21 April 2014

Ironies, anomalies and observations


Living in a different country with a very different culture is really enlightening. Here are just some of the differences I've observed during the last 2 years or so of living here...the good, the not so good and the purely observational!

  • The public toilets in supermarkets and some restaurants have a cleaner who is always to be seen either hovering around the doorway waiting for a tip or mopping the floor in the general bathroom area (not in the cubicles) - yet the toilets themselves are often filthy and have no toilet paper.... The latter is stacked nicely on their cleaning trolley....
  • Women spend ages washing clothes in the river, then lay them out to dry in the sun on dirty rocks or draped over bushes with prickles....
Drying in the sunshine...on a dirty rock

  • Our patio and car parking area are hosed down regularly, yet the plants in the garden are dead through lack of water.....
  • When King Mohammed Vl is in town, the flags all go up to welcome him, which is lovely to see. Whereas in the UK, areas would be cordoned off even for a dignitary, here police stand at every road junction along the route and simply stop the traffic for a few minutes as at each junction the king passes by. No problem.
The king is coming!
  • We've just had an overnight deluge of storms and rainfall leaving floods everywhere - and the guardian at our house asks me to look on the internet to see what the weather forecast is for the weekend so he can direct the water flow to our field for his crops...He doesn't want it to be raining when he's watering the crops.....
  • A beautiful old poplar tree which housed many species of birds has been chopped down in our garden to allow the sunshine to reach the pathetic tiny fruit trees planted sporadically around the garden....
  • Men sit in cafés chatting whilst women carry heavy loads of crops home on their backs as they walk between villages....
  • Beautiful villages that cling to the hillsides and house many people living in poverty have satellite dishes on their roofs....
Quite a few satellite dishes here...

  • PJs are in! Many girls and young women, as well as older women, love to wear their fleecy PJs when out for a stroll in town. They must be worn with brightly-coloured socks and babouches (slippers) and can be spotted, leopard-skin, patterned with cartoon characters or just plain. Whatever takes your fancy. Not mentioning any names but one or two ex-pats have also been known to adopt this style....
  • Any adult who sees children playing up or fighting is entitled to intervene in whatever way is suitable in their eyes....
  • It is okay to carry anything on a motorbike through the city as you weave in and out between the cars ... large panes of glass, mattresses, the entire family including grandma and the new-born baby, even sheep at Eid...but don't you dare go over the double yellow line on an empty road or you'll be done...
  • The heat of the sun is ferocious in Spring and Summer...but at times you will still need a coat when the sun goes down....
  • Amazes me at Christmas or Easter time that when the nice boxes of chocolates are on display in the supermarket, Marrakshis will think nothing of opening a box and having one...before walking away empty-handed....
  • When a woman approaches the rose market to buy roses, either alone or with her partner, the man serving always present the woman with a rose first...how sweet is that...
  • Wild boar roam around the countryside in a country whose religion is Islam...and which dictates that man should not eat pork...

A wild boar...in our garden!
  • Cake shops that are full of wasps are the most popular...
  • A man driving a scooter/motorbike will nearly always stop to give a lift on the back to anyone thumbing a lift, male or female - despite being complete strangers....
  • When Moroccan men meet, they kiss each other on both cheeks. When a Moroccan man meets a woman, he shakes hands with her....
  • Traffic lights seem to only apply to cars...bikes, motorbikes, donkeys, calèches can do what they like.
  • Mobile phone masts are to be seen all around the city - but all disguised as palm trees; some are even made to look like half-dead palm trees or have fake dates hanging from them so as to look more authentic....
Palm tree or mobile phone mast?

  • Now that the weather is nice and hot, families are to be seen every Sunday on our main road leading from Marrakech towards the mountains. They drive along and find a spot of greenery on the side of the road on which to lay out a blanket, some hang a sheet between trees for privacy, some even cook a tagine on charcoal. The great thing is that this is most definitely a family affair...from the babe in arms to great grandma...everyone is spending time together, chillaxing on the side of a main road! It is lovely to see. Maybe we Westerners can learn a thing or two from this....
Morocco, in all its diversity, don't you just love it!