Blog 13: William
Fez. Population 1.8 million. Population in the Medina (old city) 200,000. A world heritage site since the 1980s, it consists of a labyrinth of over 9000 streets ranging from wide enough for about three donkeys to comfortably walk side-by-side to just a few inches wider than my shoulders, a maze of shops, vendors, houses, little cafés, to large restaurants, sketchy dark alleys to sunlit corridors. Placed beyond the assistance of Google Maps, where only the most knowledgeable could possibly navigate themselves. And that’s why we got a guide!
Hakeem was a wonderful fellow, and he led us on a fascinating walking tour of the old city. Some of the highlights were the blue gate - the main entrance into the Medina - the (I’m pretty sure) world’s first water clock, the oldest university in the world, a shop where we could watch a traditional large scale loom at work and shop around, the tannery, where we saw, what is considered to be the third hardest job in the world, and, of course, expert navigation back to our hotel through the residential area of the Medina, where we learned the true meaning behind don’t judge a book by its cover. The outside of the houses looked the exact same as any other building, but when we picked inside, it was an effulgent world of life, fountains, colored tile, and gardens.
I’ve been learning constantly on this trip; absorbing information, culture, practices, and food like a sponge, and I wanted to share some of the smaller things I’ve learned, or noticed so far. As those are what often get lost to, or drowned out by the big stuff. So here is a brief list of the little things I’ve learned and noticed: in the rural areas most powerline poles are concrete. Moroccan phone numbers seem to have two more digits than our phones, traditional doors had two knockers that sound different, one for family, and one for guests. So far it’s been common to be able to control the lights for bathrooms on the outside (the person who designed this definitely did not have a brother). There are not the same laws or norms around tap water temperature regulation (you could make tea with how hot the shower gets, it’s terrifying), sheep brain, eggs, tomatoes, and onions make a pretty good omelet. Despite fierce bargaining as a norm, the culture here feels like one of giving rather than taking. As an introvert, I often find myself worn down by lots of people and energy, but here, and especially in the village, I don’t feel that way at all. The culture of hospitality is so genuine and permeates into everyone’s every day actions and conversations to the point where even as such an “other”, you still feel loved in a way that feels next to impossible to experience in the States. And if you want an example, find another shopkeeper, who speaks basically none of your language, has known you for less than 20 minutes, which, mind you, have been spent bargaining, and then as you leave he invites you upstairs so he can make you tea and serve you. Note, unfortunately, we had to decline as we were out of time, but the gesture was powerful and appreciated all the same.
Well, oops now I am 3 1/2 pages into a 1 to 2 page entry so here’s the abbreviated summary of the rest of the day: got lots of free time, went to the market for a few hours, took an all too short nap, went to dinner on this pretty rooftop, ate a delicious camel burger, and we went home to sleep (a.k.a. watch most of how to train your Dragon 3, which was playing on the TV). All in all, the day was amazing and the trip so far even better.
