Trains and Rain

My best friends!

February is the rainy season in Morocco.  This is something I am only repeating from having heard it from Rabatis, an unofficial fact.  There was so much rain last week that my new pair of leather shoes molded through and none of us have worn dry clothes in days.  We ran to the medina early in the week to purchase rain boots (65 Dirhams= $8) and most of us have made use of raincoats and umbrellas on a daily basis.  The rain is actually not all that bad when I think of the blizzard back home, but it doesn't make it any more enjoyable when I really want to wear my red leather boots.

Waiting under a relatively useless train platform shelter before the downpour

The part about the rain that is really disappointing is how cold it is making it here!  When the sun is out the weather averages somewhere in the perfect range: 70 degrees.  This is perfect when you have to walk a lot and wear long sleeves and pants at all times.  However, when it is rainy or just cloudy, the weather falls to about 50 degrees and each morning we wake up to 32-40 degree weather.

Our rainy day in Tanger

I know, I know.  I am from Wisconsin.  I am not a coastal girl- I deal with cold weather.  I employ UnderArmor gear.  But here even minor cold can be devastating because we are not properly equipped.  None of the windows we have found close entirely and there is NO HEAT.  The few rooms at school which have heaters never have the heaters turned on.  And regardless none of us packed enough layers to keep warm.  Therefore we have all made trips to the second hand shop near school and to the medina to buy $8 sweaters and cardigans.  Let the layering begin.

My best rain experience thus far was while waiting for the train to Tanger.  The train station is very modern, but the waiting platform is still outside and that means when a sudden downpour comes you huddle under ridiculously modern structures which do little to actually shelter people.  A group of five of us girls wrapped into a ball in the crowd of people under one shelter and waited out the sudden shower.  Alaina and I were on the outside edge, which means the backs of our legs were drenched by the time the train came.

We were warmed immediately by the train, however.  This heat comes from the unexpected fact that buying a train ticket does not actually guarantee you a seat on the train!  Who knew?  We had to stand for the first half hour until the aisles cleared out and eventually we got seats together.  The train is surprisingly well functioning and reliable, and heck, I can't complain about paying $12 to cross the country.  If you ever come to Morocco, travel by train and always bring a raincoat in the spring.