Al Akhawayn! First days as an exchange student

Gosh guys, it's gorgeous here. On the cold side, perhaps, I end up wearing about 4 layers on average each day, but I can't get enough of it here! I'm so excited to get into the grove of things.

I went to the airport about 3pm on Tuesday- really early I know, my flight didn't leave until 10pm, but knowing me, I'm a little paranoid about missing appointments or anything of the kind (ie flights) when I am travelling or going places by myself. I wanted to make sure that the shuttle took me to the airport and that I would check in without a problem and still be on time for my flight. The shuttle ride took 10 minutes, and I was happy I allotted myself that much time because it took me a while to figure out where to check in for the domestic flights. One of the men on my shuttle saw me and showed me how to get there after wandering up and down the escalators for a good 20 minutes (yes, I know, I'm that awful. You would be too if you were in a country where you couldn't speak the native languages). Once I found the check in, I went up to the counter to see if I could check my stuff in. I knew in my mind already that 7 hours ahead of my flight time was waaayyy too early, so when the man at the counter told me it was too early I was ready to go find a chair and sit and read until it was appropriate for me to check my suitcase. Waiting for the check-in man to hand me back my passport, I was caught by surprise when he told me that for me, he would make an exception. The next thing I knew he was handing me my boarding pass and passport and my suitcase was checked. I don't know about what you think, but with all the help I have been receiving from people here in Morocco, complete strangers who don't know me and probably think I'm naive, ignorant, and lost, it amazes me that I've received so much kindness from people. I had no troubles on any of my flights, 4 of the students travelling with me to Fez had their luggage delayed, but it wasn't mine. With all this going on, Morocco is seeming more and more the place I am supposed to be, and He knows it and is helping me get there.

Back to my story. We arrived at the University around 1am Wednesday morning (5pm Tuesday West Coast time). Slept until ten, and met my roommate at 11am when she walked into the room. She's Moroccan, a freshman here at Al Akhawayn, and super sweet. We've gotten along well so far, and talking has not been a problem. Headed to lunch around 12:30 since I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours (that's what happens when you are travelling on planes) and expecting to be eating alone. That was the complete opposite of what happened: huge tables of exchange students, all in the same boat as me, were there and I met tons of them. The majority of them are from the United States (east coast, midwest, southwest). There's a girl from Senegal who is really great, but she's fluent in both English and French and has lived in various places around the world. I've met a couple of Italians, someone from Denmark, and a Canadian. They are such a great group of people, and within the hour I was making friends.

Orientation started this morning. As a group we have been in meetings/lectures with the administration and OIP coordinators along with the student ambassadors here (orientation group leaders) and the student activities council (students as well). They have all been really welcoming and super fun to hang out with, which makes going to school here for the next four months so much more exciting :) Tonight they planned a scavenger hunt for us, and we've been running around campus for approximately three hours. My first work out since I've arrived! It felt good to run. I found a towel, so showering should not be a problem anymore!!! Took one today, I felt so good afterward, haha. Maiya and I are planning on going running tomorrow sometime which should be fun. I have not heard from El Medhi (my contact on the XC/track team) so we'll see if running for the team will actually work or not. If not, I'll have buddies to run with outside of the team and Ifrane is a safe enough town that if I stay in town and in sight of people, nothing bad will happen :)

I've tasted Moroccan tea. It's as good as they say, despite the sweet they stick in it. I want to figure out if it is at all possible to not have sweet in the tea, but if not, I'm okay with the sweet since it is not overpowering. But man, it's good. It's fresh, it's not overpowering (like when you let the tea bag seep for too long) and it warms you up in the 30 degree weather here. Definitely another wonderful perk :)

I'm so excited to be here. The Moroccans are great, the exchange students (American, Asian, and European alike) are fantastic, I've never seen a group of people click so well so quickly, especially as big of a group as we are. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next few months will bring :)

These are pictures of Al Akhawayn's campus. At night, even with the campus lights shining, there are a gajillion (well, maybe not that much, but still, there's a lot) in the sky. You can see them for miles, shining incredibly brightly. That with the cold... ahhh I love it <3


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Until next time :)