Mirleft Hub Week #4: Ramadan & Goodbye

Ramadan Mubarak! (Blessed Ramadan). That was the greeting around town on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.

For our fellow non-Muslim readers out there, Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a holy month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community.

Our Euro-African Journey (So Far...)

From dawn ’til sunset, adults in Morocco are required to abstain from food, drink, and smoking to cultivate self-discipline, gratitude, and compassion for the less fortunate, while focusing on spiritual growth and reading the Qur’an.

And when I say required, I mean these things are legally banned for Muslims during Ramadan per Article 222 of the Moroccan Penal Code.

There are of course exceptions, such as being pregnant or traveling more than 50 km, etc. But for the most part, every grown man and women in the county—starting at sunrise today—is not to eat or drink (that includes water) until sunset.

Lori and I have spent time in Muslim-majority places over the years, but never during Ramadan (the closest we came was arriving in Rajasthan (India) on Eid al-Fitr (the last day of Ramadan), and seeing minority Muslims observe Ramadan in Laos.

We had a general idea of what happens during Ramadan, but didn’t realize the extent to which the restrictions, particularly in Morocco, were enforced.

Naively, we figured, those who wish to participate in fasting, etc., can, and for those who choose not to can take part, that’s between them and their Maker (something along the lines of Lent in the Catholic tradition).

It’s worth saying here that those laws (and expectations) are not in any way extended to non-Muslims like ourselves here in Morocco. But as you might expect, we aren’t going to want to be walking down the street eating or drinking in daylight hours, merely out of respect and compassion for the people around us.

We’re essentially free to do anything we want behind closed doors, so long as it doesn’t offend.

Key aspects of daily life around town have already changed in noticeable ways. Gone are the groups of men hanging out drinking coffee and tea in the half dozen cafes lining the highway—normally a hallmark feature of any Moroccan town. And a great many of the restaurants and cafes have shuttered completely for Ramadan.

At the start of Ramadan, Mirleft feels more like a ghost town than the hopping beach town it was just days ago.

That makes this weekend particularly well-suited for some low-key coastal combing and beach hopping.

The days may be subdued, but after sunset, the town livens up…after Iftar.

Iftar is the breaking-of-the-fast meal shared with family after sunset, and the lead-up to that first one felt pretty intense. We were walking around town just before sunset and noticed half the town sitting and standing around quietly not doing much of anything but waiting. Waiting. And waiting.

Minutes after the sun dipped below the horizon, the moment that everyone had been waiting for all day was finally upon us.

The Call to Prayer rang out and everyone in the streets hustled this way and that. Cars and motorbikes raced down the main boulevard. And suddenly, in a matter of minutes, you could hear a pin drop. You could bet every Muslim man, woman, and child was seated and chowing down with their family in their homes.

Also after sunset, many of the restaurants were suddenly abuzz with activity. We joined in at Tafugla, where half the patrons were families breaking the fast.

Iftar in Morocco traditionally starts off slow…with dates, water, or milk. The centerpiece is Harira, a nutritious tomato-based soup with lentils, chickpeas, and meat. Tables are filled with specialized Ramadan foods like chebakia (honey-sesame cookies), flaky msemmen, stuffed batbout bread, and fresh fruit juices.

On Sunday, the Hub held an informal meetup at Aftas Beach. They couldn’t have picked a better day. Brilliant sunshine and temperatures reaching 80F in February. The boys were happily playing with their friends. We were in heaven!

All that was missing was a nice, cold beer. But during Ramadan, in particular, I’m not going to complain.

And just like that, the final week of our Worldschool Hub experience was upon us. The teenage girl upstairs offered to escort Noe and Riley to the hub activity in the morning. I thought it might be a one-off, but she ended up coming by most mornings after that to fetch the boys.

Riley grew quite fond of hanging out with her and the two of them formed a special little friendship. He was thrilled to have someone new to talk about Pokemon and the Hub.

On the way to and from town, Noe and the other kids like to check up on their mud ovens curing in the sun. Not quite ready yet.

One evening as we were returning home, some workers dropped off a huge digger right in front of the apartment. For the next several days until our departure, the digger and crew worked to completely tear up the dirt road in front. Five days, and they still hadn’t progressed on to the next block.

Overnight, our corner had gone from a little slice of paradise to the noisiest, dustiest, unsightliest block in the entire town.

The boys, however, were too busy to notice. On Monday, it was off to another Souk challenge, then finally cooking some bread in their mud ovens.

Tuesday, the kids returned to the tide pools for another try at snagging an octopus (they didn’t catch any, but did catch a crab).

Later, it was learning leather-working with Mr. Zuber. For their efforts, they brought home some pretty cool little wallets.

Wednesday, the Hub rented a big oceanside villa with a large pool and hosted a pool party.

Ice cream was never few or far between. Lucky kids!

On Thursday, the boys were invited to join in on bracelet making and crafting at a local school for kids with disabilities.

Meanwhile, back at the homestead…

…the digger sliced through the neighborhood’s water main. Seemed like a good time for Lori and I to hit our favorite little French Cafe (ZanZan) one more time.

Yep, it’s Ramadan. No outdoor seating today. But the general rule of thumb in Morocco is, if you’re not Muslim, and you’re cloistered, it’s okay to continue to patronize such places. It’s a hard month for a lot of local businesses, but especially coffee shops.

Last night, we experienced our first Haboob (which means wall of dust from the Sahara).

A couple hours after nightfall, the wind suddenly whipped up to nearly 50mph and dust started flowing in from under our terrace door like water.

I made the mistake of opening up the door to grab the broom and was blinded by flying stinging dust. The air was so thick with dust that we couldn’t see beyond the balcony railing.

The storm knocked out the power in the village for several hours, but caused only minor property damage in the neighborhood.

This [normally red] car parked outside (seen the next morning) gives you some idea of the amount of dust involved.

On our final Family Friday meal, Noe got the job he’d been wanting all month—msemen master.

Most of the hub participants were due to leave Friday or the following day, so this was our last hurrah together and chance for the boys to say their ‘See-ya-laters’ to their new friends.

They’ll all be headed back home to places like the UK, Bulgaria, Poland, the Netherlands, and Canada, or on to new adventures.

It’s been a fun and worthwhile month. Lori and I were able to get caught up on a ton and we know the boys got much more out of the experience, and hopefully made some good friends along the way.

So, will we do another Worldschool Hub? We don’t have any plans in the near future, and have decided we still prefer our independent style of travel. But if the right opportunity comes at the right time somewhere down the line, we’d certainly be open to doing another one.