MARRUECOS! (Morocco)

This past week was possibly the craziest adventure I have had yet. ISA took us to Morocco for 5 days and we traveled into the main city of Fes, the Sahara Deseret and Meknes. The journey to Morocco took a day alone including 8 hours in a bus and traveled over the strait of Giblitar by boat. The first day we went shopping in the Medina which is the center of the city of Fes. The Medina is much different than I pictured in my head. There are over 8,000 alleyways within the Medina and is the biggest human maze I have ever been in. We were in a guided tour, thank God, because I would have gotten lost within 5 minutes. I must say, there was so much trash everywhere it was ridiculous. There were dozens of hole in the wall shops and people everywhere. my nose went on a roller coaster of smells. It smelled like trash, then to spices, then to roasting meat, than to fresh spices, than to human body odor then repeat the whole cycle once more. We got to see some amazing architecture within the city, to the high arches that signify the Islamic architecture and all the mosaic colors on the walls. We went to a gold shop first, where they hand made everything, than to a scarf shop where they weaved by hand on an old fashioned machine held together by wood and yarn. Next stop was the medicine man, he had a little shop full of concoctions from spices, to Mur, and all natural body products. That was my favorite stop where I bought lots of gifts for people ;). Afterwards, we went to a tannery, or a leather making shop. We were given a tour of how the leather was made which is soaked in vats of pigeon poop and than transferred to be dyed in colored vats of urine. The stench was unbearable. But what was even worse were the men working to make these luxury items who were sitting, standing and up to their knees in filth all for a paycheck the end of the day. We ended the day by seeing a traditional Moroccan show featuring music and some belly dancing. I was pulled up during the middle of the show to try it and got to dance which was really fun.

The next day we went by 4x4 to our camp in the Sahara Desert. We camped there for two days and roughed it. No showers, cots and blankets, little running water and the desert was our toilet. But I loved it! It was so fun to immerse myself in the environment and really enjoy my surroundings. We had two nights of dancing, looking at the stars and taking night walks on the dunes. The next morning began with a 5AM wake-up call to watch the sunrise. Than we rode Camels into town. That was the craziest thing I have ever done. It was pretty scary but also so excited. We rode them to a sand dune, and hiked up the 90 angle to the top to overlook the desert. Than we rode our camels to town to a hotel where, unbeknownst to us, a pool was waiting. It was so nice to jump in after being in the 90 desert weather. We spent the last night on the dunes hanging out and some of the local Berbers, who lived 5 minutes from the camp in their desert town and were always surrounding the camp eager to make new friends, especially female, offered my and Kelsi a ride to Algeria which was only 2 hours away and "Very safe". Dont worry fam, We gladly declined. But overall, the Desert time was by far my favorite part of Morocco. God's hand in nature was evident everywhere. From the colors of the sunset, to the starry sky at night, to the orange sand dunes that were as far as the eye could see. 

Moroccan culture was an interesting culture to observe and be immersed in for a short period of time. In the cities, women were few and far between. Women were not allowed in any cafes, and usually had to be fully clothed. Men stared at all of us girls like pieces of meat and I felt very discriminated against. I felt less observed than other girls because I wore a scarf on my head the majority of the time which I was thankful for. The Berbers in the desert were an interesting people group as well. They were all men ranging form 8 to 40 years old. I found out that their wives stay at home, cook and clean and the men marry not for love, but learn to fall in love with time. The average age for a girl to marry is 17, for a man is 35. It is a very Islamic patriarchal system that is in place in Morocco. My heart broke knowing that many of the Berber men had never spent a day in school, or knew how to fully respect a woman. One night we had a band come in and the men could watch but the cooks, who were women, needed to be invited in. When women came to do our Henna hand tattoo, they all looked under 25 and probably were married to 40 year old men. The inequality within this society further proved how this world not only needs a true Savior who had created man AND women equal, but an open heart to accept change. How I wished I could spend more time and really get to know the lives of these women and see life from their point of view. Maybe God will give me another chance. One thing that gives me true peace in knowing that although I cannot change the world, I can try and spread awareness of this issue and be a light. But most importantly, my Father loves these people more than I do and will provide justice and mercy to them. 

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,    because the Lord has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,    to proclaim freedom for the captives    and release from darkness for the prisoners." 
Isaiah 61:1 

Besos, Lauren