-all of our luggage was ready for us as we got to the baggage claim. Mom- I am VERY happy that I went with the rolley bag and not that crazy backpack. I probably would NOT have made it if I had to carry all of that around with me ON MY BACK.
-very easy to read signs and the man at the train ticket counter amused me by conversing in French, and I figured out that the next train was at 09:00 hrs, and would cost 75 "dirham" (less than 9 USD). We exchanged some of our money and sat and waited. We also were able to see the beautiful Moroccan sun rise from where we were waiting.
- The train situation was a little crazy because of all of our bags and the communication disconnect , but I was not as uncomfortable with it as the rest of the girls. We had to change our train, and while we were waiting (for 39 minutes) I was drinking a "Coca Cola Light" (NOT D.C.... more like Coke Zero-yuck) and across the train a Moroccan man got my attention and explained to me how bad "Coca Cola Light" is for me (en français) . We had a little conversation over the tracks (fun fact: the train tracks are level with the ground, so if you realize you are at the wrong track, you can just walk right over! AND no third rail). Our conversation ended with me being like "i know it's bad for me, but I love it a lot" (another fun fact: apparently Moroccan "coca cola light" is not as bad as American diet coke because they don't have access to the same harmful chemicals here or something). Anyway! The conversation ends kind of, and I turn back to my peers. A few moments later I turn back around and see this man lighting up a CIGARETTE!!!!!!!! I just had to say something, so I did. I won the (friendly) argument. I was thinking about Abbey House a lot during the interaction, I think most of my neighbors would be on the opposite side of the tracks as me for this one... His train then came and he went to the window and drew something on the window glass that I could not decipher. As the train pulled away a brunette from Bowdin told me that she was going to buy me some brown hair dye....... ok?
-The train ride was mostly farm land consisting of sheep, goats, and COWS! I did NOT think I would see a cow here, but there were tons! They're all very skinny, and a girl said that any meat that we eat here will be automatically grass-fed/organic bc, like the D.C., Morocco doesn't have access to the same chemicals/growth hormones as we do in the States.
-We took a "Grand Taxi" from the Rabat-Ville train station to our Hotel; Hotel Majestic, and immediately checked in. By this time it was about 6 a.m. NY time, and I knew my mother would be worried sick (seeing as I was supposed to be getting in at ~2 am at the latest) ((no cellphone service at all here- i'm sure we will get that figured out within the next day or so)). I went to the hotel lobby and asked if I could use their computer, and to my surprise, the host told me they had free wi-fi. I signed online, and e-mailed my mom. She responded quickly (as I thought she would) and we talked for a bit.
-I am staying in a hotel room with two other girls who are incredibly nice and seemingly smart. Four of us decided to go out to explore a bit, but really find something to eat (I was STARVING).
-The streets are bustling and I love it. Everyone obviously gave us the once-over because we stuck out like pretty sore thumbs. We didn't get 3 blocks when these two small girls came up to us and speaking in Arabic. I didn't realize what was going on at the time. I thought they were just approaching my friend (who is of middle eastern descent) because they could identify with her. I quickly realized that these girls were "street children" and were begging for money. I was not prepared mentally for my first interaction with these children, and it honestly was kind of scary. They stayed very close to us, and would not leave us alone. They had sandals on and their feet were very dirty. Finally my friend, unaware of exactly what was going on, gave them a few coins, but they STILL followed us. I'm not sure exactly what we did to get them to go away, but I think we might have inadvertenly entered the Medina, an area with more people in much closer quarters (and scattered law enforcement officials) than where we were a few blocks before.
- The medina was absolutely nuts. Totally bustling, and had absolutely EVERYTHING you would ever need. Honestly. There were some weird looking foods, and some really random items. Pigs heads and a man selling panty hose & bandaids were two of the weirdest.
- We went into an European-looking "Delicatessen" place that we thought would be a safe bet, but there were no patrons inside and when we expressed our desire to eat, the man at the desk gave us a weird face. He then made the connection, and directed us to a place down the street and to the left.
-"Grillade Adil" turned out to be the perfect lunch spot. I ordered something that I forget the name of, but it was essentially chicken skewers- deeeeelish, and it came with french fries (very good), gravy (good w/BOTH fries and chicken), and cold (not so good) fried rice. There were so many cute- SO CUTE- children in the restaurant, we were equally mesmerized by each other.
-Now I am back in my hotel and am very tired. I have less than an hour until we are supposed to meet in the lobby to start to become orientated, so I am going to take a 5 (30) min power nap.
I am being very honest when I say that I am very happy here. I AM IN AFRICA!!!!! It's absolutely nuts, but amazing so far. I was really upset Friday and Saturday, but I'm not sure I would be able to force myself to even frown right now if my life depended on it. I know that this will not be the case for every moment of my time here, but I am truly embracing my immediate affection for this country. I really wish that you, whoever you are reading this post, could be here with me to share this amazing opportunity.
Yah! This is great - look forward to following you on your great adventure!
ReplyDeleteAunt Peggy :)