Well, it's been another week here in mountainous Ifrane. School goes, classes are full of lectures and get boring sometimes, but sometimes the readings are really interesting and we are getting to the point where midterms are coming up (yikes!) and I've got to start writing final papers on the topic of my own choice (YAY). What a great way to end the month of February (next week guys! It's CRAZY).
Last weekend a bunch of things went down, despite my attempts to keep it low key and relaxing. Friday after classes I went to the Marche with Jess to pick up some groceries. We ran into Gabby and Audrie, and walked along with them towards the market until we caught different cabs and split off. We bought some really good cheese (Edam cheese, aka "Red cheese" for it's outer red shell) and I bought myself some danish peanut butter. After not having actual cheese since I've been here, that stuff was dang delicious. The peanut butter was quite satisfying as well, though I'm looking forward to the best peanut butter in the world coming my way thanks to the lovely thoughts of my Madre who's care package is on its way to me and will get here soon. After our trip to the Marche, we hung out in the cafe for a bit and then met up with Ariel to talk about our trip to Volubilis, the Roman Ruins about an hour and a half drive from campus. The plan was to meet up at 9am the next morning and spend the afternoon at the ruins, getting back around 5pm.
Around 8pm that night, I met back up with Jess at the restaurant to head over to Aggie's bar for a dinner of pizza and red wine. Alyssa, Mouna, and Brittany ended up tagging along, which I loved! The more the merrier :) With good pizza and a nice glass of wine to go with it, I was pretty content, especially with the conversations going around the table. The manager has made friends with a lot of the international American girls here, so halfway through dinner he gave us a free bottle of wine, which was shared by us all around the table. Don't worry, I had 2 glasses of wine the entire night, so I was not impaired.
Done with dinner and sitting around the table talking, I notice that Alyssa has gotten up and hasn't returned to the table with Amanda. Amanda comes back and informs us that Alyssa's godmother has just died. Wanting to make sure Alyssa was okay, Jess and I paid for our food and the wine, and went outside to check on her. Mouna and Amanda ended up staying behind. Alyssa didn't know what to think: she knew her godmother had died, but being so far away from home it was hard for her to actually believe it. We started walking her back to campus and ran into Austen, Jared and Seynab who were on their way to meet us. We informed them what happened, and we all comforted Alyssa and headed back to the cafe on campus for some ice cream and chocolate waffles. Best Idea Ever. Not only were they delicious and the right kind of food to make a heartsick girl feel better, but we surrounded her with love and company, making the night as good as it could have been for her after hearing that kind of news. We sat at a table there for a good hour, laughing and keeping the mood light and munching on sweets. Then we moved to Building 38 (dorm on campus) and played spoons (aka plastic forks) until midnight. Alyssa was thoroughly touched by how we took care of her, and couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be with in such a time. I was super glad our plan to make her feel loved worked :)
Saturday morning I met Jess, Gabby, Seynab, and Denise and we walked over to the grand taxi station to find a ride to Volubilis. For 600 Dhs, we got a cab to take us right to the Ruins and stay there until we were done to drive us back to campus. Not a bad deal if you ask me.
Volubilis was incredible. And it couldn't have been a better day to go. It was such a great feeling to walk around the ruins and feel the warm sun on my face. It took us a little over 3 hours to explore the entire ruins. Old, beautiful mosaics, magnificent pillars and archways, the delicate wild flowers growing up and over the ancient stones.. it was so amazing to see just how ornate and detailed the Roman city was during its time of greatness. Around 1pm we ran into the Al Akhawayn group who went for a class fieldtrip (Lena, Dylan, Maiya and Jared were all a part of this group) and then we finished up and headed back to the taxi. After the ride, the taxi driver told us that if we ever needed a taxi, we should call him and he would take us anywhere we wanted to go. I still have the guy's card.. I should probably utilize it sometime.. though I can't speak french or Arabic, so we'll see if that happens or not... either way, it was a really friendly gesture of him, and we all enjoyed his company. He played music for us on the way up and back: the French rap was my favorite. I'm actually thinking of getting some of their music, and usually that thought doesn't occur to me because I'm not a huge fan of rap.. French rap, however, is pretty good stuff.
After Volubilis, I met up with Austen, Alyssa, Seynab, and 6 other people to head towards the apartment that the West Point guys are renting to cook dinner. We have all been craving Mexican food, so we decided to try and make some ourselves. Guacamole anyone? :) From the marche to the apartment I ended up twisting my ankle on uneven pavement (predictable right?) but we made it to the apartment safely. Once there, we started the food preparation. Rachid decided to make us "sweet meat," tagine-style. With that we accompanied it with bread, rice and beans, and guacamole made with avocados and lemon juice (Austen called the entire dinner "Moracos" because it was a mixture of Moroccan food and tacos). Then for dessert there was a fruit salad and nuts. Not only was this meal the biggest I've had ALL SEMESTER, but it was THE MOST DELICIOUS. we ate communal style, right from the tagine pot, eating and talking and bonding. In such a space, it was definitely a family style dinner. It was so fun- the cooking, the bonding, the stuffing-our-faces, the lounging around by the fire... I thoroughly enjoyed myself that night, even when Mouna, Sara, Seynab and I decided to head back to campus around 11pm instead of staying out until 4am at the club.
I love these kinds of weekends :)
Friday, February 24, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Agadir and Marrakesh: Our Long Weekend Trip
The first weekend in February, the entire nation of Morocco celebrates the Prophet's birthday, so we had Monday off, giving us a three-day weekend right off the bat! Back at Willamette we never have ANY three day weekends, so it was nice to get an extra day :) As such, the majority of us exchange students decided a trip to the beach was in order. So we booked our bus tickets for Agadir, and at 9pm that Friday, we boarded the bus that would be our transporter for the next 12 hours.
12 hours on a bus?? You're kidding me right? No. It was an entire night ride to the Atlantic coast. The ride as a whole was not bad, I was seat mates with Maiya and we listened to and talked about music, and then slept. The first hour was killer: two people decided that they were going to puke their guts out, so the ENTIRE bus smelled of barf. On top of that, our bus driver decided to take the windy route, so the combination of switchbacks and puke smell was making me feel carsick. Poor Martina was sitting right next to one of the guys who puked, and from what I heard it got all over her shoes, so her ride was definitely worse than mine. At the rest stop, I caught some fresh air and dreaded getting back on. Jared thought it was a good idea to try and cover up the puke smell, so he sprayed his cologne all up and down the bus. That just made the bus smell like really strong boy perfume and puke, which just made it worse. Thank goodness for cleaning wipes and Seynabou's lemon deodorant, we made makeshift smelly rags to hold to our noses to keep the smells at bay. Once we were on our way again, the bus was cleaned up and an hour into it the smell went away so I was able to make it without puking myself (thank goodness). Oh so fun, don't you think? xD
We made it to Agadir around 9am the next morning. We ran into Corentin, John, and Ahmed, who all decided to go to Agadir too. After bathroom breaks, we decided to walk to the beach. After 12 hours on the bus you think walking would be a good idea right? And usually it is, except when you end up walking for an hour when you thought it was going to be a fifteen minute walk.. tops. And when you really have to pee..... We ended up getting a great view of Agadir as a city though, and the fresh air did me wonders.
Finally we made it to the beach. Man, was it good to sit back down and just relax in the sun (In Ifrane, it's still cold, and had snowed right before we left, so feeling the warmth of the sun was super nice). I played my ukulele some, as did Austen and Dylan. People brought frisbee, so we threw the disc around for a bit. Maiya convinced me to go swimming in the ocean with her, and we walked along the beach afterwards. We also bargained with pastry sellers, though we still paid more for them than we did in other places we've been. But we were hungry, and they were delicious. A group of us decided to make a sandcastle, and it ended up being the most epic one I've made so far! Two outer surrounding walls, bridges, decorated towers, moats.. the whole she-bang. French and Moroccan people alike came up and took pictures of it, it was that AWESOME :)
After the beach Ahmed took us to the fish market where we had fresh fish for lunch. What they do is show you the raw fish, ask you whether you want it grilled or fried, and then take the fish from the plate they showed you and cook it up for you. Just like that. It's incredibly fresh. I'm not sure what they do in the states, but I don't think they do it the same way in most places.. And it was probably some of the best fish I've had, excluding the bones and the eyeballs still left in it (Yep, they cook the ENTIRE fish).
We checked into the Hotel Suede for the night (our hostel, costing $10 a night, breakfast and showers included. And the beds were super comfortable. Really nice for really cheap). Then around 5pm we took taxis up to the Kasbah, or old city. It's basically ruins now: according to what I've heard, there was a huge earthquake and tsunami that destroyed everything, forcing them to rebuild Agadir down by the ocean rather than up in the hills. Saw my first ever camel there, though I didn't ride one. I'm waiting for the desert to get the "official" experience :) We stayed up at the Kasbah until the sun went down, watching it disappear beneath the horizon on the ocean- it was really gorgeous. Then, as it was Corentin's birthday, we made our way over to the apartment where the boys were staying to help him celebrate. We got lost on our way over and wound up having jus (french for juice/smoothies) and pastries in a patisserie and finally asking a random Moroccan girl to tell Ahmed where we were in order for him to come and take us to the apartment. Pretty amusing if I do say so myself, especially since we had to of the boys with us who you would have expected to know how to get back to the apartment from our hostel :)
The next morning we got up and ate breakfast on the roof terrace of the hostel. It was a gorgeous morning, the sun bright and warm accompanied by tea and croissants. Around 11am Dylan, Seth, Seynab, Rupinder, Maiya and I took off towards the bird park (basically a small zoo) and then got a grand taxi to Marrakesh around 12:30pm. It was a pretty squished ride, but fun as we drove through desert-like towns and got to see some of the south. Around 4pm we stopped at a rest area for bathrooms and food (kefta and tagine, best thing ever when you are hungry). We saw some really cute feral kittens curled up in the sun, I really wanted to take them home with me. We arrived in Marrakesh around 5:30pm, and walked all the way to the medina to find a hostel. What felt like a really long trek was only about forty minutes or so (I think?) but when you've been traveling all day and carrying all your baggage with you, it seems like forever. We walked through a Saturday market, and I got caught up by a music stand where they were selling Berber guitars: man, are the gorgeous. And look just like a ukulele. I really want to pick one up before I go home, but I don't know if that'll work unless I ship it home... still something I'm pondering over about getting... By the time we had looked into our third hostel, I was ready just to stay put, along with everyone else. Which is where we ended up staying, at the Hotel Chellah, a five minute walk from the main square of the medina. And man, was it the place to be! After we checked in and dropped all our stuff in the rooms, we headed to the square, and it was packed! The crowds were huge! Seynab linked arms with me in order to stay with the group, and it was hard to keep those ahead of us in sight as well as those behind us. We met up with the West Point group and went around sight-seeing. Lee bought me some cinnamon tea, which I had never tried before. It's really good, probably one of my favorites. Though beware: It has such a strong flavor that it burns your throat as it goes down :) We met up with the WestPoint darija teacher and he took a group up to see a overview of the square from above. A smaller group of us decided that it wasn't worth the 15 Dhs to go up so we walked around below, looking at shops, food stalls, and snake charmers. I saw a half-jalaba (Moroccan coat) and wasn't really going to buy it, but the seller caught me looking at it and offered me it for 200 Dhs. I told him no, and he lowered it to 180. Seynab told him that she had a friend that bought one for 120, and he said his final offer was 150. I told him no again, and started to walk away when he said, "Okay okay 130 Dhs." Seynab looked at me and said, "I'd grab it now, that's the best price you'll get." He was already wrapping it up in a bag for me, so I went with it. I now have a too big Moroccan coat that is wonderful to wear around my dorm room and keeps me really warm :) We then got Seth and Brian jalabas, both 300 Dhs. It was great seeing Brian speak Darija with the shopkeepers and to see him bargain (I'm slightly envious of his language skills, but I'm learning some Arabic too, so I know that if I want to I can get there eventually). We went and got harira soup next with some of the other kids, and then headed back towards the shops. We got Maiya a half-jalaba (200 Dhs) and while she was looking at shoes and other things, I ended up walking by the jewelry shop I had stopped at earlier that evening where I told the jeweler I was just looking and maybe would come back tomorrow if I was interested. But he then saw me with my jalaba bag, and told me I HAD to at least look again at his shop. So I obliged, not really intending to buy anything, just look. I looked for a good 15 minutes until I found a ring that I really liked. He let me give him the price I was willing to pay, and then told me how much he wanted it for. I brought the price down from 300 to 250 Dhs, which isn't a huge decrease, but enough to make him and I both okay with the price. I now wear the ring almost every day, which means I really like it. For 250 Dhs, a real silver ring is pretty good, especially if I like it that much :) While ring shopping we stroke up a conversation, and by the time the transaction happened, he offered to send a camel home to my family. A little creepy, for he's roughly my dad's age, but I politely laughed it off, telling him that there was no need. He then said that the ring I bought would remind me of our "friendship," and even though it wasn't a huge turning point in my stay here, I definitely remember the process of buying it whenever I wear it, and it always brings an amused smile to my face :)
Around 1am that night we headed to the Club Teatro, which is one of the most famous clubs in Marrakesh. Me, I'm not a huge clubber, but it was fun to go and experience it. It's a lot nicer than the one in Ifrane and big enough to where the cigarette smoke doesn't clog up the entire air supply of the club, so I was able to breathe pretty well. We Americans were the only ones dancing for the first part of the night, but then everyone else joined in too. We were out until 5am, and had a horrible time getting taxis (they wanted 50 Dhs a piece at least for a 5 minute taxi ride). I ended up catching a taxi with none of my hostel mates, but Chris, Jamie and Nour all walked me back to the Hotel Chellah, which I was grateful for. I felt really bad calling the hotel front desk because I didn't want to wake up the hotel manager so early in the morning. But the hotel door was shut, so I had no choice. I got a hold of Seynab and told her to call me when they got to the hotel so I could let them in. When we woke up Monday morning around 9am, we explored the square again for a couple hours, eating msemen with chocolate right off the grill for 4 Dhs a piece (so yummy). We returned to the hotel and packed up our things to head out. The manager speaks French so he and Maiya were able to communicate, and he made a jest at Seth when he came back to the hotel the night before (he did not go to the club with us). Maiya explained later on that the manager had asked Seth if the girls (us) had come back, and Seth didn't reply. He ended up waiting up for us to get back to the hotel to make sure we got back safely. As I heard this, all my intimidated feelings toward the hotel manager disappeared. He didn't even know us, and yet he cared about our safety enough to stay awake until 5am when we came back from the club. Moroccans may come off as intimidating, but they are some of the most caring people I have met.
The six hour train ride was a long one. I slept and listened to music, which wasn't bad, but after more than 20 hours of traveling in a span of three days really got to me. By the time we reached Fes I was ready to sleep, but another hour back to Ifrane at 6:30pm was still in store. When we got back to campus I ate some food and then headed straight for my dorm where I relaxed. Traveling is exhausting, no matter how fun it is. But the trip was completely worth it :)
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| Agadir |
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| Agadir |
Finally we made it to the beach. Man, was it good to sit back down and just relax in the sun (In Ifrane, it's still cold, and had snowed right before we left, so feeling the warmth of the sun was super nice). I played my ukulele some, as did Austen and Dylan. People brought frisbee, so we threw the disc around for a bit. Maiya convinced me to go swimming in the ocean with her, and we walked along the beach afterwards. We also bargained with pastry sellers, though we still paid more for them than we did in other places we've been. But we were hungry, and they were delicious. A group of us decided to make a sandcastle, and it ended up being the most epic one I've made so far! Two outer surrounding walls, bridges, decorated towers, moats.. the whole she-bang. French and Moroccan people alike came up and took pictures of it, it was that AWESOME :)
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| Camels at the Kasbah |
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| Moroccan couple watching the sun set, The Kasbah in Agadir |
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| Seynab and breakfast at the Hotel Suede |
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| Desert City on our way to Marrakesh |
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| Traversing through the Bird Zoo in Agadir |
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| Desert City, cool car shot :) |
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| The feral kittens |
The six hour train ride was a long one. I slept and listened to music, which wasn't bad, but after more than 20 hours of traveling in a span of three days really got to me. By the time we reached Fes I was ready to sleep, but another hour back to Ifrane at 6:30pm was still in store. When we got back to campus I ate some food and then headed straight for my dorm where I relaxed. Traveling is exhausting, no matter how fun it is. But the trip was completely worth it :)
Trip to Rabat
Well, I have been in Morocco for almost a month now.. I guess that's easily acceptable, though it's been going by so fast sometimes it amazes me that we are halfway through February already.. There's a part of me that's relieved but then there's the other half that's shouting, "Wait! Slow down! I don't want to be halfway through the semester yet!" Time is its own entity, so in the long run, there's nothing I can do except enjoy the time I have and make the most of the experiences and opportunities I get :)
Last weekend I went home to Rabat with my good friend Mouna. It was somewhat of a spontaneous decision halfway through the week, and didn't really solidify until Thursday, the day before we left. I packed my things, and Friday at noon, right after my last class, I met up with her and we headed to the grand taxi station to catch a taxi to Meknes where we would then take the train to Rabat. It took us a half hour to get a taxi: usually taxis are up and running and with the average traveling group of six it is easy to fill a taxi and just go. However, with only two of us, that made things more difficult, especially with how many people wanted to go to Meknes and the availabilities of spots within the taxis. After a good time of waiting around and stressing on both Mouna's and my part, we were able to catch a ride with four others. The train was easier to deal with, though it being a half hour later than it was supposed to also stressed Mouna out even more. Moroccan time is usually okay and easy going, but when it comes to getting home at a reasonable hour, sometimes American time is better :)
We made it to Rabat around 4:30pm. The train ride was quite uneventful, I slept for a bit in the compartment and then kept the Moroccan baby traveling with her parents occupied during the last hour of the trip. She was cute, even when she puked stuff up a few times :) Train rides are really quite fun actually, you get to see so much of a country/state that way. I find it to be a good way to travel, though I have not had experience with American trains, so I don't know how different taking the train is from here. It was a fairly enjoyable ride, even if it was a good 2.5 to 3 hour trip, and the landscapes were gorgeous. Rabat is the captial of Morocco, but despite its size, it doesn't seem to correlate with the "Big City" stereotype: it's organized, clean, and gives off a very stress-free vibe. I liked it immediately, even when we were just driving around.
Mouna's dad met us at the train station. I liked him right off the bat: even though he speaks very little English, you can tell he's a decent man who loves his kids and likes to make jokes :) He took us to get food by the university campuses, and then we headed to the beach house he rents from a Canadian woman to get blankets for us to use to sleep. It was a nice relaxing way to spend the evening, hanging out at their condo in downtown Rabat. Their Siamese cat, however temperamental she may be, took a liking to me and sat on my lap for the majority of the night (I think it may be that I was sitting in front of their heater, which is why my lap was such an attractive place for her to be). According to Mouna, the cat does not usually like strangers, so they were all surprised that she liked me so much.
Saturday was spent walking around the Medina and city center. The Medina was great, we got their in the morning right as people were opening shops, which meant it was a little quieter than usual, but still full of the hustle and bustle of the Moroccan way of life. I found a tea tray for Mom (can't wait for you to see it!) and bought some of the tea infusion that Mouna's mom gave me for my headaches and sinus infection (I had been sick for two weeks at this point, nothing major until the Thursday before we took off when it got worse). It helped a lot, and tastes amazing when it's boiling hot (usually I don't like my tea at boiling temperature), so I couldn't pass up a 5 Dhs bag :) To get to and from places we took the tramway (think Portland Max train), which was cool because I got to see a lot of the city just by riding it. The city center was nice, more modern and had the "newer and popular" shops, and then around 1pm Mouna's dad picked us up and took us for tagines at the beach. Then while he had coffee Mouna and I walked along the boardwalk, getting some beach air and enjoying the relaxing calm that filled us while we walked. I forget how much I love the beach... every time I go I always feel relaxed. Even though I didn't touch water or sand this time around, I felt at ease. We headed back to the beach house and talked with her father some more as we enjoyed the warmth of the sun inside the beach house. After about a half hour, they took me to ice cream (which I assumed was good since my nose was stuffed and I could barely taste it) and then back to the condo where we watched French game shows (they are super entertaining to watch, haha) and had tea and pastries (Mouna's dad brought back a huge box full of Moroccan pastries Friday night). Around 9pm he took us out for pizza (which is definitely better than American pizza) where he tried to teach me Arabic (I'm learning in school, but we are only learning the alphabet right now so it kind of failed...). Whatever English he speaks is waayy better than my Arabic hahaha. By the end of the weekend he was speaking more English than I thought he knew, which was cool for me because I could teach him how to phrase things. He was always making jokes about how his English was better than Mouna's, which made both Mouna and I laugh since she is practically fluent.
I enjoyed his playfulness and his company, along with her mother's. They both welcomed me into their home and treated me like family even though they had never met me before. They were insistent that my parents come and visit, and when I told them that it wasn't going to happen, they made it clear that my parents could stay with them or at their beach house. Before we left on Sunday, I showed them pictures of everyone from my camera (her mom asked if I had photos) which made them want to meet them even more. It is amazing how hospitable and wonderful people around the world can be to those they've only just met: I am completely grateful to them as they made my stay in Rabat so much more than it could have been if I had been traveling with exchange students.
As we headed for the bus station, they told me to come back and visit again. I am definitely taking them up on that offer. They have become family to me, and I will always be thankful for them and what they gave me, even if it was only an incredibly enjoyable and relaxing weekend in Rabat :)
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| Rabat, at the first tramway in Morocco |
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| Main street, on our way to the Medina in Old Town Rabat |
We made it to Rabat around 4:30pm. The train ride was quite uneventful, I slept for a bit in the compartment and then kept the Moroccan baby traveling with her parents occupied during the last hour of the trip. She was cute, even when she puked stuff up a few times :) Train rides are really quite fun actually, you get to see so much of a country/state that way. I find it to be a good way to travel, though I have not had experience with American trains, so I don't know how different taking the train is from here. It was a fairly enjoyable ride, even if it was a good 2.5 to 3 hour trip, and the landscapes were gorgeous. Rabat is the captial of Morocco, but despite its size, it doesn't seem to correlate with the "Big City" stereotype: it's organized, clean, and gives off a very stress-free vibe. I liked it immediately, even when we were just driving around.
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| The Hammoudi's apartment: sitting area and our camp out site |
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| Mouna and I: picture taken by her father |
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| Morocco Parliament Building |
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| Siamese kitty! |
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| Beach: Welcome to the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean :) |
I enjoyed his playfulness and his company, along with her mother's. They both welcomed me into their home and treated me like family even though they had never met me before. They were insistent that my parents come and visit, and when I told them that it wasn't going to happen, they made it clear that my parents could stay with them or at their beach house. Before we left on Sunday, I showed them pictures of everyone from my camera (her mom asked if I had photos) which made them want to meet them even more. It is amazing how hospitable and wonderful people around the world can be to those they've only just met: I am completely grateful to them as they made my stay in Rabat so much more than it could have been if I had been traveling with exchange students.
As we headed for the bus station, they told me to come back and visit again. I am definitely taking them up on that offer. They have become family to me, and I will always be thankful for them and what they gave me, even if it was only an incredibly enjoyable and relaxing weekend in Rabat :)
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Things I have learned while in Morocco
1. Fresh squeezed orange juice. The real deal. Most delicious thing EVER. You'll never want to go back to the stuff in the states
2. Cat calls- girls, this happens ALL THE TIME. If you don't want to deal with it, make sure you travel with a guy. But, if you're like me and like to explore without men sometimes, don't react to it. It only makes them do it more. Smile, wave and keep walking.
3. Moroccans may come off as stand-offish. Don't let that set your judgement. They will probably be the nicest people you've ever met. A group of us were in Marrakesh for part of the weekend, and we stayed at a hostel called the Hotel Chellah. The owner was a quiet man, and because I could not communicate well with him, he came off as intimidating to me. We went out to a club that night and didn't get back until really early in the morning, and I felt super bad for I feared that I had woken him up when I called to be let in at 5am. When we left the hotel at noon, Maiya exchanged a few words with him, and apparently he had asked Seth if we had come back or not (Seth did not go to the club with us), and waited up for us girls to make sure we arrived back at the hotel safely. When I heard this, my heart melted. Even the most intimidating of strangers can be some of the world's most wonderful people.
4. Msemen, also known as the Moroccan pancake. Delicious with honey or chocolate. Yumm... I could eat those all day...
5. It is possible to order tea without sugar- so, if you are a purest like me, try the Moroccan tea for the first couple days, and then know that you can order it without sugar if it gets to be too much. Or just get coffee.
6. Camels are just as cool as they are thought to be!
7. College sports are nothing like they are in the states. Be ready to get frustrated or to take the time to practice the basics. There is no order to what they call sports (I feel bad for the coach, the girls on the team are not in shape and have no desire to be at practice).
8. Morocco is a lot bigger than you think it is: If you stay in Ifrane, be ready for 12 hour bus rides to the Atlantic coast, or 4 hours to Rabat and Casa. The shortest ride to the nearest large city = 45 minutes to 1 hour.
9. The people who make a living in the Desert are amazing. I do not know how they do it with so little water and so much dry and so much heat. They are incredible.
10. Arabic is the most friendly, amiable, and beautiful language I have ever heard.
11. If you like bread, you have come to the right place. However, when eating out, make sure you know if you will be charged for it before you eat it because sometimes they just give it to you. And then charge you for it afterwards when you think it's going to be like chips at a Mexican restaurant.
12. Be ready for all kinds of weather: Africa does indeed get snow.
13. Do not try driving if you are a foreigner, you will never make it to your destination alive.
14. Know how to bargain- it may seem cheap in USDs, but it's a good feeling when you can get the price down for even cheaper.
15. Everything is fresh and organic- unless you go to a Marjane, you'll find very little that is processed or that contains corn syrup.
16. Boots are definitely a fashion: girls, if you have the need to fit in, find yourself a pair. Also, it helps with the snow.
17. Clear skies at night and beautiful sunny weather the majority of the time- a great way to start and end your day :)
18. Make sure to take in your surroundings- there are so many beautiful things to see and exciting things to do. You can go clubbing in the states, you can't ride camels or see the sun set over the Mediterranean.
19. Always be willing to start a conversation
20. Be ready to eat late: meals are not like they are in the states, dinner on average is around 8-10pm.
21. Moroccan time: don't worry about being "on time," everything starts at least a half hour later than planned. Relax and take your time getting to where you need to be. There's no such thing as "in a rush" here (and I lovvvveee it!)
22. When traveling, make sure you are okay going without a shower for a few days. No one else cares or does it, so if you don't it won't matter. Deodorant is efficient enough. Bring a hat if you don't like the way your hair looks
23. Cafes are male oriented (they sit, drink their coffee/tea, and sit towards the exit, watching everyone and everything that happens to be near their location.. sometimes it can be creepy, a bunch of older men watching you..). It's probably safer and more towards the social norms if you don't hang out in one (if you are female)
24. The medinas are the places to go if you are looking for culture. They are some of the most beautiful places in Morocco as well.
25. Morocco is so pedestrian oriented: No matter where you are you will see crowds of people everywhere, whether that be walking, talking, biking, motorcycling or moped-ing, roller blading...
26. Sales people can be aggressive, don't let them entice you too much. Stand your ground.
27. Try anything and everything: you never know what you'll miss out on if you don't :)
28. I may miss home sometimes, but I am so happy to be here. Can't wait to tell all of you back in the US about EVERYTHING
2. Cat calls- girls, this happens ALL THE TIME. If you don't want to deal with it, make sure you travel with a guy. But, if you're like me and like to explore without men sometimes, don't react to it. It only makes them do it more. Smile, wave and keep walking.
3. Moroccans may come off as stand-offish. Don't let that set your judgement. They will probably be the nicest people you've ever met. A group of us were in Marrakesh for part of the weekend, and we stayed at a hostel called the Hotel Chellah. The owner was a quiet man, and because I could not communicate well with him, he came off as intimidating to me. We went out to a club that night and didn't get back until really early in the morning, and I felt super bad for I feared that I had woken him up when I called to be let in at 5am. When we left the hotel at noon, Maiya exchanged a few words with him, and apparently he had asked Seth if we had come back or not (Seth did not go to the club with us), and waited up for us girls to make sure we arrived back at the hotel safely. When I heard this, my heart melted. Even the most intimidating of strangers can be some of the world's most wonderful people.
4. Msemen, also known as the Moroccan pancake. Delicious with honey or chocolate. Yumm... I could eat those all day...
5. It is possible to order tea without sugar- so, if you are a purest like me, try the Moroccan tea for the first couple days, and then know that you can order it without sugar if it gets to be too much. Or just get coffee.
6. Camels are just as cool as they are thought to be!
7. College sports are nothing like they are in the states. Be ready to get frustrated or to take the time to practice the basics. There is no order to what they call sports (I feel bad for the coach, the girls on the team are not in shape and have no desire to be at practice).
8. Morocco is a lot bigger than you think it is: If you stay in Ifrane, be ready for 12 hour bus rides to the Atlantic coast, or 4 hours to Rabat and Casa. The shortest ride to the nearest large city = 45 minutes to 1 hour.
9. The people who make a living in the Desert are amazing. I do not know how they do it with so little water and so much dry and so much heat. They are incredible.
10. Arabic is the most friendly, amiable, and beautiful language I have ever heard.
11. If you like bread, you have come to the right place. However, when eating out, make sure you know if you will be charged for it before you eat it because sometimes they just give it to you. And then charge you for it afterwards when you think it's going to be like chips at a Mexican restaurant.
12. Be ready for all kinds of weather: Africa does indeed get snow.
13. Do not try driving if you are a foreigner, you will never make it to your destination alive.
14. Know how to bargain- it may seem cheap in USDs, but it's a good feeling when you can get the price down for even cheaper.
15. Everything is fresh and organic- unless you go to a Marjane, you'll find very little that is processed or that contains corn syrup.
16. Boots are definitely a fashion: girls, if you have the need to fit in, find yourself a pair. Also, it helps with the snow.
17. Clear skies at night and beautiful sunny weather the majority of the time- a great way to start and end your day :)
18. Make sure to take in your surroundings- there are so many beautiful things to see and exciting things to do. You can go clubbing in the states, you can't ride camels or see the sun set over the Mediterranean.
19. Always be willing to start a conversation
20. Be ready to eat late: meals are not like they are in the states, dinner on average is around 8-10pm.
21. Moroccan time: don't worry about being "on time," everything starts at least a half hour later than planned. Relax and take your time getting to where you need to be. There's no such thing as "in a rush" here (and I lovvvveee it!)
22. When traveling, make sure you are okay going without a shower for a few days. No one else cares or does it, so if you don't it won't matter. Deodorant is efficient enough. Bring a hat if you don't like the way your hair looks
23. Cafes are male oriented (they sit, drink their coffee/tea, and sit towards the exit, watching everyone and everything that happens to be near their location.. sometimes it can be creepy, a bunch of older men watching you..). It's probably safer and more towards the social norms if you don't hang out in one (if you are female)
24. The medinas are the places to go if you are looking for culture. They are some of the most beautiful places in Morocco as well.
25. Morocco is so pedestrian oriented: No matter where you are you will see crowds of people everywhere, whether that be walking, talking, biking, motorcycling or moped-ing, roller blading...
26. Sales people can be aggressive, don't let them entice you too much. Stand your ground.
27. Try anything and everything: you never know what you'll miss out on if you don't :)
28. I may miss home sometimes, but I am so happy to be here. Can't wait to tell all of you back in the US about EVERYTHING
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