Whistling Dixie in a Grand Taxi on my Way to a Sandstorm

Hi everyone,

Wow- I can hardly believe that three days from now I will be on a bus headed for the airport, and America-bound! I have this odd sensation of the summer both flying by (seriously, where did the time go?!) and at the same time feeling like an entirely new lifetime has gone by (our orientation in DC, or the last night that I spent at home in my own bed seem like ages ago). On my best days in Morocco I had a great family to come home to, three "uncles" that own souks in the old medina, two "brothers" that work in various shops and always take care of me, three "sisters" who make the most delicious pastries, and a wealth of love and awe for this beautiful, beautiful country, its people, and all of the new "family" that I have here. On my worst days, I would have killed for a hot dog and a baseball game, I cried out of homesickness and longing for something that was more familiar, and painfully missed my loved ones that I left behind. I am blessed to have traveled abroad before, but I have to say that actually living, although for a short period of time in the grand scheme of things, has been quite different. There have naturally been strong points and weak points, but I would do it again in a heartbeat given the chance. At some point without even realizing it this summer I settled into Morocco, and it became a home to me. I hadn't realized that until I started packing last night, but it's true. I have favorite restaurants, favorite hangouts, favorite stores, inside jokes, favorite television shows and musicians and authors, tons of stories and even more memories here, and although I don't know when, at some point Morocco stopped feeling foreign to me. 

Last weekend I went to the Sahara desert near the Algerian border to ride some camels and camp in the dunes under the stars, and let me say- it was every bit of the experience as it sounds! I went in a group with five other colleagues, and I think each of our individual experiences varied considerably. We finished our regular Friday exams at about 3 pm, and were at the train station ready to take the 7p departure to Meknes. Now, everything about this trip is a great example of what Ramadan does to this country. In spite of the fact that the official published schedules said that our departure was at 7p, and the time of departure printed on our tickets was 7p, that was waaaaaay too close to the fiToor (the meal that breaks the day-long fast for Muslims) which happens officially around 7:30p in Morocco. So, we didn't actually leave until sometime between 8:30 and 9p. The train ride from Rabat to Meknes was about three hours long, and we were supposed to catch a bus there that would take us from Meknes to Merzouga. Buuuutttt.....because we were so late getting to the station we missed the bus. Let me clarify- Merzouga is a TEENY, TINY, ITSY, BITSY town 9 hours away from Meknes. There is only one bus from Meknes to Merzouga per day, so if you miss it, you are in big trouble. However, we spent some time talking to an employee at the train station who understood that we had already paid the fare to take the bus from Meknes to Merzouga, and that we had only missed the bus because of the Ramadan delays. So, he redirected the funds that we had paid for our bus fare to a Grand Taxi, and the six of us made the long, long, long, arduous journey from Meknes to Merzouga in a Grand Taxi overnight. Let me give you a quick image: a Grand taxi has room for four, maybe five people. The front seat is a single bucket seat, and there is a bench seat in the back. We had SEVEN people in there, sleeping (because it was an overnight drive in order to get to Merzouga in time to catch our camel trek), with all of our bags and food, etc. Seven people. Needless to say, we become close friends and got very creative with our sleeping positions and bodily arrangement. It was pretty ridiculous at the time, but it makes for a good story, now! :-) Anyway, we made it to Ksar Bicha in Merzouga without incident the next morning! Ksar Bicha is actually a hotel, but the Sahara is quite literally the back yard, so it has a great camel trek/camping service. We were allowed to use some of their amenities throughout Saturday until our trek started, so it was actually very pleasant. They had a large lounge room with air conditioning, a big pool, showers we could use, etc. We left on our camels Saturday evening at about 5:30 and headed for the desert!! First of all, the first time that a camel stands up if you have never ridden one before is absolutely terrifying! Apparently my face was priceless- my whole group cracked up at whatever expression it was that I was making. The trek was really great, though! We rode for about two hours deep into the Sahara in a caravan. Our camp was at the base of the largest dune in Morocco- 150 meters high! Once we got there our Berber camp hosts broke their fast, and then served us a delicious dinner, played some fantastic music, and spent time talking and just hanging out with us! They gave us sleeping mats and pillows, and we settled in right under the stars. The sky was actually pretty cloudy at the beginning of the evening, so I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to see the stars (the very thing that everyone raves about after camping in the Sahara) but they turned out to be really spectacular. Interestingly, it rained two or three times throughout the night and we had a few mini-sandstorms that took my breath away. Imagine waking up to sand blowing everywhere around you so strongly that you can't breath, and rain falling on your face in the desert, and things like dishes and beds being blown out into the massive abyss of sand never to be seen again. Craziness. The return trip was great, however, and we actually did catch the bus and train on time. Although, when we were waiting in the bus station there was an outrageous sand storm! All of the locals closed and locked all of the windows and doors in the station, but so much sand still got inside of the building that we couldn't see the television screen! (We were all rallied around the tv in the bus station watching the Olympics and cheering for every American competitor we saw with claps and hoorays and laughing "high fives". It was a great snapshot of how Americans bond when they are in the middle of another country stuck in a sandstorm.) :-)

I have to be heading off to class now, but check out some of the pictures from my trip below! Also- the video of the camel is "my camel", whom I named "Dixie" before I was aware of the fact he was, in fact, a he. Fail. Regardless, he was a terrific camel. :-) I have no idea what he is doing in the video though....warming up for the long trek home, I guess!

Lots of love from Morocco,

Amanda

A leather boot that shrank in underneath the hot Sahara sun!

Ksar Bicha

Berber palace

Mosque in Merzouga

The young boys that took Gary and I through the city to the hanout

Greg being awesome

The view from atop "Dixie", looking down to our guide "Saad" 

The Sahara!

The Sahara again!

Our whole caravan

Our camp hosts playing Amazighi music for us!

My first successful couscous ball! Now I am Moroccan :)

My host mom, Saida, and I at dinner two nights ago

How the Time Flies

Hello my friends,

I can hardly believe that my time in Morocco is almost over! I will be back on American soil in only 8 days, and back home in 9. It seems like just yesterday that I landed in Casablanca, but what a wonderful I was blessed with during the time that I had here!

Last weekend my group went to Tanger and Chefchaouen. Tanger was absolutely stunning! Our hotel faced the Strait of Gibraltar, and I was even able to see Spain from one spot! It was easy to tell that we were so far north; the people looked different, carried themselves differently, dressed differently, and even the food available in restaurants was different! The second language of choice became Spanish, instead of French, which was really an interesting change from the experience that I have had during the rest of my time here. On Saturday morning we visited the Tanger American Legation Institute for Moroccan studies, which is the only America National Historic Landmark abroad. It was so incredibly interesting!! Historically, an "embassy" was a non-permanent delegation sent to a foreign country for a specific purpose, but a "legation" was the permanent diplomatic presence of one state within another. So, the building that we visited, which is now a museum, used to be the American legation in Morocco! They have a very interesting blog that I have been checking out when I have the time, it is http://avuncularamerican.typepad.com/talimblog/.
I could have spent 5 or 6 hours in there and still would not have felt like I saw everything, plus the library is just astounding. Seriously, if you are ever in Tanger this place is a must-see.

After Tanger we headed for Chefchaouen, which is the small town in northern Morocco known for the specific shade of blue that covers its buildings and homes. First of all, its reputation is quite accurate! There are entire sections of this town that are painted a brilliant shade of light blue that is so striking- it is really, really beautiful, and charming. Unfortunately, though, I did not get to see much of Chefchaouen. My roommate's Mom had a medical emergency, and Madi needed to return back to America early. So, at 10 pm Saturday evening Madi and I left from Chefchaouen in a grand taxi headed for Rabat. The ride was about 4 hours long, and although we tried to stay awake as best as we could, we wound up dozing in and out of sleep the whole way. At one point, sometime around 1 or 1:30 am, we woke up after realizing that our taxi had come to a stop and was parked on the side of the road, without a driver inside. Being two young American girls alone in the middle of the night in a taxi without any concept of where we were, you can imagine that we were a little nervous. But, as we started to look around and got our wits about us we realized that there was a line of 8 or 9 vehicles pulled over with their lights flashing, and a small crowd of men forming in a ditch along the side of the road in front of a vehicle that was on its hood. There had been a wreck, and our driver had pulled over to see if he could help! Madi and I watched through the back window of the taxi, hoping for the best, and feeling completely helpless because we wanted to assist in some way but knew that our offer might not be welcomed and our Arabic might have proved insufficient. After a short while, we watched the group of men work together to flip the car back onto its wheels, and do some work inside of the car. Of course, at this point we could not tell if there were people inside of the vehicle or not, and we were just praying for the best. Eventually the crowd began to disperse, and our driver came back. We were shocked that the first thing he said to us after getting back into the car was, "Excuse me, I am sorry about the delay". We were just pining to know if everyone was okay, and if anyone had been hurt! He pointed out two younger looking men that were walking away from the car, and told us that the car belonged to them and that they had been in the wreck. I couldn't believe my eyes- they were walking away and appeared to be completely uninjured. I truly felt like it was a miracle, given that I had watched their car being flipped over off of its hood only a few minutes earlier! As we resumed our drive to Rabat, Madi and I realized that every single vehicle that came upon the wreck on the highway pulled over. And I mean every, single, one. There's no way that there would have been enough men to flip the car over so quickly if every card hadn't pulled over! We found it to be a good example of the sense of family that Moroccans share with one another. The next morning we trained to the airport in Casablanca, from where Madi departed for America.

I have to say, I was sad that Madi left but it is days like those that make you realize what is important, you know? I would have given up any excursion, any day to have ridden back with her. Her Mom very serious medical issues right now, and I can't imagine how scared and nervous and sad and torn she must have been feeling. I didn't even feel like there was a choice to be made, going with her was just the right thing to do. I hope that she feels the same about leaving the program early- family is always more important that a program or a trip in my book.

Anyway, things otherwise are going really well! This weekend I am going on a trip that has been on my bucket list for years: camping in the Sahara! I am going with a small group of friends up to Merzouga, an area very close to the dunes in the deep Sahara near the Algerian border. We will ride camels out with a Berber guide, camp overnight, and then come back. It is only for one night, but I am so thrilled to be going! Everyone that I know who has gone before has told me that this is an absolute must, and they always describe night-time in the desert as being breathtaking and beautiful. I am excited! I did not take any photos in Tanger or Chefchaouen (sorry..... massive fail on my part), but I plan to take many, many, many pictures during this weekend trip!

Oh! I almost forgot- I met Leila abu Zeed and Fatima Mernissi this week, on Wednesday! That was such an interesting experience! Both of these women are famous Moroccan writers, although in different fields. Leila abu Zeed typically writes short stories, but recently she became the only woman to ever write a book on the life of the Prophet Muhamad, and also translated the biography of Malcolm X into Arabic. I have to say, I was struck by her comments on Malcolm X, and was really shocked at how much she was speaking about Islam and her work on the book about the life of the Prophet instead of her short stories. However, she is a very important Moroccan writer and it was really, really terrific to meet her! Fatima Mernissi is a very famous leader in "Islamic feminism", although she doesn't believe in the word "feminism". I actually own all of her books except for one, and although I don't always agree with her politics she is one of the most important authors in the field of women and Islam, or women's position in the Middle East/Islamic world. She shared her most recent book with us, and discussed many different topics that related to her previous works as well as the most recent book. I felt so grateful to be a part of a program that has such interesting, and noted guest lecturers!

I will send another update or two before I leave for New York. For now, things are going really well and I am looking forward to this weekend! I can't believe that I leave for America in only nine days...my summer in Morocco is rapidly coming to an end! Honestly, I can't wait to be back home and with my better half, but there is a part of me that will stay in Morocco forever. I love it here.

Countdown with me, my friends! 9 days to go!
Love,
Amanda

From my calligraphy class! 

Sarah's surprise birthday party!

Leila Abu Zeed and myself

Fatima Mernissi 

I have no clue who took this picture, but they used my camera when I wasn't paying attention! Ha!

Ramadan, and Other Low-Key Happenings

Hi friends,

A big hello from Morocco! It has been a great week overall, although I have nothing outstanding to report! Last week on Friday was my midterm (read: hardest exam of my life). Nevertheless, I made it out alive and survived to see the weekend! On Friday night the Marine house in Rabat was hosting a movie night for Americans, so I went to that! We ate real hot dogs, danced, watched The Hunger Games with popcorn, and even played pool! For all of my family in Kentucky, get this: I met a woman there who works for the embassy named Laura. She is from Kentucky also, and has a sister that lives near Bardstown! Anyway, she left Rabat for leave on Sunday, and offered to meet up with my Mammaw and Pappaw to get some jam or food or whatever I wanted from home and bring it back over to me! How sweet was that? It turns out that she will not return to Morocco from her leave until after I have left to go back to Morocco, so I cannot actually take her up on her offer, but I thought it was awfully sweet of her and a great show of the south.

Saturday I did some homework and had a nice, relaxing day. I discovered that one of my friends in the program here is a bluegrass fan, so we studied and listened to Ricky Skaggs and Bill Monroe and Allison Krauss for hours. My mother would have been so proud! ;-) In the evening I went to the ocean with a couple of friends, which was really fun because I haven't actually gone swimming in Rabat yet since we got here! We also took a pack of cards with us, and were in the middle of a game when a couple of Moroccan man walked up and just started watching us and pointing, so we invited them to join us! They picked up really quickly, and we played cards with them using a combination of broken Darija and charades for quite a while! We went swimming and left our bag on the shore, and when we came back they had actually watched our bag for us the whole time and had moved it once to keep it away from some other people. My first instinct was to be suspicious, and I got worried that they may have stolen something out of my bag, but I turned out to be totally wrong! We were really grateful, and actually gave them the pack of cards as a gift from America!

This week has been really low-key, and I don't have anything big to report! The biggest news I have about life in Morocco right now is that Ramadan has started. I didn't realize how much was going to change! The daily lives of the Moroccans who have the luxury of being able to afford it have completely inverted! Stores and shops and business are often closed all day long, or have very restricted hours if they are open at all, and don't open until after the fiToor meal at around 7:30p. Then, most cafes are open and full of men particularly, until 3 am or so. Other family members that aren't out in the cafes are usually up watching television and lounging in their own homes. Then, if they have the ability to do so, they sleep through the day! This is a particularly challenging month for those Moroccans who have jobs that don't allow them the flexibility of following this schedule, or who cannot afford to maintain it and have to work throughout the day, because they fast from about 4 in the morning until the fiToor meal at around 7:30 when the fast is broken. The fast, physically speaking, means that all Moroccans over the age of 14 are legally required to refrain from eating and drinking all things (including water), smoking, or engaging in sexual activities throughout the day. On a more spiritual level, fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, and for Muslims includes both a physical fast and a mental fast of sorts. During Ramadan Muslims are to refrain from looking at others with lust, behaving in boastful or unbecoming manners, and they are to cleanse themselves spiritually and mentally of all things that are not good. I am over simplifying this for reasons that I hope are obvious, but I hope that you can see how important this month is in Islam, and therefore in Morocco (a legally Muslim country). Interestingly, towards the beginning of the month when everyone is still getting used to fasting all day (in the hot weather) people can be quite grumpy, and this is a very common time for fights in the streets! However, much charity is performed during this month, and kind services are done to help out needy members of the community very often. Out of respect, non-citizens do not eat or drink in public, and typically avoid things like putting on chapstick, or wearing lots of makeup also. It's a very interesting time!

This week my group is going to Tangier, which I am really looking forward to! I can't believe that I have been gone for over 6 weeks- I will be home in just over two!

Lots of love to you all,
Amanda

On a train in Casablanca...was the moment of my life

Hello my friends!

It has been almost several weeks since I last wrote. I am so sorry to keep you all in the dark, but to those of you who have been sending me emails or writing on facebook- thank you for all of your lovely thoughts and prayers! I am doing wonderfully, I just did not have a working computer for a few weeks. It is kind of a "mushkila" as we say, when your computer breaks in the middle of Morocco. Fashl. Major, major, fashl ("fail"). 

Anyway, things here are really quite wonderful! I will try to catch you up on everything since I last wrote. My group traveled to Marakech, which is known as the tourist capital of Rabat, for a weekend. That was tremendous! The plaza in front of the old medina in Marakech was formerly an execution square, which was a little bit eerie, but that is my favorite plaza so far! I was really looking forward to hearing older Moroccan men and women tell stories, as i custom in Morocco. So far, Marakech is the only place where I have seen this, but I enjoyed it so much! In Morocco is a more traditional belief that people who have the gift of words, or the ability to speak beautifully in the form of poetry or stories, etc, are particularly blessed. Often large groups of people will gather around a storyteller to listen, and will not move for hours! Stories are very powerful here, and I really loved being a part of/observing other groups of Moroccans listening to their elders speak without moving or making a sound for hours!


The next week, I had the most delightful surprise...Kyle came to visit! Can you believe that? How lucky am I?! He was only here for a few days...and had a slight hiccup in travel that left him stranded in Paris (where he was super adventurous and made it all the way to Eiffel Tower!)...but we had a wonderful time. It was really a terrific weekend, and I think that I am still beaming from it! There are many happy couples in my life, and I love them all, but I think I have officially decided that I have the best man in my life right now that a girl could ask for. <3

The week after Kyle left we had another group excursion to Fez and Meknes. Fez is supposed to be the spiritual capital, so to speak, of Morocco, and is usually considered one of the most conservative areas of the country. The old medina there is breathtaking, and I think it is my favorite one so far! I had actually been saving money throughout the trip to buy gifts there, and did a wonderful job of it- thank you very much! Let me share a story: I was really on a mission to buy a rug, carpet, or tapestry of some kind while I was in Fez. I was working my way through the old medina and souk with my friend Dina asking around for the best place to buy this, and we found ourselves at exactly the same shop that a Moroccan that I know had recommended to us. So, we go in and begin looking around, asking questions, and bargaining with the owner of the shop. He runs a cooperative with 13 Berber women who live high in the Atlas mountains. It would be inappropriate for him to work directly with the women in Moroccan culture, so this is how it works: this small group of Berber women reside in the High Atlas and sought to generate income for themselves using their weaving skills. They work with another women from the city of Fez, who works with this shop owner. He wanted to only sell authentic, hand-made, Moroccan tapestries, carpets, rugs, etc but does not make them himself, and began supporting the Berber women's venture by opening his "co-operative" shop. This place was huge, and beautiful. He had two floors overflowing with all sorts of colors and sizes and styles and materials- I would have been happy to lose myself in there for days. Anyway, we were of course speaking to him in Arabic, and after a while of conversing he decided that we were officially his friends and welcome for tea anytime in his home or shop (and we decided that we wanted to buy from him!) So....the bartering began! This is how it works in Morocco: there is a price for tourists and people who come with companies that get commissions, then there is a price for foreigners that are considered friends or who speak Arabic, and then there is the local/family price. I bought a gorgeous rug made out of cactus silk and camel fur. The tourist price? 3,500 dirhams (roughly $400). The price for "friends"? 750 dirhams (roughly $90). The price I paid after bargaining? 320 dirhams (roughly $40). I am officially comfortable saying that "I speak Arabic." :-) It was so much fun, and I absolutely know that if (or when) I return, he will welcome me right back into his shop with a big smile and warm tea. Also, I ate with some friends at a place called "Cafe Clock" that was phenomenal! I had a camel burger, and a date milkshake. It doesn't get any better than that!


We also visited some really interesting historical sites on the trip! Namely, Volubilis (or Walili in Arabic) and a Moroccan prison from the Moulay Ismail era that is underground in Meknes. I could write pages and pages about each of these sites, but I will try to keep it short. Volubilis is best-preserved location of Roman ruins in this area of the world, and I believe in all of Africa. It has been considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site since the late 1990s, and rightfully so. It was breathtaking! Some quick history: Walili was a major Roman city, and unlike many others that were abandoned in the3rd (?) century AD Walili retained its population. It passed hands many times, and was occupied by many different peoples including the Greek, Latin, and Abasid peoples. It was badly damaged by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, but as I hope you can see in my pictures is still astonishing! I believe that excavations began of the area in 1915 or 1917, somewhere around there. Another interesting and fun fact: the closest town to Walili is Mouulay Idriss, which is actually considered to be "1/5 of the hajj" that Muslims perform as one of the five pillars of Islam. This means that most Muslims, who have the time and money during their hajj, will stop at Moulay Idriss. Additionally, if a believer is unable to perform the true hajj for some reason during their life, they may visit Moulay Idriss five times and they will have spiritually completed the equivalent of a true hajj. Interesting!


As for the prison: Moulay Ismail was one of the cruelest and most psychcologically tormented individuals that ever walked this planet, and certainly that ever ruled Morocco. He is referred to as being a man "always on his horse", meaning that he was always at war with someone. The Moroccan people despised him so much during his rule that his own army was comprised of men imported from other areas, as he did not trust Moroccan men to be loyal to his cause or perform well in service to him. He is particularly remembered for his indulgent sexual habits: he would send out mobs for the purpose of finding beautiful women, kidnapping them, and bringing them back to him, particularly in the northern areas of Morocco where there tended to be more European and lighter-skinned women. He would rape, or otherwise sexually abuse, these women, frequently torture them, and then lock them away in the prison until they died. In fact, most estimates suggest that the prison I visited contained more women than men because of how many women he cruelly abused in this way. Being in that place was grotesque, and felt heavy on my shoulders. I can't imagine the amount of terror and suffering that happened in that prison, but it was uncomfortable just touching the same walls that prisoners were shackled to and walking down the same staircase that the guards would have. The hair on my neck stands up just thinking about it again. This is of course not the manner of treatment in Morocco any longer, and every civilization on this planet has a history of cruel treatment of prisoners equally as painful. But, this was the first time that I have visited such a place, and it was eerie to say the least. 
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That brings us to this week, though! I have a midterm this week (yikes!) and a minor head cold (bummer). But, everything is wonderful! I am genuinely having a terrific time, and loving Moroccan culture and people more and more each day. Two days ago Madi and I were walking through the souk from our house to the place where we catch a cab to school every day, and I actually couldn't remember what morning was like in America! It took me about 7 or 8 or 9 seconds, thinking really hard and purposefully, to remember what my morning on my way to school was like in America! That's not to say that I can't wait to come home- there are things that I miss terribly, and I have come to appreciate many things about America ever more now that I have had this experience. But, it is to say that I have found my place in Morocco, and Morocco has found its place in my heart, as well. I am happy here, for now. 

I posted almost fifty pictures in the facebook album-finally! Sorry to those of you who have been waiting and asking for pictures! I hope you think that Morocco is as beautiful as I do. 
Time to study for my midterm....
Lots of love,


Amanda

"Here's looking at you, kid!" and other memorable things

Wow, I can't believe how the time is flying by! I thought for sure that I would post a little something about my weekend in Casablanca on Sunday when I got home, and then I waited until Monday, and then Tuesday, and then Wednesday, and now here it is on Thursday and I am getting ready to take another weekend excursion tomorrow!

I am pleased to report that our trip was save and successful! I think it is a right of passage if you claim to speak any given language to have to travel around on your own and navigate your way in a native-speaking environment without incident- if you can do that, then you can speak the language. :-) We arrived by train on Saturday, and unfortunately my first impressions were not very good. About two or three blocks from the train station we were walking and witnessed a motorcyclist being hit by a taxi. It was one of the most awful sounds I have ever heard, and feeling helpless while the poor motorcyclist's leg was trapped under his bike was an unpleasant experience. The man couldn't move, obviously, but the oncoming traffic kept honking at him and continued to drive around, as if his being injured and clearly unable to remove himself from the street was such an inconvenience to them! I felt so ashamed. But after enough people on the street realized what had happened, a group of Moroccans formed a circle around him in the street and waved off all of the oncoming traffic, it was a beautiful thing to see. Needless to say that after that I was a little bit hesitant to take a taxi in Casablanca! But, it was all uphill from there I am happy to say! We stayed in a very nice hotel with a great owner, whom we befriended, and a fantastic view of the city and the ocean. I would go back there in a heartbeat! If you are ever in Casablanca and need a hotel look up "Center Hotel" near the Old Medina.

After we checked into out hotel (and took some photos of the gorgeous rooftop view!) we headed for lunch, meandered through the city streets oogling at all of the old architecture, checked out the old medina, and then went to Rick's Cafe for dinner. Rick's Cafe is a very nice dining establishment (contrary to what the name might lead you to believe) that is owned and operated by a former American diplomat, and it is themed after the American film "Casablanca". There are pictures and small nods to the movie all over that place, and there is even a room on the first floor where the film runs on repeat! My experience was mixed because we had been under the impression that this place was a sort of tongue-in-cheek Hard Rock Cafe type of joint that would be casual, laid back, and hoppin'! It turned out to be a very upscale, evening-gowns and tux type of place. Needless to say, our group of students (that were obviously operating on a students' budget!) dressed in casual travelers' attire hauling around day packs stuck out just a wee little bit! Regardless, it was an awesome experience and I am happy that we went there! I would definitely go back if I was in Casablanca again, and I think that I would enjoy it a lot more because now I know what to expect.

On Sunday we went to the King Hassan II Masjid, which has the largest minaret in the world, is the largest mosque in Morocco, and is the third largest mosque in the world behind on Mecca and Medina (the two holiest cities in Islam). It was breathtakingly beautiful- the craftsmenship and beautiful artwork inside were really incredible, and I learned so much about the history of the mosque from our tour guide! Construction began on the mosque in 1987, and it was finished in 1993. All of the artists who worked on the mosque are Moroccan, and did all of the work by hand! More than 10,000 artists and craftsmen worked on the mosque and it is easy to see that such an immense amount of work was put into its design by the extremely detailed and ornate carvings, paintings, and various designs in every singly material. There was so much thought put into everything in that place! The roof opens up to expose the sky so that during large gatherings of worshippers air can circulate more effectively and also so that worshippers can be more connected to all elements of the earth (water, wind, etc). There are many other such surprises, like heated floors, and all electric doors! It was also constructed to withstand earthquakes (it has expansion spaces every certain number of feet throughout the whole building) and directly next to the ocean, inspired by an ayah in the Qur'an which states that the throne of Allah was built on water. This is the only mosque in the entire country that non-Muslims are allowed to enter, so it was really quite a privilege to see it! I wish I could describe how big it is, though- this mosque holds over 20,000 worshippers inside and over 85,000 outside according to the tour guide- can you image praying simultaneously with over 100,000 other people?! Seriously- overwhelmingly huge.

Anyway- everything else here is going pretty well this week! My test last Friday went alright, and I will subsequent tests every Friday throughout the rest of the program so there is definitely no room for slacking. My family is still absolutely wonderful- I feel really blessed to have been placed in such a great host family! Last night our Mom served Madi and I dinner out on the patio under the stars by candlelight! I think this was primarily because it was actually cooler outside than it was in the house (the last two days it has been between 95 and 104 degrees), but it still felt like a very picturesque scene. It made me feel like I was back in America a little bit, because I really enjoy eating outside and being under the night sky when I am at home in the summer, too. My host brother was sick yesterday, which was a bummer, but he seems to be feeling better already! I am really starting to feel like part of the community here, which is so nice! When we walk through the souk every morning on our way to school there are a few particular shopowners (whose hanoots we frequent) that always recognize us and greet us, and it makes me feel safer and more at home to know that there are locals in the community that recognize us and are happy to have us here! There is also one particular restaurant that has become my favorite- one of the waiters there is named Saad, he does not speak English very well but tears out a few pages of a dictionary every day and tries to memorize words that way. We have become as good of friends as one might expect of two people from different countries in only a few weeks, but more importantly, he has become somewhat of a big brother to me. If I leave the restaurant later in the night when it is dark outside he always watches outside the door as I walk down the street to make sure that nobody is trying to harass me or follow me, etc, and everytime I come into the restaurant he always greets me with a big smile and "okhti!" ("my sister"). I noticed that when I was in Casablanca last weekend, particularly after seeing that accident, I felt very on guard and highly aware of everything around me but as soon as I stepped off of the train back in Rabat I instantly felt more comfortable, as if I was back home. I didn't realize that until recently, but I suppose that it is a nice sign that I am starting to settle in here, and I really feel like I am beginning to know the city well! I am learning soooo much, and really having a great time. I got very homesick yesterday, but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

Sending lots of love from Morocco,
Amanda <3

fonDuQ Central- our hotel in Casablanca

Shot from the rooftop of our hotel!

Had to take a photo of this restaurant in Casablanca for my Mom :)

The film "Casablanca" on repeat in Rick's Cafe :)

The group I went to Casablanca with (minus Geoff) with one of the employees

King Hassan II Mosque

A small glimpse of the beauty inside!

One of the smallest doors on the mosque- you should see the royal entrance!

The group I traveled with in the Morocco Mall, in front of its super cool inside aquarium!

Arabish and "Bring to me Fives"!

A big hello!!

I would say "howdy", but apparently I am the only person in my group who greets people that way and they are starting to laugh at me because of it! All in good fun, though- the group I am here with is turning out to be really great! We work very hard during most of the day in class, or doing the many hours of homework that we are assigned every night, but there is a lot of laughing as well. We have officially adopted the language of "Arabish" as our native tongue! Alternating our thoughts between Arabic and English has produced beautiful sentences like "we have to ktb (write) a fiqra (paragraph)!" and "mumkin (may I, is it possible) it's aHsan (better than, the best) that way!" The fact that we are all beginning to think in Arabic so much that we are transitioning from one language to the other effortlessly and often without noticing is both a wonderful sign, and often the cause of much laughter!

This is the group I had lunch with every day this week! Teresa on the left, myself, our lunch partner for the week Boutina, and Bess on the far right. 

Translating some things from English into Arabic and vice versa has also been interesting... My host sister and I were talking last night, but her English is even more limited than my Arabic (I will explain this in a minute), so we were really putting our creative speaking skills to work trying to have a good conversation! Imagine me trying to describe the concept of being "boy crazy" to her....which turned out hilarious-ly (is that a word?) by the way. I think we finally settled on "she is crazy" "for all of the boys". Close enough? I also had tried to explain to her the colloquial English phrase "You got it!", as used when one person is trying to encourage another and express confidence-right? We had our first exam today, and I was obviously very nervous about it and studying hard. She had asked me about how my studying was going last night, at which point I told her about my being nervous and such, and she says to me "3ndki, 3ndki!!" which translated literally means "you posses, you posses!" or "you own, you own!". It was a great cross-cultural moment- we laughed and laughed and laughed! Also- my little brothers definitely know what "3tini khamsa" (bring to me five, literally, but it was as close to "give me five!" as I could get). It's the little things like getting a high-five from your little Moroccan brother that really make Rabat feel like home!  

My cute little brothers asleep on our living room floor! 

My sister Nura hanging out on the couch in our main salon.

Speaking of cross-cultural- so, my host sister essentially trying to teach herself English using American popular music. As a result, when I have come home from school on various days this week I have been greeted by David Guetta's "Where 'Dem Girls At" or LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem". Talk about culture shock- I am working all day in Arabic, studying all day in Arabic, speaking all day in Arabic, trying to survive in an outstandingly different culture from my own surround by people who really don't understand or know anything about where I come from, walking through a souk just to get to my home, and then I walk in the door and might as well be listening to any given top 40 radio station from home. It's a laughable moment, to say this least. In fact, she is sitting on her laptop, on facebook, listening to "Fire Away" by David Guetta, next to me on the couch at this very moment. Crazy!  

Everything in my program is going very well so far! It is much more demanding than I had expected it to be, I am easily doing 4-5 hours of homework a day, plus all day in classes and the commute time, etc. So- I am not sleeping a lot at this point, but it has absolutely been worth it! My Arabic is already improving, we are beginning to become familiar to local neighbors and shopkeepers and such, and settling in very nicely. I had my first exam today, which was terrifying, but I will not know how I did until Monday presumably. I am amazed by how much material is covered here, though. The State Department is not joking about this "every day is equivalent to one week's worth of regular classroom intsruction" thing. I miss some things (read: people) from home very much, but I truly am feeling very comfortable here, and very happy. 

A small group of friends from our program is going to Casablanca this weekend to explore the city! We are planning to visit King Hassan II Mosque, the beach, perhaps the American-film themed restaurant where you can watch "Casablanca" repeatedly on the first floor, old medina, and who knows what else! I'm looking forward to it. I am particularly excited about visiting the mosque; it is the largest mosque in the country and one of the largest in the world. I believe that it has the highest minaret in the world, but am not positive about that. More importantly, non-Muslims are not allowed within mosques in Morocco by law- except for this one. I was really surprised to learn this when I got here, because the Muslim community in Laramie is always inviting a variety of people to visit and attend services there. 

That reminds me- many cities in Morocco have a special tradition on Friday, the day of prayer for Muslims- today is couscous Friday! Everyone, and I mean everyone here eats couscous on Fridays! It is one of the dishes that Morocco is famous for, but I did not know until we got here how much of a big deal couscous is! It is pretty neat to see a large part of the country share in the same dish every week as a tradition- it is a big bonding experience for families here! Speaking of families- Madison and I definitely got the best family. We feel so lucky! Other people in our program have even told us that they have run into her in the souk and she will make the gesture for love and smile at them or give out other tender gestures. We have lovingly renamed her "meshi meshkila" (no problem!) because she is so easy-going. Apparently her nick name in the neighborhood is "Mama meshi meshkila"! 

Sorry for the novel, I just realized that I have been so busy with school and homework that I hadn't written since Monday! Lots of love and warm smiles from Morocco,

Amanda

Today was Geoff's birthday- we had a delicious Moroccan birthday cake and sang a very bilingual happy birthday song!

Friday couscous! This was the plate made for just Madison and I! You see what I mean about the large quantities of food?! But it's sooooo good. :-) We only ate about a quarter of this between the two of us!

My brother Soufianne in his swimming trunks, swimming cap, and goggles- I think he wants me to take him to the beach tonight! What gave it away?! ;-)

Showing off his muscles- isn't he handsome?! 

Welcome to the Family

Well friends, I  have officially been accepted as a Moroccan- ha! We moved in with our new host families yesterday, allow me to introduce you: Hamid is my host dad, he is a bodyguard for the King of Morocco, Saida is my host mom, she is a stay-at-home mom but has two different degrees in cooking. My host siblings are a 14 year old girl who is away at a boarding school in Casablanca, an 8 year old boy named Soufiane, and a 2 year old boy named Saad. They are a very warm and loving family- Saida and Hamid have already started to introduce my rooming partner (Madison) and I as their daughters, and even yesterday while I was studying in the salon Saad was yelling "okhti, okhti" (my sister, my sister) to get my attention. Their home is beautiful (only Madison and I get corrected every time we call it "their home", because it is now "our home"). We live in a very large apartment above the souk (market) street, only about four blocks from the ocean! :-) The house is very modern, and the neighborhood very friendly. This morning when we left for school we saw lots of local children running around to different Moms giving them kisses on the cheek, it was very sweet.

Getting used to the amount of food eaten by Moroccans and the frequency will be a challenge- I feel like southern hospitality may have met its match! Breakfast is had at 7 right now because we have to leave for school at 7:30, but normally it would be had at 9 or 10 apparently. I think I misunderstood that earlier- the only reason our family is eating breakfast at 7 is because Madison and I need to eat at that time and it would be unhospitable to make us eat alone. Then there is a mid-morning tea/coffee/snack break- and for the record, all of these involve tea/coffee and bread. Lunch is had around 4, from what I can tell, and this is the largest meal of the day. Yesterday we had tagine with beef, potatoes, peas, chickpeas, and bread followed by watermelon! I never thought I would be eating watermelon in Morocco! Although, one of our staff specifically told us not to eat the melon this summer- apparently this year the melons have something going on that will make you sick.

On that subject- I have not gotten sick yet! There are a few things I have eaten that have made me feel like my intestines were committing mutiny inside my stomach, but so far it has been very short lived and nothing has come of it. The tap water in Rabat is some of the best in Morocco, as far as water quality is concerned, and is very clear water. But, it is still not the best to drink, especially because the bacteria in the water here and not the same as the bacteria at home. So, I have been using Kyle's sterilization pen several times a day. This way, I can fill up my water bottle and then just sterilize the water so that it is safe to drink, instead of buying water bottles constantly. Bottled water is very cheap here, but it is still nice to use my own! Everyone seems amazed by the sterilization pen- my brother Soufianne wanted to fill up my water bottle repeatedly yesterday just so he could see the laser shine in the water.

My class begins in a few minutes so I am wrapping up for now, but I just wanted to share my new host family with you. They are very loving and kind, the accommodations are very nice, and it is in an exciting and safe location, so all is well!

Love from Morocco,
Amanda