Bright and early Friday morning the UNE team departed for Tangier. After a few hour bus ride and a short voyage over the Straights of Gibraltar we made our way to the UNE Tangier Campus. Our first meal in Morocco was camel (chicken) and couscous which everyone seemed to enjoy. However, Miriam did get a good laugh out of convincing many of the students it was camel instead of chicken. We then toured the city with the UNE Tangier students and enjoyed a barbecue planned by Mourad and cooked by the wonderful Tangier cooking staff headed by Karima. That night the students got a taste of the night life in Tangier which was an interesting experience for many and showed many people that some of the western culture exists in the Muslim world.
On Morocco day two we partook in some camel riding on the beach in the morning which was a blast for all! Next, we went to Caps Spartel which gives a very unique view of the point where the Mediterranean and the Atlantic meet. It was a gorgeous site to say the least as you can see the two different colors of the waters and how the two colors blend together until the waterbodies meet. After, we left for Tetouan where many of us experienced some extreme culture shock during a walk through the Medina. During a tour of the Medina, the older and walled in portion of Northern African cities, the crew got to see the food market. Here we saw that food is sold much differently here as the were recently killed chickens hanging from the ceilings as well as entire un-skinned fish for sale. We were also able to see a Moroccan Tannery which was a very cool sight to see. Next we were given a talk on the Arabic culture and what turned into a very heated question and answer about the right's of women in the culture. We learned that there are many misconceptions about the Muslim culture and walked away much more knowledgable about what goes on in the Arab World. We ended the day by going to the hotel, eating dinner, and preparing for Morocco day three.
On day three we were given a tour of Chefchaouen, the Blue City. Many of us described this as the their favorite city as their favorite place visited in Morocco due to the breathtaking mountainous views and the beautiful blue color that the walls were painted with. Here after a tour of the city and some pictures everyone was given the chance to go shopping. When one shops in Morocco they need to agree upon a price through a process called bartering. After some practice everyone tried their hands at this trade and talked down the prices for blankets, scarves, bags, and many other items.
On our last day in Africa we all took a class on varying handcrafts. We split into small groups and learned to build crafts of varying sorts and then headed back to Ceuta to get on a boat and go back to Sevilla. Although the culture in Morocco and the entire Muslim World is very different, it is beautiful in it's own way and can be appreciated by all.