Days 12 and 13 in Morocco flew by fast!
Day 12 started off bright and early with a trip to women’s cooperative! Rather than a traditional site visit, however, we were enlightened with a cooking class! After some tea and biscuits and learning about the women’s cooperative, we got straight to business. We got to learn about the process into making couscous, which is a traditional Moroccan dish made in a tajin. Right away, we got our hands messy and learnt what goes into the dish. Honestly, it was fun , hearing about the different spices and why each vegetable is Cut a specific way. The get up we were in was not picturesque one bit, but it made the experience more memorable. My favorite part was being able to perfectly fold a samosa!
Afterwards, as our dishes were being prepared and cooked, we got to tour the facilities and spend some time in the area! It was vibrant, with gardens and a cafe inside by the shop. Soon after, we enjoyed the fruits of our labor, and I may be biased as I say this, but lunch was delicious! The afternoon was well spent on the beach before our farewell party!
My host mom had given me a traditional green Moroccan dress to wear for the farewell party, which everyone had their own to adorn. It was a nice little bow on top to tie together the end of our time in Morocco! If I had to use one word to describe the occasion, it would be lively! As I walked in, there was a band dancing their hearts out and playing traditional music! Tea and cookies were laid out, and soon after, no one was able to escape the dance circle! All of the host families came together, and it was incredible to witness the community that we ourselves had fostered here in our short time! My night ended very sweetly with writing a farewell letter in my host mom’s book of her “kids”.
Day 13, my last day in Rabat, kicked off with presentations, accumulating our time spent in Morocco! My teams presentation was solid, and I’m proud of the work we all put in towards it! After presenting, we had our final lunch at the CCCL, where they presented us with a special occasion dish, which consisted of a chicken pie type of dish covered with pastry. It was delicious, though I think I’ve discovered on this trip I may have a mild allergy to cinnamon, so that was a nice way to end my final lunch.
After lunch, we had an entire day to kill, so my friend and I went out to wrap up some last minute shopping in the souks and then made our way to visit some gardens! It was beautiful, and I’m surprised that we picked the last day to go and see them. I will say, we got lucky with the weather in Rabat because our last day is when the heatwave there began, so we were simply dying outside. No worries tho, as that was the perfect reason to pay our final visits to the beloved Oceanside cafes, where we met up with some more friends! It was nice, being able to relax by the beach, enjoy the wind, and have some good conversations! We spend the remainder of the day there until it was time to head back and depart for the airport.
The trip back home was easy enough, however, a small group of us made the holy grail of side quests on our journey back! A small detour in Frankfurt, Germany was a highlight, with the spontaneity and pure intuition leading us through our short stay! Nonetheless, it was a blast and a nice way to spend our long layover!
As I’m home and reflecting on my journey in Morocco, I think the best things that have come out of it are the connections I have made. From my host family, to the locals at the souks, to the close friendships that have come from this trip, I will cherish it all.
I have learnt, throughout my time in Morocco, to always keep an open mind and try out new things. Never would I have thought that I would be bargaining for prices like a local, trying out new dishes in Northern Africa, or even becoming a part of a family that wasn’t mine. However, through the experiences, I have grown. I’ve learnt to take each day by stride and go with the flow, and to enjoy everything in the moment. Professionally, I’ve learnt how to immerse myself with various individuals from all backgrounds. Academically, I’ve learnt how to go to different extremes and dig deep to uncover information that I need, and not to mention, navigate a project globally, which I am certain will come in handy.
This is a wrap of my postcards from Morocco, however I will cherish these memories for a lifetime, and I can’t wait until the next time I visit Morocco!
Signing off,
Rishika