In Morocco, it is not customary for a woman to 'lay out' in her bathing suite and soak in the sun. In fact, there were not women on the beach that day, only boys and men playing soccer along the North African coast. Every morning I would have to wait for one of the guards at the home I was staying at, to escort me through the Casablanca city streets and through our jogging path, not because it wasn't safe, but because women simply didn't walk the streets of Casablanca alone. They were either in a group of women or escorted by a man.
Needless to say, my morning runs were nothing but challenging. My guard just happened to be a soccer player himself. Adile, an attractive, 30-something year old, friendly Muslim who made fun of my pace and rosy cheeks every time he told me to pick up my speed! You know how they say in fitness magazines to find a workout buddy because then you'd have to show up to the gym, not to let them down? I couldn't embarrass myself by not being able keep up with him, especially since I was one of the only females on the beach running among a sea of men.
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