Tuesday April 17

Volubilis & Moulay Idris

            Today we toured around the ancient ruins known as Volubilis.  It was really beautiful, so I am going to post pictures instead of talking about it.  Mom was a great tourguide.  

 Afterwards we went to Moulay Idris, which is a small town (seen in one of the pictures).  It is very religious, and non-Muslims can not really see any of the stghts, but it was a cute town.  Going to Moulay Idris is considered to be one fifth of the hajj pilgrimage. 

            After our fieldtrip we went back towards the medina and got a great lunch on a terrace overlooking the medina.  Totally made up for the meal the day before.  We were pretty tired after our excursion, so we rested in the riad afterwards until dinner.  I forget the name of the dinner restaurant, but it looked like a sports bar that you would go to in a strip mall in Southold (like by the movie theater).  It was very familiar and comfortable.  Nobody was there except for us.  Again, we ordered too much food.  Mom got a pizza (without la vache qui rit cheese) and I got spaghetti.  We split a salad.  Another totally great day! 

Monday April 16

Monday- Fes/Meknes

Today we woke up and had breakfast at the riad, we then left Fes to go to Meknes.  We got to Meknes in the afternoon.  We settled into our lovely Riad.  They gave us tea.  After tea we went out to explore a little.  We were both hungry so we went to this restaurant in the BIG SQUARE.  They call Meknes “little Marrakech” because it has a square similar to that in Marrakech.  We ordered fries a pizza, and a “lemonade” to share.  The service was very bad, and the food was worse! We got regular coke, and the pizza was made with laughing cow cheese.  SO terrible! Safe to say it was the worst meal that I have ever had here.  Unfortunate that it was when my mom was visiting.  At least she looked CUTE at lunch. 

After lunch we walked around a little bit.  We were going to go to the museum, but we walked around the medina first.  It was mom’s first experience in a genuine Moroccan medina.  It was definitely market day and all of the Moroccans were out and about.  It was very crowded and hard to move around.  There was nothing of interest to buy, we were just going around for the experience of it.  Mom and I talked about who would survive on this trip and who wouldn’t.  After the medina visit, a lot of people were crossed off the list.  We got yummy donuts (one to share, and then another one to share…).  A little boy was kind of rude to us and asked for a bite of the donut, but then some man came up to him and accosted him.  There were a lot of children running around and getting in trouble by their parents or aquantiences.  From the medina we went to the PALACE. 

The palace was interesting because we were kind of unsure where we were allowed to go, and where we were not allowed to go.  We slowly went into all of the rooms, and we looked in one window because it seemed as if that room was off-limits.  It was old, but kept up nicely.  Here is a picture of ME in the palace, and one of some DOORWAYS. 

After the palace, we walked back towards the square.  The museum was closed by that point, and it was closed on Tuesdays (tomorrow) too unfortunately.  Oh well.  We went to the TERRACE of our roof and ADMIRED the view.  Then we went to our room to shower before dinner.  The shower was very nice and hot.  We decided to have dinner in our hotel because it was recommended in our guide book.  I got couscous and mom got kefta.  It was smaller portions than the last Moroccan restaurant, but still too much.  It was just OKAY- nothing special.  Bad meals for today!!! Hopefully tomorrow will be better.   We spoke to the riad woman to hire a drive to take us to Volubis tomorrow, and she agreed.  We arranged a time before we went upstairs for the night. 

Sunday April 15

Today we hired a tour guide for the “full day” option.  It really ended up being a very full day... 

         We had breakfast at 9 o'clock, and the riad manager was weirdly hovering over us and talking during it.  Met tourguide, and off we went.  Saw the PALACE and Jewish quarters.  Then we went to an OVERLOOK which was very windy.  You can tell by the picture.  Mom looks great tho (as always).  Then we went to a really great pottery co-op.  We were put to work right away. The man at the store said that if I wanted a Moroccan husband (I don’t) then I have to learn to make pottery and bread, so he made me knead the clay.  It was much harder than I thought.  I was done quickly, and then MOM JUMPED IN! It was great & I think the pottery place was her favorite stop.  Then we saw Fes’ SMALLEST STREET.  We could barely fit in between the walls.  This was a VERY funny moment of the trip.  Not sure if you can tell from the pic of us, but I was really laughing a lot at this point. 

      Here is the story.  We were walking towards this street, and this cute little girl holding an umbrella said “Bonjour!!!!!!”.  Mom was always kind of behind the the tourguide and me, so the little girl really just said bonjour to me and him.  Mom was not far behind, but she wasn’t walking with us.  I heard some sort of a “SMACK” sound and I looked back to see (NB- I am really really laughing out loud right now as I type this story) my mom facing away from me, and the little girl running away.  I asked what that was and my mom said “she just hit me with her umbrella!!!!”.  The girl ran up to my mom and hit her with the umbrella and then walked away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It’s not funny at all, but I am laughing a lot.  We have no idea why this little girl did this, but it became a running joke for the rest of the trip. 

  After the smallest street, we went to the TANNERY.  I bargained realllllly well for a bag for my mom, but forgot to inform her of the scent (pigeon poop- that’s how you know it’s real leather, and why you need the mint leaves to visit the tannery) that usually stays with the bag for a few weeks after purchase.  Whatever tho- it’s a great bag, and I got it cheap.  Then we went to the world’s oldest university- KAIRAOUINE MOSQUE/UNIVERSITY.  The rooms were very small, and we made (unfunny) jokes about my room in the plex next year.  The last stop was at a RUG CO-OP.  We were so tired and un-interested in buying rugs (even though it might look like mom's interested from the picture…), but the man was nice, we were served delicious tea, and there was a great terrace, which was the backdrop for the cover picture.

     That was basically the end of the tour, so we went back to our hotel and rested a little.  I was pretty hungry because apparently there were no lunch restaurants worthy of our tour, and it was almost 5 pm (remember that we had breakfast at 9 a.m…..).  We went downstairs and asked the riad manager for a good place to eat dinner.  He called someone and a young man picked us up and walked us to this palace thing.  It was beautiful, but empty.  I didn't even care- so hungry. We both got dinners (I got kefta, and mom got tajine) they came with "Moroccan salad", which is actually enough to be a meal in and of itself.  THEN we had our meals, AND fruit and cookies for dessert.  Lesson learned: share meals.  I couldn't remember the last time I felt that full, but I think it was in America…. 

Saturday April 14

            The weather was kind of shaky (cloudy/chilly) so we decided to skip Asilah and go straight to Fes.  This also meant a lot less traveling.  We woke up in the morning and had a big breakfast.  My mom gave my family their gifts, and they were very happy.  It’s interesting because they did not react the same way that Americans would react.  I think my mom expected them to be more “OMG THIS IS AWESOME” over the top, but they were quietly very happy.  Their appreciation for the gifts was manifest in them insisting that we come back for lunch later that day, AND them giving my mom not one, but TWO djlebbas, and a scarf similar to my birthday one.  See the main pic for this post.  I was DYING (on the inside because I had to be respectful. Obviously).  I think my mom actually likes them.  She’s nervous that a sister is going to swipe them from under her nose… I think that my host mom was simply cleaning out her closet, but it is a funny story & good souvenir regardless. 

After the gift exchange we had to go to my new apartment to drop my stuff off.  We left my mom’s bags/what we are bringing on vacay at the home stay house because we agreed to come back for lunch.  We were able to manage all of my stuff well with just the two of us.  It gave me hope for REALLY moving out in a month.  The landlord apparently had only just woken up, so he was going to be an hour late… only in Morocco.  We sat around Renee and Brenda’s apartment for a little, and then our other friends started to move in across the “street”.  Time flew and the landlord finally came.  I think my mom was very happy to see the upstairs apartment.  It is much nicer than downstairs.  My mom took a lot of pictures- see them here, here, and here.  Ellen called while we were organizing which was perfect.  Hereis a pic of me happily talking to Ellen on the phone on the couch in my apartment.  We organized my things (of course my mom does not get out of unpacking and repacking my clothes…even in a foreign country…) I was (as always) VERY grateful for her doing that.  Once we were (un)packed up we explored the medina for a little more and then went back for lunch. 

My host mom’s brother was also joining us for lunch.  We had huge Moroccan salads and chicken tajine with olives for lunch.  I told my mom that it is safe to say that that would probably her best Moroccan meal, she agreed.  SO good.  After lunch it was time to finally get going.  (we initially wanted to take a 1 oclock train, but we settled for the three o’clock.)  We got ready to leave.  I said bye to the fam and we all cried a little bit (even though I know I will be back during ISP).  BIG HUGE AMERICAN hugs all around… I was not going to settle for kisses on the cheek.  I was the saddest saying good-bye to Fatima- I think because she looked VERY sad, and was crying too.  Simo drove us to the train station, and I gave him a big hug good-bye too. 

We got first class tickets to the train.  I have never been on first class before, but I think it’s worth it- especially being with my mom and a lot of luggage.  I was looking forward to a quiet, sleepy train ride, but that was not the case.  “Driss” was one of our car buddies, and it came up (it always does) that I was studying in Rabat.  I was particularly irritable and intolerant of him.  Obviously my mom liked that he said I was great at Arabic, and a good hard-working student, but it was incredibly exhausting.  He made me speak in fusha and lectured me a lot.  We got the whole “Arab Man vs. Muslim Man” spheel.  I have heard it alllll before, and he would NOT stop talking.  I became kind of rude, and he might have finally got the hint (but wasn’t offended).  I don’t know if Mom really understood my frustration, but I told her under my breath and then it became clear.  He was obviously harmless, but I was not in the moooooood.  FINALLY we got to Fes.

I bargained a lot for a petit taxi.  Nobody would take us for under 20 dirham.  I gave in and we went to Bab Boujloud.  I did not know where the riad was, but I told mom to sit tight by a random bank and found it.  We got there and they gave us cookies and tea.  It was great and a relief after this busy day.  The relief continued when we got to our room.  The only room that was available was the “family suite” so we had two HUGE rooms for the both of us.  One had twin beds and the other had a king bed.  The bathroom was nice and just as big.  Mom took the pictures. Mom (finally) showered, and then we left to go get dinner. We asked the guy at the riad where the “Mezzanine” restaurant was.  He was reluctant to tell us (I think because he thought it was unsafe), but it was actually totally close, and not a long walk. 

Mezzanine was very modern, and not crowded.  We ordered white wine, which was delicious.  I got the “chicken club” sandwich.  It was surprisingly good.  It was too much Caesar dressing, but it had three layers of bread and was delicious.  GREAT fries included.  My mom got good olive tapenade.  After dinner we scurried to the Riad (it was drizzling).  We watched a little bit of a movie, but I fell asleep pretty quickly.  I bet you can guess the sleeping arrangements- it was great.  

FRIDAY MOM'S HERE

Friday I woke up kind of early because I knew that mom was getting in at 620. I sat in bed for a while and then got up when my alarm went off. I kept checking my phone, but no call. I told my mom that I’d be at the Rabat train station at 915 because that’s the earliest that I thought she would come in. It was 850 and I was in normal clothes but not really close to leaving and Imane said “oooh! It’s nine” NO imane, it’s eight FIFTY. Right as I thought that rude remark I got a phone call from a number that I did not know. I answered immediately, and it was my mom !!!!!!!!! She was in Rabat. As Imane would say- “uh ohhhh”, I RAN out of the house and took a cab to the train station. REUNITED!!! It was very weird to see mom in the Rabat train station, but obviously very cool. We went to a La Comedie and had a coffee. Sara’s home stay mom passed by and saw me. She met my real mom, which was nice. We told her that we would see her at the party tonight.

After coffee mom wanted to get some gift-wrap for my fam’s presents. Luckily I had just passed a shop in the medina and noticed that they sold gift-wrap etc. Mom was very funny in this store. I know that she had only been in Morocco for a few hours, but I thought it was very classic that she tried to match the wrapping paper perfectly- we are very lucky that we FOUND gift bags & wrapping paper in this country…

Simo called and asked where we were so we scurried home. It was so cute to have my Moroccan mom meet my real mom. Very happy and nice. “Gentile” as Imane would say. We had breakfast (with very nice coffee containers that I have never seen before). After breakfast & coffee, we went out walking with Imane. We stopped at the CCCL and everyone was VERY friendly and welcoming. I was a little nervous because of their suggestion to wait until the end of the program to have visitors, but nobody seemed to mind at all. One of the ladies at the front desk that I don’t even really know was extremely nice to my mom, and told me to take very good care of her. (that was not going to be the first time that we heard that on the trip). A lot of people said that we look alike, which I feel like we do not get often in USA. We went to Chellah/Oudaya (where I am going to live after mom leaves) and the beach. We also walked through the covered souk/medina etc. A lot of the shops were closed because of COUSCOUS FRIDAY. We went back home at around 1:30 to eat lunch. I had a very sentimental “final couscous”. Very sad, and I made sure to appreciate every bite. Mom really liked it- I could tell. Mom also liked talking with Simo. They had a very long conversation about everything. After digesting/conversing time my mom and I went back out solo.

I wanted to take her to Hassan II. We walked there, and I showed her my run route and the row boats etc. I could tell that Mom really liked Hassan II. It was her first time seeing the intricate mosaics that are used in all of the monuments/buildings in the country. I love Hassan II and I am glad that mom did too. After we toured around a little- I thought that mom was looking a little tired. She asked where she could get a glass of wine. I brought her to the Golden Tulip and we got two glasses of wine (first time !!). I feel bad laughing on account of my mom’s exhaustion, but it was very funny. She was questioning her agreement to stay in my homstay house. I also thought about exactly why I offered that. Obviously she would be exhausted and in need of a shower after 24 hours of traveling…. Unfortunately, there was no going back at that point- we were in for the count. We relaxed a lot at the golden tulip and I think mom might have taken a one-minute power nap. Before we knew it- it was time to go back to the house and prepare for the homestay party!

We got a DC and minutes for my phone before we went back home. We had a little time before the party, so we sat in the living room and rested. My homestay mom insisted that my real mom put her feet up. She did and was VERY appreciative of this suggestion. My mom took a 15 min cat nap, and definitely felt like a new woman when she got up. We freshened up and walked the short distance to the CCCL.

There was tea and those delicious cookies at the party. My mom had Moroccan tea for the first time, and I think she was very happily surprised. She outwardly proclaimed her love for the tea. Abraheem (the CCCL chef) was very nice to my mom and only gave her the freshest, hottest cups of tea. The party was much better than the first party in the beginning of the semester. Everyone was obviously more comfortable now than we were in January. A lot of dancing and laughing. Mom even joined in a dancing circle at one point! It was great. Imane is obviously a crazy dancer. She knows how to move her hips (I am not surprised…) she also was very hot throughout the party (again, not surprising.). I made my mom chat with Abdelhay (the director of the program)- butter him up before he grades me in May…

We went back home after the party, and had MORE tea and cookies. We sat in the living room and talked until Friday night dinner. My mom said that she could make the harira that my homestay mom made for us. I am looking forward to seeing her try. We ate eggs and greef (Imane told Fatima to make it because I had been pointing it out to my mom all day). We also had the fossilized funnel cake that Sara thought was “animal”. My mom asked if it was SQUID! Really funny. We socialized more after dinner, and Fatima made my mom lie down for one second. FINALLY it became bed time. My mom and I slept in Imane and my bedroom. When Fatima closed the doors so we could change- my mom was literally danced around. I can NOT imagine how tired she was. It was about 11 pm Friday Morocco time (7 pm Friday NYC time) and she had been up and about since 11 AM (Morocco Thursday) morning. Needless to day, we slept very well.

Week of April 9-12

Good week! We did not have ONE required thing to do thru the CCCL, so we were pretty free. I took a lot of time to work on my project in advance. Here is a quick summary of the week

Monday- I thought it was class registration, so I made it a point to get to the library at 10:30 (my time) to get the CRN codes etc. To my dismay- registration is on TUESDAY. Whoops! Whatever. I sent emails and researched or whatever, and then went home for lunch. Delish lunch- I have really been missing out having lunch at the CCCL this whole time. I took a 20 min power nap after lunch (very Moroccan). I woke up RIGHT on time to meet Ari and look for the AMDH (human rights association). It was VERY hot out, and we walked EVERYWHERE looking for this place. I just want to note that we didn't try the way that I thought it was. (see next Wednesday's post). Sweating and thirsty- we went back to the CCCL Library to work more. I took a break/little walk with Sara and Daisy. I didn't get anything, but they got trail mix fixings, and I am definitely going to do that soon. I went home for tea. I ate two reef very quickly, and then met my friends to go to SUSHI!! It was great. VERY close to the real thing (the Udon noodles were actually Ramen noodles, but it's okay). We didn't order a lot, but I was incredibly satisfied. Sara, Sarah and I took a cab home and our driver was funny. He pretended to understand what we were talking about, but I really don't think he did. I went home and slept like a baby.

Tuesday- I ACTUALLY signed up for classes. I got all of the classes that I want, which made me very excited for next semester. Imane and I made a plan to meet after I signed up for classes to go to Maroc Telecom (worst place ever) because my internet stick hasn't been working. It hasn't been a problem for ME, but Imane has been missing her FaceTime with ALLLLLLL of her boyfriends. We went, and apparently they changed their policy so even if you buy a month of internet, you don't necessarily get a month of service. I really think that she ran down my data usage by skyping so much, but I don't care really. She was SO upset walking home. Like dead silent and complaining SO much about the sun/heat. She questioned why she decided to wear a black headscarf and said a lot of things in Darija. I know a hungry girl when I see one… We went back home and had lunch- fish and yummy spanish rice & moussaka.

At 2:30 I went to the CCCL for a group meeting with Fairouz about NGOs that we can contact for our ISPs. She told me that she found somewhere for me to work with this summer, and that I can meet with them on Friday. Except I can't because (doesn't she KNOW) my mother is coming on Friday…. I begged her to set it up for Thursday, and I got an uncharacteristically prompt e-mail from her later in the day saying that Thursday was okay. I was pleasantly surprised. I stayed at the CCCL a little longer, and then went home to drop my stuff off. Then I met the Sara(h)s for a walk. I didn't bring my camera, but I should have. You're just going to have to believe me. We walked on the beach at sunset. It was phenomenal. VERY beautiful. The sun was setting behind the lighthouse- very picturesque. We continued our walk and came across THE MOST PLAYFUL puppy ever. It was so jumpy and happy. It was also on a leash, SO I was allowed to pet it. The owner called his daughter who is a Professor in Key Largo, Florida (???) I didn't speak with her, but the Sara(h)s said that they could NOT understand her. hahaha. After the walk- I went home and had tea and did more transcribing with Imane… We bought a day of internet because it was also housing selection today.

I don't really want to talk about housing selection. One of the lessons that I have learned here (I think that I have mentioned this before…) is that "everything always works out", SO I am counting on that to happen with housing. My family DEFINITELY could tell that I was unhappy, so my "mom" told Imane to play some Cat Stevens (Yusef Islam) and proceeded to tell me that he was a Muslim. It was great, and I asked them if I could live with them next semester (because I do NOT want to go back to Conn) and they said "MARHABANN!" "Welcome!!" That made me happy. I watched Superbad before bed, and felt a little better….

Wednesday- I went back to the library in the morning, and a group of us went to the AMDH for REAL this time. (Referring to the other post- I knew exactly where it was, and directed the group). We met with someone and got an e-mail to try to schedule a meeting for the next week. We went back and sent the email, THEN got King Sandwich for lunch. Such a great treat. I told Faisil about my mom coming, and that I was going to bring her to King Sandwich- he thought that was a hoot and gave me a big high five while he was laughing out loud. IDK why tho, because I am very serious. We will be there on Saturday. After KS we got ice cream (I initially wasn't into it, but became into it once I realized that it was Peanut M&M flavored….) We took our ice cream to watch the protests. They where bigger than I've ever seen, and we saw some cops beating protesters with batons. Terrible, and hard to watch. People were also running around, but it was surprisingly contained. We went back to Laalou after lunch & the walk.

I sent a FEW e-mails and then went back to my house because I decided to ACTUALLY go on a run. I did, and it was great. More of a walk/run, but I still felt good. I went back home and showered. Fadoua organized a dinner for us, so I had to get ready quickly. I heard Chase & Roz out my window which was cool. I talked to them about plans and I agreed to meet everyone at the train station and bring them to the German Institute because Fadoua tore some ligaments in her foot and needed to cab straight there. I got ready very quickly and then left. I felt bad for my fam because I had no meals with them today, but I promised to eat a lot with them on Thursday.

The German Institute was still great. Long story short, I held my reigns as Clean Plate Club Queen, and I have pix to prove it. BEFORE & AFTER. We all got half pizzas/half salads (pic of everyone) but I really think I was the only one who finished it. I also had a piece of Carolyn's pizza, but that was supposed to be a secret…. I was food comatose after dinner- we walked home. I showed the fam the pix, and they were kinda surprised, but I don't really think that they were THAT surprised because they def know that I do like to eat….

Today is Thursday, and it has been a good day so far- I went to the organization that Fairouz was talking about, but it seems that it actually is NOT going to work out. It's okay though- I am going to meet with Education for All when my mom and I get to Marrakech and hopefully finalize everything with them then…. It has been raining and gross gross weather ALL day- so sad, but okay because some SUNSHINE is coming tomorrow at 6:30 a.m….. I am very excited.

When I got home Fatima and Imane were cutting up REEF (you finally have an image of this beloved dish) for lunch. We had the cut up reef with chicken, lentils and some other unidentifiable (kind of gross) bean on top. Apparently this is like a very big and important lunch here (because not everyone knows how to make it) so a neighbor came over. Imane called her fat before she got here, and said that she was nervous because she eats A LOT… really funny, but I was kind of nervous too--- I wanted to eat the special lunch! It wasn't a problem, and the teacher was nice and funny. I was a dead girl after lunch, so Imane and I watched the rest of Easy A, and then I came back to the CCCL to get my ISP MONEY. I only got half because I am nervous to have all of that money with me at all times. Now I am going to go home for tea time, and pack up :( SO sad!! Second to last night in my home stay, but last night being there all alone. Not sure if I mentioned this, but Mom's staying chez Mansour with me on Friday night--- So funny/gonna be great.

STAY TUNED. IDK how often I will post when KG's here, but I will try to stay as updated as possible… Send wishes for a safe & smooth flight- mom takes off at around 7 pm NY time. EEEEE!!!!

EASTER SUNDAY

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

I hope everyone's day was as lovely as mine

I woke up and got dressed for church. I re-explained Lent/Easter to my family, and they were not opinionated one way or the other about me going to church. I put on my WOOL j crew black beautiful dress, and a lilac sweater and a light yellow scarf- the most easter-y outfit I could assemble… No chocolate or sweets for breakfast- just the normal one, but it was still nice. I met friends at the tram stop and we were on our way. Everyone looked very good- nicely dressed up. I walked with Kiersten (volleyball player @ Tufts) and she was SPEEDWALKING to church. Noooot a good combo with my wool dress and the hot hot sun, but I kept up, and we got a seat! I can't remember the last time THAT happened... The church was beautiful inside and out. The ceremony was in all french, but I could understand a significant amount of it.

Church is different here- the majority of the people in attendance were sub-saharan africans. There were a FEW French peeps, and even less moroccans. The choir was a great gospel group, but it was a little unfortunate because the sound system was sub-par. There were a lot of fincoosh children running around, and nobody seemed to mind. At the end of the ceremony everyone came to the front of the church and were dancing and hanging out. It was nice.

We went to Easter brunch at Le Comedie after church. I got a delish champignon omelet and a qahwah nus-nus, AND Kiersten and I split a little raspberry crumb tart thing. There was also sesame & poppy seed bread- happy easter clam.

After brunch we separated. I had a lot to do so I went to the crêpe place to get some uninterrupted wifi in. I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu (an 8 dirham bubbly water) and got to work. Time FLEW by. I spoke to Mom, Ellen & BB in Boston, which was bittersweet. Can't wait for next year! I had to plug in my computer, and the rude french/Moroccan woman told me that it cost 5 dirham because "electricity is expensive". I reluctantly agreed to pay (a lot of eye-rolling) and plugged in. Sara joined me, but we didn't talk a lot- strictly business. It was getting to be time to leave… I went up to pay and this woman tried to charge me double for BOTH of my purchases. She said that she said 5 dirham per HOUR (she didn't) and that 8 dirham was for the SMALLer water (i didn't ask for a big one… why did you give it to me??). I was VERY unfriendly to this woman, and obviously only paid what I wanted to. Apparently this has happened before to other people, so I guess that was our last time at the crêpe place. (I told her that "there would not be a next time") it was more funny/ridiculous than aggressive or whatever it seems like.

I went home for Easter tea-time! I broke out some hidden candy, and gave it to the fam. They loved it. I still have so much candy it's sad- I will give it to them when I leave because I don't really need it. I thought I did, but I don't. Anyway- I got some Easter candy. We talked about heaven & hell at tea time. We all agreed that we were in heaven right now with all of the tea and pastries and chocolate. I can't remember what else happened Sunday, but I think it ended well. Good good Easter

Saturday April 7th

Beautiful day. I was planning on going to an internet café with dreeeeezy (the QUEEN of the web) but then the Sara(h)s said that they were going to go to museums, so we changed our minds. I am glad we did. The Bank Al-Magreb museum was closed (from noon to 3... SUCH weird/terrible hours). We walked to find the modern art museum. We couldn't so we asked a police officer- He had no idea where it was, so we walked LITERALLY one block across the street and it was RIGHT THERE. Very concerning police enforcement in this country.

The art museum was VERY nice, and I want to live there. See above pix. A lot of French and Moroccan artists. BEAUTIFUL & FRAGRANT FLOWERS. Cool place, and great day. After the museum, we went back to the Medina a different way, and then got DCs and sandwiches to eat on the beach. GREAT LUNCH! After the beach, it was getting close to hammam time! I had made a plan to go to the hammam with Sara’s family and I was VERY excited.

I went home to get the necessary items for the hammam (shampoo, conditioner, face wash, etc.). It just so happened that Imane and Fatima were going to the hammam too (if I had known then I wouldn’t have made plans with Sara’s fam… Imane asked which hammam we were going to, and I told her that we were going to the one by their house. Imane turned her nose up at that hammam and told me that they were not going to go to that one- snooty girl, but I was still excited.

Imane told me to bring NOTHING to the hammam, so I didn't. I walked to Sara's house (in a blue sweat suit-- I wanted to be very comfy post-hammam). When I got to Sara's house her mother asked which hammam we wanted to go to... we didn't care, but I think because we were going with a guest (me) we decided to go to the better one. The better Hammam is "douche moderne"- where Sara takes her showers. We went in- it was very clean and bright. We got undressed in the dressing/undressing rooms... We gave our bags and towels and a dirham to the shower keeper... she gave us some buckets and we went into the hammam!! This was one of the three-room hammams. One room is not hot, the next is warm, and the last one is like a sauna. There were a lot of ladies in the house, so we couldn't find a spot in the middle room- we went to the back room. It was REALLY nice and sauna-like. I immediately started sweating, but it felt great. We used black soap. It did not feel particularly clean, but it's not regular soap. Sara's mom found some space in the middle room, so we moved. We started to scrub with the kiss (pronounced keese), which is a great glove-like thing that is abrasive, and gets rid of allll of your gross dead skin. Because it was my first time at the hammam- I had a LOT of dead skin. I had to rinse it after practically every scrub. Najoua (sara's sis) did my back, which felt SO good. It was a very long shower, but I didn't get very impatient. I felt GREAT afterwards, but sooo tired. In the middle of our shower I heard "Claire!!" Imane & Fatima were there! It was funny, and we didn't bathe together, but Imane was looking at our area the whole time... I didn't really know exactly when we were done, but eventually we said "ca fie" and mobilized out of the bathing room. We dried off and got dressed. Najoua put my scarf in a head scarf. I was SO tired. We had to wait for Sara's mom to finish, but I was fine because I luv towel time. I kept on rubbing my arms because they were so soft!! eee! Finally their mom came out and we went to get some reef (i still don't know how to spell it). Then I went to Sara's for tea time. It was a great great afternoon

I was SO tired walking home, but I finally made it. My "mom" was the only one home when I got home, and she surprised me by asking if I wanted this white corduroy djelaba that she had in her hands. I was so honored and happy! I love it. It's the new 'kimono' for next year.... get ready. When Imane and Fatima came home- Imane and I transcribed some of my interviews from Monday, which was actually INCREDIBLY helpful, and I got a lot more information than I had from the broken translations from the two teachers.... Imane had fun with the teachers' accents-- "tech no log ie", and kept asking "THESE MEN ARE TEACHERS?!?!? I SPEAK BETTER THAN THEM" haha. I also got Imane's opinion on some of the topics, which was helpful too....

All in all- great, fun-filled, jam-packed day.

Friday April 6th

LAST DAY OF ARABIC! The morning was the best morning I have had here so far. I woke up early to study a little bit more for Arabic then had breakfast. The confiture (jelly/jam) was back at breakfast, so I knew that it was going to be a good day. I ate a half of a baguette and then left. I could definitely tell that something was different in my walk to school. It was way better than any other time (AND I usually look forward to the walk). I was ready to take the test and be doneeee. It was a beautiful day and I looked at the sky and had an idea. I wanted to take my final on the terrace- Conn Coll honor code style. I knew my teacher would go for it bc she is a total gem. I asked and she agreed. I was surprised that none of the other classmates wanted to go upstairs too, but whatever. I was pleasantly taking my test when I saw a GIANT rain cloud in the distance- I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish my test outside. Some staff passed through and looked at me as if I was crazy (it is cold here still for Moroccans). When the cloud came I went back and finished my test. FREE AT LAST. I feel bad for being so anti-Arabic class here because it really wasn’t bad… It just wasn’t the same.

After Arabic we had a music session with Badr (very cool and nice and cute assistant for the Journalism program). It was cool, but only the rap/hip hop part. The groups he showed us were VERY funny. “Don BIG”, “Casa Crew” and some other group that had “What’s up” in their name. It was hard to hear the music, but I am definitely going to look it up soon. Chase is doing his ISP on rap music, and I told him that I would go to rap concerts with him. I am very excited. Here's one song that we have taken a liking to--- ma tkich bladi "Don't Touch my Country"

After the music session, we had couscous (2^nd to last- next one my mom will be here!). I vegged out after couscous (necessary). Some people were going bowling at the mega mall (an activity that I would almost always pass on, BUT as Sara says, we are in an alternate universe). I met them at the tram stop at 3:30 (actually 3:45- we were supposed to meet at 3:30…..). We got in petit taxis and went to the Rabat MegaMall. It was decorated in EASTER PASTELS! There were a few American stores- this mall was smaller than the Morocco Mall (in Casa), but they were very similar. The food court looked DANK, but we had just eaten couscous. There was also an ice rink, but it was much more expensive than bowling (more than 20 USD, which is really a lot a lot here).

Bowling was fun. No bumpers tho. We all picked our own names, and I picked AYA, obviously. We got a free drink with our tickets, which was great because I was in the mood for a DC. There were some exotic-looking drinks, but I passed. Everyone was equally terrible at bowling I’d say…. Liza won (I think?). Here is a PICTURE of Kirsten bowling and Josh taking a pic of her. The Moroccan bowlers were interesting. A lot of French peeps, and one group of Moroccan tweens. There was a Moroccan family next to us, and they let the youngest kid (~3 Y/O) bowl a few times. It was SO fincoosh (cute). The ball literally took 5 minutes to get down the lane, but the whole family stood and waited for it to hit the pins, and then cheered LOUDLY when it knocked one single pin down. Nobody was willing to pay for another game, so we left after one. We walked around the mall some more. We went into a toy store (after we stopped at the CANDY SHOP). I told my friends about how when I go to places like candy shops, or 16 Handles, I somehow always manage to spend double what my friends pay, but I think that I am getting the same amount as them. I paid very careful attention to my selection, and I was NOT the biggest spender! The toy store was great (I still love them) a mix of western and Moroccan toys. I managed to snap a picture of BARBIE AND MOROCCAN KEN before the security guard came over and accosted me. There was playmobil and legos, and we had a debate over which was better (I was obviously team playmobil). After the toy store I think we were getting “malled out”. There was discussion about going to the Syrian restaurant for dinner, but I wasn’t interested. I wanted to hang out with everyone still, but was not very hungry. Someone suggested the German Institute- MUCH more my style. We decided to meet there and got in cabs.

The German institute rocks. Nice peeps, very trendy, and crowded. We all got beers (of course) and we split some delicious PIZZAS. I also stole a beer glass (apparently that’s not what it’s called?). I felt like Aunt BB, which is fitting bc I would be with her this weekend if I was in Amereeeka. The glass is cool. It’s a glass mug that says “Flag Espiciale” on it, which is a Moroccan beer brand that we get often- usually the cheapest on the menu. I am either going to use it as a functioning mug, or I will put flowers in it for decoration. Regardless, I will always think of today when I look at it. I was very sleepy by that time, so I was happy to walk home!

Tuesday etc.

Tuesday was a good day. We did not have a lot of class, and the required module was about the news and media- very informative & engaging. After the module, we went to get a cake ball (my obsession of the week). It is not like the cake balls that you would expect… it is almost like a soft butterfinger in cake form, and less peanutbuttery. SO good and only one dirham. My relationship with the bakery woman has really blossomed, and we are definitely friends now.

After pastry-time, Megan, Sara, and Josh were going to meet with a Foreign Service Officer (FSO), and I decided to do it too- for no particular reason, but I was not disappointed. His name was Sam, and he was a total New Yorker. He was very short and wore shoe lifts. It was great. He was very smart and a little abrasive- in a good way. He got his masters in library resources (he was a librarian) and was in Fes for the Peace Corps. He gave a lot of background information about himself and the State Department. A lot of it was interesting, but we also knew a lot of it already. (We were at a café btw). He told us about things that he does as a cultural liaison (idk what his position is exactly…). He definitely is a sports fan because a lot of the things that he was mentioning had to do with youth and sports (cool). Some basketball initiatives , but the most recent one had to do with women’s soccer (hi Nicki & COCOWOSOOOO). We spoke with him for more than two hours—time flew by. We walked him back to his car, and spoke for probably 20 more minutes next to his car. We got his contact information and I e-mailed him later in the week asking for any help with finding an internship or with my independent study project. He was very friendly in his response, but there are little connections that he can make because of the limitations that the state department puts on non-state department participation in their activities (reasonable, but annoying).

The rest of the week went by quickly- I don’t really remember anything specific from Wednesday or Thursday. EXCEPT that Simo came home on Thursday. Great for a number of reasons, BUT not great because I had to study for my Arabic final. We didn’t eat dinner until close to midnight (a record late) and I kinda had a solo toddler-ish freak-out. Very hungry and nervous and tired. I stayed up to eat, which proved to be the right decision because dinner was deeeelish (salad and kefta). Once I was fed, I went to bed and woke up early to study some more....

Monday April 2nd

Monday started out TERRIBLY for some reason. I sent my mom a short & pathetic email about being homesick and not wanting to spend my summer abroad. Then I went to class. THEN I had my interview at the High School (which was obviously what I was freaking out about…). Class was utterly misz. I didn’t actually have to leave early, but I told my teacher I had to catch the 11:57 train (so I could leave 15 mins early). At break I got some yogurt, nuts, bananas (2) and an apple because I was missing lunch today. My teacher (is a total sweetheart and) let me leave early. I was (honestly) practically CRYING on my way to the train. I am a crazy psycho. I got on the train and listened to Hoodie Allen on my iPod, which made me feel better? IDK it was a weird weird morning. I finally got there and waited ~10 mins then called “Md (Mohhamed) Rachidi” to tell him that I arrived. He said he would be 15 mins late (um bonjour I COULD HAVE EATEN LUNCH…. ) but he was really only 5 minutes late.

Mr. Rachidi “Simo” spotted me right away. It was a really awkward hello (we shook hands twice), and then he asked if I had eaten- I think he could tell that I was kind of lying, but he didn’t push it. He bought himself and me some gum (??where is this going?) and then we got a cab to a café.

I thought we were meeting the students at the café, but actually we were just stalling. We still had some time before the students would be back from lunch (DUH. WHYYYY DID I HAVE TO BE THERE AT noon????). Anyway, we talked about language. He prefers French to English, and told me that the students spoke only Darija. I had kind of expected that, but he told me not to worry. We decided to do structure the focus group by me asking the questions in English, him asking the students them in Darija, and then translating their answers back to me in French. I downloaded a voice recorder app that morning (thank goodness) so I have all of the interviews on my awesome iPad. At the café he quizzed my tea-pouring/drinking skills, I passed the test. He was weirdly obsessed with the fact that all Americans talk about is the weather, and then he delved into his life history. I think I am making this guy out to be way less cool than he was. He rocked, and was VERY easy to talk to. He told me that he wasn’t religious, and that he got divorced after his little child died less than 2 years ago…. Definitely not a conversation about the weather. It became time to go, but he saw a student of his at the café. He said that he might be a good person for me to talk to, but upon further examination- the boy told Mr. Rachidi that he hadn’t dropped out of school, and was in fact attending classes. Mr. Rachidi told me that he knew that the student was lying, and that he would keep an eye out for him. We walked to the school.

This was my first time in a Moroccan school. We tried to go in one in Chefchaouen (just because it looked cool) and we were immediately stopped and sent out. This school was similar in the sense that it had a big gate in front, and the inside was very open. It is basically a huge courtyard surrounded by classrooms on the perimeter. We walked straight into the faculty lounge and Mr. Rachidi mentioned something about playing a card game (?? Some of the things that he said confused me). Luckily 3 English teachers trickled in separately, so I spoke with them. They spoke English well (you would hope so, right?) but I think they were a little intimidated/shy. One teacher said that he was interested in hearing what the children had to say about dropping out, and that he anticipated it being different than what he would say--- he was right. Then it was time to find the students that we were interviewing. We waited outside- apparently they were supposed to meet us around whatever time it was right then. Students were coming back from lunch (which they eat at home). Everyone was staring at me, but nobody was coming over to meet us. I think it is particularly unusual to have visitors in Moroccan schools, which is why the students were REALLY staring at me.

Finally some peeps showed up. One of them looked like a very young Ne-Yo… fedora and everything. Mr. Rachidi told him to take off the hat, but quickly changed his mind once he asked. His hair was very greasy/dirty, so Mr. Rachidi let him keep it on. It was funny- not as bad as it seems. We went to the classroom, and Mr. Rachidi put on what he calls his “mask”. He is a very different person than he is a teacher. Funny/jokey in real life vs. a pretty serious teacher. I think he had a class during the time of the interview, so he made them line up two by two and walk to another classroom. We sat down and conducted the interview. One of Mr. Rachidi’s friends (a teacher in Casablanca) joined us because he wrote his PhD on relationships in schools (I think?) and he was just curious. He wasn’t very good at English or French, but he tried hard. He also invited me to his school, but I am not sure if I will do that… It was kind of hard (not as hard as I expected though) because Mr. Rachidi’s English is not the best, and the students speak almost only Darija. I spoke English, Mr. Rachidi spoke Darija to the students, they responded in Darija, and then he translated it into French. Luckily, I had my iPad app, so I got the entire (TWO HOUR) interview recorded.

A lot of the things from the interview were expected, but there were some eye opening things. They were very open around their teacher, which was surprising. They spoke freely about their drug and alcohol use, and their disdain for the education system. I think that this is because they respect Mr. Rachidi, and that they might not have disclosed the truth in front of other teachers. After speaking with the focus group, I went to an English class. I had no idea what level they were or anything about it- I was kind of just thrown into it, but it was cool. I introduced myself in Arabic (VERY elementary level) and they were like over the top impressed by me. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes a little bit, but I think they were actually genuinely impressed because they do not expect Americans to have an interest in learning Arabic. I asked them why they thought students dropped out of school and they shouted out reasons (in English). There were definitely some class clowns- someone said “WE LOVE TO SMOKE THE HASHEEEEEESH!”. But the other answers were appropriate: family problems, fed up with school, bad company, working to support family, education is a waste of time because there are smart people who have degrees protesting out in the streets right now, bad/boring teachers etc. The teacher that was running this class was the one who did not think that he knew the real reasons why they drop out- he could only guess. He said that there were a lot of things that he would not have guessed on the list that we made.

After the English class, I was able to interview two other English teachers. I can tell that the first one that I interviewed was a teacher that might lead a student to drop out. She wore a white lab jacket (??? I had to remind myself that it probably wasn’t weird, and that I am in Morocco, not America). She was incredibly soft spoken and even I got a little bored speaking with her. I didn’t record our conversations, and I took VERY sloppy notes. She seemed disturbed at the fact that students drop out, and she says that she does everything that she can to get them back into school (blah blah). The second teacher that I spoke with was amazing. He was a Samuel L. Jackson (with longer hair) look-a-like. He worked at the school for 31 years, AND is an alum (what I want to do at Friends Seminary…). He definitely got it more than the last woman. He made the comparison of books to computers. He said that youth today want to drop out of school and sit at home on their computers or cell phones, and suggested that we bring new technologies into the classroom to fight drop outs & encourage kids to stay in school. That’s obviously easier said than done, but it makes sense to me- especially after seeing how much more time Imane spends on her cellphone while pretending to be looking at her books.

Then it was time to go (~6:25). SUCH A LONG DAY. Once we walked out of school I realized how exhausted I was. There was NO way that I was going to make it back to Rabat. I was still with Mr. Rachidi and his friend (who BTW was very annoying and pushy- definitely just wanted to talk to me to pick my tired brain & practice his terrible English). Mr. Rachidi asked if I was hungry (I was, but wanted to have my own home tea-time, so) I said I wasn’t. He didn’t really believe me and asked if I had every had something that I have never heard of. I said no, and then realized that he was talking about donuts (which I obviously HAVE had). WE went into this teensie weensie café/hole in the wall. There were no spaces to sit period, but the “seats” that were there in theory, were taken. One veryyyy old man got up veryyyy slowly and gave us his seat. He said that he was in the air force and was stationed in Virgina, North Carolina, etc. and I was confused because he was very much a Moroccan man. I didn’t ask questions though because I was so tired and hungry- I could only smile and nod my head veryyy lightly. We had tea and FRESH FRESH FRESH donuts with sugar on top and fried dough-type things. Obviously I was in heaven and ate way more than my fair share. So scrumptious. After teatime we walked to the train (the long way…ughhhh). They quizzed me about American History and annoying things that I made up the answers to (terrible, I know) SAVED BY THE BELL. Mommy dearest called me. I quickly remembered the last time that I spoke to her was the cryptic email that I sent at ~8:30 in the morning (it was now about 7:15 pm) about being homesick and not wanting to study abroad anymore blah blah (aka I was incredibly scared for my day ahead). She was definitely freaking out all day, which is kind of funny now (because I was having a great day), but I feel bad. I talked with her a little and then got to the train station. They bought my ticket (good bc it would have meant I had 0 dollars left) and we got on. We found a seat and talked for the entire ride. Mr. Rachidi invited me to go to the exotic gardens on Sunday (with a friend- hi Sara) so I agreed. It was dark once we got to Rabat, but they walked me to my doorstep (R U HAPPY, ELLEN??!?). We said that we would talk later. I was literally SO HAPPY to be home, and I have never been as tired as I was on Monday. I always like being tired at night because that means that I had a long and fun-filled day, which was definitely the case today. I expressed my exhaustion so dinner came out quickly, and I went to sleep without doing the Arabic homework.