Saturday

Last night we had a tour of the old part of Tetuan, which is called the Medina, to help us get to know the city where we will be staying through Sunday. We had Moroccan students as our tour guides, which gave the information even more depth since they're roughly our age and shared pertinent information they knew we would appreciate. It's a good thing they know where they're going, because the streets wind in every direction possible; if I got lost I would never find my way out. Every street is lined with tiny shops that sell everything from food and shoes to barbour shops and meat stores. There were also an incredible number of animals and kids just running around the street, which took me by surprise and upset me a bit, but was certainly eye-opening.

On a lighter note, my favorite part was our tour of the Palacio del Gobernador, an old royal house in the city. Not only was the tile work and architecture of the house incredible, the building itself was massive. I'd guess there were at least six bedrooms with big beds and sitting areas, in addition to an inner courtyard with sitting areas and shrines surrounding the central square. The owner also took us up to the roof, we we got to climb a ladder to the top deck of the Palacio and see a view of the city all lit up in the dark of the night. It was spectacular, and yet again I feel that my photos won't do the view justice. It almost looks like Greece in the way all the houses are painted simple white. They're different, however, because their interiors are ornately decorated because Moroccan and Muslim cultures emphasize the private home life. This is also why the streets are so narrow and winding; they're made strictly for getting from one place to another.

Our tour ended at Restaurante El Refucto, a nice restaurant where we met with the chancellor, vice-chancellor, and members of the Moroccan consulate and enjoyed a traditional Moroccan music to accompany our dinner, minus the meat. I sat at the vegetarian table, and we had a blast laughing and enjoying the food. It was so nice to have food with flavor and that is more in keeping with my normal US diet. Cous cous! Yum! We also had the most delicious, almost spicy bottle of red wine. I wish I wrote down the label, but alas...

Dinner pretty much wrapped up our evening, except that when we or back to our hotel our friends the DiscoverSevilla guides were sitting in the lobby. Its so funny that out of all the hotels here in Morocco, they happen to be at the same one as us. They're not doing the same things as us because our trip is so much more academically oriented, but it's fun knowing that we can hang out with them at the hotel later on tonight.

Amber and Sarah and I woke up this morning after swatting mosquitos off us all night, despite the fact that all the windows and doors of our hotel room were closed. I mostly slept with my head under the covers, so I only have a few bites. We thought we had it bad, but it was nothing compared to when we saw Sarah, Yanet, and Kim at breakfast. They all look like they have chicken pox, and Yanet's eye is swollen shut. I don't know why I didn't get entirely eaten like I usually do (I.E. in Maine), but I certainly hope that's not my fate tonight.

This morning we had a lecture and round table discussion at the university in Tetuan, which is supposedly the "Harvard of Morocco," though it hardly looks like it with scruffy painted cement buildings and holes you squat over in the bathrooms to relieve yourself. Anyways, back to the point. Our first lecture was on the region of Tanger-Tetuan and the development of culture and society in the globalizing world. Actually, not only was it a lecture, it was also small round table discussions followed by another hour long group discussion; all in all
4.5 hours... Too long.

The history of this area is really interesting since, like Cordoba, it was and still us such a crossroads of culture, language, trade, and religion. Morocco only became an official country in 1956 after being bounced around between Roman, Muslim, British, Spanish, and French rulers for over one thousand years. There is still a considerable amount of political tension here, too; the king, a Muslim, is the political ruler, meaning government, religion, and politics are all the same thing. It's also an intensely patriarchal society, which makes it even more interesting, particularly coming from Smith. It's hard to believe that this is a liberal Muslim country when women are still treated as such interior, second-class citizens- really infuriating to see.

Anyways, we're eating a bit of lunch now before our second lecture series on women and the family. I hope it's a bit shorter and inspires more confidence regarding their norms and treatment by males.



LATER:
Well, after eating a bit of lunch and comparing bug bites, I think we've made a few discoveries, though not about the Moroccan culture. Lots of Preshquitas have small red bites on their bodies that are bellow the surface of the skin, and judging by the dead bugs some found in their beds and a bit of research, we're fairly sure we have an almost group-wide case of bedbugs. So far I only have my mosquito bites from last night, but the second I see other red dots on my body I will freak out. Bedbugs lay their eggs under your skin,are almost impossible to get rid of, and super contagious. So gross! Esteban and the Preshco team are going to check out our rooms when we get back to the hotel even though they didn't have any problems in their building. They are, however, in rooms with sliding glass doors instead of wooden doors with cracks on all the sides... Also, today is Saturday so no pharmacies are open to get us anti-itch cream.

Now we're at the trail end our second two hour lecture on women in Morocco, which has been enlightening, but between the 6 hours of lectures and discussions today and the bedbug potential, I really can't focus anymore. I swear I'm having fun on this trip, I just wish we weren't the first "guinea pig" group. More to follow. Scratch scratch.



6pm: Back at the hotel and we fumigated the room with big spray. We didn't find any signs of bedbugs, but we aren't sure what exactly to look for. Now Amber, Sarah and I are in the lobby for a bit waiting for the fumes to disperse. On another note, my face is getting little spots on it. Ugh crap.