From Spain and skin to Morocco and sobriety...

From Malaga to Algaciris on an unforgettable train ride, then from Algeciris on a ferry to Tangier, Morocco. I'm traveling with 2 girls I met in Spain on holiday from Great Britain and we get along well. Got to Morocco last night late and spent the day walking around the city experiencing the culture. Women walk around covered from head to toe in sweltering, humid heat that has storekeepers seated in the shade. I was fortunate enough to have spoken to another girl at the last hostel who had just come from Morocco and I hadn't realized how close I was to cutting it out of my trip...worse, for really no reason at all other than I was buying into the preconceived ideas about what I though Morocco would be like. I had something along the lines of T.J. with a gypsy vibe and people looking to rip me off at any opportunity. She told me that, and I quote, "Casablanca [Morocco] changed my life." She went on about how kind the people were and how she had thought, before she had gone there, that everyone in Morocco was a thief and that her friends had cautioned her to be careful. I'm so glad I talked with her before I decided to kill of my trip here. Culturally speaking, I prepared accordingly (buying a small ring to wear as a wedding band and brought a balaclava with me to wear), but most important I believe is I chose to be aware, not make stupid choices that put me in compromising situations and above all to give

After discussions with people in the countries I've been to I'm beginning to see a pattern emerge in American behavior and the way in which we are perceived by the rest of the world. With sincerity and honest curiosity they've asked me why it is than whenever you talk to an American it's always "the worst time they've ever had" or "the best place they've ever been to"? False intensity and lack of authenticity is what we are known for. As I move from country to country I've noticed that what I once called my "personal space" (or rather the relinquishing of it as my last creature comfort), is not really caused by a lack of personal space at all. It's actually a lot of people living in a very small space. We have a cultural norm that is unspoken, but agreed upon in America of what I've coined as "timely chaos". We have a schedule that we adhere to and are very attached to its implementation despite what others may have on their agendas. We never intentionally move in a slow fashion to prevent others from accomplishing what they need to do...right? But when someone isn't moving at a rapid pace and it is directly affecting you, you are SURE that they are deliberately standing between you and where you need to be/what you need to get done/success. This is stressful and makes us tightly wound...and this, my friends, is why everyone else in the world smokes, drinks and parties until 6 a.m. and we as Americans still die first. Try being in a hurry in the countries I've been to...actually don't. It doesn't work. You get frustrated...until you're not anymore and you come back to reality and see that NOTHING was changed by your stress/anger/frustration. Eventually, you learn that you're eventually going to get where you need to be whenever that may be, but for now you are where you are, so have a beer/mojito/cappuccino and enjoy the moment because it is the best part of right now:)
I'm currently in Casablanca, considered to be the "economic center of Morocco"...funny. I only think they call it that because it's a little less chaotic than Marrakech and Tanger.
"Spinning is its own reward; there wouldn't be carousels if weren't so."