MOROCCO

For The Young & Curious

[Culture Shock Booklet]

So that you don’t get a culture shock ;)

Here are a few cultural aspects that you will need to get used to during your stay in Morocco

Greeting in Morocco: Kissing and Hugging

Bisous à la française (a kiss on each cheek) or hugs are commonly exchanged between same-

sex friends. This happens in all venues: at home, on the street, in restaurants, and in business

meetings. Same-sex friends usually walk around holding hands, but couples, even married

couples, rarely touch in public. Male/female contact in public is strictly limited to hand-

shaking.

Moroccans often greet strangers or tourists with two air kisses on the cheek or they shake

hands.

Food

In Morocco the locals prefer to snack on the local delicacy boiled snails, and cook sheep’s

head. Tasty!

Grilled Sheep heads Boiled snails

Table manners

Moroccans traditionally eat out of a communal

bowl and without utensils, even when the food

is really tricky — say “ couscous “ or “

shredded rghaif “.

They do eat with their bare hands as well.

Staring is Caring – You will be stared at by people. Chill, they are just curious.

Unpunctuality – 15-20 minutes up and down, it’s all good :D

Conservatism – Morocco is still mostly a conservative country. So if you wear

very short skirts or decide to show the world your love for your boyfriend/girlfriend,

be prepared see eyes popping at you everywhere!

• Most residential areas have a problem with too much noise after 11 PM. So if

you want to party hard, don’t do it at the accommodation provided! There will

be a lot of randomness and craziness.

CROSSING THE ROAD – Please remember to check carefully before crossing any

road. Cars may be driving from a direction you do not expect.

Driving is less a skill than an instinct – Drivers are NUTS in Morocco,

especially in the cities. Some of them don’t respect the traffic rules.

Chaos and Bamboozling – There can be a lot of chaos and confusion at a lot of

places. But isn’t that where all the fun lies! :P And since you’re foreigners, be ready to

be charged double the price! Be smart, learn to bargain, that’s the Moroccan way!

Bargaining is the first essential skill you’ll need to pick up. From hotels and campgrounds to

souvenir shopping in the souk, ask the price first and then bargain accordingly if you feel it’s

too high. The merchant almost always works in some wiggle room (usually quite a lot in the

markets!) and after a few days you’ll start to get a feel for the true price. The key to good

bargaining is to see it as a game. Smile, sip a cup of tea and don’t take it too seriously or

you’ll only give yourself a heart attack. If you need to, start to walk away and you’ll often be

called back for a better offer.

Random Guides

Requests for tips can be common in tourist areas. If someone offers to show you around a

historical site or lead you to an address you should have some small change ready as a tip.

You may also be approached in cities like Marrakech by people who want to lead you to the

tanneries on the edge of the city walls. This inevitably leads from the tanneries to a far flung

carpet shop where you’re pressured to buy a rather expensive souvenir. The Moroccan

government has cracked down on this in recent years and all guides are supposed to be

licensed. It’s best to avoid following anyone you haven’t arranged a tour with.

Random Kids

On the road, it’s common to meet children begging for sweets, pens or money. We found the

best way to deal with this was to stop and greet the children with a handshake or a joke but

not to actually give anything as it only encourages more begging. Some cyclists report kids

throwing stones, especially in the “ Draa Valley “. We only had this happen once and even

then it was a half-hearted attempt and not threatening. Again, stopping and encouraging the

kids to come and say hello is a good tactic. In just a few minutes you can establish a

relationship with them and they don’t want to throw stones at you anymore.

Like kids everywhere in the world, they are bored and seeking attention.

Souks ( Markets )

Colorful souks are a major part of Moroccan life

and many villages have a weekly souk when

people from a wide area turn up on their donkeys

to buy their week’s provisions. In contrast, the

souks in towns and cities offer an extensive

range of goods aimed at the tourist market.

Donkey and Door

The streets in the medina are so crowded and

narrow that cars (too wide) and even mopeds

(too hard to control on steep hills and at low

speeds) are impractical. So, centuries later, the

donkey remains the preferred transport for

delivering loads to shops and houses.

When two donkeys heading in opposite directions meet, everyone else has to get out of the

way so they can pass. Sometimes shopkeepers even have to move their displays out of the

way to make room.

You can always tell when a donkey's coming up behind you, because of the gravelly cry of

"belek, belek" ("Watch yourself!") from its handler, walking through the streets repeating the

same single word all day long.

Djemaa El Fna

Djemaa el Fna is the central square in Marrakech, there are snake charmers, tea-sellers,

performing monkeys, child acrobats and henna-muggers (the kind who paint you as you go

by, then demand ‘bakshish’!), and burst out of the souk into total chaos.

Hundreds of stalls lay in ranks up and down the square, selling every spicy, fruity, sugary and

meaty delight you can imagine!

Nightlife on the Place Djemaa el-Fna, Marrakesh: Check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbGqk0XfJtM&feature=player_embedded

Bathrooms

There are public baths called hammams and several squatting toilets.

Moroccan Hammam Squatting toilet

Charity

Please do not be offended if, sitting in a café or walking out of the bank, someone holds out

his/her hand to ask for charity, which is an inherent part of Islam - you are free to hand over a

dirham, or not. However, please do not give coins, sweets or biros to children as it encourages

them to beg from every passing visitor.

There is a lot for you to learn, discover and cherish. Love it,

loathe it. That’s MOROCCO for you. Experience it!!