I stood on my doorway and looked outside today. The winds whipped up in the morning, which certainly meant that there was a change in the weather. The wind led to clouds and led to the threat of rain. So far it hasn’t rained.
During this perusing my of my world, I looked at my door-frame. It was brown, chipped paint, just as it had been a few weeks before. The valley looked the same, green fields of wheat, interspersed with patches of grazing area for the lawnmowers known at sheep and goats (low cut) and cows (high cut.)
The temperature was a bit chilly, not cold, but the added breeze made sure you were wearing a jacket or vest. It was quiet, the call to prayer had just gone off for the morning, and most people were inside getting ready for whatever lunch journeys they were about to embark upon.
I felt pretty content, minus the fact I was inside. “I need to get out more and hike,” I thought as I took a deep breath. But overall, I was happy, nice to be home, and I do entirely mean “home,” in many senses of the word. I had been gone for about 10 days, on a craziness journey that took me to the south of France.
About a month ago (six weeks to be exact,) I booked a vacation to travel to what I thought would be Monaco…. Please do not confuse this with Morocco. The bank people gave me a hard enough time already dealing with their shenanigans…
Actual Conversation!
Me: I just wanted to let you know that I am going on vacation from X day – X day
Bank: And where will you be traveling?
Me: I will be going from Morocco to Monaco.
Bank: You will going from where to Morocco??
Me: I will be going from Morocco… to… Monaco.
Bank: Sorry about that.
Me: (Thinking… You should be.)
Yuck. This happened a few times with the Bank…in the end I wanted to show them this map…
See bank people, they are certainly not the same place. Please don’t let your un-geographically educated mind get in the way. Sorry if I completely offended my enduring and precious readers with my rant, or insulted their own un-geographically educated minds. I don’t blame you or the bank people at all really, I blame the education system and all the state boards that say geography is not important (as long as you know where “Amerrrika” (as G.W.B. would say) is that is important enough!). Just like spelling… thanks! Dan Quayle, for showing the world we win at spelling.
Where was I… Oh yeah, so I went to Monaco. Kind of I guess.
In fact I went to the French Riviera. It sounds so glamorous. I spent my time in Nice, and Antibes, and made day trips all over, to Monaco, Ventimiglia, Cannes. I also spent two days in Lyon, and a night in Marseille.
Remember precious readers… this is a blog about my Peace Corps experience. If it was a “travel blog,” it would be titled “Look Mom, I did a bunch of crazy $&%@ in Morocco!” I would post pictures of me doing absurd things, like standing on a chair eating tajines, or throwing cous-cous balls into an Amazigh women’s mouth. I would be dancing on top of mountains like that Matt guy (please tell me you know Matt the guy who dances in various locations… GOOGLE IT.), with some cheesy-ass music in the background.
BUT
It’s not though (my mom both just cringed her face, said “Eric!”, and then sighed. She is special and I miss her and my dad… who was laughing the entire time. Love you both!)
Repeat: This blog is about my experience in Peace Corps. How does this relate to vacation you ask??? (i.e. What is the main purpose of this entry?)
The purpose is this: I want to compare my vacation with my life in Morocco, both similarities (few) and differences. The goal is to maybe help you gather (my always precious readers) the differences, at least a bit.
If you want to know what I did day to day, ask me, I will tell you.
I went to the Fez Airport and got on a plane. A freakin plane. I hadn’t seen a plane in a year, save the military jets and helicopters that sometimes fly overhead. The airport was a crazy mix (as all travel venues are) of foreigners, locals, and just workers. I was excited for my flight, I get pretty giddy about airplane flights. I might in fact be the only person in this world who enjoys being on airplanes. We then flew to Marseille (France).
I got off the plane, tried to get through customs quickly, so I could catch a bus. BUT, before I caught the bus, I had to stand in a… LINE!?!?! Yeah, we have no lines in Morocco really, and if you try to stand in them, you get cut in front of quite quickly. It turns into a bottleneck of who can fight for the ticket first. What happens is that pickpockets try to take your things, or if you are not persistent, you get no ticket.
I was in a hurry, but there were 20 people, actually patiently (except for me) waiting in line. I was like, “wow, welcome back to lines.” I certainly was impatient. I had my money ready, and wanted to just throw it down, give me a ticket. In that Bang Bang style I would be on the bus in no-time.
Maybe organized lines are a small metaphor for development. hmmm. chew on that for a bit.
I sat in 2nd class local train… this 2nd class local train was nicer than any 1st class Moroccan train I had seen. I felt posh.
I didn’t pay much attention on the train (but should have, the journey back was gorgeous!), I was tired, and slept.
I got to Nice, stepped off the train, met my friend, and walked outside. I was met with Asian restaurants and neon lights. Crazy. Globalization. I hadn’t seen an Asian Restaurant in ages! Later on that night, I went to the grocery store and got a few beverages. I realize that grocery stores are amazing (I knew this before, but treasure it even more now!)
Also, there was no Arabic script as well! Only French (and Asian scripts). It was funky, I could read!
Rather than get completely detailed about everything, I will be succinct about my travels and highlight the differences.
- Fashion and individuality: Wow, this hit me early, but I couldn’t stop staring at people and their choice of clothes (or not many clothes). I love fashion, (yes… really,) and seeing everyone dressed so differently, colorfully, and provocatively was fantastic. From seeing fashionistas to skater-punks, to guys in cardigans and shorts, it was hilarious. I really couldn’t help but stare. I was also in one of the most fashionable and ritziest places on the planet, so I saw some stunners.
- Tourists: Yes, I was one, but I dont really consider myself typical. The place was filled with tourists though. I try to blend in, and IMO did a darn good job.
- Blending in: In fact, I blended in so well, that I was just another “French homeboy.” At one time in my trip, I was told I look French, from Normandy in fact. I also have a decent command on French, so I got around fine. I was told that my accent was Moroccan French. I really have no idea what this means, probably just that because I speak the main languages of Morocco, it gives me funky French pronunciation.
- Blending in Part 2: My “rock star” status from Morocco was gone. I was just another person, and had this odd feeling of being ignored. I suppose upon my return to the US this is what will happen as well.
- Transit: It was so easy to get around. WOW, I love Europe for that. Morocco is ludicrous, and can sometimes be the bane of your existence… if you don’t know how to just let it not bother you.
- Markets: I saw many fruits and veggie markets. THEY WERE SO AESTHETICALLY PLEASING!!! Prettiest things ever! Not sure how they taste, but they looked great. More like art than fruits and veggies.
- Rules: Things like “Don’t go on the tracks” were funny to me, because likely, I would see a child playing on those tracks in Morocco. So I jumped on down (after using my senses to see if a train was coming) and took a few pictures. The other people at the train station looked at me as if I slapped their mother. Other similar things like walking I sidewalks. My friends told me I had a “Moroccan Style” of walking. That is, just cross whenever, walk on the tram tracks (there were no other people!!! and it was easier!!!) It was little un-written rules that societies follow that were hilarious as well.
During my time, I took day trips to Monaco, and Cannes. Monaco is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. There was also the Monaco GP formula 1 race happening, so it was crazy. I also went to Cannes. You have probably heard of Cannes. Turn on your TV to “Entertainment Tonight,” or “Extra!” and you will hear about it. There is some important and influential film festival there right now. I wasn’t there during, but there the day before it began. So just by seeing those, you can imagine the craziness I saw.
Monaco: Ritz, Ritz, and Glamour! to the extreme. I saw many cars, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Lotus, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Maserati, BMW, Mercedes, Porsches. I am not into cars, but in a place like this, you are stunned. In Morocco, I get stunned when I see a BMW in Marrakech. Seeing these cars and hearing them purr made me giddy a bit. Also, the high end stores were crazy. I was seeing clothes and jewelry and furniture. For the most part, everyone was also really pretty. OH, I almost forgot the super-yachts. Wowsers! So incredible. Needless to say it was quite the change from life in Morocco.
Cannes: Getting ready for the film festival, I saw much of the same as Monaco, but with much more publicity. There were so many camera crews, and setting up tents for vendors and private parties (Moet & Chandon being the example.) I did not spot any celebrity, but I did see the hotels they were going to be staying at, as well as their precious Red Carpet. Stores of high end goods like Prada, Burberry Yves St. Laurent lined the place as well.
Language: I was able to speak my Amazigh dialect a few times during my trip. The look on people’s faces was priceless, but I also felt comfortable, like it was a bit of home for me. I knew them, they knew me. It was a goal on my trip to find people that spoke Amazigh, and I found 4-5 people. Some even from my area in Morocco, and spoke the EXACT same dialect. It was a good feeling.
I couldn’t help during the midst of all this, how crazy it would be to bring one person from my village to see all of this ritz though. I mean, My friends here sometimes don’t even get to travel to big cities like Fez and Meknes. The shock would be immense, and I really wonder what they would say. It would probably be the same if you brought a Monaco citizen to my village. I suppose that the hardest part for me was that people where I live now in Morocco struggle day to day, yet I know (even from the states) that people flaunt and waste (i know, not in their eyes) and are so glutinous with their selves.
I suppose that even for me, the trip was glutinous. I indulged myself on things I was unable to get in Morocco. Good drinks, Beer, Wine, Champagne, Whiskey. I splurged and ate 2 packets of Bacon and roughly 1/3 of a pound of cheese. I had good restaurant food of Mussels and Fries. I made money in Monte Carlo Casino! WOOT! I also partied almost every night… Gluttony. Isn’t that one of the seven deadly sins?
My initially planned trip included staying in Monaco for the entire 10 days. This did not materialize, but, I feel that I had an even better trip that initially planned. I traveled by myself, saw the things I wanted to see, and did what I wanted to do. I used my super-honed (due to Morocco and Peace Corps) ability to meet new people, and I made some great traveling friends. I am sure I will stay in contact. I love travelling, not just being a tourist. I was glad I was confined to a small geographical area, as it gave me the chance to meet locals, and fellow travelers, getting to know not only surface knowledge about them, but their gig in life.
In the end, I was ready to come home to Morocco. I feel happy here, but am still adjusting to elevation and the regular grind (or not really regular… I don’t have a whole lot going on.) I have been reading a lot, and catching up on life and seeing people. Work as well, but it is back to the normal slow pace. It is laid back, and I am ready to get back to work.
PS. Next Post will be titled “Don’t scare the Newbies!!!”
I hope you are all doing well, and talk to you soon. If you want pictures, email me, and I can send you some from my trip.
Much Love!!!
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