Beni Mellal and Ouzoud

This past weekend, a group of us went to Ouzoud to check out the waterfalls. It was quite the adventure to say the least. Our teacher let us out of class at 4:00 and we had to catch a train across town at 4:30. So we booked it, and thankfully made it on time. We took a 1-hour train ride to Casablanca where we had plans to walk to the bus station, however once we got there, all the tickets were sold! So we had to come up with plan B....take a taxi.

The ride was about 3 hours long. As you can see from the photo, lanes do not matter. Let's just say that the driving is a lot different here. While leaving the city, 2 guys got in a fight in the middle of a traffic circle. Like...one guy went up to the taxi (not ours) and started yelling at the driver. They yelled and yelled, and the guy standing up started swinging his arms. The driver then got out. It was freaky. Our cab driver laughed at us because we were all screaming. We didn't see much more because we kept driving, but oh man...

We had reservations for a hotel for 2 nights in a town called Beni Mellal, about 2 hours away from Ouzoud. We got there around 10:45 pm and went to bed. The next morning, we woke up and left for Ouzoud in another grand taxi around 9:00 am. The drive was very scenic, as Ouzoud is in the Atlas Mountains. :-)

When we arrived in Ouzoud, we were greeted by a guide waiting for tourists so he could bring us around. The price was decent, so we went with him. We walked down a steep "path" and arrived at an un-busy part of the falls so we could swim. He even showed us places where we could jump into the water! It didn't look like it was that high above the surface, but once you were standing on it, it totally was. I jumped twice. It was really fun!

The water was surprisingly cold, but it felt so good compared to the humidity and heat outside. I stayed in the water until we decided to bounce.

We went to a cafe that looked out over the falls. The food was good and the view was quite nice. Before that, we took a group picture. :-)

There were also monkeys in the wild! They would actually come up really close to you. They were kinda cute :-)

On the way back up the mountain, we took the normal path, so I didn't feel like I was going to die. It was really steep and made Cardiac Hill in Pittsburgh seem like a bump. Needless to say, we made it up alive and rode back to Beni Mellal for the rest of the evening.

The next day, we slept in pretty late, grabbed some food, and then caught a bus to Casablanca. Interestingly enough, the CMT bus isn't as sketchy as Greyhound, which I found quite surprising. We then took a train from Casablanca to Rabat and got back at 7pm, giving us enough time to grab some food.

On Friday, King Mohamed made a speech in regards to the constitutional amendments. Apparently, some people were unhappy and there were 3 protests scheduled to take place, one of them being in Rabat in front of the Parliament building, which just so conveniently happens to be right next to the train station. Thankfully, the protest didn't happen, so we all made it home safely without getting caught up in any trouble.

In terms of normal, everyday life, I really love my Arabic class, my new friends, and pretty much everything about Morocco. The food is really good, but it's cooked with a lot of spices. My host dad made a comment today at lunch that I really don't eat very much. I'm actually quite surprised...I eat as much here as I do at home (in terms of portions), but it really isn't that much! If I say I only want a little bit of food, I get a smaller heap, but it's still quite large. I thought I ate a lot, but apparently I don't!! I thought Americans ate a lot, but I can honestly say that the Moroccans beat us! (Only I think we're a fatter nation because our food isn't as healthy.) I'm thinking I'll lose some weight here because I don't eat as much as everyone else, we walk a lot, and it's really hot. The only thing that's hard to avoid is the carbs...bread is eaten at EVERY meal and it is essentially it's own food group. I try not to eat too much bread because I don't want to carbs to blow me up.

This weekend, we will be going on our southern excursion to Marrakech and Essaouira! I am so excited, but it will be really hot. And I'm going to the hammam again today! My days are very busy and it's hard to find the time to post blogs, send emails, and get all of my homework done. It can get a little overwhelming, but I'm managing quite well and I'm still having fun!

Hammam

Classes commenced yesterday. We have Arabic for 4 hours every morning! I guess that's why it's called Intensive Arabic :-P My teacher's name is Abdelaziz and he's really cool!

After our lecture in the afternoon, my friends Megan R, Chloe, and I went to the hammam, or "public bath". We had to buy a small bucket to dump over our heads and some rough scrubbing gloves. While at the hammam, we bought some soap made of olive oil that cleans all the dirt and crap out of your pores. We got into the changing room and had to take off all of our clothes, except for our underwear. We knew we were going to have to do it, but by the time it came down to taking off our bras, the three of us were a little nervous. It took a minute to adjust to being in front of a bunch of women completely shirtless, but eventually, it didn't bother us at all.

We were given big buckets to fill with water and then we went to the bath rooms. There wasn't a lot of room in the first 2 rooms, so we went back to the third room and it was hot as hell. I was nervous that I would pass out or stop breathing, but I adjusted. We sat down in a corner, filled our buckets, and scrubbed. The scrub gloves we had were black, so we could see all of the dead skin that came off. It wasn't gross or excessive, but it's amazing to see how much dead skin just sits on your body.

And of course, there aren't shower heads, so we used our small buckets to dump clean water on our bodies to rinse off. By the time we were done, we felt like new people. I've never been so clean in my life, only I was still sweating from how hot it was in there and then I had to walk home. It was certainly a bonding experience. If anyone goes to Morocco, they MUST go to the hammam. And since everyone there is almost naked or completely naked, nobody thinks twice or stares at you or judges you. Even though I was told that before I went, I learned better through experience. You just have to be comfortable and get over any insecurities you may have. :-)

Today, we had a guest lecture to talk about the Arab Revolution. On the way there, a little Moroccan baby followed us and ran around with us. He loved us! He was really cute and he held hands with Laura. It was so adorable!

The Moroccan Culture Seminar has been really interesting. The past two days, we have been mainly discussing religion. Yesterday, we talked about the significance of the hijab and reasons and meanings for veiling, and today we talked about the significance of Mary in Islam.

Everything is still going quite well with my family. They are so nice and helpful. They are easily approachable if I need something. I really like Zineb and it's fun playing with and talking to Aya. Unfortunately now that I have homework, I don't get to spend as much time with her.

It's starting to get hotter outside. Some rooms in the academic buildings are air conditioned, but in general, we just have to rely on a nice breeze to keep us cool.

My family

On Friday, I met my family. I have a mom, Khadija, a dad, Abdelilah, 2 sisters, Zineb, 21, and Aya, 6, and a brother, Mohamed, 24. They are all very nice! Zineb studies law at University Mohamed V in Rabat, Mama Khadija is a nurse, and Baba Abdelilah works in journalism. Zineb speaks English, as does Baba Abdelilah. In general, the family speaks Moroccan Arabic (Darija) but they speak French with me. Aya is very cute. She was so shy the first day and wouldn't talk much to me, but now she talks to me all the time. She really likes Dora the Explorer and Snow White. :-)

Yesterday, we went to the circus. It was neat!

 

The house I live in is beautiful! Everything is tiled! There is a central indoor "courtyard" (so to speak) and there are four rooms around the courtyard. There is the main door, which leads to the toilet (not the bathroom, because there is no bath). There is another area split into 2. Behind the curtain is Mohamed's room and then a small door leads to the girls' room, which I share with my sisters. Then there is my parents' room, and then the kitchen. Through the kitchen is a sink for handwashing and for brushing teeth, and to the right is the shower. It is not a shower like you'd find in the United States. There is a faucet and a shower head that I use to fill a large bucket. I then turn off the faucet and use the water in the bucket to wash. I dump water over my head and body with a smaller cup. I really like showering like that because it's different and it does not waste much water. In order to shower, we have to turn on the gas. Hot water is ONLY used for showering because it is too expensive otherwise.

I was able to send an email to my parents from Zineb's computer in her room. She has a wired internet connection, but I am at a cyber café today to do homework, send emails, and write on my blog!

Today was the first day I ventured the streets of Rabat alone. It was a little bit stressful, but I walked with a purpose. I was heckled a lot more. It doesn't make me nervous anymore to get heckled because it is normal, in fact, it boosts my ego a bit because hecklers think the hecklees are pretty :-). One guy helped me find the internet cafe today because I went a little too far down the street. I was about to go into a shop and ask where the cafe was right as he turned the corner. He spoke French to me and asked if I was looking for something, so I just asked. He was nice, but I was still nervous. Luckily, I was on an open, visible street with some people, so I was still safe. When he showed me where it was, he asked me for my number. I told him I didn't have a phone, but then he was going to give me his. I said no thanks, but thanks for the help and went to the cafe. It was flattering, yes, but I am not about to give any information of my whereabouts.

Yeah, I DEFINITELY stick out. I notice people looking at me. Although I was told that there are pale, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Arabs, I have yet to see one. I CLEARLY do not look the part. Although I dress modestly and appropriately, I'm Irish and I look it. In fact, a lot of people think I'm French because they automatically speak French to me. The good thing is, I have a strong head on my shoulders, I walk with a purpose, and soon, despite my looks, I will fit in quite well.

Tomorrow, I begin my classes. I have Arabic for 4 hours in the morning, then Moroccan Culture Seminar in the late afternoon for about 1.5-2 hours.

Day 3

Today was a fun and exciting day! We spent a lot of time outside on the streets! First thing in the morning, we had a Moroccan Arabic class for an hour and a half, then went to see the other CCCL annexes.

The library

The annex where our Arabic classes will be held.

I am also surprised at the amount of stray cats all over the medina.

This kitty was really cute. It was the smallest cat I've ever seen in my life. Most of them aren't very cute, but this one definitely was :-)

After lunch, we had a lecture on bargaining, then had a field exercise in the souk (market). We were each given 10 dirhams, which is about $1.30 to work with. I first tried to bargain with a guy to get some sparkly slides that were originally 15 dirham. He wouldn't lower the price, even though I told him that was all I had, so I left. I ended up getting a scarf that was originally either 15 or 20 dirhams. I bought it with the 10 dirhams I had :-)

After we did our bargaining "field exercise", we got a little bit lost on our way back to the CCCL. Some kids started heckling us playfully. It was really funny.

Tomorrow, we are taking a bus tour of Rabat, taking another Moroccan Arabic class, and meeting our homestay families! I am so excited to meet my family! I am a little bit nervous, but I bet we will get along really well. I am mainly nervous about there not being a western-style toilet, since that is what I am used to and have always used. I am glad to be getting away from the shower in our hotel room, not because it is small or that I have to keep pushing the button to keep the water running, but because the curtain doesn't go all the way to the ground and water gets EVERYWHERE! Not that it won't happen in my family's home, but one can always wonder. In terms of the homestay, my biggest stress is the toilet, whereas for some others it is the shower. Not all of the homes have a shower. I would be okay with using buckets and dumping water on my body, but for some other people, it's a huge stress. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Unfortunately, I probably will not be able to post daily blog entries since there will be no internet access in my home, but I DO have internet access at all of the CCCL buildings and internet cafés. 

In terms of food, everything I've eaten has been great! Even stuff I wouldn't normally eat in the United States tastes good here! Before I left the US, I recently discovered that I like many cooked vegetables, which was a huge epiphany for me. Here, they are even better!!! (I do not like very many raw vegetables, but all the vegetables that have been served to me have been cooked and mixed with spices.) Everything also feels really healthy when I eat it. I don't think I've put one "fake" thing in my stomach since being here. One thing I have noticed about Moroccan cuisine is that bread and rice are separate food groups ;-)

Everyone in the program is getting along great! It's only been a few days, but we are all so comfortable with each other and so close that it's like we've been friends for a lot longer! 

I am now adjusted to Moroccan time and doing quite well! The first full day was really hard, but today was a lot better.

The First Full Day

Today was my first full day in Rabat. It consisted of getting some breakfast, spending all day at the CCCL doing orientation stuff, and hanging around town. We get hotel breakfast while we are still staying in the hotel, and it's not your typical continental breakfast. We got a coffee/espresso thing (which was awesome), fresh-squeezed orange juice (which was awesomer and so much better than Tropicana), and a croissant-type thing.

Jet lag hit me really hard today. It was hard to stay awake, so I am going to bed at a decent hour tonight.

In orientation, I took a placement exam, met some of the CCCL staff, learned a little bit about Moroccan history, and sat through a health lecture and a harassment lecture. The harassment lecture was interesting. Basically, if you are out in public, it is normal to get bumped...it's public space! Also, Moroccans are not as strict about personal space as Americans. Your body is your own, but any other space, even if it's a centimeter away, is fair game. And in Moroccan culture, being whistled at or having people say things to you is just "attention", and sometimes even liked. Of course we were told what to do if things get out of hand or if we get really uncomfortable, but just to be aware of the "culture" of harassment/attention. This evening while walking through the souk with some friends, a guy apparently did a double-take on me and checked me out hard-core. I didn't notice, but one of my friends couldn't stop laughing. I guess it's nice to know that someone thinks I have a hot bod ;-)

As a group, we really stick out. Everyone knows we aren't Moroccan, however, a lot of people assume we can speak French. Regardless, everyone is super nice to us.

Tomorrow we are learning how to bargain! I remember a bit from Moroccan Arabic class, but it'll be a good review. We will also be learning some Moroccan Arabic to help us in day-to-day situations.

I'm still absolutely loving it here and I really enjoy all the people in my program!

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!

And So the Adventure Begins...

In just 2 hours, I will be leaving for the airport. All my packing is done, and I am ready to go! I will fly Air France, flight 27 @ 10:05pm (15 min late, already!) out of Dulles International in Washington, DC/Dulles, VA, connect at Charles De Gaulle in Paris, France tomorrow morning at around 11:30 (Paris time), and then fly Air France to Rabat.

Words can't even begin to describe how excited/happy I feel! I can't believe I am FINALLY going after months and months, (almost a year, actually) of planning!

My suitcase is stuffed...there was so much stuff I had to bring! I hope that I will be able to get rid of things as I go so that I have room for new things :-) Some of them will be obvious, like shampoo, sunscreen, lotion, etc. I also am using a trick my Uncle James uses- bringing old underwear so you can throw it out! It kinda stinks that I had to bring 2 towels...they're so bulky! I bet if I didn't have to bring them, I would have a lot more room in my suitcase. Oh well, what can you do?

I may or may not post while waiting for my flight at the airport. If I don't, I will be doing any/a combination of the following:
~studying Arabic
~reading magazines
~playing sudoku

I am ready to embark on my journey. If this is my last post before I leave, Ma'a Sala'am, and see you on the other side :-)