An undisclosed trip and two new friends (photos)

Hi.

I took a trip last weekend out of Rabat. I can’t say where I went because I may have broken a rule of my program by going. I’ll say that it was a wonderful time with beautiful people.

Instead, I’m going to talk about two of my best friends from the program. Their names are Sadia and Ella. I guess the friendship technically started week two in the Sahara desert. After a group dance party and a guitar circle on the dunes, the three of us didn’t want to go back to our tents. So Sadia went and fetched blankets and we slept under the stars. UFOs visited us in the middle of the night, that isn’t a joke.

It really became a bond the first week of ISJ though, when Ella and Sadia came to meet my Moroccan partner and I in the south. Ella met us in Mirleft, Sadia met us 2 days later in Agadir. We all went to Essaouira and Marrakech together. We found similarities: a love of literature and writing, we nodded in agreement more often than not and let Ella choose the movies. We spend a lot of time watching movies. Sadia and I watched a film called Samsara last night. It was awesome. It was shot on a 70mm camera which “is unheard of in movie making” according to my film/camera-expert friend JP. It’s basically Planet Earth about humanity and there’s no narration. It’s wild.

Now I’ll tell you about them.

Sadia wants you to be happy, comfortable. I called her during the first night of ISJ. I was angry and frustrated about how things were going and I called her because it just made sense. She’s short and clumsy (she’ll be the first to admit). She finds the good in everything and everyone. People call her when they want to be invited. I think Sadia may have embraced Morocco more than anyone on our program. She didn’t look around for homely comfort or force the country to adapt to her but let her self grow into it. She has made Moroccan friends, good ones, meaningful ones because that’s the type of girl she is, one that people want to know and one that wants to know people. What I think impresses me the most is how well she knows what must be taken seriously and her understanding that so many of our everyday worries and concerns are meshi muskil (no problem) at all. She’s so good at this though that people are always turning to her and she’s so nice that she rarely turns them away so they keep coming back and I think she sometimes forgets about herself. That’s not to say she isn’t in pursuit of her own hopes and dreams, believe me she is. But she is so willing and happy to say yes to others that she starts saying no to herself. 

Ella knows what she wants, she isn’t afraid to share it, she doesn’t always do so kindly. She is complicated (she’ll be the first to admit) but it fits her well. A lot of things fit her well. She is someone who can literally try on any piece of clothing, no matter how wild or elegant, simple or intricate, and stun. I don’t think it’s her beauty (although she is beautiful, both of my Morocco friends are), I think it’s something she got while growing up around the world. She was born in Chicago, she has lived in Haiti and Poland and North Carolina, she got a tattoo in Barcelona and don’t get her started on how much she loves South Africa. She speaks French, English, Polish, some Spanish and shuuuuiiiiiyyya Arabia. Everything she does seems effortless, she pulls everything off. She’s well-read, writes wonderfully, does interesting things and tells you the story, she’ll party or chill better than you can. And the craziest part is that she gives so little effort pulling all this off (and pulling it off well) that she doesn’t even know she has it. Ella: a young woman so naturally amazing, she doesn’t realize it at all.      

It’s funny how that happens. How sometimes our greatest attributes become detriments. It happens to everyone I think. It absolutely happens to me. I see the big picture well. I find myself taking leadership roles, it comes naturally to me. I can move people through things because they listen to me (for whatever reason) and it doesn’t bother me that they do. I like the attention, I like being listened to. I like seeing the end goal and coming up with a plan to get there. I am a camp counselor. But, sometimes I spend so much time looking and thinking big picture, I forget entirely about the small one. I spend hours thinking about what’s going to happen, what could happen, what if this happens? or that? Then what will I do? and then those hours are lost and I’m left in the same place and position I was in. I’ve wasted weeks of my life worrying. Morocco has changed this quite a bit. I still worry, but it’s different, it’s good worrying, healthy worrying. And now, when I feel concern creeping, I’ll see Sadia’s right eyebrow drop behind the frame of her glasses, her face scrunch like what the hell?, I’ll see her shoulder shrug and she’ll ask if it’s really worth it. I’ll remember the joy Ella got when she learned the dress she was trying on could be worn three different ways or her fits of laughter when the 3L Mega Mojito was delivered to our table. I’ll remember how much she loves these little everyday occurrences and know that she’s right for aren’t these what we live for?

Sadia goes home tomorrow. I don’t think I mentioned it earlier but she is Pakistani, from Karachi, and wasn’t able to get a visa for more than three months. It will be a sad goodbye. Ella and I will go through withdrawal. I’ll try to keep count of the times we say “dude, I wish Sadia was here” or “Sadia would love this” or “screw this man, let’s go to Karachi.”    

Open a second tab on the internet. Play this song: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKHiDT_dzYY

Wait for the beat to come. Seriously wait for it. Okay, now tap your foot. Bob your head. This is a lot like our friendship. We go with it. We bob our heads too, like river rock beat dull, I shouldn’t say dull, we are anything but. We do this thing sometimes together. We open a fresh page, we have one pen, it takes turns with us. We write what we want, what we feel, a man is sitting outside a train station, and you just have to roll with it. Whatever punch or kiss or emotion the person before you left on the page, you let it take you somewhere and you write that place down. Like a river rock beat crazy. Sharp peaks and valleys and snow. Maybe that’s why we get along. We let each other. With a ballpoint pen and a worn white page. We like the way it feels, bobbing your head, tapping your foot, you can’t stop it, you have no control, you have to say yes to what’s on that page, it makes having no control feel kind of good.

I guess I should thank them but it feels strange to because none of us really did much to deserve thanks. It just sort of happened. Sadia made sure we were happy; Ella kept us cool, interesting, mysterious; I knew the plan, what time the train left, how we would make it happen. Our friendship grew from this, how unforced it all felt. I was happy. I think Sadia and Ella were too. I wish them both all the best, seriously, they've done more for me than they'll ever know. And so my dear friends, thanks for not trying too hard, thanks for just letting it happen, rolling with it, bobbing your heads and tapping your toe and teaching me how nice a feeling that is. Until next time.

Sadia (left) and Ella in Marrakech. Photo credit: yours truly

Sadia and I on a bus. Photo credit: Mark Minton

Cassie and Ben come to Morocco (photos!)

I know that Ben and Cassie were nervous, hell I had done it before, walked dead straight into a Moroccan home, and it makes you pretty nervous. But they didn’t know Mama Fatima and I did so I wasn’t worried when I marched them in. She opened her arms to Cassie and pulled her in for a hug, a big one, and kisses before Ben got the same treatment and calls of “Weladi! Weladi! Salaam! (My son! My son! Hello!)” Nerves fear Mama Fatima.

I met Ben and Cassie the day before, in Marrakech, a miraculous discovery in a Souk store an hour before the intended meeting time. Lunch at a restaurant terrace (how soon they’d learn the joy) where we decide we should leave Marrakech that night and take the train up to Rabat. Note: Ben and Cassie had taken the train to Brussels the night before, slept in the Brussels airport before flying to Marrakech that morning, they were tired, as anyone would be. But, the show must go on, we had our task: to see as much of Marrakech as we could in a single afternoon.

After lunch, we walked through the Souk and Jemma el-Fnna, kept straight to the other side of the medina where we caught a petit taxi (in my last post, I spelled petit incorrectly, it doesn’t conclude with an “e”) back to where we met, Badi Palace. We saw the palace grounds and the photo exhibit that I mentioned in the last post before walking back to Jemma el-Fnna where we found another terrace café, from which we could watch the sunset and drink tea. After sunset, we took pictures with snakes before walking to the Mosque right by the square, which strolled around and admired. We enjoyed a dinner Moroccan style in the middle of Jemma el-Fnna. Moroccan soup (Harira), sausages, salsa (chopped tomatoes) and, of course, bread. A bit longer searching dessert the square and it was time to head to the train station.

We got beers across the street from the station (my first with Mr. Faustine since August 15^th). Our train left at 2100h. and was SUPPOSED to be 4 hours long but it ended up taking over 5 hours and we didn’t get back to the Rabat until past 0200h. My roommates had been excited to meet the newcomers so they stayed up and we made food and hung out so poor Ben and Cassie (they are troupers) didn’t get to bed until 0330h.

We slept in a bit before getting up, had breakfast Moroccan style (bread, jelly, peanut butter, Nutella, cheese and butter) and made the short walk to the Medina. I showed them my school building and gave a brief tour of the Medina while we made our way to the homestay.   

After introductions, Mama Fatima immediately told us to come back for lunch at 1400h. (I had a feeling if we went over at noon, we would get said invite…I know, kind of shuma but I did it for my friends!) so we walked around through the souk, along the Bouregreg river up to the Kasbah, sun and a glass of tea above the water, to the Atlantic, group photos there, back to the souk to get soda for lunch, and, 2 hours later, we’re sitting in the living room.

The homestay didn’t disappoint. Mama Fatima prepared an amazing lamb dish with green beans and pears, there were potatoes and tomatoes and olives and eggplant dip, there was my whole homestay family and my two good friends and there were smiles and laughs and bread. After lunch and post-lunch fruit, Mama Fatima let me show Ben and Cassie how to make tea and we brought it to the terrace, enjoying it with an assortment of nuts.

There’s something extraordinary when two of your worlds collide. When the family that you spent 8 weeks living with meets friends (one silver, one gold) from your other home (USA). You watch them melt together, it all makes so much more sense, why did Granger keep signing off Facebook to eat and spend time with his homestay family? and why does that kid keep Facebook chatting with his friends from home? are they each that great? And I got to show the answer, it doesn’t always happen that way. And when Cassie said –that was amazing, I’m glad we came to Rabat just because we got to do that- and Ben agreed. They thanked me but I really have to thank them. They went with the flow, obeyed Mama Fatima’s orders to eat! eat more! it was them who made it the experience it was.

We said goodbyes and walked to my favorite bar in Rabat. It’s on an alley a block from the train station. 16 MAD beers ($2), frosted windows, a waiter who shakes my hand, asking how I’m doing when I walk in. We stayed until nightfall, when we walked to the store to buy a few more drinks to enjoy back at the house. We sat, talked, listened to music and ate Moroccan Ramen. Ben and I played poker (I lost…a lot but Ben let me off the hook) until we decided that it was time to hit the town. It was raining out and waiting for a taxi turned into hitching a ride to a club, which we were unsure of it’s whereabouts. The guys who gave us a ride were patient though and enjoyed hanging out. Our search was successful and the night was spent dancing at Le Cabana Boom Boom.

Cassie woke me to shake my hand goodbye in the morning, Ben left a little note and just as quickly as they had came they were gone. It was a weekend to remember. I often fail to look back on my first days in Morocco and remember just how new it all was. How nervous everything made me. This country is a lot. But I walk with something new here now, something I didn’t walk with when I arrived. Even Ben saw it. He said -You’ve changed man, I’m really proud of you for doing this, you needed it  - And he’s right, his brotherly intuition is right, I feel it. 

I know I don't post enough photos. So here are a few. 

Laughing outside the Kasbah, Rabat

Smiling above the Atlantic Ocean, Rabat

Ben in a staring contest with a cat, Marrakech

Alright! A blog post. Let’s do it.

The people are nicer in the south of Morocco, they don’t take things so seriously. I told a girl that I am studying in Rabat and she gave me a sarcastic salute and stern-voiced: Rrrr’bat before falling back in drunken fits of laughter. My Moroccan journalism partner and I took an overnight bus from Rabat to Agadir, I don’t sleep well on moving vehicles.

The party in Agadir: My first night of ISJ was spent at a beautiful house in Agadir surrounded by nations. Morocco, France, Belgium, America, Western (Moroccan) Sahara, Great Britain and Australia. The two other Americans were from California. One was a Fulbright who never left and the other a surfer. You automatically had 10 minutes of easy conversation just trying to figure out what the heck everyone was doing there. It was a pleasant night, nothing more, nothing less.  

Taxis in Morocco: The day after the party, I met M’hmmed in Agadir and we caught a grand taxi to Mirleft. This was my first time in a grand taxi so I thought I’d give some background on the taxi situation in Morocco. There are two types of taxis: grand and petite. A petite taxi has a meter and takes one, two or three people to the destination of their choosing (they are strict about this maximum). It’s quite fun riding in them due to the madness that is driving in Morocco. The lane lines are essentially street art, there’s an on-going crisis over whether cars or people have the right of way, you’ll get shuma’d (Shuma means “shame on you” in Darija) if you reach for a seatbelt (not that they work) and the cars have dents in the doors and rear from collisions past. I haven’t had any issues aboard one yet so I have to give a shout out to the drivers…really it’s impressive to witness.

Then there are the grand taxis. While a petite taxi won’t leave the city or town it’s in, the grand taxis are used for longer distances. They work like this:

1)    Go to the taxi station (a parking lot FILLED with white and blue and green Mercedes Benz sedans).

2)    Find the line of taxis that travel to your intended destination.

3)    Wait until 5 other people show up to go to the same destination, which can really take some time. It’s great to be passenger number 6 because everyone is happy that you showed up and you don’t have to wait for others.

4)    Pack (pile, squeeze, shove) into the vehicle (4 passengers in the back, two passengers and the driver in the front).

5)    Pay a flat rate (the seat from Agadir to Mirleft cost 60 MAD).

6)    Hit the road.

Mirleft: We arrived to midday fog and the drizzles of an orange being peeled. We got a house on the beach ($25 a night) that was big enough for 8. The town itself is quiet; it’s about the size of 4 square city blocks. The tourists had dreadlocks; the Moroccans were dark from sunshine and sandy beach. Our three days here weren’t spent in any rush. We woke up late, moved slowly, sipped tea. I can’t say too much work got done, but everyone needs a vacation from time to time.

Essaouira: We took a grand taxi back to Agadir and from there, the bus to Essaouira. We arrived late but found someone who had an apartment for rent. The city is reminiscent of Southern California: long beaches, outdoor restaurants serving seafood and loose fitting clothes. A failed search for alcohol turned into a taxi ride. We had to get out to watch. A block of white we sat on the sandy pavement; fishing boats, their burning outlines like cookie-cutters on the setting sun and a body of water in endless buckets of salty tide. We spent two nights like this.

Marrakech: We took yet another bus from Essaouira to Marrakech. Again we got in late at night but sure enough someone offered a place to stay. The first night we didn’t do much but sit and eat. The second day, I interviewed a photographer and attended a photo exhibition. We had a vegan lunch, mad searches for English bookstores non-existent, café banana juice always with milk. We walked through the Jemma el Fnaa square. Monkeys danced on shoulders and so did snakes (this costs paper please, not coins). They all wanted us and we laughed to ourselves and lived like kings.

Rabat: Our fun had to end. We must return. We took the evening train that left late and got us in past midnight. In Rabat, I’m staying with friends in a small house in the Oudaya. The neighborhood is beautiful and we haven’t killed each other yet. In other news, I will see Ben Faustine and Cassie Redlingshafer later today, it should really be wild. I’ll report back soon. Until then. 

An apology and an article

I know, I know, I'm sorry. It's been a while. But I've been gone. You see, I went down to the south of the country. In a blur: Overnight bus ride, another bus, met a poet, went to a very international party, surf-bum town Mirleft, grand taxis (crammed, won't use the sardine simile), bus ride, surfer-bum city Essaouira, pizza and fish and fish on pizza, bus, lights of Marrakech, monkeys of Marrakech, snake around my neck and photos being snapped (paper please, not coins), movies, met a photographer, met another and a long train ride home. I will write a blog post (it's already in the works) about the trip that will be long and detailed but until then (and mostly so I post before Ben Faustine who has also been lacking), here's an article I wrote about something I went to Marrakech. M'sslama.

-Granger  

MMP+Magnum Photos Celebrate Inaugural Exhibit “A Portrait of Marrakech”

Granger Tripp

Words: 507

MARRAKECH, MOROCCO – This past weekend, the recently-opened Marakech Museum for Photography and Visual Arts celebrated their inaugural exhibit, “A Portrait of Marrakech,” which is on display at the Badi Palace. The exhibit includes work from 5 Magnum photographers: Abbas Attar, Jim Goldberg, Susan Meiselas, Mark Power and Mikhael Subotsky. They were given under a week to shoot and none had been to Morocco before.

“Finding themselves lost in translation, the photographers, instead of avoiding barriers, embraced and overcame them, both visually and intellectually,” explains Simon Njami, the exhibits curator.

The 5 photographers chosen for this project attacked it from all different angles. Mikhael Subotsky shot videos of the city from the back of a motorcycle, using a small camera on a stick like how one might shoot a ski video.

“I was vulnerable, by now you’ve seen how people drive in Marrakech,” Subotsky jokes. “And also, I was safe. I didn’t have to interact. It was a way of mediating between myself and the world.”

Susan Meiselas, took a different approach, setting up a small photo-booth in Jemma el-Fnaa square where she paid women to let her take portraits of them.

“It was tough,” Susan Meiselas says. “I’m completely uncomfortable as a tourist. For the first few days, I couldn’t find a window, an entry place, I really struggled with it.”

The result of her struggle may be the most powerful of the exhibit. Her portraits are made even stronger by the 20 MAD bills taped to the walls where portraits used to hang but were taken down at the request of the woman or one of her family members.

“One of the woman who I photographed came to the exhibit with her sister and when she saw it, she said it was shameful for her to have let her photograph be taken,” Meiselas says. “You can see the social mentality of the women when they see their photograph on the wall.” 

The only consistency of the exhibit is inconsistency, the differences of experience from one photographer to the next shines through in every picture.

“War is coherent place to work, you have a defined role, you know your role,” Meiselas explains. “Here, I had to find my role as an image maker, we all had to find it, and you see that in work.”

The Marrakech Museum for Photography and Visual Arts hopes that this is the first of many successful exhibitions. The hope is to create a space where the rich culture of Marrakech can be seen by all, tourists and locals.

“I worry that there is no cultural place here [in Marrakech] and culture is being lost because of it,” explains David Knaus, the managing director of the museum. “We wanted to create a new cultural place, one that the people of Marrakech can take ownership of.”

The exhibition is on display at the Badi Palace (Palais El Badii) in Marrakech. There’s a 10 MAD entry fee into the palace grounds but the exhibit itself is free. It is open daily from 9:00am – 4:00pm.