Welcome to Marrakech!

We did attempt to make contact with 5W in Morocco (only 2 members), but without success. In the past year, we have both been studying a form of movement called Nia (check out their website, it is an amazing body of movement work: www.nianow.com) also becoming certified to instruct. As we were researching contacts and information for this journey, we found a teacher in Morocco named Joy, hoping to take classes. To our surprise, Joy is from America (Boulder, in fact!) and has been living in Morocco for the last year after falling in love with her Moroccan guide, Hakim. Hakim happens to be a guide for many groups traveling through Morocco, and we were lucky enough to benefit from his vast cultural experience and knowledge. We had been in touch with this couple (soon to be married) via e-mail and skype for weeks before our trip, and boldly asked for “the true Moroccan experience”.

Our adventure began at the home of Hakim’s grandmother, Zohira, who happens to live smack dab in the middle of medina (downtown old city) of Marrakech. Zohira lives in a traditional riad (style of home with a small courtyard in the center of the dwelling). All activities done in the home including cooking, cleaning, entertaining, sleeping and socializing happen in the open courtyard area under a canopy with carpets and rugs below. Three house hens roam the courtyard pecking, clucking and making friends with visitors…which are many! In Moroccan culture, it is custom to welcome an endless variety of family, friends and travelers such as us. Hakim’s grandmother, who speaks both French and Arabic, but no English warmly greeted us. She represents an interesting perspective as she once worked for Club Med in the seventies (the first Moroccan Club Med). She now plays host to visitors and has returned to school through a Moroccan program that supports literacy for adults who have never attended formal school. We think Zohira is a vibrant and spunky 72 year old. 72 year-old, however Moroccans of that generation tracked time differently according to annual events or happening. It is joked that she was born “in the year of the rice” or was it “the year of the pestilence). The amenities which seemed awkward to us at first, later proved to be both effective and efficient. The squat toilet takes some flexibility, leg strength, precision and humor. In the end we think it is efficient, simple plumbing with great use of a limited resource, water. The physical advantages include maintaining balance, tone and flexibility. The squat position also encourages natural, easy elimination. No newspapers or magazines needed in these latrines! When finished, a flush is as simple as a bucket of water.

Outside the tranquil peace of Zohira’s home lives the charged frenzy of the medina, alive with vendors of all sorts. Our senses were wildly stimulated by brilliant colors, exotic scents and a hyper cacophony of voices, traffic and music. To find our direction within this city (as it was obvious that our usual crumb trail would fail), we cleverly photographed each turn according to visual (and uniquely strange) landmarks. These landmarks included the local lemon stand man, the plastic sack wrapped through the hanging rafters, the mosque, the gas pump on wheels (unfortunately this disappears at night), and the local plumber’s advertisement displayed on a folk sculpture of pipes in the city square. We did make it to the roof of a café to watch our first Marrakech sunset, sipping tea and enjoying conversation with our new friends.