Greetings from Lauren & Emmy
At Emmy's homestay in Fes, the shower had been broken for over a year, so she had to use a bucket of water and a little bowl to dump water over her head! The first icy bowl was always the worst, but when in Rome...
Before arriving in her homestay, Lauren was expecting an intimate experience with a traditional Moroccan family of 5, speaking purely French. Little did she know she would be spending 5 nights in a multi-cultural bed and breakfast consisting of a Spanish couple, a French couple, and two other American students! In addition, of course, to the family members themselves and 50 of their closest friends – I guess you can never deny the impeccable Moroccan hospitality.
Walking through the streets of Fes, Lauren was quickly offered 5,000 camels for her hand in marriage! We were all quite impressed with this offer until Emmy received a bid for the whole desert!!! Too bad they both refused – think of all the money their parents could have made.
After arriving in Marrakech, shopping for our friends and family was a top priority. Lauren caught sight of “a lustrous bangle” and we hurried over to the stand to inspect. The man started out at a ridiculous price – 450DH! Lauren bargained it down to a mere 200DH, and insisted on being shown a test to prove that the metal was real silver. The vendor promptly produced a dagger and began sawing at the bracelet, leaving no mark: we were convinced. About 10 minutes later, in a second jewelry store, Lauren tried to buy a silver ring, and cited the price of her bracelet as a bargaining tool. Unfortunately, the seller quickly showed the bangle to be a fraud; it wasn't really silver!
Despite periods of discomfort while pulling through colds and stomach aches, it is clear that both Emmy and Lauren are experiencing a culture unlike they have ever seen before, and enjoying every minute of it!
Lauren & Emmy