Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Afternoon: Meet Rashid
Looking for lizards, Rashid almost bumps into a trekker along the 4km mountain path from
school. Last year's drought hit their Middle Atlas village hard. His family had to sell their
donkey, and make tough choices about who they could spare this harvest season. Eleven-
year-old Rashid is a better student and worse goatherd than his sisters, so he gets to go to
school - for now, anyway.
He likes to surprise his sisters by bringing something home from school: one time, a for-
eign trekker for tea. His family served their best bread and butter, and though no one under-
stood a word the guy was saying, he wasn't bad at
koura
(football). The postcard the trek-
ker sent through the village association is on the family-room shelf, and Rashid is sure that
if he can go to the regional middle school, one day he'll write back in perfect English.
DRESSING TO IMPRESS IN MOROCCO
A common question is 'how best to dress as a visitor in Morocco?'
Women aren't expected to cover their head in Morocco. Some Moroccan women do and some don't
wear the hijab (headscarf). Some wear it for religious, cultural, practical or personal reasons, or altern-
ate, wearing a head covering in the streets but taking it off at home and work. A full face-covering veil
is unusual in cities, and even rarer among rural women working in the fields.
That said, your choice of attire may be perceived as a sign of respect for yourself and Moroccans
alike. For both men and women, this means not wearing shorts, sleeveless tops or clingy clothing. If
you do, some people will be embarrassed for you and the family that raised you, and avoid eye contact.
So if you don't want to miss out on some excellent company - especially among older Moroccans -
dress modestly.
