Billy Currington returns as our title track sponsor as I mark my 100th day in North Africa.
God is great
It has been endlessly fascinating living in an Islamist state. (No, Mom, I am not converting; I'm barely a Catholic - do you think I could be a Muslim?) Everyday I want to learn new things; this ain't a place to be. A colleague from Chicago who has been here a little longer married a Moroccan woman and converted to Islam. I talk to a lot of people, but it's particularly interesting getting my knowledge on by talking to an American. He knows what I really mean and exactly what I am trying to get at. Tuesday was a big day here. Google "Marche Verte" (French for "Green March"). It's a neat little story involving Morocco and King Hassan II and a famous incident involving the disputed Western Sahara territory. This country has mountains, a desert, borders with the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and a wild history involving so many different peoples. Lots to keep me stimulated. Casa is also an awesome place from which to jump off to all over Europe and the Middle East. It's 6 hours to fly across the U.S. - I can't count how many countries you could fly to in that time from here. I chuckle every time someone talks about flying off to Barcelona or wherever for the weekend, like it's such a casual thing, then I remember that it is...
Beer is good
I'll try about near anything once; I love sampling new foods. The Berbers, Moors and Arabs have all had a hand in shaping Moroccan cuisine. Beef, mutton, poultry and seafood are the main meats, and there seems to be an endless selection of fruits and vegetables used, along with a huge array of spices. The one food that is (Berber) Moroccan that you've all eaten would be couscous. Of course, there is the ubiquitous mint tea. I'd like to dine on swine, but pork ain't exactly easy to get here. Neither is alcohol. Some things are oddly expensive/inexpensive as compared to the states. A funny one the other day was a pint of Haagen-Dazs for almost $10. Maybe being poor will be good for my waistline...
People are crazy
On Tuesday I was off from work, and by chance a semifinal soccer match of an important tournament was going to be held in Casa at the 55,000 seat Mohammed V Stadium. Soccer is the only sport in Morocco; the people are mad for it. And the residents of Casa are particularly loony for their two pro teams, Raja and Wydad. Care to guess who took the pitch on Tuesday at 2pm?
Now, a word from our partners at the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/world/middleeast/morocco-struggles-to-rein-in-soccer-hooligans.html?_r=0
The first few paragraphs tell you all you really need to know, along with the part about the man who was killed in the April riot where the stadium was literally torn apart. So of course I went down there, by myself, to try to negotiate, in French, the purchase of a (hopefully legitimate) ticket from a scalper, not get pickpocketd, get into the venue, watch the game and (literally) get out alive. And I did, but, boy, was it an adventure! I did pretty well with the scalper, slipping away just before the police busted the guy. I can't begin to tell you what the scene was in the blocks surrounding the stadium; to say there was a heavy police presence (city and state) would be an understatement. It's difficult to describe what it took to get into the stadium; let's just say I was part of a crush of humanity that barged thru a gate into the place. I literally was not propelling myself; instead, it was the wave of people that I rode inside, and I am not exaggerating.
I am a veteran of many Eagles games from the 700 level at the Vet; they were church socials compared to this insanity, and that is no joke! Thousands were there from the early a.m. No assigned seating, the place was stuffed, with people actually sitting on every available railing, wall, you name it. The fire marshall wouldn't have approved. The stadium was segregated, red and green, with an actual DMZ in the middle of both ends. It was loud! Flares and smoke canisters are going off; the game hadn't even begun. What an experience! When I spoke to native staff later in the week, they were very nice, they didn't say I was an idiot, but I could see the looks of bemusement on their faces. When I mentioned that so many looked like hoodlums, they told me of things you would read in the middle of that article. They also told me that many don't even care about the soccer; that they get high beforehand before they come to cause mayhem at the game. Glad I went, don't see myself returning. Where to next? Thanksgiving 4-day break coming soon...
God is great
It has been endlessly fascinating living in an Islamist state. (No, Mom, I am not converting; I'm barely a Catholic - do you think I could be a Muslim?) Everyday I want to learn new things; this ain't a place to be. A colleague from Chicago who has been here a little longer married a Moroccan woman and converted to Islam. I talk to a lot of people, but it's particularly interesting getting my knowledge on by talking to an American. He knows what I really mean and exactly what I am trying to get at. Tuesday was a big day here. Google "Marche Verte" (French for "Green March"). It's a neat little story involving Morocco and King Hassan II and a famous incident involving the disputed Western Sahara territory. This country has mountains, a desert, borders with the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and a wild history involving so many different peoples. Lots to keep me stimulated. Casa is also an awesome place from which to jump off to all over Europe and the Middle East. It's 6 hours to fly across the U.S. - I can't count how many countries you could fly to in that time from here. I chuckle every time someone talks about flying off to Barcelona or wherever for the weekend, like it's such a casual thing, then I remember that it is...
Beer is good
I'll try about near anything once; I love sampling new foods. The Berbers, Moors and Arabs have all had a hand in shaping Moroccan cuisine. Beef, mutton, poultry and seafood are the main meats, and there seems to be an endless selection of fruits and vegetables used, along with a huge array of spices. The one food that is (Berber) Moroccan that you've all eaten would be couscous. Of course, there is the ubiquitous mint tea. I'd like to dine on swine, but pork ain't exactly easy to get here. Neither is alcohol. Some things are oddly expensive/inexpensive as compared to the states. A funny one the other day was a pint of Haagen-Dazs for almost $10. Maybe being poor will be good for my waistline...
People are crazy
On Tuesday I was off from work, and by chance a semifinal soccer match of an important tournament was going to be held in Casa at the 55,000 seat Mohammed V Stadium. Soccer is the only sport in Morocco; the people are mad for it. And the residents of Casa are particularly loony for their two pro teams, Raja and Wydad. Care to guess who took the pitch on Tuesday at 2pm?
Now, a word from our partners at the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/world/middleeast/morocco-struggles-to-rein-in-soccer-hooligans.html?_r=0
The first few paragraphs tell you all you really need to know, along with the part about the man who was killed in the April riot where the stadium was literally torn apart. So of course I went down there, by myself, to try to negotiate, in French, the purchase of a (hopefully legitimate) ticket from a scalper, not get pickpocketd, get into the venue, watch the game and (literally) get out alive. And I did, but, boy, was it an adventure! I did pretty well with the scalper, slipping away just before the police busted the guy. I can't begin to tell you what the scene was in the blocks surrounding the stadium; to say there was a heavy police presence (city and state) would be an understatement. It's difficult to describe what it took to get into the stadium; let's just say I was part of a crush of humanity that barged thru a gate into the place. I literally was not propelling myself; instead, it was the wave of people that I rode inside, and I am not exaggerating.
I am a veteran of many Eagles games from the 700 level at the Vet; they were church socials compared to this insanity, and that is no joke! Thousands were there from the early a.m. No assigned seating, the place was stuffed, with people actually sitting on every available railing, wall, you name it. The fire marshall wouldn't have approved. The stadium was segregated, red and green, with an actual DMZ in the middle of both ends. It was loud! Flares and smoke canisters are going off; the game hadn't even begun. What an experience! When I spoke to native staff later in the week, they were very nice, they didn't say I was an idiot, but I could see the looks of bemusement on their faces. When I mentioned that so many looked like hoodlums, they told me of things you would read in the middle of that article. They also told me that many don't even care about the soccer; that they get high beforehand before they come to cause mayhem at the game. Glad I went, don't see myself returning. Where to next? Thanksgiving 4-day break coming soon...
No comments:
Post a Comment