Catch-Up Post I

It seems I'm a little behind, so I'm going to do a quick catch-up post. (Let's call this a series because I'm sure I'm going to have to do this again.)

Horseback Riding, January 29

From Horseback riding

Last weekend, I decided against a long excursion on the grounds that I was a) drowning in homework, b) recovering from illness and c) really, really excited about horseback riding. I've always been an animal lover, but my parents are not exactly animal-lovers (which isn't to say that they hate animals, just don't exactly see the POINT).

From Horseback riding

I don't really need a point. I just think that riding a horse is one of the coolest things EVER. So when Natalie, who has been riding horses since she was 5 years old, suggested that we go horseback riding with the club here on campus, I was 100% gung-ho! Hafsa, my roommate, also wanted to go with us, so Friday night we all agreed upon a phone-call buddy system to wake up for the trip (Hafsa and I aren't exactly morning people, so it was mostly just us hoping Natalie made sure we got up). Despite our best intentions, however, Hafsa slept right through (despite my pleading) and I was 15 minutes late. Fortunately, true to Moroccan time, the bus was late anyway, and we arrived safely to our destination, a huddle of men and horses on the side of the road, leading into a gully. After some confusion, we picked our horses and were off.

From Horseback riding

I would just like to point out, at this juncture, that I did, in fact, tell everyone that I had never ridden a horse. Sure, I had sat on one a couple of times, but this whole rein and kicking business I had no idea how to do, specifically, I had no idea how to start, stop or steer. It was a bit nerve-racking; I remember thinking almost as soon as I was on the horse that, "NO. ALLAH MADE ME SMALL FOR A REASON. I AM NOT MEANT TO BE UP THIS HIGH." But I got a hold of myself, despite imagining my brains on every jagged rock I walked by, praying under my breath. After crossing a one-way bridge over a creek-like thing and admiring the waterfals, we made our way up the side of a muddy hilly area. I had been given a guide and tried my best to, at the very least, keep a smile on and save some face in light of my terror.

From Horseback riding

A few factors made this especially difficult. The first was that, out of all the horses, they gave me one that kicks, so I had to avoid other horses. And the second was that, well, as sweet as he was, the guide they had given me was deaf and mute. So, he couldn't really explain to me what I was doing wrong, though he did try (bless his heart) and he also couldn't hear me screaming about overhanging branches heading straight for my FACE. The third, was, of course, after the guide left me to my own devices, I often spent significant portions standing still, seeing as I was a bit too short for my horse and couldn't quite hit his sides.

Heh.

From Horseback riding

But the trip, truth be told, was incredibly peaceful and rewarding. I loved the feeling of riding a horse. At first it took me a while to get used to the idea (me, the video game player) that I couldn't just perform a function and expect immediate results. Horses have their own whimsies, needs, and intelligence. Sometimes, he didn't move because he'd rather not plunge across an icy river, or knew, unlike me, that going down that particular path was just plain stupid.

From Horseback riding

I returned to campus with a sore butt, and while I hadn't exactly established a relationship with my horse like Natalie seems to have done, I have a grudging respect for the ornery old thing. (He's pictured above; I named him Marvin.)

From Horseback riding

This guy over here I took a picture of without realizing he didn't want me to. Oops. He glared at me the entire time after that. But did offer to let me ride his baby donkey. So I guess he wasn't all THAT mad.

Smells like Souk (January 30)

From Souk, Ants, Etc.

Sara, Natalie and I went to the market on Sunday to get vegetables for Sara. In the town my school's in, Ifrane, there's a market every Sunday where everything is very, very cheap. We got, literally, four bags of vegetables for 12$. No kidding. Good times, right?

From Souk, Ants, Etc.

You can buy all sorts of things at the souk. Shoes, bags, crates, teapots, heaters. Sara and I bought some bags and a few other nick nacks she needed. Once I purchased my bag (that Sara actually fell in love with first and was nice enough to let me have), I realized that the souk had quite a distinct smell. It permeated the air, but also seemed to stick to the items inside it, as well. It's not the most pleasant smell... But hey, it was a learning experience. I realized how much of a spoiled brat I am, fingering through this old stuff as if it's got some kind of dreadful disease.. Which, hey, I guess some items might, but that's what boiling water is for, right? Disinfected. Bam.

From Souk, Ants, Etc.

Natalie is a picky shopper. Well, as far as shoes go :) But I loves her.

From Souk, Ants, Etc.

We finished up our trip with chicken. Now, when Sara said, "All I need to get now is chicken," prepackaged little fleshlets in nicely wrapped plastic containers came to mind. I was a bit taken aback when we walked up to the butcher. It was then I realized that those living breathing little chickens were not, in fact, just walking meat parcels. They were...well....alive. After watching the man slaughter our chicken and see the way it slowly took on the familiar shape I was used to, I felt a deep sense of... appreciation. Respect. Gratefulness... to the chicken.

I think that Native Americans had something with their reverance for the "spirits" of the animals they killed. I dig that.



-n.