LAISSEZ-MOI TRANQUILE!

        Friday morning I left the house around 10 for my 11:15 train. I made it on with no trouble and there were very few people in first class so I got to spread out and enjoy the ride to Casablanca. In Casa, I changed trains and this one had even less people in it. The windows were coated with grime and the fabric on the seats and carpets was threadbare… It was clean on the inside and air conditioned so that’s all that mattered. I was even able to take some semi-decent pictures through the dirty window. When the train pulled into the El Jadida station, it was the last stop, no train goes farther south as far as I know. I walked through the tiny station and out the front doors and grabbed a taxi to my hotel, the Ibis. It took only ten minutes to get through the city and as we emerged on the other side I saw the ocean in front of me with huge waves crashing onto the shore, we turned onto a road that ran along the boardwalk and the Hotel was right there. There’s something about seeing the ocean or even a sea or one of the great lakes that just makes me excited. I feel a rush of energy and a tingly sensation runs through my body, any large body of water seems to symbolize freedom and adventure to me. I love it!

        While I was checking in at the front desk, the manager came over and asked where I was from then proceeded to marvel at the henna on my hands. He said he had seen nothing like it and it was very strange hahah… he asked where I had it done and I said that I did it myself in Rabat. He nodded and continued to shake his head and say how strange it was. I don’t think he understood that I had done it because I think he was mainly concerned with who would have done such an awful job on a foreigner. After he was done exclaiming over my hands, he checked my paperwork, grinned at me and said proudly “You have room 106… ocean view!!” When I heard this I couldn’t help but grin back at him and say “Mezzian!” (which means “good!”). He was even more excited by that and asked if I spoke Arabic to which I shook my head and explained that I was studying it in hopes of someday speaking it. He smiled and said “Mezzian, welcome to Jedida! Tell me if you want anything.” Finally free of his questioning, I almost sprinted for the elevator and took the long ride all the way up to the first floor ;-) My room was definitely an ocean view, I opened my window right away but realized there were no blinds and the whole boardwalk could see into my room. I put the curtain in front of the window but I couldn’t make myself close the window, the sound of the waves was fabulous. The room was very clean and my bathroom had a shower that was separate from the toilet! Now that is something to be happy about! The best part of the room, however, was that I had a giant bed all to myself and in front of it was a large painting of a Moroccan lady who was sporting a uni-brow and scandalously clad in a see-through white dress. Mezzian! Haahha…

        It didn’t take me long at all to find out that the website I had booked the hotel through was wrong in saying that the hotel had wifi in every room and a gym by the pool. I was disappointed, but I really didn’t mind that much. I had come to relax and study so the internet would have only been more of a distraction. The lack of a gym disappointed me more since my Moroccan high-carb diet has my body needing energy more than ever. The pool was gorgeous but I wasn’t able to work up enough courage to dive in especially since it was only about 65 degrees out… Not very tempting. I organized my things and headed out to explore a little and get some food before it got dark. The board walk got busier and busier as the afternoon turned into evening, apparently it’s the place to be. Couples strolled in the sand down on the beach or sat on the concrete wall and flirted. Groups of young men with gelled hair and faded jeans stood around smelling strongly of cologne and whispering sweet nothings to any female that happened to walk by. Middle aged men parked their shiny BMWs and Mercedes along the street and watched everyone from their cars while listening to the radio. Older couples and families walked around talking and laughing and watched soccer games that began on the beach as soon as the tide went out. I loved the feel of it and walked leisurely along in order to observe everything, I couldn’t walk too leisurely though because guys would break away from their pack of men and try to casually match their step with mine, getting closer and closer and talking to me in every language they could think of until I had to acknowledge them somehow. I had purposely worn a hat and a large scarf to look more discrete and get less attention but apparently it didn’t work. I now think that it is virtually impossible for someone to be truly alone in this country. There is a large sense of community and with that comes very little privacy.

        I didn’t feel threatened in any way, I was more annoyed that when I would politely say hello and told them I wanted to be left alone, they would keep walking with me, trying to convince me to talk to them just for a minute or just for a quick cup of coffee or something of that sort. That’s how guys do their thing in Jedida apparently. I had managed to shake off most of the guys when one guy who actually spoke decent English started asking me a bunch of questions and, stupid me, I was tired of trying to get him to go away so I answered his questions about what I study, where I’m from and blah blah blah… I then realized that I had just told him I wanted to go into diplomacy and I’m trying to learn Arabic and yet I was trying to be alone and not talk to anyone. It seemed like a slight oxymoron to me and I was in a slight moral dilemma since he was very adamant about just wanting to talk about school, politics, and work over some tea. For some reason I told him I didn’t want tea but I was going to get something to eat and he took that as “Oh hey I would LOVE for you to join me for dinner!”… So we went to a café on the beach, I ordered a Salad Nicoise and he got some tea. I must admit that I didn’t mind the company, but I was still kind-of annoyed that now I had to try to keep a conversation going with someone I didn’t want to talk to in the first place. He told me he was an agricultural engineer and asked why I was learning Arabic. I thought he was joking since most people would consider it a very important language for people in diplomacy to learn but he seemed genuinely amused that I was learning Arabic. I must have been in a very easily annoyed that night because this too annoyed me. Or maybe he was just annoying? I’m still not sure. He was a nice person but the longer we talked, I got more of the feeling that he didn’t just want to talk about politics and work. He started to talk about how much he loved America and wanted to marry a foreign girl… and that was my signal to get going.

        When we had finished and we had watched the waves for a while, I began to get antsy and look around for the waiter who was MIA. Said, my dinner companion, asked if I was ready to go. I said yes, apologized for being slightly rude and explained that I was very tired and had a lot on my mind. He asked if I was mad at him for intruding on my time alone and I bluntly told him that I was at first but I didn’t mind anymore. That seemed to satisfy him and he began to look for the waiter as well. When the waiter didn’t come, he was about to get up and pay when I realized he intended to pay for me too. I thanked him but said that I wouldn’t allow him to pay for me, I wouldn’t accept it. He got a stubborn look on his face and said that I was his guest and I would not pay. I said he could pay for my drink since I suppose he had invited me to get a drink, but I would pay for my food. He ignored me and paid for it all anyways which annoyed me more than anything. I thanked him of course but I really didn’t appreciate him not respecting my wishes. He asked for my phone number and at this point I refused to give it to him and said that I would take his number. He asked me to call him if I wanted him to show me around the next day, so I thanked him and said that I had my own plans the next day but if I would call if I changed my mind. I declined his offer to drive me home and breathed a sigh of relief when we finally parted ways.

        The rest of my night consisted of making Arabic flash cards while watching Minority Report and CNN with the ocean breeze blowing in through my window. I couldn’t have been much happier. I realized how little privacy I have had this entire trip and even though I love people and being in constant contact with them, I do need my time alone. It lets me re-charge and focus on tasks a little better. I slept well that night :)

        On Saturday I woke up late and immediately opened my window to see that clouds hid the sun and the weather looked rather wet and gloomy. The ocean was still gorgeous, but I used this as an excuse to stick around the hotel; get in a good workout, take a long shower, study a little and make a plan for exploring a little bit of the town. I finally ventured out to explore my surroundings and realized that in all my fascination with the people and the ocean, I had failed to notice the abandoned hotels along the beachfront. Two decent sized skeletons of once elegant hotels now gaped vacantly at the ocean. They looked like they had been empty for quite a while and were now consumed by overgrown trees and bushes that used to decorate their lawns. They looked like something out of a movie about the end of civilization. I realized that El Jedida had probably seen better days and wondered what they had been like. My hunger led me to a little café on the beach… this time I happily ate in peace and paid for my own meal. Feeling rather self-indulgent, I paid some guys a few dollars to let me ride their gorgeous black horse on the beach. They had camels too, but I figured I had had enough of camels for a while. Plus, no camel could ever live up to my beloved Pookie from the camel trek ;-D I was also able to go faster on the horse so my decision was easy. I bonded with the horse and let it slobber on my arm while I talked to the owners for a bit. I got to practice some Arabic with them and I was happy when they didn’t find it funny that I would want to learn their language.

         I meandered downtown not really knowing where I was going, but I knew the general direction and remembered seeing it on my cab ride through town. I was followed by a guy down the road that lead to the main street. He was similar to Said in not taking a hint when I bluntly said that I didn’t want to talk and would like to be left alone. Fortunately he asked me if I was married so I flashed my faux wedding band his way and with that, he muttered “quelle domage” and pretty much did an about face and headed back in the direction he had come. Quite proud of myself for not completely lying (I never actually said that I was married, he just assumed heheh), I smiled and kept walking. However, as soon as he had departed, a car creeped up beside me and I prayed that all they wanted was directions… but no, to 20-something men with childish grins on their faces nodded and motioned for me to come over. I looked away and kept walking and they passed me and rolled backwards to try to talk to me again. I’m starting to think this is like a serious hobby or pastime for these guys. When I still didn’t acknowledge them, the driver parked the car on the road, got out and tried walking with me. I almost started laughing, turned to him and said “S'il vous plait! LAISSEZ-MOI TRANQUILE!” (which basically means, “Please! Leave me alone!”). He looked shocked, backed away and retreated back to his car looking like he couldn’t decide whether to laugh or be frightened by my unexpected outburst.

        I was definitely happy to reach the main road and duck inside a little spa with a friendly cross-eyed man who eagerly told me about all their new treatments including the age spots and wrinkle reducers. I pretended to act shocked that he would even suggest that I needed a treatment to which he grinned and told me that it wasn’t for me of course hahah… I decided to get a manicure and pretty much zoned out for an hour watching two little green and blue lovebirds preen each other in their cage outside the window. The cross-eyed owner came up and nearly scared me to death when he tapped me on the shoulder and asked if everything was alright. He asked if I was always in such deep thought to which I just shrugged and smiled. After I paid, he gave me a handful of maps and city guide pamphlets to help me get around and told me that I had to go see the Portuguese city before I left. I thanked him and feeling relaxed again, I headed out. I took a stroll through a pretty little park and sat on a bench for a while trying to figure out how to get to the Portuguese city. I walked for about 15 minutes and found the old fortress with no problems. I went in through one of the gates and stood there for a minute wondering where to go… there were no street signs… very few people… and it was very old looking. I turned to the right and stared up at a church looking building for a minute trying to decide if I should just head back or try to explore more before the sun set. A man with dread locks rushed past me and stopped distractedly asking me something in Arabic, he looked in a hurry so I shook my head and said I didn’t understand him. He broke into nearly perfect English and asked me if I had the time; I told him the time and before he could turn to go I asked him if he could point me in the direction of the cistern. I figured I could trust a guy who seemed to be short on time and took little to no interest in me. I was right because he lead me part of the way and stopped at his shop and pointed at the door of the cistern that was only about 10 yards away. He didn’t even ask me to look in his shop or anything.

       As I walked through the little doorway I thought it was closed because the lights were off inside and no other tourists were around. Luckily the lights in the little lobby flicked on and I paid a small entrance fee to the guard to get in. He pointed me towards a little old man in a white robe who was waiting for me by a giant wooden door. He pulled it open and motioned me into a dimly lit cavernous room. He closed the door behind me and motioned for me to follow him down a ramp onto the floor of the cistern. A huge well was in the middle with a hole above it to let in the rain water. Surrounding the well was a huge pool of water that had collected and branched out almost to the walls. We had to walk along the walls where the ground was highest in order to not get wet. The little white figure waddled on in front of me, stopping now and then to tell me dates and explain things. He motioned for me to look at a line on the wall that was about two or three feet above my head. This was the water line that the cistern was usually full to back when it was in full working order. The whole thing was rather creepy and marvelous all at the same time. I especially loved being down there with no other tourists around so I could hear the drip drip of the water and get better pictures of the reflections. Very cool.

        As we emerged from the cave, the old man showed me a 3D map of the fortress and told me that I should go see the corners if I could (there’s a special name for them that I can’t remember…) I thanked him with a small tip and headed on my way. As I made my way towards one of the outer corners of the fortress I was surprised to see that it wasn’t just a tourist attraction, the Portuguese city was still a little city that people lived and worked in. I had to dodge through a soccer game and cautiously walk around two little boys throwing rocks at each other, but somehow I made it up to the top and knew why the old man told me I had to see it. It had old cannons placed along it’s walls and a gorgeous view out over the water and the city. On top of that, the sun was going down in orange, pink and blue sunset that reflected beautifully off of the orange-ish walls of the fortress and the glistening clear water below. The dark blue fishing boats were anchored around the bay and seagulls squatted on the dark black rocks poking out of the shallow water. I ran around like a little kid exploring all the little outpost areas and cannon holes except for that one creepy dark doorway that lead down somewhere I didn’t have the courage to investigate. After my camera and I were satisfied and the sun was almost gone, I headed back.

        As I passed the shop of the guy who had helped me find the cistern I heard him ask if I had found everything okay. I said I had seen everything and thanked him for his help. We talked for a little bit and he told me how a bunch of his American friends just left for home but some of them had been studying Arabic in Rabat too. He said that others had been living with Berber families and learning specific Berber dialects. I somehow began exploring his shop because he had some adorable miniature hookahs that caught my eye. I didn’t get those but I did end up buying some stuff and he helped me carry it outside the fortress and called a taxi for me since it was after dark. He said his name was Mo Mo, gave me his number and said to call him if I wanted to go out later.

To be continued ;-D