Assalam walaykum (Peace be upon you) to all of you in Wisconsin!

I’m writing from Fes, Morocco, and boy, has it been quite the eye-opener. The weather here right now is very hot, with daytime temperatures between 90 and 100 degrees F and at night down to 60. (I am a little jealous of your freeze warning!)

I know that when people think of Morocco, they may think of a desert region - which is certainly true in the western part of the country. But around Fes, I am told, it becomes rather green during fall and spring, since those are their rainy seasons. Right now, though,  the area does seem to be semi-arid. The general surroundings resemble Los Angeles or parts of Texas, especially since Fes is close to the Atlas Mountains, which are covered in trees (mostly pines, I believe).

Fes has three major sections: Fes al-Bali, Fes al-Jdid, and the Ville Nouvelle. Fes al-Bali is the oldest and is completely walled, harkening back to its founding in the 700’s A.D. Fes al-Bali is also called “the Medina,” and was recently named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Fes al-Jdid is the ‘new city’ built in the 1200’s A.D., which hardly makes it new by U.S. or Minnesotan standards. And finally, the Ville Nouvelle is the newest part of the city. It was originally the French Quarter as a result of the French presence there during the first half of the 1900s.. Since Moroccan independence, the Ville Nouvelle has continued being the “European” part of the city.

I am staying in the Medina (Fes al-Bali), which is probably one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been in. Both streets and architecture are unchanged from the 700’s: concrete-type houses and narrow cobblestone streets lined by traditional shops  Because of the narrow streets, motorized vehicles are not allowed in the Medina. This means that a person must walk everywhere. To transport goods and supplies, donkeys and carts are used. It’s actually rather fun being yelled at to get out of the way by a man on a donkey! The Medina is still very much divided into sections depending upon what you want to purchase; so there is a leather goods area, a metal goods area, and so on. There certainly aren’t any Targets or Walmarts! In each neighborhood of the Medina, one can find general stores that sell footwear, clothing, food and other goods. And in each and every neighborhood, there is a mosque. Our tour guide informed us that the Medina has one of the highest ratios of mosques-to-people in the Islamic World. I am unsure if this is true or just a boast, but there certainly seems to be a mosque on every corner.

Of course, there are modern conveniences in the Medina. Most homes have electricity, and all of those have a TV and satellite. Satellite TV is free in Morocco. Most houses in the Medina still have a squat toilet, but thankfully the family I am staying with has a western one. That’s definitely a luxury I’d prefer not to give up!

My host family consists of my mother Atika and her daughter Fatima. They have been very hospitable and gracious to me. However, I worry they may be fattening me up, because the food here is absolutely phenomenal. The the mainstay of every meal involves bread of some sort, usually flat round bread. (Someone on a glutton-free diet would have real problems here.) Besides bread, the other part of the Moroccan cuisine is various forms of tangine. This dish is essentially roasted chicken (sometimes beef or lamb) soaked in gravy with vegetables such a carrots, beans and potatoes. There’s a salad served as well, usually sliced cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes with some sort of spice that gives a sweet flavor. The other part of a Moroccan diet is couscous, which is a type of grain that is incredibly filling. It too is usually topped with meat and a bit of gravy. Besides these, I have enjoyed a lot of melons and other fruits, which help to provide a fairly balanced diet. My mom continues to tell me, “Kool, kool” (eat, eat), which I continue to do and then find out I have overeaten. I have yet to overcome that problem!

Two things are likely to surprise an American eating in the home of a Moroccan. The first is that there is no dining room, but rather just a table surrounded by couches. And second, and definitely the most shocking, is that there is just one plate in the center of the table and no utensils!  As a result, when the food is put on the table, each person is given a part of the bread and digs in from there, using the right hand and bread as a scooper to pick the gravy, chicken, vegetables, couscous or whatever is for dinner that night. (It reminds me of how my dad taught me to properly eat beans and tortillas that my grandmother used to make.) My host mom gave me a fork or spoon at first, though she stopped offering them to me the last couple of days. I think she noticed that I don’t need them any longer.

I cannot wait to tell you more, though for now I must get back to my studies. Please do not hesitate to email me at logan.abroad@gmail.com to ask any questions you might have. I hope all is well in Superior and Go YellowJackets and the Vikings!!


Logan Campa