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 :)

Rabat, at the first tramway in Morocco

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 :)

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.

The Hammoudi's apartment: sitting area and our camp out site

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.

Mouna and I: picture taken by her father

Morocco Parliament Building

Siamese kitty!

Beach: Welcome to the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean :)

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 :)