Week 5: Remoting in Rabat

Patience, Patience, Patience

Sunday, August 28: Getting my Moroccan Bearings

I woke up late Sunday to our first official day of month #2 in my new home in the Agdal area of Rabat and met a group at Chez Ouazzani for AMAZING tagine. Little did I know, tagine would be all we’d eat for every Moroccan meal from that point forward…ignorance truly is bliss. It only took until lunch on day #1 for people to experience “Morocco time.” Coming from “Portugal time,” you’d think we’d be used to the slow pace but imagine a typical lunch in the US and multiply it by about 4…that’s the amount of time it takes for a server to approach you, to come back to take your order, to deliver the food, and then to ever return with a bill where you then re-recite everything you ordered. Patience test #1.

Afterward I went over to The Hacienda, a traditional Moroccan house in the middle of the medina where 6 remotes are living for the month. With an open community area, 6 rooms basically fitted with castle doors and a rooftop overseeing the medina, it’s pretty sweet. We quickly explored the medina, soaking in the vibrant colors, absurd sounds and invigorating smells, grabbed some light dinner and waited for the other remotes to arrive and check it out.

That night I discovered nighttime is a huge downside to Morocco. For some reason there are just lingering men everywhere so as a female going home alone at night, it’s a bit intimidating. Whether it’s walking through the medina, to my doorstep or up my stairs, there’s just a distinct feeling of being watched. A group of us shared a Careem (a startup car service that remotes are helping break in the Rabat market for) home but the second I got out of the car, it was unpleasant. From not being familiar with locks here to not being able to find light switches, it felt like a secret ops mission to successfully get inside my apartment. Thankfully my mission was safely accomplished in the end. Patience test #2.

Monday, August 29: 7AY 7AY

Monday meant it was time to get to work & check out 7AY (pronounced like “hay” & means life in Arabic), our co-working space for the month. We started with orientation and then I took to my new Moroccan office, a Berber tent on the roof. (Berber because it’s the style of tent used by the nomadic tribes of Northern Africa, who are called Berber). For the record, there’s plenty of desk space to go around, but why sit at a desk when you can sit on pillows outside?

Tuesday, August 30: Medina, Connectivity & Meat

To get my bearings a bit, I spent the morning wandering the medina again. We bought a few small things but it was more about getting a feel for the people & our new city. I went to 7AY after and experienced our first bout of African connectivity issues. The frustration of having no way to connect to the internet to be able to work was rough. Patience test #3.

That night I had a delicious meal of lamb skewers at Le Petite Beur with a lovely bunch of remotes. It was one of the first times it just felt like a fun, relaxing meal out with friends like I’d have at home and it was much needed.

Wednesday, August 31: Tent time & Community Connect

A major perk of this adventure with Remote Year is the opportunity to network and learn both from fellow remotes and locals. Wednesday was our first Community Connect in Rabat and we got to hear from a kickass female entrepreneur who is so passionate about storytelling and Moroccan culture that she created a wikipedia for it called Marocopedia. She shared a story about trekking up a mountain via donkey with a camera crew & crossing a treacherous river to speak to an elderly man only to find out he wouldn’t be home for days. Her commitment to educate future generations about Moroccan culture is just awesome.

After Tuesday’s internet blackout, I was feeling pretty behind on work so I spent the rest of Wednesday cranking out content until about midnight.

Thursday, September 1: Remoting in Marrakech

Thursday marked the start of our adventure into the Sahara. After a train ride straight out of Darjeeling Limited, we reached our fabulous riad in the Marrakech medina. The decor, the animal residents, the location & the haggling made it feel like we were living in Aladdin. We may have been swindled into paying a guy too much to carry our luggage on the way, but nothing could bring me down after finally feeling like we made it to the Morocco I envisioned. We wandered the medina, worked for awhile from the riad, then went to dinner at Dar Cherifa, the oldest house in Marrakech. It was a pretty spectacular first Thursday in Morocco.

Friday, September 2: Magical Marrakech

Friday we took to the Marrakech medina streets on a sweet audio tour via Detour and learned about different artisans like wood carvers who use their feet to craft their products, street performers like snake charmers and monkey trainers (yes, they’re real) and traditions like white magic. The Marrakech medina totally blew me away. I could spend a week exploring every nook and cranny. We ended with Moroccan mint tea on the terrace of Le Grand Balcon Cafe Glacier overlooking the main square, Jemaa el-Fnaa, and then grabbed some lunch on the terrace of Bazaar Cafe, a little oasis above the medina.