Day 1

I made it to Rabat in one piece! Everything is so completely different here. I can't lie...I'm going through some serious culture shock. Nothing is like it is in the United States...even the toilets.

I landed in Paris around 11:30 am. I got off the plane and had to catch a bus to another terminal, which happened to be at the complete opposite end of the airport. Boarding for my flight to Rabat commenced at 12:10. So I was stuffed on a bus with a million other people and driven to my other terminal. The arrows in the Charles De Gaulle airport were weird, and I ended up at a security check line. Honestly? Like, what the hell could I have POSSIBLY done between one terminal to another? Needless to say, that took a while, bringing me to 12:10. I had to go to the bathroom, I really wanted to brush my teeth, but I just kept booking it until I got to my gate. I recognized 4 girls from my program, so I sat with them. Luckily, the plane was boarding a little bit later than planned, so I had time to catch my breath. We then boarded the plane and headed off to Morocco!

My first flight took about 7.5 hours. I don't think I slept much, if at all. At 3am (USA time), I was wide awake and just decided to play the "video games" and watch the TV. I figured it was good to be awake at 3am, considering it was 8am Moroccan time, so I suffered no jet lag.

My second flight took about 2.5 hours. I pretty much slept that entire flight. It was awesome, and surprisingly comfortable.

The Rabat airport isn't your typical US airport. It was actually really small with just a coffee stand. The bathrooms were gross. I had to use the handicap restroom for toilet paper and I couldn't figure out how to flush the toilet. It was horrible.

The hotel wasn't what I expected either. In the US, even the cheapest motels are rather large. This hotel, the Hotel Majestic, is actually quite small and connected to other buildings. The reception lobby is on the 2nd floor, and there are no elevators. I am on the 4th floor sharing a room with a girl named Cristal. I was surprised at how small the room was! It is comfortable enough, but definitely not as big as an American hotel room. In fact, it's probably even less than half the size. The bathroom is really small too. To flush the toilet, you have to pull a chain that goes up almost to the ceiling. And the toilet paper is pink. The shower is absolutely tiny, but large enough to get in and get clean. The water doesn't run constantly either; you have to push the button over and over again, like a sink in some public bathrooms.

Our little bathroom!

Looking studious in the room

I am looking forward to meeting my family, but right now, it is nice to stay in a hotel to get used to everything.

We have orientation for the next few days and I take my Arabic placement exam tomorrow afternoon. We will learn some Moroccan Arabic (Darija), learn how to bargain, how to handle harassment, etc.

It is absolutely amazing being here. It is nothing I've ever experienced! It's so fun to speak Arabic and French (although its mostly been French so far) with the natives- I finally get to put my hard work on foreign languages to the test!