Recently, my study abroad program took a trip to Morocco. Unlike other weekends of simply touristic traveling, these 4 days were a tad different. In just one short trip, I learned more than in ten trips to other places about the culture, place, and most importantly, the people:

Women's Rights

I knew beforehand that women everywhere do not have the same rights as women in America or in most European countries. However, in Morocco, I was stunned by the lack of rights women have. We had dinner at a women's center during our trip which was intended to give women without men in their lives a place to go for activities, work, and social gatherings. I thought this center was incredible, but was extremely shocked to find out that it is a relatively new concept because society says that women in Morocco need men in order to function financially from day to day. It was heartbreaking to hear a woman say "This [the idea that women need men for financial support] is why we do not fight for equality here; we are so far off that we'll just take what we can get [referring to the women's center]" (Quote translated from Arabic to English by our guide). I was deeply saddened to hear that "equality" for women in Morocco seems so impossible that they don't even dream about it. To them, it is simply a fact of life that they will remain inferior by society's standards.

Clothing Culture

I was also surprised about the clothing in Morocco. When we stepped off the bus into Marrakesh, I saw a woman in a full burka and a woman wearing only a simple headscarf both talking to women dressed in jeans and a shirt just like me. I continued to see this array of clothing throughout my visit to Morocco. Finally, I asked one of the guides to see if these clothing choices were normal here. His response was something along the lines of "Most people think that because Morocco is a Muslim country, women are forced to wear a certain type of clothing, but here, that is not the case. There are more traditional forms of dress and more Westernized types, but the woman's right to choose what to wear will be respected." I loved the idea of women, even in such a patriarchal society, getting to choose how they dress and respecting each other regardless of how another chooses to look.

The "Real" Morocco

We spent two days in a rural village of Morocco with a home stay family. During this visit, we had a big lunch where the family opened themselves up to our questions. Questions were thrown out about the regular day-to-day activities of people in this village. For example, we got on the topic of water and electricity, and while most of us knew that in Morocco water and electricity in the home were implemented much later than water and electricity in the States, we were still surprised to hear that both were installed in the house during this century (less than 20 years ago!). We also learned that this village, like many others in Morocco, does not have a clinic. In fact, the only way to receive healthcare would be to drive to Marrakesh (over an hour away). However, a lot of people don't even have cars to get there, so many just hope that they don't get sick. Education is also minimal in this village as after what would be 6th grade, a lot of children don't go to school because it would take too long to get there. As we continued asking questions, I got sadder and sadder to learn of all the obstacles this family must face just because they live in a rural part of Morocco. The family didn't seem phased though because they said despite their struggle for education, healthcare, money, etc., "there is always enough to go around." This family prides itself on having a sense of community with the other families in the village and said that no one in the village will go hungry because one does not let his family go hungry. The love and community within this family was palpable and inspiring. Even after only knowing us for a short time, the mother of the family gave me a hug and said "you all are always welcome to stay in my home, and I mean that." What made this statement even greater was our guide saying this was "real Morocco" and we could find this hospitality and love anywhere in Morocco.