World: MOROCCO: The Adventure of a Photographer Mom

English text follows (Photos and text by Florina Luput)
 
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MOROCCO: Aventura unei mame fotograf
 
Iubesc Marocul si marocanii! Am plecat in aventura cu sotul si copilul nostru de 2 ani sa-l descoperim.
Pentru mine Marocul inseamna culoare, mirosuri, condimente, ierburi, muzica traditionala, mozaicuri, dantele in lemn si piatra, covoare tesute manual, argani peste tot, ocean, tajin, lut si, cel mai important, autenticitate si singularitate, oameni saraci dar posesori ai propriei vieti si creativitati.
Prima seara in Marrakesh am simtit ca inima mea sare efectiv din piept de bucuria impartasirii din frumusetea si misterul marocanilor. Stradute inguste, intunecate, oameni complet ascunsi sub hainele de iarna din lana de camila.
Bucuriei mele i se opunea suprinderea si nesiguranta resimtita de copilul nostru in fata acestei lumi atat de diferite de lumea stiuta de el. Dimineata insa magarusii, pisicile si camilele i-au devenit noii prieteni marocani si a inceput aventura.
Ne-am indreptat spre ocean. Albul si albastrul ne-au condus peste tot in orasul vechi, in cer, in apa, pe cladiri, la hammam, la ceai, la piata de peste si inclusiv in bazarul local de second hand, unde am fost sa luam un carut marocan temporar. Copilasul era depasit de atatea zile de mers si lucruri noi, ii trebuia locsorul lui unde sa se retraga.
Am plecat spre munti in speranta sa ajungem in satele din inima Atlasului, sa descoperim localnicii. Am ajuns la baza muntelui si am tras la un riad in Tarroudant.
Apare si frigul, vantul si in munte, la Ouarzazate, a nins pentru prima oara in ultimii 50 de ani. Cum e afara e si in casa, de cald… Dar ne incalzim cu apa de la dus, noi cei mari, copilul s-a hotarat sa se incalzeasca cu o febra 39, sa fie sigur.
Un marocan, afacerist de strada, ne-a cam invartit de cap, sa-i pice si lui un banut, dar ne-a si ajutat cu magazinul de ierburi marocane din bazarul local, care ne-a furnizat ceaiul si potiunile miraculoase care l-au ajutat pe copilasul nostru puternic si curajos sa faca fata febrei. Dupa 3 zile de febra si ceaiuri, copilul si-a mai revenit, dar voia acasa…
Eu l-am ascultat si am oprit aventura. Am plecat spre casa mai repede, cumva bucuroasa si mandra de curajul nostru, de remediile minunate pe care ni le-a oferit desertul. Am luat si pentru acasa rezerve din ceaiul minune pentru febra.
Printre aceste trairi, fotograful din mine era fascinat de fundalurile plastice, de oamenii autentici, de femeile  misterioase si ridicam aparatul la tot pasul, voiam sa iau totul cu mine acasa.
Mi-am facut cunostinte pentru a continua expeditia in satele din munti si printre nomazii din Sahhara. Data viitoare voi merge singura, mai astept sa creasca baiatul nostru si sa-si exprime singur dorinta sa vina in aventura cu mama lui fotograf.
Va urma...
 
 
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MOROCCO: The Adventure of a Photographer Mom
 
I love Morocco and the Moroccans! So, together with my husband and our two-year-old son, we set out to discover it.
To me Morocco means colour, smell, spices, herbs, traditional music, mosaics, wood and stone-carved lace, hand-made rugs, Argans everywhere, ocean, clay and, most importantly, authenticity and singularity, poor people who own their life and creativity.
On my first night in Marrakesh I felt my heart jump with the joy of sharing in the beauty and mystery of Moroccans. Narrow dark streets, people completely hidden underneath their camel wool winter coats.
My joy was opposed by the surprise and uncertainty felt by our son in front of this world, so different from the one he knew. However, in the morning, the donkeys, cats and camels had already become his Moroccan friends, so our adventure could begin.
We set out for the ocean. The white and the blue accompanied us everywhere: in the old town, on the sky, in the water, on the buildings, at the hammam, at tea, at the fish market and at the local second-hand bazaar, where we went to buy a carrier for my son. The child was overwhelmed by so many days of walking and encountering new things, so he needed his own space to seclude.
We headed for the mountains hoping to reach the villages in the heart of the Atlas, to discover the local people. We reached the base of the mountain and checked in at a riad in Tarroudant.
Cold and wind set in and on the mountain, at Ouarzazate, snowed for the first time in 50 years. It was as warm inside as it was outside… But we used shower water to keep warm, and our son decided to keep warm with a 39-degree fever, just to be sure.
A street-wise Moroccan tricked us a bit for an extra coin, yet in the end he helped us in the herb shop from the local bazaar, where we found the tea and miraculous potions that helped our brave strong son get through his fever. After three days of tea and fever, the child was ok, but he wanted to go home…
I listened to him and I stopped the adventure. We left for home earlier, in a way happy and proud of our courage, of the wonderful remedies the desert gave us. We took some of the miraculous fever tea with us at home.
And while this was happening, the photographer in me was being fascinated by the amazing backgrounds, the authentic people, the mysterious women; I had my camera up all the time, in a desire to take everything with me, back home.
I made some acquaintances because I want to continue my expedition in the mountain villages and among the Sahara nomads. Next time I will go alone; I will wait for my son to grow up and state his own desire to accompany his photographer mom on her adventure.
To be continued…