A Mountain Trip and a Shocking Childhood Memory
Hello everyone, and welcome to a new post on my blog. This story might actually shock you, so please read until the very end.
Summer is finally here. After a really exhausting school year for me as a mother of a child with ADHD, who needs constant attention, I decided to take a different kind of vacation this year. Instead of the usual beach trip, I chose to go to the mountains for two weeks to visit my grandmother. Even though it is very hot here, which I usually hate because it means scary snakes and spiders come out, I decided to experience staying with her and bring back some beautiful memories together.
When we arrived, the heat was quite high.
My son started complaining, as always, asking why I chose the mountains instead of a beach holiday. I told him that we would really enjoy our time with Grandma, and there are beautiful activities we would do.
I went to the kitchen to make a cold drink, and I found that my grandmother had already prepared some fresh, cold Laban (buttermilk) for us. Wow, cold Laban has a special taste in summer, it truly refreshes the soul and body.
While I was sitting and talking with Grandma, I noticed the artifact in the photo attached to this post. Yes, this is the Mehraz (mortar) that reminded me of my childhood trauma with my Grandma. Before I tell you about it, let me say that my grandmother immediately gifted it to me as a keepsake. She said she had hidden it specifically for me and hoped I would preserve it too.
Mortar and Pestle a 90 Years Antique
According to my grandmother, this Moroccan mortar is exactly ninety years old. My grandfather and his friend made it themselves. Back then, it was an important symbol for every Bedouin kitchen. It is very heavy, possibly made of copper or brass. My grandmother would use it to grind everything you can think of, all the essential ingredients for the kitchen.
As soon as I saw it, I remembered a somewhat strange memory, a shocking childhood memory that is both sad and funny at the same time. I don’t know exactly how much it weighs, but it is extremely heavy, and it is difficult to lift it with just one hand. The pestle that is used for crushing is also very, very heavy.
What is Mortar and Pestle Used For?
In our culture, the Moroccan mortar and pestle are used for crushing spices, herbs, and even some grains. This brings us back to my story. When I was just seven years old, I was playing in the street with my friends. A girl older than me, about fourteen at the time, came and started taking my ball away. I was screaming, so she grabbed my hair.
My poor grandmother was panicked because the girl was hitting me. At that moment, Grandma was sitting on the balcony, using this heavy Moroccan mortar to crush spices. As soon as she heard my screams, she began shouting at the girl, threatening her to stay away from me. But the girl refused and kept hitting me.
Since my grandmother was elderly and suffering from illnesses, she couldn’t run. So, she did what she thought was necessary, she threw the heavy pestle, hoping it would hit the older girl so she would let go of me.
But you can imagine the scene, this heavy pestle fell right on my head. Because of the impact, I felt as if a train had run over my head, and I passed out. The neighbors brought me inside. My parents were traveling for just one day, so my grandmother was looking after me.
I woke up to the sound of my grandmother screaming and crying, "I killed my granddaughter! I killed my granddaughter! What have I done?" I woke up with an absolutely terrible and painful swelling on my head. Immediately, my grandmother put herbal compresses on the bruise. She knew a lot about alternative medicine, creating remedies and ointments from various herbs.
When my parents returned immediately and found me in a terrible state, my father took me to the doctor. At that time, it was a very simple clinic. The doctor's words still ring in my ears, "I think she came out okay and there was no concussion or bleeding, because if that had happened, she would be dead by now." Oh, really? Thank you so much, doctor, we didn't know that! (Hahaha).
There were no X-rays or any equipment to reveal what actually happened, so even now I still fear that something might have actually occurred.
Mortar and Pestle a Childhood Memory
Imagine that a sharp and heavy object, weighing three kilograms, falls once on your head from a great height, and you come out safely. This is definitely by God's grace. Even now, my mother is thankful that it hit my head and not the girl who was hitting me, because my grandmother would have surely been jailed. I say the same thing too! (Hahaha).
It is truly a funny and painful memory, especially since we did not have medical facilities or even doctors. My grandmother and I sat down, remembering this and laughing from the bottom of our hearts. Although it is a painful memory for my grandmother too, she is no longer able to even laugh, as she is almost a hundred years old. I told her that I would write about this on my blog, and she said, "Make sure you write that I didn't mean to do this, I was just scared for you!" (Hahaha).
I love you very much, Grandma. You are a piece of my soul. I truly had a beautiful time with her. She is teaching me some old techniques for preparing medicine and ointments. I picked many wild herbs, including wild thyme, which is a very famous medicine for colds for us. I will be sure to share some of these herbs and their benefits soon in another post.
I also brought back with me a large basket of fresh fig fruit, and I promised my beloved grandmother that I would visit her very soon.
If you like these types of posts, please let me know in the comments. I certainly have a lot of funny childhood memories, and I would really love to read some of your memories too.
If you are visiting my blog for the first time, I welcome you warmly. I am Nourell, a mother and housewife who created this blog to share some of my daily diaries with you, recipes from my humble kitchen, and also products that I personally use and benefit from.
Please leave me your beautiful comments. I send you many Sparkle Doses from the high Rif Mountains in northern Morocco. Let me know from where you are following me?
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Your poor grandmother, that must have so traumatizing for her as well as for you! She was just trying to help and ended up harming the wrong person. So glad you both came out of it okay. Not everyone has those sorts of stories to go with the family heirlooms! :D
ReplyDeleteYes, exactly! Poor thing, her eyes still tear up whenever she remembers it, but since we both came out completely safe, it’s turned into a funny story we can laugh about now.
DeleteI’ll definitely be passing this memory down to my grandkids one day! Even some of our neighbors still bring it up and remind me how lucky I was haha. Thank you so much for your sweet comment!
Oh my goodness! I was reading this as fast as I could to hear what happened. I kept thinking thank goodness it didn't actually hit that mean girl or else your grandma would have been in big trouble. That really was a sad and funny story. I'm very glad it didn't end horribly because you are an amazing person. I'm so happy you got that time this summer with your grandma. 100! That is amazing. What a special gift and all the memories.
ReplyDeleteYes! I'm so grateful for that, haha, it’s a memory I genuinely laugh at now, even though anyone hearing it for the first time is completely shocked, even some of our neighbors still remember it, haha. My grandma is sick right now, and I really hope I can spend as much time with her as possible, she advised me to truly enjoy my life because it’s honestly much shorter than we think, my beloved grandma, may Allah grant you a long life and peace of mind.
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