Weds Feb 15

Wednesday

Post with indents for Queen Sophie: (miss u)

Today was good. Fatima served me the cake that I was hoping to eat for breakfast (but it was weird bc it was the same piece that I didn't finish from the night before.... It sat in my room on my table all night? My room is essentially a freezer, so I deemed it ok a-okay to eat) It was better in the morning with coffee than the night before post pad Thai...

I went to school and Arabic was normal. In our class we do presentations every day (one student/day) on any topic we want. I am going in late Feb, and said to be determined for my topic. After today's presentation I have decided. "Sylvie", a miniature human who goes to Wash U and is from Chicago, did her presentation on her hometown. It was a fine presentation, but I am going to do mine on medina New York which will blow hers out of the water. She gave me some good ideas, but I will be more in depth and genuine bc I actually live in NYC and not 30 mins away. I lolled when she said that Derek Rose was the next Michael Jordan (I didn't mean to it just came out...) and everyone laughed at me laughing. She could have come back with the fact that the Bulls beat the Knicks last week, but she didn't- proof that she isn't a tru fan. Anyway I am now excited to do my presentation, but have to wait a while. To my surprise- Arabic was our only class of the day!!!! And apparently this is the case on most Wednesdays.... Why not FRIDAYS so we can travel.... Idk, but it was pretty easy to get thru hump day, so I shouldn't complain.

After class I was happy that my friends also wanted to eat (free) lunch at the CCCL- like any other day, so we ate and basked in the sun. Sarah (Nestor) made a blog and we had a brainstorm session to find her a punny name. I came up with SNestor (semester...) abroad. I (and everyone) was/were very impressed. I tried to explain that i am not usually funny or punny, but they think I am... Alexa has been craving gummy bears and someone told us that we could get them at Carfour (sp??) which is like 15 mins away. We walked there. Some thing really funny (to me) happened and it's going to be one of those "u had to be there" times I think, but my stomach hurt bc I was laughing so hard, and then i continued to s2m (aliii.....)/chuckle for the rest of the day. As we were walking thru "vegetable street" (i don't call it that, but everyone else does...) someone yelled at us "fuck josh beesh!!!!" Unable to contain our reaction we all smiled and were like "yeaaa!!!" "Alexa was like wooow! That's so funny.... Idk who josh beesh is, but he must really suck" I didn't realize that SHE didn't realize that the man was cursing at George Bush until a few blocks later when she said "but really. Who's josh beesh?? Do we know him?? Are we supposed to? I feel bad for him" or something. I DIED.... Idk it looks stupid on the computer, but it was VERY funny.. Later in the day a did Moroccan said "Gobama!!!" and Sara like threw her hands up and cheered loudly hahaha... We finally made it to Carfour.

They had a wide selection of Haribo gummies, and I thought of Miles (he would be in HEAVEN). I got the party mix (duh) it had literally all of my favorites in it- bears, frogs, coca colas, AND those black & red raspberries. I also got some delicious trident white- strawberry flavor, so I dont have to share and can have it all to myself. I have been meaning to tell my mom this, but i keep on forgetting, so mom: I need to make a dentist appt (or a few) for when i get back. Extremely necessary. Love, the cavity queen. After Carfour we went to the cafe by Hotel Majestic for coffee. I got qahwah nusf wa nusf and it was great. An espresso shot w/a liiiittle bit of milk.

Yum ok then we walked a ways away and went to the beach. So pretty and reminded me of my summer: going to the beach after a (not) hard day of work.

We gossiped a lot which was fun, but I realized that I really do not know the names of a lot of peeps on my program... Made a mental note to pay attention tomorrow. After the beach we went back to the CCCL for some weeded and so Sarah and Alexa (Turkish toilet girls) could empty their bladders before they went home for the night. I was STARVING by the time 6:30 rolled around- prob bc Alexa and I looked at foodporndaly and this other YouTube site where these men make the most caloric, but delicious looking meals. All I wanted was jalapeño poppers, but I had a feeling that was almost impossible. Now that I think about it I DID see a TGIFridays somewhere here.... Theres def one in Casa... Maybe closer.

I went home and my "mom" and sis (Imane) and cuz (Fatima) were in the living room. We watched a cooking show (the woman made crepes-did not help my hunger pains). There were mini biscottis on the table and I cut myself off at 3 bc I knew tea time was approaching and I'd have a dif, better snack then. I was right. We had Moroccan pancakes. During tea Chimae (girl from train w 27 cats) called me and I answered bc it was from an unknown 212 (Moroccan area code... Weird coincidence) and I weirdly thought it was my mom (who does call my cell phone occasionally) I told her that I was drinking tea and needed to call her back.... Idk if I will/ I do know that she will call me again.... Anyway after tea I hung out with the fam more. Idk what we did/talked about specifically, but I remember being happy. Then everyone started to trickle out of the house, and I had NO PARENTS (*silently dancing* Bri...............) for like20 mins.

Simo (my bro) came back and we talked. I wanted to know more about the excursion that I am about to embark on next week, so we went thru the places that I'm going and he told me about them. This excursion sounds amazing. I think I have a few nice hotel stays ahead of me, and one (or 2) beautiful night(s) in the (freezing) desert. Simo thinks that I am going to be in a tent, OR hotel in the Sahara (I am having trouble believing that there is a hotel there???) but I keep on thinking of Ryan's pix from Jordan where he is outside under 45 hundred blankets lying in sand...... That's what I am expecting... We will see what happens. my "mom" and Fatima were having a convo b4 dinner and Simo caught me staring (creating conversation in my head) and he said "fhemta???" which means "u understand??". Of course I do NOT and i Had already told him about my conversation game, so he was teasing me. This started a convo with my mom bc he also teases her about her english. She said that she hasn't studied English for 23 years, and that she knows she speaks English like I speak fusha-she corrected herself to say Darija... I WISH I spoke Darija as well as she speaks English, and I said that.

Then it was dinner time. Dinner was what I have deemed in my head Maroc chicken lo. It was like ramen-y noodles (chopped up into small pieces bc I do not think they own forks... Only spoons...) On top of the noodles were some veggies and then a chicken w/the skin. DELICIOUS dinner with only one complaint. They don't eat the skin???? My "mom" and "dad" immediately pulled it off and just put it on the table-I literally thought that they were selfishly taking the best part for themselves. I try to eat as they do and not push the limits (especially after my two recent clumsy incidents), so I did not ask for the skin/go out of my "zone". Fruit for dessert.

My Internet has become a point of contention for my siblings... My sis was up till 5:30 (thank u Rachel- Conn Colls#1 spy) last night talking to her new boyfriend on my comp. Her fam doesn't know about this, so I literally have to sneak my computer to her... I feel bad going behind my fams back to feed her social network hunger, but I don't care that much. Simo borrowed my Internet stick too, as Imane was asking me to smuggle the goods, so it got a little awkward here for a min.... Also random, but after dinner we watched a little TV and the main character in the soap opera was wearing a navy blue "Connecticut" shirt that they def sell at the conn coll bookstore.... I'm pretty sure that it was a UCONN shirt, but I just said that it was a shirt from MY school.

Finally time for bed... Just one little rant (probably the first totally negative thing I say about this place). Temperature--- Yes- I am in Africa, and yes- it is significantly warmer than the east coast right now, but I DREAD putting pjs on (even more than I don't like lounge wear at home-Nicki). I have to brace myself for hours literally. I got home at 6:30 today and it's now 4 mins till midnight and I JUST put my sweatpants on. It is so cold I literally shiver when I change. Not only that, but when I wake up my sister OPENS the window (the exact opposite of what my REAL mom does at home). Everyone says that it is unusually cold here, and I can tolerate it really, but it's too much sometimes. I much prefer got weather... Even tho I kno I would be complaining if it was hot here and I was unable to sleep in short shorts etc.

---------Update from the morning of Feb 16: of course I woke up hot and am wearing a tee shirt without a sweater as I write this at breakfast....