Holiday Season In Morocco

On Christmas Eve, we went to Fes where we met up with some other PCVs for the holiday weekend. We had decided to treat ourselves to a riad in the old medina, but it turned out to be not much of a treat. It wasn’t up to my standards for cleanliness and it was cold. But there was Wi-Fi, so we did get to Skype with family. Christmas day, six of us met for a fabulous dinner at Café Clock, a British owed café in the old medina full of art, artifacts, and charm. We had a delicious three course meal including a glass of mulled wine which was just the thing for a rainy evening. There was pâté, calamari, pumpkin bisarra, roast lamb, turkey, roasted vegetables, fig pudding, pomegranate meringue, Christmas decorations, Moroccan music, and waiters that danced to the drumming. It was a fun and festive cross cultural event—a little British and a little Moroccan in the company of American friends.

New Year’s Eve was, as usual for us, a non-event where we didn’t stay awake until midnight. The most exciting part was that we were home in our own apartment for the first time, having moved in earlier that day. We can now be adults again and set our own schedules. The obligatory overeating four times a day so as not to offend our hosts is over. We can wash dishes in hot water, turn the lights up enough to read, and stay out as late as we want. Our host family is wonderful and we will miss them, but it is time to be on or own. The new year will be truly new.

New Year’s Day was equally non-eventful. It’s a holiday in Morocco, but in our little town it seemed like business as usual. The carpenter across the street turned on his buzz saw bright and early and the rooster that likes to crow all night long was still at it. In the afternoon I visited my host family to do henna with my host sisters—apparently a tradition for the New Year. There was a delicious cake along with the usual afternoon “snack” of bread, jam, honey, zmeta, cookies, tea, and coffee. At night a lot of children were running and yelling in the streets and horns were honking. This could have been a new year’s celebration—or not. There’s a lot that goes on that I don’t understand.