After spending about 4 months of intense travelling in West Africa, I was quite happy to get to Morocco, home sweet home. However, once I finally was there, after a couple of days I got a bit concerned about the perspective of spending 2 whole months at home without having much of a plan to keep me busy.
First things first, I had signed up for my very first Permaculture Design Course (PDC) which was to start a week after I arrived in Morocco. I had been so desperately looking for a PDC for months when I was in Africa, and this one showed up on the web and fitted perfectly with my time line. What better way to end a 20 months backpacking trip including 4 months of rough west African adventure, than to spend two weeks in a tent, using dry toilets, eating vegetarian food, and having 10 liters of cold water per day to bath with?! Lol I had no real clue what to expect from this course, but so many people along my trip told me about permaculture. I just had to do it.
For those who don’t know what permaculture is about, just look it up on line. It is based on the principle of permanent culture. Mother nature created all the plants on the planet for them to cohabit and symbiotically sustain…and us humans have been doing everything in our power to destroy mother nature's beautiful plan, strongly believing that we know better than what has been working for millions of years well before we even existed. Ha!
Gosh, I was far from thinking that this PDC course would be so mind blowing. The site where we stayed at was overlooking the ocean shore, only a short 800 meter walk in the sand dunes. All the students were sleeping in tents by groups of two per tent. Each had a specific chore to do during the course. The dry toilets were outside spread out in the garden. The rooftop of the semi finished house had a spectacular view of the sunset. Perfect spot to light candles, and lounge after dinner listening to some of the students playing the guitar and singing songs in different languages.
Each day we all ate together the home cooked tajines made by the neighbors around the big wooden table.
When we didnt watch the sunset on the roof of the house we would all walk to the beach and swim in the freezing cold waves waiting for the sun to make its final daily salute to this side of the earth.
In the morning we would wake up early to go run on the beach while the sun was rising. Ending it with a quick freezing dip.
All the students were from so many different backgrounds. It was fascinating all the great conversations we were able to have. The teacher and his family were unbelievable. Look him up, Darren Doherty. And well, being a traveler, I was just in awe in front of our hosts, Mark and Ayelen and their beautiful little baby girl Gaya. Mark Anstice, look him up as well, you will understand!!!
Anyway, aside from getting my mind blown away with regard to permaculture and looking at a totally new way to care for the planet, food, and the people, this course also allowed me to make the most amazing of friends. So amazing that once the course was over, we spent the next 2 weeks hanging out all together in Marrakesh not being able to let go of each other. So yes, for the very first time, I felt like Morocco would be a place where I could potentially settle down in the future. I had the family, and now the friends. Ilham, Celine, Julien, Mehdi, Tori, Leila, Anthony, Sylvain, Jerome, Karim, Nadine, Ahmed, MArk, Aylen...Plus Morocco is a heaven for agriculture. I like to say that in Morocco, when you pee a tree grows.
After the course I was so psyched by what I had learnt that I did all I could to plant the seed into my parents mind. hehe! sounds a lot easier said than done.
My dad has been planting gardens since he was a child. So the traditional way of agriculture was very well ingrained in his mind. Now try telling him that all these years he was doing things wrong...or that there are much better ways to do it. ha! Slowly but surely and thanks to a few youtube videos it finally worked! yay! So we started to build a few types of compost at home, and he got quite into it. It made me super happy and motivated me even more.
Ilham, as amazingly well connected as she is, managed to get us all to go to the safran harvest in Morocco's largest safran farm. Celine, Ilham, Leila, Julien, Tori, and I went there, accompanied by the managers of the farm and a couple of industry experts. We spent a fantastic day picking safran at 6 in the morning before sunrise, having breakfast right on the farm overlooking the safran sprouts, and learning about the whole safran value chain. The night before at the hostel, we even got to eat multiple safran-based dishes. yummmmm!!!
One afternoon, after we all hung out together, we decided to go to Ilham and Julien's huge land, (where they plan to do a massive permaculture project) to camp for the night all together. I managed to even get my parents to tag along. We were a dozen. It was a magical night. All there in the middle of nowhere at the foot of the Atlas mountains, covered by a blanket of bright stars, eating delicious tajins and grilled meats, playing the drums and dancing with sticks lit on fire, under the stars and by the huge bon fire. I almost wished that it would never end. I am pretty sure my parents had a blast. We played a board game called Loup Garoux until 3 or 4 in the morning, all snuggled in sleeping bags and blankets under the berber camel hair tent.
About two and a half week before I was to leave Morocco, Angelina made me the amazing surprise to decide to come visit me in Morocco...well, not me but rather my parents so as to meet them in person, since once I would be in Brazil after that, it would be a bit challenging for us (financially especially) to make it back to Morocco any time soon. (Big disadvantage of not having a job for 2+ years)
I was so happy. It had been 5 months since we last saw each other. And well, the timing couldnt have been more perfect. two days after she arrived it was my mom's birthday. hehe! Perfect gift! She stayed a whole of 10 days. Ha! It was nice to be in once place for 10 days and not travel at all. What a change!
The 10 days went by super fast. Eating, napping, walking...and the longest meals Angelina probably ever had in her life. French style! hehehe! You sit down for lunch time and you only get up from the table once you have finished the dinner desert. lol
Angelina took her plane back to Brasil...and soon it was my turn. Though I was looking forward to joining her in Brazil and start our actual life together, I was also at the same time sad about leaving Morocco.
I think I secretly hope (not that secret I suppose since I am writing it on this blog) that one day I will settle down in Morocco.
Here are some photos...
Angelina's visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/52537245@N00/sets/72157649292766130/
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