We’ve had a surreal, magical time in Fez. When we first arrived, someone explained to us that in this ancient Medina, the pace of life goes very, very slowly. Everything and everyone goes at their own easy stroll. There is no concept of hurrying and they say that anyone in a rush will just be in a hurry to their grave.
So much about Morocco reminds me of the Philippines - a developing nation struggling with the extremes of poverty and wealth. A complex society trying to balance the virtues and vices of traditional ways with the modern.
We have loved our time in Morocco. It has been fascinating to be here during Ramadan, where everyone fasts from sunrise to sunset for 29 days. We met new friends who felt like old friends, and got to have a lovely “ftoor” with them (breaking of Fast with traditional foods). And we’ve been mesmerized by the daily public chants that are calls to prayer. At this time, everything stops, and most everyone flocks to one of the many mosques in the Medina. There’s something so beautiful about an entire community stopping their activities to go and pray together.
It’s probably because we were missing the kids, but we’ve been intrigued by the kids in Morocco, especially in the Medina. We haven’t seen any kids with smart phones. After school, they play in the streets and make up games as they navigate effortlessly through the passageways of the Medina, while most everyone else gets lost, including Moroccans. Some kids learn the arts & crafts or the businesses passed down through the generations, or they help to tend to the family’s stalls in the market.
These kids - they were just in their own little world with this glowing tree as their base.
