Image – The Bouregreg River from the Kasbah des Oudayas
During my year abroad, I split my time between Rabat, Paris and Toulouse, and of those three, Rabat, Morocco was by far my favourite. Sunny days, glittering beaches, and noisy souks made up my daily routine in Rabat, and for no more than a fiver, a full day out and about could be had. Spend an average day with me and discover the joys of Moroccan cuisine and learning Arabic in its westernmost home.
8:00 am – wake up
My days started with an early rise. Although at first a tough pill to swallow, I soon realised waking with the sun was a vital necessity in order to complete the day’s tasks and be fully hidden away before the afternoon heat. As a woman in Morocco, clothing often looked like a long skirt, a linen button-up and potentially a headscarf to avoid sunburn. Of course, my California self revelled in the opportunity to wear sandals to class, and after a quick getting ready and grabbing my books, I headed through the streets of the Agdal towards my school.
8:30 am – class starts
At my language school, Qalam wa Lawh, class started promptly at 8:30. All students were offered a light breakfast at 8, and at half past, we began our lessons, which ran until 12:30. Our classes all began with the same question: “Madha fa’alti aams?”(What did you do yesterday?), which gave us all a chance to wake up, use a bit of Arabic, and catch up on one another’s goings on from the day before. Classes consisted of grammar practice, reading, and lots of speaking in Arabic, as most of the teachers above beginner level spoke only French or Arabic.
10:30 am – Istiraha (break)
Halfway through class, we had a brief 15-minute break where some fantastic Moroccan shai (mint tea) was served along with the option to purchase a msemen (Moroccan fried bread) from the kitchen for 50p. Morning msemen often served as my breakfast and is one of the things I miss most about my days in Morocco. It provided a bit of routine, and you were given the option to fill your msemen with either Jubn (soft cheese) or Nutella. After the break, classes resumed, and we all got back to work.
12:30 – lunchtime
At the end of classes, those who had opted to receive school lunches received a traditional Moroccan lunch, homemade in-house, which ranged from tagine to pastillas, or sometimes just a nice warm spag bol. Lunches provided a delicious and easy way to discover more of Moroccan culture.
1 pm – nap time
After class, in the middle of a Moroccan summer, the heat started to get quite intense, and the middle of the day was best avoided by a nap or film indoors. I would head home and turn on my AC before sprawling out on top of my sheets like a cat on a tile floor trying to stay cool. Moroccan houses are uniquely designed to repel heat and retain cool air (a stark contrast to the build of British houses), and I enjoyed avoiding the worst of the scorching sun.
5 pm – adventure into town
After the worst of the midday heat, a bit more fun could be had, and I usually didn’t start heading out into the city until 4 or 5 in the afternoon. Rabat is teeming with life well into the evening, and the time at which stores and restaurants close is incredibly flexible. In general, I found Moroccan culture to be remarkably laid back. I would usually start off my evening with a taxi to the Kasbah. A taxi across town rarely cost more than £2, and once there, I could make my way down to the beach with a freshly fried sugar doughnut in hand for the cost of 10p. The beach was often filled with life until late in the evening, and for 50p, you could take a short boat ride across the river to Salé beach and spend a bit of time dipping in the waves of the inlet and enjoying the sounds of boys diving off the rocks.
7:30 pm – Dinner
A couple of hours at the beach well spent, it was time to head into the souk for some dinner and light shopping. The street into the souk from the Kasbah was home to some amazing juice stands, and some lemon juice or freshly squeezed orange juice could be procured for 50p, making an excellent accompaniment for wandering through the Medina. If you went a bit off the beaten path, you could find the more local-heavy produce markets and pick up fresh watermelons or figs for a snack at home later in the week. With dinner on the mind, I would pick up a habricha sandwich for 70p and it was filled with egg, rice and meat.
9:30 pm – Homework
With the evening bustle starting to die down and shops beginning to close, I would catch a taxi back home to Agdal from outside Bab el-Had. Once home, I’d make a cup of tea, grab my books, and settle down at the dining room table to get my work done for the coming day. Homework could be anything from learning vocab to writing a paragraph about a new topic, and it always helped to solidify the topics from the day in my mind. Once I’d completed my homework, usually around midnight, I’d shut down the AC, and head to bed, ready for the day to come.
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