Hello all. As I am writing this in the midst of my midterm break, I can’t really complain about life at the moment. After last week’s exams and papers, this week seems almost arduously tranquil. Unlike the rest of my group, I decided to stay here in Rabat for the duration of the break. To be completely honest, my decision was, for the most part, fueled by the fact that I don’t think my bank account could weather a week under the grip of the Euro. In Rabat, food (more than enough) and board is provided and even the things I do sometimes covet are priced well within my range. And well, money aside, I’m exhausted and could use a week wandering around Rabat and lazily pretending to get ahead on readings and upcoming papers. In reality, I have attached myself to students in another program that is based at the centre. I have been attending their lectures and picking up even more insight from experts on different aspects of Moroccan culture and Islam. Yes, I know-not the ideal holiday, but when in Rome...take advantage of free seminars and the like!
Rather than boring you with a report of my week though, I shall tell you about last weekend. In a word: EPIC. A few of my friends and I decided to cast ourselves as young, thrill seeking American/English tourists for a day and a night. Equipped with a guidebook and infinite curiosity, we visited the old citadel of Chellah, ate delicious street food, and wandered along as if we had arrived in Rabat just yesterday! Once the sun had set on the day, we donned the ritziest outfits we had and headed out for a glorious Italian dinner in one of the nicer neighborhoods of Rabat. For a surprisingly low price, I had a glorious plate of spaghetti bolognaise. I had been craving a bit of a break from tagines and couscous, so I think that’s why I found a simple pasta entrée to be quite the treat. Apparently everyone else in our group shared my cravings because we all ate enough pasta and pizza to satisfy a small army. I’m sure the waiter was a little taken aback when he discovered that our table had recently been inducted into the Clean Plate Club-his eyes grew quite wide! Full and looking for some fun, the five of us hopped in a taxi and ended up at a pretty seedy bar in downtown Rabat. Called the “Café de Paix”, this restaurant offers up drinks at ridiculously low prices. While we did have to put up with the stares of leering men and the like, we had a good time laughing and sharing stories from Saturday nights back home. After about half an hour, a gentleman came up to the table and informed us that as he was friends with the owner of the bar, he would like to buy us a round of drinks. Suspicious of such offers, we initially refused. He insisted and after a while we figured, there are five of us and one of our fellow male students is on the way…let’s just accept. After the first round of first drinks we received another and before long, the same gentleman decided that he wanted to pay for everything we had consumed. We adamantly refused and as the stares were getting worse and the hour grew later, we explained we were on our way out. He refused our money and so we ended up leaving without spending a dime. Unfortunately, the waiter had not been let in on the gentleman’s scheme and when we had put about 5 meters between us and the café, he came running after us demanding in French that we pay up! Willing to settle the confusion, a few of us went back into the café only to witness a fist fight between the gentleman, the waiter, and a few others and finally, someone thrown down the stairs. I think it’s fair to say we were slightly terrified and as soon as the bigger men in the conflict gave us the directive to get out of the café as quickly as possible, we sprinted back to the hotel room we had booked for the night. After all that, our money was still refused! Utter craziness I tell you!
As it was around 11:30 p.m. when we got back to the room, we decided we were still up for some more fun. We had promised ourselves that we would live the night on college time…which meant we had a lot more carousing to do! Amnesia, one of Rabat’s few night clubs, was our next port of call. Unfortunately, the 300 dirham cover charge was out of the question, and for a moment, our night took a big hit. Cue the random Moroccan who lives in Boulder, Colorado and is visiting his family in Rabat. Yes, I kid you not-this quasi Moroccan with perfect English suggested that we join his group of friends and head to a nightclub located about 30 minutes outside of Rabat. He assured us this club offered free entry to ladies. We gravitated toward one of the women in his group and demanded whether or not this was a legitimate offer and if we would be in safe hands. Down to Earth and unsurprised by our concern, she assured us there was nothing to worry about and that they just wanted more people in the group. So, we hopped in their cars and headed to “Platinum”-a crazy techno night club with music so loud I had to step outside multiple times to relieve my poor ears. Once again, drinks generously provided at no cost. Apparently, according to our American/Moroccan friend, you can’t be an upstanding Moroccan young man and still allow a woman to pay for her own drink. I should tell you, however, that I’m quite sure the majority of the people in the club were very wealthy and most if not all, embodied European culture in Morocco. Anyway, feeling that I had had my full at the Café de Paix, I kindly refused and gravitated towards the dance floor for a much-needed dance session. Well, we danced and danced and danced some more. It was a relief to us all that we only had to fend off a few suitors eager for a dance! Finally, slightly exhausted yet gleeful at what we saw as a highly successful night, we were kindly escorted back to our hotel. I was so pleased to fall into bed that night. All in all, I think the night was both very much enjoyed and wholly needed. The next day, albeit a little weakly, we were all ready to jump back into the conservatism and family-oriented life of the medina. What can I say except that everyone needs a break now and then and well, we sure did have quite the break! Enjoy the rest of your week!