Morocco Day 2: Rabat

Today we had our first full day of lectures in Morocco, all of which consisted of lectures on the Moroccan health care system. I was astounded to find out that all primary health care and all medicines are free of charge here! This means that contraception and abortions (when legal) are totally free. How cool is that? I am intrigued to learn more about the logistics and realities behind these facts though, because our presentations were by employees of the ministry of health so I imagine they would be focused on the ideal situation and the logistics behind that. Nonetheless, I'm impressed!

Above and below: Views from the roof-top patio at the partner organization at which we are taking classes

The highlight of the day was the approximate hour we spent in the Moroccan bath house called a hammam. Here, at least in the Medina, not many people have western showers, rather the tradition is to go once a week for about 1-3 hours (yes, they say up to 3 hours) to these communal baths. It's not the sort of bath one sits in but rather it's like a large sauna where you sit on the tiled floor surrounded by buckets of hot wanter and smaller buckets to scoop out water to pour on yourself. There is also a regimen of traditional cleansers one can use to make your skin soft and cleansed: a kid which is an exfoliating glove you rub yourself with, a clay (for skin and hair), and sabon bildi, "black soap" one can mix with henna powder for the skin. My friend and I went to the hammam with our host-sister after picking up 2 of our classmates at the school so they could come with us. Our host sister took such good care of us, showing us how to use the soaps and scrubs, lathering them on our backs, offering to exfoliate our backs for us, and filling up buckets upon buckets of water. Between the language barrier and the fact that we had no idea what was done at these baths, we were not of too much help but we did what we could. I am so humbled by the generosity and kindness from our host sister in all that she has done for us since we have been here. She has offered to go on so many outings with us and comes with us to walk us to school in the mornings. I am so grateful for this family. They have welcomed us as their children and have shown us so much hospitality, warmth, love, and children's hand games my heart could burst. The baths are essentially one big sauna, separated into 3 rooms of levels of humidity, with a large stone tub built into the wall in the back with (boiling) hot and cold faucets. We had about 7-10 buckets for the 5 of us, which we filled with hot water. We sat on the floor and exfoliated every inch of our bodies with the kis. Just one swift movement of the kis over our bodies we could see the dead skin rolling off. (It sounds gross but it was really refreshing.) Next, we could lather with the henna and salon billed mixture to let sit on our skin. After we rinsed this off we lathered on the clay. This can be put in our hair but we didn't today because of how difficult it is to get out. After, we spent a good while thoroughly rinsing, dumping hot then colder water over our bodies and through our hair. Throughout this process we were constantly helping one another out - exfoliating one another, checking each other for remnants of henna - all the while nearly completely naked. I love the openness in these baths - this would certainly not be as common in the US where bodies are often hidden from the public eye and people are constantly judged for their shapes and sizes. Here, women were singing and using their buckets as drums; I could really feel that this was a relaxed and happy space for these women. Women and girls bathing with one another among strangers, nearly completely naked, singing together and scrubbing each other - it was really an empowering experience. At the end, our host sister thought it would be fun to dump a whole bucket on each of our heads and as mundane as it sounds it was really exhilarating. We each retuned the favor to one another, reinforcing this sense of community and unity. When we got out, red from the heat and exfoliating, and about ready to keel over from dehydration, I felt incredibly relaxed and drowsy. We lathered coconut oil over our already incredibly soft skin before reluctantly getting dressed and leaving. This experience was unlike anything else I've ever done and it was amazing. Thank you, thank you to my host family for making it possible.

After the baths, our host sister and brother took us on a walk through the Medina and parts of the larger city. I am constantly transfixed by the busy streets, crammed shops, and incredible smells. There is so much to take in, all while trying not to get pick-pocketed and not to lose sight of our family. Phew! One of my favorite shops I have seen is about the size of a very large closet, filled literally wall to wall, floor to ceiling with books with stacks and stacks of books spilling out onto the street. Each time we have passed this shop, there is an old man curled up on stacks, still as a statue, reading. I think it is almost surreal out of a fairytale. While we were out, our host brother insisted on getting us some souvenirs. After much refusal we somehow ended up with a keychain each, each with our names in Arabic painted on. This generous offer has my friend and I scheming about what we might purchase in order to say thank you and somehow begin to repay the hospitality they have shown us. For dinner we had a huge, delicious couscous. After dinner we bonded with the family, singing Adele songs, listening to popular music (consisting of Moroccan, Indian, and French music), and playing children's hand games. The family taught Sarah and I a few - a game where you have to knock over a small tower o cardboard chips as well as a hand clapping game with eh days of the week - and then we taught them slide and the cup song rhythm, which they loved. Despite he language barrier and that I was practically falling asleep, we all laughed heartily and enjoyed ourselves. It has truly been a wonderful experience and this family is so filled with love and open embraces it makes me feel so happy. Shukran.

Above: Dinner!

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