people last year, and even though it hasn't even been a year, I still needed the refresher. How conveniently in time for Thanksgiving! :)

Much Love, Katie

(PS. If any of you TJ kids are reading this, I miss you and hope you're having a great quarter! See you soonish <3)

Watkins is in Sevilla: and She Studies!

I didn't just up and leave my people and places in the name of adventure! While that was certainly a big part of my decision, becoming (more?)fluent in Spanish was is main goal for studying abroad.

Here in Spain, I study at UPO (OOH-POH), or Universidad de Pablo Olavide. It's one of the few public universities in Spain with a real campus. Typically, Spanish universities are scattered buildings throughout the city. It's got 10,000 students, but because classes go all day and my building is so far from the main walkway, it seems much smaller.

Pre-orientation picture!

First day of school picture! Got to school 3 hours
early to take this baby and explore a bit.

This is Pablo!

A super easy to read quote from our orientation.
Possibly the longest I've ever sat in a lecture
hall.

They have sculptures here too!

Our library

Cute covered walkway by the parking lots

Our main campus map- my building is about
where the "A" in "Ilustracion" is

 It's really cute, and I'm really enjoying it (even if it is almost an hour to commute!). My classes are all super, super interesting too! I'm taking 3 in Spanish, and 1 in English. And they all work together so well! It's awesome seeing the connections in material and getting to go in-depth on things that we would normally only do the basics of in a regular Spanish class.

Mis Clases:
I have each class 2X a week (with the exception of Culture Up-Close), for an hour twenty each. Sitting through that is totally worth the 3 day weekends we have here! I'm going to be so spoiled when I come home haha. My classes have anywhere from 8-14 people, so the instruction is awesome and personal.

Español Avanzado 1: Basic grammar, vocabulary, and conversational skills.
Cultura y Civilización Española: An in-depth look at the unique and varied aspects of Spanish culture, geography, and history. A great place to get travel ideas! We also do a lot of discussion on current events, which is fascinating. Lately our topic of choice has been the American government shutdown vs the economic crisis here in Spain.
Conversación Avanzado: Great information about the little parts of conversation. We do a LOT of vocabulary in this class, much of it colloquial, which is awesome! We also talk about things happening around Sevilla that are free or cheap, so I always know something cool to do on the weekends.
Culture Up-Close: My one English class! This class is structured a bit differently than the others. So far, we have done a short overview of the customs, geography, politics, history, population, communication, government, educational system, and Spanish environmental issues. We cover a huge range of topics these first few weeks, because starting this Thursday, we only meet once a week. We only meet once a week because the rest of our class time is spent volunteering in the community! We can work with minority populations in an immigration office (which is what I chose to do!), teach English at their primary schools, volunteer at an environmental center, or work at a nursing home. I'm excited to get out there! I'll for sure post a blog more about this experience later. :)

Until next time, Love Katie