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A few weeks ago, Mo and I took a little mini road trip with his Hlli (uncle) Mmbark, his mom, Hlli Mmbark's wife, and Rachida (Mo's sister). We all piled in a mini van-ish thing and headed out for...
The Bled.
What is The Bled, you ask? It's basically darija for the countryside or "the boonies." It's where all forms of civilized life disappear and you are transported back in time soooo far, that it sometimes doesn't feel real. When standing in the open country and being able to see for miles and miles and miles, it's hard to imagine that my life was once spent in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic on LA's 8-lane highways. Talk about a 180.
We went to this little village tucked away in the middle of nothing. It's a place where every neighbor knows every child and regardless of relation, all women are your aunties. The tea was flowin' and the flies were buzzin' and the mood of the day was sleepy and relaxed. Most houses have an area in the middle where there is no roof. This is perfect for lounging in the sun and just doing nothing really. So that's what we did.
I found enough time to wander off in search of some interesting sights, and I found a treasure chest of old doors and locks. Over the years I've developed a love for lights and antique doors. Not all parts of the bled have electricity, but the doors were for sure at every turn. Some of these gems didn't even seem real! The beauty of it is that they're actually functioning main doors that operate with rickety old skeleton keys. It completely represents the simplicity of the countryside and adds to the charm of being out there.
We met up with some family and then traveled about 10 minutes to another house. Mo's grandpa built it with his own two hands and it was huge! They lived there and raised all 10 of their children there and eventually some of their grandchildren lived there, too. It had a really cool courtyard area with an open roof and by this time it was getting dark. I got a picture of it and it's such a beautiful shot I think. The sky is so vibrant in the picture. When we got to the house, all of the doors were locked to all of the rooms and everything was stored away of course. The grandparents don't go there too often, so it's mostly boarded up when they're not using it. That night, they wanted to sleep there. Everyone was ready to leave but those two wanted to spend the next few days at the countryside house instead of going back to their house in Agadir. It was touching, really. Imagine being back in the place where your first baby was born-- and now those babies have had babies and they have had babies. They have more than 62 grandchildren and a handfull of great-grandchildren as well. That house must be full of memories that would take a lifetime to share.
