travel diaries: a moroccan meal

I had no idea that filipinos do not require a visa to enter morocco, so thanks to G and L, I was able to find out.

As usual, it was the Pinoys who started it all. Conversations during parties grew our group of four into an international group of eight. Thus we formed an ISS contingent represented by Philippines, Indonesia, Sudan/Saudi Arabia, Colombia and Canada. Seven ladies and one gentleman. Or as C says it, "me and my seven wives." Two of us were Muslims who can interpret the calls for prayers and inform us about etiquette in a Muslim country. Two can speak basic Arabic and basic French to help us with transactions. With that kind of mix how can the trip not be exciting?!

There were two batches since we booked different flights but agreed to meet up at the El-Fna Square. We took a cutting trip from Amsterdam to Madrid then Madrid to Marrakesh. Our seven hour lay-over in Madrid merits a story by itself, but suffice to say, I never thought I would do an all-nighter club hopping with crazy and lovable Colombians. Definitely an interesting night!

When we arrived, I was astounded by the beautiful Marrakesh airport! The design seemed to be inspired by a honey comb. The glass had designs that reflected beautiful shadows on the floor. I was already impressed by this city!

A basic information we got was to try and haggle everything in Morocco, including the taxi. Drivers approached us offering to take us to our hostels for a fee. It was not something we could easily decide on. We eventually chose to take the taxi for an extra 50 dirhams assuming that we will be dropped off right in front of our hostel. Apparently not. The streets of Marrakesh were too tiny to accommodate big vehicles. From where we were dropped, we had to get lost, er, walk around for 30 minutes before we found our hostel. We could have asked around but we were a little wary because we heard that people tend to ask for money for every little help they get. This was not entirely true. Some were more than happy to help out though there are some who you can sense is out for a few coins.

It was 2PM and we have yet to have our breakfast or snack or lunch so we decided to eat. We stopped at the first restaurant we saw and checked the menu. I was happy to know that the complete set of marrocain salad, tagine, moroccan mint tea and yogurt cost 45 dirhams (less than 4.5o euros), while the couscous set was just 50 dirhams. Being more familiar with couscous, I ordered the tagine set for my first Moroccan meal.

Most meals are served with bread. Ours was warm and fresh out of the oven. Perfect for our rumbling stomachs.

The marrocain salad was served with the bread. I was expecting greens but we found out it was just diced tomatoes with chopped parsley, onions and salt. It was a perfect combination with our warm bread.

Our tagine arrived shortly. I ordered tagine viand or beef (it is called so because the meal is cooked in a tagine, made of clay and composed of two parts -- the base and the conical cover), which at first look made me wonder where the meat was. After digging through the potatoes and carrots, I found the meat at the bottom. The food floating in oil was a little scary but it just looked so good. And it tasted great too!

We were most excited with the moroccan mint tea having heard good reviews from friends who have been there. It did not disappoint. The tea was more on the sweet side but the mintiness was undeniable. It helped take away the aftertaste of the tagine too.

Their yogurt was a pleasant surprise as well. It had the taste of natural yogurt mixed with honey and a bit of lemon. Even after being filled up with the appetizer and meal, I could have gone for a second yogurt.

It was quite a satisfying meal which sated the hunger we have been feeling since morning.

happy easter!

may the hope of the season be with you. :)

this holy week turned out to be a pleasant surprise. :)

Good Friday was spent in Brugges, Belgium. A somewhat imposed presence to Marwell and Maricar's road trip, thanks to Jo and Alma backing out last minute. Brugges is what I had always imagined Europe to be, back in those days when I did not know any better. Old Europe. Chocolates, beer, lace, fries and belgian waffles. Shocked the other passers-by with our fish-rice-tomato-shrimp paste lunch complete with utensils. But definitely a good Pinoy meal in Europe. Really goooood. Thanks, Marwell, for the free ride.

Black Saturday was spent to meet with my 'adopted' Dutch family. I joined the 'Meet the Dutch' program in school which allowed the ISS students to spend time with the Dutch (given we barely see Dutch people in school as we are quite multicultural in set-up). Peter and Anky were such wonderful hosts! My first time to ride a high Dutch bike. And didn't expect to do 34 kms of it in one go! We went around the towns of Bodegraven, Reeuweg and Gouda. A nice mix of small town, big countryside tour. Reeuweg was particularly exciting, with its lakes and sailing areas. The sun was absolutely perfect except with a few minutes of rain. The guided bike tour taught me about dikes and ditches and peat and sea level and such. Peter did a good job of letting me know a bit more about the Dutch way of life. Brought home pictures and instructions to send them to my mom and Jan. Plus a recipe to try out too! Yummmm...

Easter Sunday started with a surprise breakfast for Risa, which I hope made her happy, despite the fact we woke her up from sleep. Tee-hee! Breakfast with most of the gang then off to mass. Mass was also good wherein we witnessed how a European baptism goes, with babies exposed in their full glory to the audience. Haha! Plus beautiful Nigerian songs to welcome Christ's Resurrection. Afterwards, I spent the afternoon with the bday girl and Iain in Amsterdam looking at Van Gogh paintings.

Not bad at all. Especially for someone who had no specific plans for the week whatsoever.

Happy Easter again!

a hundred days in europe

I just realized that December 8 is my 100th day here in Netherlands.

Well... I know a hundred days isn't really a year, but it's almost as much of a milestone.

A hundred days! It feels so ironic that it is also the day when I finally felt the pangs of loneliness. Enough to make the tears come. i let it flow then shake it away, no use in denying emotions. yes, it has been a hundred days away from home, a hundred days away from jan, a hundred days of listless sleep, a hundred days of uncertainty... that is looking at it from the half-empty glass perspective.

But it is also a hundred days of many beautiful, wonderful things:

* of my first autumn -- the experience of the nature's dying, like the phoenix that explodes in mesmerizing fire before it turns to dust. yet knowing that there is a rebirth.















* of my first snow and hail -- snowball fights with bare hands. as the ice hits you or another, it is punctuated with child(-ish, -like) laughter. while autumn is the vibrance of color, the somberness of white is transfixing.

* experiencing europe -- a dream come true! i thought that europe will just forever be a vision from books and movies and now i am here! and there is still so much more of it to see.

* of beautiful friendships forged -- my pinoy mafia keeps me sane. will definitely miss the old batch who have always been so accommodating of our barging in the headquarters. to my new friends from all continents who have taught me so much about the world much bigger than what i have known. my first american thanksgiving to happy halloweens, from standing up against poverty to transformations. i never in my life dreamed education can be this interesting!


and so much more in those hundred days! from cooking and finally finding out for myself that there is a vortex in the laundry machine that sucks out half of a pair of socks and gloves leaving my closet with three unpaired socks and gloves... nights of singing and dancing and watching other people get wasted... to pining and wishing for those comfortable warm hands... to just realizing every day of my life that i am alive and tingling with all sorts of emotions, be it sadness or happiness.




the first hundred days and triple more ahead here in europe. looking forward to the joys and pains of what is to come! well, not so much the pain, but i have to be realistic here. 2008 is almost gone and 2009 is coming. i may not be raring to go at the moment, but i'm ready. ;p

hail and snow!

the last two days have been pretty exciting for me even if i just stayed indoors most of the time.

i heard a mild tap-tapping at my door as i was cleaning my room. when i opened the curtains... ta-daaaah! ice falling from the sky.

so being the ignorant asian that i am thought it to be snow. i opened my window and staring out of their windows were regina, tom (canada) and patchar (thailand). to tom, it was nothing new but for the asians, it was magic!

it was a bit quick, but then sometime in the afternoon, it was a longer one. i finally buzzed for regina because such a moment called for a photo op. and photos we took! despite looking like we just got out of bed (oh... we did just get out of bed)., we didn't care! it was fun!


i thought that hail was just a fluke because most of my friends who've lived in europe told me that it never really snows in the netherlands. most of the time winter is just wet and rainy.

but the fates would have it that i tick off another box in my things to experience before i die... it snowed! for real this time. with snowflakes that just melt the moment they hit your hand. and it fell quieter and prettier than hail. the flakes don't fall straight down, but kind of hover here and there in the air before they hit the ground.

i wanted another photo op and buzzed regina's floor but no one was answering. despite being ungloved, i decided to take a look at the outside world.

there ya go... i wasn't the only excited one. the indonesians were going around town taking pictures of the snow too. it's great to know that somebody feels as excited as you are at that same moment. like an invisible bond holds you together at that moment.

so with all courage, i decided to go out and take photos outside. eyob peeped out from his room and i forced him to come out of his den and join me. then ruth (american) and nick (german) peeped out of their rooms, and i asked them to come out.
and when you have big kids like us all together in a snowy day, what do you get? snowball fight!!! the fight ensued. just a few snowballs and my ungloved fingers were already numb. nick was kind enough to lend me his gloves to thaw them out, but it had a high price. he hit me in the face, the back, the head. and of course, he just had to stuff ice on my shirt. tsk-tsk!

mel saw nick from her room and jumped out of the window and joined in our fun. wheee!

it was a really, really wonderful experience. wet but very enjoyable and exciting and something that will make me smile a lot when i remember it.

i just hope it doesn't snow everyday so i don't get used to it. it would be great to be excited by it everytime it happens. LOL.

for now, this is how i feel...

sleepless in den haag

the sandman may have forgetten to pass by the ISS for the last few days. many of the students have been suffereing from the lack of sleep lately for various reasons. the cause of my sleeplessness has been a reuniting with dorm room internet. i'm starting to think this may not be a good idea after all. i've been indulging in my guilty pleasure of brainless reality tv for the past week.

however, tonight is a different reason for me. my mind is so alive right now. it often happens when the moon is full, because i am the moon's fool. she's toying with my thoughts, whispering sweet nothings.

tonight luna tells me, "i let you taste some of your dreams. relish it. be free."

and i do feel as free as the bird from that photo i took on a nine o'clock setting sun during my first weeks in the netherlands. and i do feel that i am having a taste of my silly little girl dreams now that i am here.

silly little girl dreams like wearing coats and boots and sweaters which would have been crazy to do back at home (but i do miss wearing flip-flops to anywhere). silly little girl dreams like seeing europe and discovering if it is as pretty as i see in the pictures and read in the books (it is but it has made me appreciate home more). silly little girl dreams like seeing what autumn is all about, and walkin on a pile of fallen yellow and orange leaves and seeing trees die a little each day knowing they are just asleep and are waking up in a few months (but i miss the regularity of sun up and sun down).

dreams can come true not necessarily in ways you imagine it to be.

there are the realities that pinch once in a while. cleaning the room, doing laundry, cooking meals. things that aren't going to happen by themselves. there are days i hate it terribly, and there are the days when i just grin to myself and realize... "dang... independence, you taste a bit funny sometimes!"

there are the realities that actually bite you hard. readings, papers, exams. and i would go, "oh yeah... that's what i came here for. better do those things too."

then there are life's little surprises. if you are just open enough, it can be quite beautiful.

maybe it is premature to say it only two and a half months into the program, but i have been constantly amazed by the people in the school. the multicultural set-up makes ISS doubly exciting. there is so much to learn and discover just by talking to people! that's not even talking about classes yet. i am always genuinely excited to engage with people everyday.

i love the mix of the pinoys i am with. we are as surprised as everybody else at how well our sisterhood (sorry boys, we outnumber you!) is.

i love the other friends i already have made and wish to get to know them better. this is the kind of globalization the rest of the world needs! to remain steadfastly faithful and in-love with who we are, yet embracing the Otherness of the others.

i can not ask for a better way to discover the world.

i feel so blessed right now. :)

(but then it would be absolutely perfect to have my husband here too. my quiet, stoic jan to offset all the restless energy i have right now. LOL.)

updates

internet: none. the freakin' internet connection still won't work wheter with wi-fi or cable. what the hell is wrong? it is frustrating and irritating because most of the readings for class are online. i can access to the library but it is closed on weekends.


classes: we started yesterday. i like all my professors. they all seem to be very kind in the sense that they are trying to make it easy for everyone. all the ones i took were the intermediate even if i did learn some of them in college. that was ten to twelve years ago, so i bet i forgot everything now.

netherlands: i was already able to go to amsterdam and rotterdam for free because it was an official school or course activity. some of us did stay behind in amsterdam since the field trip was done by 4PM. there were actually only eight of us, but it was nice to see amsterdam on foot and not just on a boat.

i'd have a more decent story if only i had decent internet. hay naku.

i do have some photos on my multiply page (a link is on the sidebar) and facebook page. i actually have to update facebook now because some international friends prefer that to multiply. oh well. :D