December 3

This morning, my host mother (خميلة) made Marie, Fiona, and I raghif (رغيف) with honey, bread with cheese, and of course, the traditional mint tea of Morocco. After breakfast, all of us met at Bridges, the school we have been been taking classes at, for a 9:30 Arabic lesson taught by Moroccoan natives. In this class, we studied means of transportation and types of vacations. When our lesson concluded, we made our way to the other Bridges in Rabat, which is around five minutes away. There, we were taught how to make the Moroccan pancakes and tea we had all come to know so well throughout our time here. First, we started out with mixing the ingredients for the dough in a bowl.

Next, we kneaded the dough until it was just right. Finally, we put oil on our hands, so that the dough would not stick to them, and created balls of dough to be put on the pan and fried.

After our pancakes were done, the girls and two boys were offered to dress in traditional Arab clothing. We had so much fun dressing like traditional Arabs and we took many pictures.

Once we were done, we all sat down on a blanket and learned how to make the tea.

First, we washed off the tea leaves, and then we added boiling water. Next, we put the mint leaves into the water and made sure to press them down, instead of mixing the water. Lastly, we put sugar in, and then practiced pouring the tea into cups the traditional way - by lifting the teapot as you pour for a cool effect.

Moroccans have many unique customs that we were taught during this cooking workshop, which better our collective understanding of the Arab culture and lifestyle. After we ate the food we prepared, we each went off with our host families to spend the afternoon with them. Marie, Fiona, and I went to the local market (لمادينة) and went shopping. We experienced daily living for most Moroccans and were able to try bargaining with the store owners for lower prices.

I bought bracelets, black soap, food, and a jewelry holder.  However, Marie and Fiona bought other items as well, such as slippers. We got home around 9 pm and ate chicken/french fries tajine, one of my favorite meals from my time in Morocco. We also exchanged gifts and social media handles before we went to sleep since it was our last night at our hosts' house. That night, I went to sleep sad that I would have to depart from my host family the following day, but I also went to bed thinking about how grateful I am to have had this experience and to have stayed with such a great family that I will miss so much.

-Maryalice Smith