S3 Enrichment Trip to Morocco
June 2010
The then S2 pupils are teased with images of sand dunes, buzzing markets, bright foods and exotic-looking places. The organisation of the Geography department's 2011 S3 Enrichment Week trip had begun. Destination: Morocco.
Eilidh McKechnie [S3] reports on a dazzling trip.
The interested S2s put their names down and the summer holidays came and went. The S3 pupils were told early on in the first term if they had a place on the trip, and I was one of the lucky few. As the work intensity increased and the looming exams drew ever nearer the only thing keeping us going was the thought of the trip our teachers had planned for us after.
May 2011
All payments were in, everything on the shopping list wes crossed off, bags were packed, packed lunches were - well - packed, passports at the ready and an early start, something we would get used to!
On Saturday 21 May the coach left for Manchester Airport. After a delay at Manchester airport, 28 pupils, four teachers and all 32 bags rolled into Marrakech late on Saturday night. Then, after a quick transfer to our hotel, experiencing the crazy driving by some moped drivers, we were given our first ‘authentic' Moroccan meal. A combination of lentil soup, spicy chicken and chips, giving us a touch of home in this foreign land, and some fresh fruit sent us to bed on a full stomach.
An early breakfast and we headed to a waterpark just outside Marrakech for a very fun first morning in Morocco and a nice way to cool off in the blazing sun, something very foreign to us!
The afternoon saw us take a very windy bus journey up into the Atlas Mountains where the remainder of our trip took place. Our coach only took us so far and then, at a village higher up, we were met by 32 mules to take us up to Armed village where we were staying and, boy, was that an experience! It was quite frightening, but very fun, nonetheless, to sit on these animals over which we had no control as they climbed up some very narrow, steep and rocky paths, and after half an hour we arrived in our village in the Imlil valley.
After we peeled off our wet clothes (the Glasgow weather couldn't resist paying us a visit) we were welcomed with warm green tea, which, shall we say, is an acquired taste, and biscuits. We spent the evening relaxing and admiring the amazing view of the snow-capped Mount Toubkal and the view down the valley from our rooftop. Another delicious Moroccan meal and we were all settling into the Moroccan way of life.
The next two days were spent with our local guides who took us on long treks up and through the mountains, playing football and frisbee with local children, enjoying the breathtaking landscape, learning about and visiting local Berber people's homes and watching and taking part in the traditional farming methods our guides' families use today. We visited the local women's association where they use argan oil to make cosmetic and food products and Imlil primary school where the small gifts of stationery and games that we had each brought were greatly appreciated and obviously made the children's days and their smiling faces made ours.
Our last day was a long one. Up at 4am for a very early breakfast and then a trek down the mountain in the dark to our coach for a transfer back to Marrakech airport. Our trek was brilliant fun, setting off in the dark and scrabbling our way down the rocks gave it a real thrill factor and the fact that dawn set in as we made our way down presented us with the perfect end to an amazing trip.
We all loved our time there so so much and it truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The foods we tried, the people we met, the places we went, the millions of laughs we had and the overall contrasting culture were all something we will never, ever, forget.
Of course our trip wouldn't even have happened without the brilliant teachers, Miss Tomitaka, Dr McCarthy, Dr Richard and Mr McCulloch, who put up with the motley crew, looked out for us all and helped to make our trip so enjoyable so the greatest vote of thanks goes to them and especially to the woman who organized it all, Miss Tomitaka. It was down to her fantastic planning that it went ahead flawlessly. I say this on behalf of us all, a huge thank you to you all.
