I’ve been adding things up in my head and onto this list for a few weeks… forgive the out of order-ness! J And also forgive the fact that I sound like I’ve been away from all civilization for years instead of simply in a different country for a few months… but it’s funny how appreciative of the small things I’ve become.
Can’t wait to:
Shower on a regular basis (Thus shave my legs and have clean hair regularly as well)
Wear make up
Use a hair dryer/put any effort into my hair whatsoever
Have running hot water—especially out of a sink faucet
Eat Indian food
Eat sushi
Eat Mexican food
Eat Trader Joe’s frozen mac n cheese
Eat mac n cheese everyday for one week
NEVER eat meat again!
Go to Taco Bell
Drink Sprite Zero/Fresca and cheap vodka—with a lime—with my best friends
Catch up on Desperate Housewives and Grey’s
Drive a car
Have the freedom to take a vehicle to the destination of my choice
Buy new clothes
Have my old clothes back!
Wear any clothing other than the 6 outfits I’ve been wearing for 3 months
See my entire family
Laugh with my grandma
Read a good new book of my choosing
See Twilight and HSM3
Have the option of wheat bread
Eat good quality cheese and crackers
Have a glass of wine with my mom
Give my gifts to everyone
Send the gifts to the people I still won’t see for a while
Know at least a smidgen about current sports news
Go swimming with my brothers and sister (yes I promise!)
See Ash and D
Pinkberry
Snuggle with Quinn
Rent movies
Drink tea without sugar!
Have available to-go cups
Ordering a regular coffee without it just being espresso and cream
Having my own water glass at the dinner table
Quick internet access on a much more regular basis
Noodles that don’t taste like play-dough
Men whispering—or shouting—in my ear as I walk by
Not feel genuinely oppressed because I’m a woman
Hot showers that aren’t over the toilet
Exercise without being harassed
Wear shorts/tank tops/dresses
Listen to the radio
Watch the news
Not having cookies for breakfast
Getting mail in a somewhat timely manner
Have some sort of income to counter balance my love of spending money
Two very important words that I miss a lot: Cream.cheese.
Washing machine/ clothes dryer (aka feeling as though my clothes are actually clean)
So although I’m ecstatic and so anxious to fill all those wants, I also have been collecting in my mind all the things I love about Morocco that I will miss a lot. I’d be crazy to assume that I only want my old life back. There are actually so many things I will miss terribly!
What I’ll miss:
Tea being served 3 times a day no matter what
The tea being real and freshly made with just tea leaves, mint leaves and sugar. (Although I complain, I will miss the fact that the tea is ALWAYS soo sweet that it makes it like a legitimate satisfying dessert!)
Street meat sandwiches that are to die for and only cost 50 cents
The fact that you can buy a freshly made, legitimate meal for less than one dollar
There’s always another pastry shop around every corner
I can go anywhere by foot
I can walk 20 yards from my front door and be in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city
Hearing the call to prayer outside and knowing almost everyone in the country is, at least for a second, thinking in a peaceful, pious way
Headscarves as just another accessory to match an outfit
Bootleg DVDs for one dollar or less
Everything in general being cheaper
Being forced to take off my shoes before I walk onto carpet (It’s really an ingenious idea! The carpets are hardly ever dirty!)
The Hammem (the entire concept of this oasis for women away from men where we can spend hours and hours AND the woman herself who you can pay to scrub your entire body for $1.50)
Pastilla!!! (food overall is one of the things I miss the most from home… but chicken pastilla in Morocco is now on the very top of my “all time best foods” list)
Having cookies for breakfast (I realize this is on both lists… but you can imagine why haha)
Leaving Morocco tomorrow will really be bitter sweet. I can’t believe it’s over! This time around (compared to being in Costa Rica) was totally different and I think a lot of that was my maturity level and the amount of time spent away. First of all, I was definitely ready and equally (if not more) anxious to go to Costa Rica but spending 6 months in that foreign, third world country when I was 16 and not used to living away from my family was, imaginably, very hard! I also didn’t have regular communication with other Americans when I was there and that just intensified the cultural differences. I’ve really loved being with other American students on a regular basis here simply because it’s made this entire experience more fun and it’s allowed me to analyze and think about this cultural experience in an out-loud way—and I think this has actually really deepened my cultural gain of Morocco.
But more importantly, I’ve begun to realize recently that 3 ½ months is a better amount of time than 6 months—unless you’re going to commit to at least a year in a foreign country. In other words, if I were to go abroad like this again it would either be for 3 ½ months or a year. Anything in between (like 6 months in Costa Rica) seems like an awkward time. I say this because after 3 ½ months, I really feel like I understand this country and culture. And although there’s always going to be SO much more to explore, I couldn’t do so within just few more months. I think this was the perfect amount of time because I never felt really anxious to leave and like I was being punished by being stuck here so long (I did in Costa Rica).
Anyway, I can’t believe I’ll be on an airplane in 12 hours! (We have to be ready to go at 4:30am tomorrow morning YUCK) I’m spending 12 days in Europe with my friends Hanne in Paris, Irina in Basel and Val in Spain. It’s going to be a crazy, very tiring few days but totally jammed packed of awesomeness tooJ hahaha. I’ll be in 9 airports and 2 train stations throughout the 12 days and 6 airports in the last 48 hours… AH!
Also, thanks so much to everyone who was a committed blogger!! It was so great to write for you and it totally enlightened my entire experience, so you all deserve a big thanks on my part!! I will also try to upload one more blog of photos when I get home at the end of Dec. if you’re still interested!!!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Eid Kabir/ ISP is OVER!!!
So Eid Kabir is the name of another grand Muslim holiday in Morocco and we were lucky enough to still be here to witness the whole process. The main tradition for this holiday is to slaughter/sacrifice a sheep. As far as I know, the sheep represents a family member in a sense. It’s like instead of sacrificing a child, you sacrifice a sheep as a sign of loyalty to God or something of the sorts… Anyway, for the past week there have been SO MANY sheep being sold. If I haven’t drawn this out well enough before, everything in the Moroccan medina is just sold at little kiosks throughout the streets. New “products” come in and out and you never know what you’ll find—kind of like isles of a grocery store or better yet, a super Target, laid out throughout the streets. So now you see sheep, new sharp knives, literal tree stumps (chopping blocks), charcoal and lots of other things I don’t understand.
So this is kind of like “Muslim Christmas“ in a way. On TV before each commercial an “Eid Moombarik” (Happy Eid!) slogan pops up. And nothing was open all day. So when my host family invited me to come over to celebrate I was really excited! I was thinking it was going to be like Christmas morning! Everyone’s so happy and excited on Christmas morning, right? Well… who knew slaughtering a sheep was so much work!!! I couldn’t make it over there until 1pm so I missed the butcher coming over and actually killing the sheep, but my sister told me it was probably best I didn’t witness it—she doesn’t even watch herself. (Also, this is apparently a butcher’s BUSIEST time of the year b/c everyone needs the butcher himself to actually kill the sheep and then sometimes they filet the meat and sometimes dads do, but almost every household needs the butcher there for at least a little while…) Anyway, I guess in our family we do the filleting and when I got there 2 hours after they started, they were still cleaning up blood and such. (This is just not what I call a relaxing holiday)
So traditionally, on the day of the sacrifice, you just eat the stomach and/or the liver, heart, testicles etc. They let the rest of the meat sit out for at least one day then split up all the meat into 3 sections that you apparently give one to the poor, send one to extended family then keep one section for yourself. ALSO, the sheep head is also a key ingredient to the whole festival. When I was walking to my house there were lots of groups of men and small boys surrounded around a make shift grill of sorts, shaving the fur off the heads, cutting off the horns and then just GRILLING the entire head! It was such a bizarre grotesque thing! On Friday they apparently eat couscous with sheep head and brain? I mean the whole situation was one of the most disturbing experiences of my life simply b/c no one around me found it odd or gross in any way!! I really wish I had taken a picture of the 6 year old boy running down the street trying to hold onto 4 or 5 bloody sheep horns.
Anyway, I got to my house while they were finishing cleaning up on the roof and the large sheep body was just hanging up in the front hallway with a newspaper under it catching the small drips of excess blood. They gave me TWO skewers full of meat (remember day one is the stomach/heart/liver day) and they most definitely prepared them very rare. I was avoiding them at all cost at first and just paying attention to my salad until my sister said “be sure to eat that meat before it gets cold!” I asked what it was and she said the first piece was heart and I admit, I tried it—actually I ended up eating the whole piece but DID NOT like it. I mean, seriously… I really am not a picky eater. I’m actually quite adventurous but this crossed the line. I don’t even want to be eating meat in general let alone undercooked sheep heart. But I did try it, and didn’t vomit. My family also knows I don’t really eat meat normally so they didn’t force it on me. And if you’re wondering what it tasted like, it literally tasted like blood. (I know blood is what makes a good steak taste good but still… considering the heart is the blood-pumper, I just felt like it was EXTRA blood tasting. Ew…)
So tomorrow is couscous day with sheep head—but mom’s making me chickenJ
Also, I am officially done with my final paper and turned it in today. The research I did do ended up being really awesome and I felt like I actually discovered some fairly new information. It was at least pretty interesting to me! I mean of course in three weeks I did not do legitimate, real research that could actually be used as real social science data BUT I still felt good about itJ I simply used interviews as my sole source of data but this made sense for my project. What I wanted to find out was about what effect modernization was having on the current youth of Morocco and whether or not the changes in society were having an effect on how children today are growing up and being raised—and what adults of all ages thought about that.
I originally assumed that most people would tell me that with an increase in internet use, satellite TV and more access to the western, “modern” world, the way of life for Moroccans would be drastically improving. But, what I actually found out (to my surprise) was that most adults thought that morals, values and tradition is on such a decline that this meant that these changes in the social world were actually more detrimental than progressive and helpful. There is actually more homelessness today than ever before. (I hope that made sense…) Anyway, I wrote a 30 page paper about it and I’d be lying if I said some of it wasn’t partially full of bullshit. BUT I’m somewhat proud of it anyway! Hahaha and considering it’s been consuming my life for 3 weeks, let’s just say I’m happy I’m done!
I’ve moved into the hotel I’m staying at for the last week and I’m leaving this country in like 5 days!!! Crazy…
So this is kind of like “Muslim Christmas“ in a way. On TV before each commercial an “Eid Moombarik” (Happy Eid!) slogan pops up. And nothing was open all day. So when my host family invited me to come over to celebrate I was really excited! I was thinking it was going to be like Christmas morning! Everyone’s so happy and excited on Christmas morning, right? Well… who knew slaughtering a sheep was so much work!!! I couldn’t make it over there until 1pm so I missed the butcher coming over and actually killing the sheep, but my sister told me it was probably best I didn’t witness it—she doesn’t even watch herself. (Also, this is apparently a butcher’s BUSIEST time of the year b/c everyone needs the butcher himself to actually kill the sheep and then sometimes they filet the meat and sometimes dads do, but almost every household needs the butcher there for at least a little while…) Anyway, I guess in our family we do the filleting and when I got there 2 hours after they started, they were still cleaning up blood and such. (This is just not what I call a relaxing holiday)
So traditionally, on the day of the sacrifice, you just eat the stomach and/or the liver, heart, testicles etc. They let the rest of the meat sit out for at least one day then split up all the meat into 3 sections that you apparently give one to the poor, send one to extended family then keep one section for yourself. ALSO, the sheep head is also a key ingredient to the whole festival. When I was walking to my house there were lots of groups of men and small boys surrounded around a make shift grill of sorts, shaving the fur off the heads, cutting off the horns and then just GRILLING the entire head! It was such a bizarre grotesque thing! On Friday they apparently eat couscous with sheep head and brain? I mean the whole situation was one of the most disturbing experiences of my life simply b/c no one around me found it odd or gross in any way!! I really wish I had taken a picture of the 6 year old boy running down the street trying to hold onto 4 or 5 bloody sheep horns.
Anyway, I got to my house while they were finishing cleaning up on the roof and the large sheep body was just hanging up in the front hallway with a newspaper under it catching the small drips of excess blood. They gave me TWO skewers full of meat (remember day one is the stomach/heart/liver day) and they most definitely prepared them very rare. I was avoiding them at all cost at first and just paying attention to my salad until my sister said “be sure to eat that meat before it gets cold!” I asked what it was and she said the first piece was heart and I admit, I tried it—actually I ended up eating the whole piece but DID NOT like it. I mean, seriously… I really am not a picky eater. I’m actually quite adventurous but this crossed the line. I don’t even want to be eating meat in general let alone undercooked sheep heart. But I did try it, and didn’t vomit. My family also knows I don’t really eat meat normally so they didn’t force it on me. And if you’re wondering what it tasted like, it literally tasted like blood. (I know blood is what makes a good steak taste good but still… considering the heart is the blood-pumper, I just felt like it was EXTRA blood tasting. Ew…)
So tomorrow is couscous day with sheep head—but mom’s making me chickenJ
Also, I am officially done with my final paper and turned it in today. The research I did do ended up being really awesome and I felt like I actually discovered some fairly new information. It was at least pretty interesting to me! I mean of course in three weeks I did not do legitimate, real research that could actually be used as real social science data BUT I still felt good about itJ I simply used interviews as my sole source of data but this made sense for my project. What I wanted to find out was about what effect modernization was having on the current youth of Morocco and whether or not the changes in society were having an effect on how children today are growing up and being raised—and what adults of all ages thought about that.
I originally assumed that most people would tell me that with an increase in internet use, satellite TV and more access to the western, “modern” world, the way of life for Moroccans would be drastically improving. But, what I actually found out (to my surprise) was that most adults thought that morals, values and tradition is on such a decline that this meant that these changes in the social world were actually more detrimental than progressive and helpful. There is actually more homelessness today than ever before. (I hope that made sense…) Anyway, I wrote a 30 page paper about it and I’d be lying if I said some of it wasn’t partially full of bullshit. BUT I’m somewhat proud of it anyway! Hahaha and considering it’s been consuming my life for 3 weeks, let’s just say I’m happy I’m done!
I’ve moved into the hotel I’m staying at for the last week and I’m leaving this country in like 5 days!!! Crazy…
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Chefchouen
So these past few days I’ve spent my time away from Rabat in a town called Chefchouen. It was my last little trip to travel throughout Morocco and I just can’t believe I hadn’t been there before now!! It was the most beauuutiful little town! I went with a few friends who went earlier in the semester and they were so anxious to get back and I understand why! This is a city that is known for being awesome and one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country. But it doesn’t attract the same tourists as the big cities like Marrakech. It’s a very chill, relaxed place in the mountains with lots of great hiking—although we didn’t commit to a hiking adventure given the cold temperatures and the short time we had. BUT it was sooo great anyway and I BOUGHT SO MUCH STUFFFFF. At least now I’m almost done with all my Christmas/gift shopping which is nice to know…
Also, this city is BLUE. The whole medina is painted blue. I’m not sure why although I’m sure there is a story behind it. But, yes, all the walls are painted blue and it’s so beautiful! This was one of the first cities I liked so much that it made me think I’d like to return someday and visit again. Not that I haven’t enjoyed other places in Morocco, but this was the first time that I really thought I may make a legitimate effort to return one day.
Anyway, time is quickly ticking away now and I have less than 10 days left in this country! I have a few days left to finish my paper then only a few days left for presentations and “de-orientation”! I can hardly believe it!!
Also, this city is BLUE. The whole medina is painted blue. I’m not sure why although I’m sure there is a story behind it. But, yes, all the walls are painted blue and it’s so beautiful! This was one of the first cities I liked so much that it made me think I’d like to return someday and visit again. Not that I haven’t enjoyed other places in Morocco, but this was the first time that I really thought I may make a legitimate effort to return one day.
Anyway, time is quickly ticking away now and I have less than 10 days left in this country! I have a few days left to finish my paper then only a few days left for presentations and “de-orientation”! I can hardly believe it!!
Friday, November 28, 2008
“Well this is frustrating” –Most commonly used phrase in my life these days:)
Monday
So as the plan is now, I’m staying in Rabat for the rest of ISP. I’m in a hotel in the medina with my friend Sarah for 60 dirhams a night/ 7 more for a hot shower. About $8.50 a day if that can even be possible!! So cheap! We are still planning on going to Chefchouen this weekend for a last trip, but at least now I’ll be here for Thanksgiving and I think we’re going to have a really fun, pot-luck, Morocco-style party on Thursday—I think the goal is rotisserie chicken instead of baking an entire turkey, but I think that’s our smartest, safest bet. Between all the houses, we only have one working oven, but it just has an on and off switch—no temp gauge. So that should all be very interesting!
Like I mentioned before, most people stayed in Rabat for ISP in the first place so many of them rented houses for super cheap—something I really wish I had went in on had I known I was going to be here anyway! But, last night we went to one of the houses and it’s so cute. I’m so jealous they have a kitchen and bedrooms! That sounds like a dream to me! But I’m sure I’ll be spending plenty of time there to get my fix.
I also leave Morocco exactly three weeks from today. That’s sooo soon! It’s like I can finally see the finish line! Woo-hoo. I guess now I just need to write this huge paper…?
Also, I must note that for some strange reason, the Moroccan food that I’ve complained about oh so much has been absolutely LOVELY since ISP started and it’s not even because I’ve gotten to make my own!! We have just had good luck I guess! Or maybe my host family just sucked—actually that is probably what it is. I’ve eaten so much CHEAP authentic Moroccan street food and it has been soo sooo good!! Today Sarah Elliot and I had a FULL meal and it ended up costing us less than 8 dollars total hahaha. Unveliavable… and sooo yummy.
I also signed up for stuffing on the Thanksgiving pot luck… I’m in charge of one of the most important additions to a thanksgiving feast? This will probably not go well…
Tuesday
At this point I have a total of two whole interviews under my researching belt. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot—and it’s not, but I feel good about it. I’ve honestly gathered so much more information out of those 2 interviews than I thought I would get even after 20. So writing this paper is going to be a lot easier than I initially thought! Of course, if I expect to call this paper even a little bit legitimate, I will have to conduct more than 2; but what I mean to say is that even if I don’t get to 20 interviews, my life will not be over and I’ll still have plenty to write about.
Wednesday
This morning I woke up and went to Rabat’s neighboring city, Sale with my friend Trena. Trena is volunteering at an association there that works with homeless children and other children in need. It’s technically a school but to put the laxness into perceptive, they gave Trena her own class time (2 hour classes twice a day) where she was to teach math and English within the first few days of her being there. So I went with her this morning to check things out and see if I could talk to anyone for my own project—and to help her out, etc.
I thought we might get to teach a “class” but we didn’t and I was a bit disappointed because I was looking forward to it, but we did wonder around the city with one of the activists that works there. First we walked to one of the public schools to get a kid’s “papers” because he was transferring schools. The story was not completely clear, but I think he and his bothers run away with his mother often trying to get away from an abusive father. They are kind of always on the run—the poor kid. Then we went to another home for a “follow up.” This woman had 5 children, the oldest is probably around 10 and her husband abandoned them all. Her oldest children have worked with this association for schooling and the man we were with was checking up on her and her family—mostly just to say hello, we’re still thinking of you and want to make sure everything is running as smoothly as possible in your home. She was so lovely. Her youngest child doesn’t have a birth certificate or any nationality card because so much of that information lies with the father and is under his responsibility or his name—and since the father is completely gone, it is very difficult for this mother to register her youngest son as even a HUMAN BEING in Morocco. (Trena said the day before she helped take a little girl to the doctor so he could tell her how old she was because she had no idea…)This country is so backwards in so many ways… But even though this woman is in a very very awful, sad situation, she still loves her kids so much. She told us that when she was growing up, it was just her father and she never got to “play” because he was very strict. They way she described it was that when she was young she had money but no liberty, but now her kids have no money, but at least they have liberty. It was very moving and while it was tremendously sad, it was also nice to see someone so optimistic when she could be giving up. “We don’t abandon our children until death,” she said.
Thursday
Thanksgiving was such a success!!!! First of all I made amazingggg stuffing. I don’t even know how it turned out so good. I was cooking it with Sarah and we were one moment questioning whether or not it would even turn out, then all of a sudden it was done and perfect! The bread wasn’t quite stale and we had to cook it on the stove top b/c getting to an oven wasn’t going to happen—nor was finding a pot that was oven safe. So my stove top stuffing worked out and everyone loved it. By the end of the night I was even considered a culinary expert which just couldn’t be farther from true—but I admit I happily took the complimentsJ .
Someone made lots of mashed potatoes, salads, green beans, fresh bread, apple pies… it was so successful and totally satisfying. There were about 30 of us there and we went to one of the small houses a group of girls are renting and it was just the right size, and there was plenty of wine not to worry.
Everyone was so upset—obviously—for missing Thanksgiving at home. Especially at this point in the program when we only have a few weeks/a few DAYS left and we’re really getting anxious to get home and see our families—a holiday like Thanksgiving could have easily just been a depressing day but instead it really worked out and I had a really fun time with everyone, AND I had incredibly satisfying, homestyle food! It was great!!!
(On a side note: I also got offered the RA job I applied for in the spring! Hurray!!! I also did NOT get into the Turkey program which was heartbreakingL. But at least I didn’t get doubly rejected in one week haha.)
So as the plan is now, I’m staying in Rabat for the rest of ISP. I’m in a hotel in the medina with my friend Sarah for 60 dirhams a night/ 7 more for a hot shower. About $8.50 a day if that can even be possible!! So cheap! We are still planning on going to Chefchouen this weekend for a last trip, but at least now I’ll be here for Thanksgiving and I think we’re going to have a really fun, pot-luck, Morocco-style party on Thursday—I think the goal is rotisserie chicken instead of baking an entire turkey, but I think that’s our smartest, safest bet. Between all the houses, we only have one working oven, but it just has an on and off switch—no temp gauge. So that should all be very interesting!
Like I mentioned before, most people stayed in Rabat for ISP in the first place so many of them rented houses for super cheap—something I really wish I had went in on had I known I was going to be here anyway! But, last night we went to one of the houses and it’s so cute. I’m so jealous they have a kitchen and bedrooms! That sounds like a dream to me! But I’m sure I’ll be spending plenty of time there to get my fix.
I also leave Morocco exactly three weeks from today. That’s sooo soon! It’s like I can finally see the finish line! Woo-hoo. I guess now I just need to write this huge paper…?
Also, I must note that for some strange reason, the Moroccan food that I’ve complained about oh so much has been absolutely LOVELY since ISP started and it’s not even because I’ve gotten to make my own!! We have just had good luck I guess! Or maybe my host family just sucked—actually that is probably what it is. I’ve eaten so much CHEAP authentic Moroccan street food and it has been soo sooo good!! Today Sarah Elliot and I had a FULL meal and it ended up costing us less than 8 dollars total hahaha. Unveliavable… and sooo yummy.
I also signed up for stuffing on the Thanksgiving pot luck… I’m in charge of one of the most important additions to a thanksgiving feast? This will probably not go well…
Tuesday
At this point I have a total of two whole interviews under my researching belt. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot—and it’s not, but I feel good about it. I’ve honestly gathered so much more information out of those 2 interviews than I thought I would get even after 20. So writing this paper is going to be a lot easier than I initially thought! Of course, if I expect to call this paper even a little bit legitimate, I will have to conduct more than 2; but what I mean to say is that even if I don’t get to 20 interviews, my life will not be over and I’ll still have plenty to write about.
Wednesday
This morning I woke up and went to Rabat’s neighboring city, Sale with my friend Trena. Trena is volunteering at an association there that works with homeless children and other children in need. It’s technically a school but to put the laxness into perceptive, they gave Trena her own class time (2 hour classes twice a day) where she was to teach math and English within the first few days of her being there. So I went with her this morning to check things out and see if I could talk to anyone for my own project—and to help her out, etc.
I thought we might get to teach a “class” but we didn’t and I was a bit disappointed because I was looking forward to it, but we did wonder around the city with one of the activists that works there. First we walked to one of the public schools to get a kid’s “papers” because he was transferring schools. The story was not completely clear, but I think he and his bothers run away with his mother often trying to get away from an abusive father. They are kind of always on the run—the poor kid. Then we went to another home for a “follow up.” This woman had 5 children, the oldest is probably around 10 and her husband abandoned them all. Her oldest children have worked with this association for schooling and the man we were with was checking up on her and her family—mostly just to say hello, we’re still thinking of you and want to make sure everything is running as smoothly as possible in your home. She was so lovely. Her youngest child doesn’t have a birth certificate or any nationality card because so much of that information lies with the father and is under his responsibility or his name—and since the father is completely gone, it is very difficult for this mother to register her youngest son as even a HUMAN BEING in Morocco. (Trena said the day before she helped take a little girl to the doctor so he could tell her how old she was because she had no idea…)This country is so backwards in so many ways… But even though this woman is in a very very awful, sad situation, she still loves her kids so much. She told us that when she was growing up, it was just her father and she never got to “play” because he was very strict. They way she described it was that when she was young she had money but no liberty, but now her kids have no money, but at least they have liberty. It was very moving and while it was tremendously sad, it was also nice to see someone so optimistic when she could be giving up. “We don’t abandon our children until death,” she said.
Thursday
Thanksgiving was such a success!!!! First of all I made amazingggg stuffing. I don’t even know how it turned out so good. I was cooking it with Sarah and we were one moment questioning whether or not it would even turn out, then all of a sudden it was done and perfect! The bread wasn’t quite stale and we had to cook it on the stove top b/c getting to an oven wasn’t going to happen—nor was finding a pot that was oven safe. So my stove top stuffing worked out and everyone loved it. By the end of the night I was even considered a culinary expert which just couldn’t be farther from true—but I admit I happily took the complimentsJ .
Someone made lots of mashed potatoes, salads, green beans, fresh bread, apple pies… it was so successful and totally satisfying. There were about 30 of us there and we went to one of the small houses a group of girls are renting and it was just the right size, and there was plenty of wine not to worry.
Everyone was so upset—obviously—for missing Thanksgiving at home. Especially at this point in the program when we only have a few weeks/a few DAYS left and we’re really getting anxious to get home and see our families—a holiday like Thanksgiving could have easily just been a depressing day but instead it really worked out and I had a really fun time with everyone, AND I had incredibly satisfying, homestyle food! It was great!!!
(On a side note: I also got offered the RA job I applied for in the spring! Hurray!!! I also did NOT get into the Turkey program which was heartbreakingL. But at least I didn’t get doubly rejected in one week haha.)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
ISP begins...
ISP blog:
Wed Nov 19.
Yesterday Was day 1 of ISP—independent study project—where I’ve moved out of my home stay and get to travel around the country as I wish to do research on a particular topic. Saying goodbye to my family was…bittersweet? But more on the sweet side most definitely. They had been EXTRA nice and attentive the last week or two and at first I thought, well that’s ironic, why are they being nice now? Why couldn’t they have wanted to talk to me 3 months ago? But then my more cynical side told me they probably wanted me to leave on an extra good note considering I was going to be filling out an evaluation for them in the near future. Oh well, they did invite me back for the Aide holiday (pronounced Eede) on Dec 8th or 9th and my mom told me that she would do my laundry for me. It’s a big holiday in Morocco where traditionally they slaughter a goat for some religious reason. So I do think I’m going to go for the culture aspect and for the free laundry serviceJ
So I left Rabat for the city of Fes on Tuesday morning. I’m traveling with my friends Camille, Elliot and Sarah. We made it to our hotel after a little hassle and then we wondered around had awesome lunch and dinner (god I’m so appreciative of yummy food!!) and then we came back to watch some movies and go to bed… it was really nice, I just don’t want to actually start working now!
Camille is working with an animal shelter in Fez for her ISP and she got up early this morning to go to her “internship.” She’s actually got it made for the next three weeks. She’s interning with this shelter—it’s run by Canadians so everything will be in English—then her family is visiting for a week over Thanksgiving then she has one week left and she’s just going to come back to Rabat and write her paper. I’m so jealous because life is not so sweet for me. I’m not a proactive person at allll and I’m being forced to be incredibly proactive for my project. Ugh… it will be really emotionally strenuous but in the end I’ll hopefully be very proud of myself.
In the afternoon, Elliot, Sarah and I took a cab to the medina and wondered around. (The Fez medina by the way is one of the most stressful places with its windy roads and insistent salesmen yet it’s a pretty touristy-friendly as well and as long as you don’t take any turns off the main path, it’s actually really great and cheap!!) Elliot’s doing his project about art and artists in Morocco so he chatted it up with some artists while Sarah and I shopped a bit. Then we had lunch—which again was delicioussss (I am so surprised at the food thus far!)
Camille also found out today that the veterinarian clinic she is volunteering at is willing to house her and if she were there 24 hours a day it would be really great—so this is where things start to trip me up because now that Camille is moving in with her job, I am roommate-less. …we’ll see I suppose!
Thursday:
Ok today totally sucks. I hardly got any sleep last night because I’m starting to get very stressed out. Everyone is leaving Fes today or tomorrow and I don’t know what to do. First of all, I can’t afford (with the stipend they gave us to live off of) to have a hotel room by myself and I don’t want to check into a youth hostel b/c I won’t be able to lock all of my stuff anywhere and I’m not willing to risk that. Second of all, I’m not sure I can just live in a city in Morocco for even a few days all alone!
This morning I thought maybe I would just go to Tangier a few days early. I had originally planned on meeting a few other people there next Monday or Tuesday, and Val switched her plans so she will be there this weekend, although how I would find her I have no idea. BUT I called Trena—the person I was supposed to meet in Tangier—and she ended up having a change of plans as well and is planning on staying in Rabat. SOOOO I surely don’t want to be in Tangier by myself for an entire week. You’re probably thinking why not just go to Tangier and visit Val for the weekend, and then make it back down to Rabat. But here comes problem number 4 (or is it 5…can’t keep count at this point), a group of us were planning on going to Chefchouen next weekend and it’s a city very close to Tangier so it was going to be a perfect route instead of taking the more expensive 6-hour train ride to and from Tangier/Chefchouen to Rabat twice. Chefchouen is supposedly one of the nicest, most beautiful cities in the country and I’m yet to see it so this plan had been in my book for a very long time and it’s really important that I go. SOOOOO ugh longgg story, that probably doesn’t make very much since to any of you is that I’m planning on going back to Rabat tomorrow after all. I really really REALLY did not want to spend my ISP time in Rabat… I’m so over Rabat!!! But it might actually make the most sense. At least then I know people, have contacts and will hopefully be able to really conduct come interviews..??? At this point, I really hate all of this right now.
Ok ok… it is now a few hours after the last time I wrote and I’m now much calmer haha. I decided that I AM going to go to Tangier and meet Val because to be quite honest, going back to Rabat held no interest AND no definite answers to my current dilemmas. But I DO know that going and seeing Val (even if that does mean I waste another 3 days not doing “research”) will make me so so happy and I’ll have a good time. And at this point, maybe I’ll stay in Tangier for a few days and carry out the plan I originally had with Trena. OR if I want, I will just take a train back to Rabat for Thanksgiving and then go to Chefchouen. It’s just money right? (Not like the 130 dirham/16 dollar train ticket is really going to make or break me anyway.)
I also am spending this last night in Fes with just Elliot b/c Camille is at her job now and Sarah had to go back to Rabat tonight. And he and I have had such a good time! I haven’t really had the chance to get to know him yet and I’m so glad I’ve had this opportunity because I wouldn’t have otherwise. Granted, he is also in the same very frustrated boat as I am about this whole ISP business so we are getting really good at venting togetherJ
So at this point in the night, I AM going to Tangier tomorrow and I’ll play it by ear….hmmmm
Friday:
So again I had trouble sleeping because I am apparently Miss stress-o-matic these days. BUT I told myself to suck it up, be brave and go to Tangier. Now I know it’s really not THAT big of a deal to go to Tangier like I had originally planned anyway but it was just overwhelming doing it alone. I surely couldn’t have done it alone a few months/weeks ago. But I have been to the city before and I’m comfortable with the train system. So Elliot and I woke up, we each showered and headed to the train station as early as possible. We got there at like 8:45 and of course his train to Rabat left 10 minutes later and mine to Tangier didn’t leave until 10:50. But I sat at a café, ordered coffee and read and I was of course fine. Sparring you the boring details, I made it on my train unharmed and even made the correct switch when I was supposed to! Moroccans really are very very nice. Anytime I had a question or wanted to double check I was in the right place at the right time, everyone was so willing to answer and they were very friendly—yet not TOO over friendly as Moroccans can also sometimes be. I even conducted my first interviews on the train! I was so proud of myself!!! There was a group of young men, about 25 years old and they sat in my train car at first I’m sure to chat me up, but we ended up having a great conversation and one of them was even a teacher so they had lots of interesting things to say about youth, etc. They were also quite smart and their English was great… To top it off, they had to get off at a stop about 10 minutes after I was done asking them questions so we didn’t have to endure 3 more hours of awkward conversation—something Moroccans tend to be very good at!
I made it to Tangier, got to the hotel Val was supposed to be staying at and they weren’t quite there yet so I sat in the lobby (this hotel was SOOO nice… definitely upper UPPER class for Morocco haha) And YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY oh my goodness I was sooo sooo happy to see herJ!!! I needed that so so so bad! What good timing! Plus she is so brave and such a great person to travel with! Most of the people in her group were pretty terrified of Morocco but she and two of her friends “braved” the night streets with me and we got dinner and tea. I just think it’s hilarious that they were so scared of Tangier! Tangier of all places, too! It’s one of the biggest, most touristy-friendly cities in the country. But I also understand. I was intimidated by the entire country at first too. Actually, it took me a very long time to get as comfortable as I am now. And I was very happy to be able to show them the Morocco I know! They surely wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it the way thee did without me and they were so nice and grateful and curious—perfect characteristics for travel buddies I say. Tomorrow I’m taking them into the oh-so-cultural medina—which it is!—and we’re going to shop all dayJ
I also decided to check myself into a MUCH cheaper hotel so I could at least try to stay within the limits of the stipend I’ve been given. And I really like having a room to myself! I thought it would be awful and scary. But I think I got a pretty big confidence boost being around Val’s terrified friends—as silly as that is haha. I also felt good about that first interview earlier today and am feeling much more inspired and confident in trying to meet more people. I can think I might be able to survive this?!
–Drama Queen Totta 11/21/08
Saturday:
Ok so I woke up and met Val and all of her friends at their hotel and I gave them the best tour of Tangier that I could considering I don’t really know that city very well either. But we had a really good time wondering through the medina, shopping and bargaining. They were all so fun to hang out with! Not to mention that seeing Val just MADE my life so much better.
It was kind of funny to me that most of them were pretty nervous about being in “Morocco.” I mean, obviously it’s a different way of life and things are not the same as the western world, but it’s not THAT scary! I was so surprised they had hyped it up to being a scary, unsafe place! I mean I’ve survived somehow hahaha. But I did a very good job showing them around and they were very nice and grateful for me being thereJ I had a really good time, too!
Tomorrow morning I’m taking an early train back to Rabat and am just going to spend the rest of me time in Rabat… Mostly, I just really don’t want to travel alone for 2 weeks ESPECIALLY over Thanksgiving!!! But if what I wrote before makes me sound on the verge of craziness, no need to worry, I have backed away from that ledge and am doing fine now hahaha (That is especially to my mother who I’m sure I freaked out with a depressed sad email I sent in the midst of all my worry hahaha… sorry Momma)
Wed Nov 19.
Yesterday Was day 1 of ISP—independent study project—where I’ve moved out of my home stay and get to travel around the country as I wish to do research on a particular topic. Saying goodbye to my family was…bittersweet? But more on the sweet side most definitely. They had been EXTRA nice and attentive the last week or two and at first I thought, well that’s ironic, why are they being nice now? Why couldn’t they have wanted to talk to me 3 months ago? But then my more cynical side told me they probably wanted me to leave on an extra good note considering I was going to be filling out an evaluation for them in the near future. Oh well, they did invite me back for the Aide holiday (pronounced Eede) on Dec 8th or 9th and my mom told me that she would do my laundry for me. It’s a big holiday in Morocco where traditionally they slaughter a goat for some religious reason. So I do think I’m going to go for the culture aspect and for the free laundry serviceJ
So I left Rabat for the city of Fes on Tuesday morning. I’m traveling with my friends Camille, Elliot and Sarah. We made it to our hotel after a little hassle and then we wondered around had awesome lunch and dinner (god I’m so appreciative of yummy food!!) and then we came back to watch some movies and go to bed… it was really nice, I just don’t want to actually start working now!
Camille is working with an animal shelter in Fez for her ISP and she got up early this morning to go to her “internship.” She’s actually got it made for the next three weeks. She’s interning with this shelter—it’s run by Canadians so everything will be in English—then her family is visiting for a week over Thanksgiving then she has one week left and she’s just going to come back to Rabat and write her paper. I’m so jealous because life is not so sweet for me. I’m not a proactive person at allll and I’m being forced to be incredibly proactive for my project. Ugh… it will be really emotionally strenuous but in the end I’ll hopefully be very proud of myself.
In the afternoon, Elliot, Sarah and I took a cab to the medina and wondered around. (The Fez medina by the way is one of the most stressful places with its windy roads and insistent salesmen yet it’s a pretty touristy-friendly as well and as long as you don’t take any turns off the main path, it’s actually really great and cheap!!) Elliot’s doing his project about art and artists in Morocco so he chatted it up with some artists while Sarah and I shopped a bit. Then we had lunch—which again was delicioussss (I am so surprised at the food thus far!)
Camille also found out today that the veterinarian clinic she is volunteering at is willing to house her and if she were there 24 hours a day it would be really great—so this is where things start to trip me up because now that Camille is moving in with her job, I am roommate-less. …we’ll see I suppose!
Thursday:
Ok today totally sucks. I hardly got any sleep last night because I’m starting to get very stressed out. Everyone is leaving Fes today or tomorrow and I don’t know what to do. First of all, I can’t afford (with the stipend they gave us to live off of) to have a hotel room by myself and I don’t want to check into a youth hostel b/c I won’t be able to lock all of my stuff anywhere and I’m not willing to risk that. Second of all, I’m not sure I can just live in a city in Morocco for even a few days all alone!
This morning I thought maybe I would just go to Tangier a few days early. I had originally planned on meeting a few other people there next Monday or Tuesday, and Val switched her plans so she will be there this weekend, although how I would find her I have no idea. BUT I called Trena—the person I was supposed to meet in Tangier—and she ended up having a change of plans as well and is planning on staying in Rabat. SOOOO I surely don’t want to be in Tangier by myself for an entire week. You’re probably thinking why not just go to Tangier and visit Val for the weekend, and then make it back down to Rabat. But here comes problem number 4 (or is it 5…can’t keep count at this point), a group of us were planning on going to Chefchouen next weekend and it’s a city very close to Tangier so it was going to be a perfect route instead of taking the more expensive 6-hour train ride to and from Tangier/Chefchouen to Rabat twice. Chefchouen is supposedly one of the nicest, most beautiful cities in the country and I’m yet to see it so this plan had been in my book for a very long time and it’s really important that I go. SOOOOO ugh longgg story, that probably doesn’t make very much since to any of you is that I’m planning on going back to Rabat tomorrow after all. I really really REALLY did not want to spend my ISP time in Rabat… I’m so over Rabat!!! But it might actually make the most sense. At least then I know people, have contacts and will hopefully be able to really conduct come interviews..??? At this point, I really hate all of this right now.
Ok ok… it is now a few hours after the last time I wrote and I’m now much calmer haha. I decided that I AM going to go to Tangier and meet Val because to be quite honest, going back to Rabat held no interest AND no definite answers to my current dilemmas. But I DO know that going and seeing Val (even if that does mean I waste another 3 days not doing “research”) will make me so so happy and I’ll have a good time. And at this point, maybe I’ll stay in Tangier for a few days and carry out the plan I originally had with Trena. OR if I want, I will just take a train back to Rabat for Thanksgiving and then go to Chefchouen. It’s just money right? (Not like the 130 dirham/16 dollar train ticket is really going to make or break me anyway.)
I also am spending this last night in Fes with just Elliot b/c Camille is at her job now and Sarah had to go back to Rabat tonight. And he and I have had such a good time! I haven’t really had the chance to get to know him yet and I’m so glad I’ve had this opportunity because I wouldn’t have otherwise. Granted, he is also in the same very frustrated boat as I am about this whole ISP business so we are getting really good at venting togetherJ
So at this point in the night, I AM going to Tangier tomorrow and I’ll play it by ear….hmmmm
Friday:
So again I had trouble sleeping because I am apparently Miss stress-o-matic these days. BUT I told myself to suck it up, be brave and go to Tangier. Now I know it’s really not THAT big of a deal to go to Tangier like I had originally planned anyway but it was just overwhelming doing it alone. I surely couldn’t have done it alone a few months/weeks ago. But I have been to the city before and I’m comfortable with the train system. So Elliot and I woke up, we each showered and headed to the train station as early as possible. We got there at like 8:45 and of course his train to Rabat left 10 minutes later and mine to Tangier didn’t leave until 10:50. But I sat at a café, ordered coffee and read and I was of course fine. Sparring you the boring details, I made it on my train unharmed and even made the correct switch when I was supposed to! Moroccans really are very very nice. Anytime I had a question or wanted to double check I was in the right place at the right time, everyone was so willing to answer and they were very friendly—yet not TOO over friendly as Moroccans can also sometimes be. I even conducted my first interviews on the train! I was so proud of myself!!! There was a group of young men, about 25 years old and they sat in my train car at first I’m sure to chat me up, but we ended up having a great conversation and one of them was even a teacher so they had lots of interesting things to say about youth, etc. They were also quite smart and their English was great… To top it off, they had to get off at a stop about 10 minutes after I was done asking them questions so we didn’t have to endure 3 more hours of awkward conversation—something Moroccans tend to be very good at!
I made it to Tangier, got to the hotel Val was supposed to be staying at and they weren’t quite there yet so I sat in the lobby (this hotel was SOOO nice… definitely upper UPPER class for Morocco haha) And YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY oh my goodness I was sooo sooo happy to see herJ!!! I needed that so so so bad! What good timing! Plus she is so brave and such a great person to travel with! Most of the people in her group were pretty terrified of Morocco but she and two of her friends “braved” the night streets with me and we got dinner and tea. I just think it’s hilarious that they were so scared of Tangier! Tangier of all places, too! It’s one of the biggest, most touristy-friendly cities in the country. But I also understand. I was intimidated by the entire country at first too. Actually, it took me a very long time to get as comfortable as I am now. And I was very happy to be able to show them the Morocco I know! They surely wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it the way thee did without me and they were so nice and grateful and curious—perfect characteristics for travel buddies I say. Tomorrow I’m taking them into the oh-so-cultural medina—which it is!—and we’re going to shop all dayJ
I also decided to check myself into a MUCH cheaper hotel so I could at least try to stay within the limits of the stipend I’ve been given. And I really like having a room to myself! I thought it would be awful and scary. But I think I got a pretty big confidence boost being around Val’s terrified friends—as silly as that is haha. I also felt good about that first interview earlier today and am feeling much more inspired and confident in trying to meet more people. I can think I might be able to survive this?!
–Drama Queen Totta 11/21/08
Saturday:
Ok so I woke up and met Val and all of her friends at their hotel and I gave them the best tour of Tangier that I could considering I don’t really know that city very well either. But we had a really good time wondering through the medina, shopping and bargaining. They were all so fun to hang out with! Not to mention that seeing Val just MADE my life so much better.
It was kind of funny to me that most of them were pretty nervous about being in “Morocco.” I mean, obviously it’s a different way of life and things are not the same as the western world, but it’s not THAT scary! I was so surprised they had hyped it up to being a scary, unsafe place! I mean I’ve survived somehow hahaha. But I did a very good job showing them around and they were very nice and grateful for me being thereJ I had a really good time, too!
Tomorrow morning I’m taking an early train back to Rabat and am just going to spend the rest of me time in Rabat… Mostly, I just really don’t want to travel alone for 2 weeks ESPECIALLY over Thanksgiving!!! But if what I wrote before makes me sound on the verge of craziness, no need to worry, I have backed away from that ledge and am doing fine now hahaha (That is especially to my mother who I’m sure I freaked out with a depressed sad email I sent in the midst of all my worry hahaha… sorry Momma)
Sunday, November 16, 2008
True Life: I live in Rabat, Morocco
We love going to dinner in huge groups and then trying to figure out the bill... haha
the bathroom: toilet/shower
the kitchen that I'm never invited into (I've opened the refridgerator once)
The hallway. The doorway on the right goes into the kitchen. On the left is green room then blue room (my room) then my parents bedroom. At the very end is the bathroom! thattttts it!
Zineb... she was being difficult and wouldn't take a nice picture haha. She and I are actually kind of friends. Her English is really pretty good and she always understands me when I ask for things:) But that's really the extent of our realtionship besides the occasioanl touge stuck out at me haha
the tea pot full of mint leave and green tea leaves and of course the sugar you can't see (That's how it tricks you!!)
ymmmmm Moroccan mint green tea
My average breakfast. Reif is what that tortilla thing is called. It's just fried bread and it's delicious. Then we have the cup of tea, a few options of cheese and honey. Don't forget the packet of cookeies hidden behind the tea... it's always offered even though I never take them (someone will grab them no worries) 
My room at bedtime. We throw the pillows in the back of the room and spread out our blankets:) And then apprently jump around?
This is where ALL of my things have been for 3 months. not.com.plain.ing.
Mine and my sister's room. This is one of the two "salons," as they're called, in my house. This is the blue salon, the other one is green and that's where my brother sleeps. They are exactly alike except the other one has the TV.
My host mother. She was all dressed up because she was going to a party:)
orange groves at the ruins... We were actually encouraged to climb, pick and eat them. They were absolutely delicious as well.
Hey Stork! thanks for posing!
Old mosque in the ruines... notice the large stork nest on top... they are all over!
An old Roman/Berber ruins... This when we were doing our touristy sight-seeing of Rabat last weekend
Rabat is on the left and Sale (the sister city) is on the left and is seperated by a river that comes off the ocean.
King Hassan II himself! In the flesh! (kind of...) I do actually think his body is inside becasue this place is full of security guards (security gaurds who hate thier lives b/c of how bored they are gaurding a dead body... I saw one texting on his cellphone behind his huge rifle)
The Hassan II mosque... his dead body is inside
This is the old ruins of an old mosque that was destroied in an earthquake a few hundered years a go. And Rabat and the ocean in the background.Saturday, November 15, 2008
last week in Rabat!
Thursday:
I had my FINAL Arabic test today and actually… it went really well and I’m feeling very positive about the class overall. As slow as it began, now that it’s over I do feel like I learned a lot. I hope I’ll be able to keep it in my life somehow because it would be a shame to forget everything instantly… BUT either way it’s reason for celebration!
I also only have 5 more nights living at my homestay. Lately though—ironic as it is—everyone has seemed so much more friendly and I’ve almosssst enjoyed being there. My mother and I had our FIRST effort at a conversation over tea yesterday. And although that’s nice, it’s still bullshit that it’s been 3 months before she’s even tried. She’s just assumed I don’t speak Arabic or French so she therefore cannot talk to me. Thinking that maybe I’m here to LEARN Arabic obviously never entered her mind…. We also had our first classroom talk about our homestay with our professors today and it was actually really nice. I mean I’ve known all along that I’ve not been put in the WORST situation (one girl’s family actually lives in another house while she’s alone all the time, one girl has been served bread with cat pee on it, and one girl is totally ignored and sometimes not fed at all—the poor thing also just found out that the very itchy rash that hasn’t gone away in a few weeks is not a virus but SCABIES… If that’s not the worst thing to happen to you I don’t know what is.) Anyway, it’s definitely true that my situation could be a lot worse.
Anyway, during our chat today it was nice to hear about everyone else’s experiences and although I’ve talked to almost everyone about it already, I still learned lots of new things today that I wish I had learned weeks or even months ago. It may have made me appreciate my family for what they are sooner. I also realized that the biggest problem with my family is that while I’m getting so much out of living in in their home, they aren’t getting anything from me in return—and in theory this is a cultural exchange program. I know for a fact that our program wants the families to be equally as treated to our company as we are to theirs and I think after having SO many students over the past few years, my family has lost the enthusiasm to be an equal partner with me in this exchange. Jaded if you will. Buuuut no more complaining about that because it’s over and in the end was a great learning experience in so many ways. Hurray. J
I have also recently booked 2/3 of the tickets that I need for the 10 days I’ll be in Europe post-Morocco pre-coming home. Buying those tickets took the BIGGEST load off my shoulders it was so nice! And although those hidden taxes and fees that sprang up on me kind of added up, it still wasn’t THAT expensive and it’s definitely worth it to see Hanne and Irina especially!
I really wish I had more to say about this week but it’s been kind of eventless! The next three weeks will be really busy and I hope to have internet enough to update as often as possible….
For those of you who don’t know, I’m applying to another mini-study abroad program for next semester to Turkey. It’s a 2 hour a week class during the semester and then in June we are going to Turkey for 16 days. I had a phone interview with the professor in charge of the whole program last night and it went really well. Over 40 people applied and there’s only room for about 12-15 people so I’m still keeping my fingers crossed.
And while I’m here, I guess I’ve never really explained the phenomenon of the Moroccan mint tea, and considering it’s such an avid part of my daily life, it would be wrong not to give you all an explanation.
Well, first of all, tea is made in the pot itself and when poured there’s a little mini strainer inside the spout to strain the tea leaves and mint leaves that are inside the pot. Of course there are always little pieces in the bottom of your glass but you get over it. So inside the tea pot you measure out the proper amount of green tea leaves, mint leaves and of course SUGAR. Then you add the water and put it on the stove and wait until it boils. THEN of course you pour a few glasses that you directly pour back into the pot as to “stir” it up a bit. And when you pour, you have to raise the pot as the tea comes out to make sure the tea bubbles. “If it doesn’t bubble, it’s not good.”
And as for the sugar, they add BLOCKS of sugar to every pot of tea. For a tea pot that will pour about 5 small glasses, they probably use a full cup of sugar… I.am.not.exaggerating!! In the village they added even more. And at first it was nice because it was always sweet, but that was before I saw with my eyes how much sugar was actually in it. Tea is made in the average household 3-5 times a day and I order it often at the internet café because it’s also delicious along with being diabeticlly provoking. And to top it off, I think I’ve built up a tolerance to the immense amount of sugar because it doesn’t taste nearly as sweet anymore… that’s bad. I’ll never be able to drink sugar free tea againnnn Ahhhh. (I’ll add a photo “tour de Rabat” before I leave on ISP hopefully)
Speaking of sugar (and lots of BREAD at that…) if I was still questioning whether or not I’ve really gained weight while I’ve been here, it was answered this afternoon when I had to go get passport pictures taken to extend our visas for the rest of the semester. Technically, I still fit into all of my clothes but all I have are t-shirts and jeans that haven’t been put into a dryer after about 100 wears—so maybe that’s not so telling. I also never look in a full length mirror, or really any mirror at that. Only in the bathroom. But I absolutely have gained a few pounds and apparently they are all sitting on my face. Greatttt. Cannot wait to stop eating meat again—that did wonders the first time! And at this point I’m even very motivated to begin training for a marathon when I get home..? Paul you may get that wish after all… (but don’t hold me to it hahaha)
Saturday:
Yesterday (Friday) was the OFFICIAL last day of class and it could not have come at a better time. I’m really starting to appreciate the way our schedule is set up because even though I have an entire full month left, it doesn’t feel that way and it’s going to be spent being happy instead of homesick!
For our research project over the next 3 weeks we have to have an advisor—someone from Morocco, who speaks English, who is somewhat of an expert regarding our topic. My advisor, Mokhtar, is a professor of sociology at the university in Rabat and does his research surrounding youth in general. There are four of us who have him as an advisor and all four of us have pretty different topics although they all involve children/young people to an extent. So Mokhtar rocks!! I had such a great meeting with him yesterday, he was so so so helpful and had great insight and ideas—it was the first time I’ve felt like I’ve really talked to a professor and gotten advice and help from them this entire semester. His ideas for my project (which is hopefully defining the modern definition of “childhood” in Morocco and comparing it to past generations) was to get lots of photos of people and to write mini anecdotal narratives about different people’s childhoods. Anyway, it’s all still quite rough considering I haven’t actually started yet, but I’m excited nonetheless!
So yesterday was one of my good friend’s birthdays and we went out to eat to celebrate that and the ending of class and had a grand ole time obviously. Also, lots of people are staying in Rabat for their ISP so many of them have rented houses or apartments in the medina for really cheap so they have a place to stay (we are NOT supposed to stay with our host families and we are given a small stipend to live off of). Anyway, 5 of my friends got a little house which is awesome and they had a little party (I could only stay until 10 of course) but while I was there we had a lot of fun. ISP is going to be really great... I hope!
I had my FINAL Arabic test today and actually… it went really well and I’m feeling very positive about the class overall. As slow as it began, now that it’s over I do feel like I learned a lot. I hope I’ll be able to keep it in my life somehow because it would be a shame to forget everything instantly… BUT either way it’s reason for celebration!
I also only have 5 more nights living at my homestay. Lately though—ironic as it is—everyone has seemed so much more friendly and I’ve almosssst enjoyed being there. My mother and I had our FIRST effort at a conversation over tea yesterday. And although that’s nice, it’s still bullshit that it’s been 3 months before she’s even tried. She’s just assumed I don’t speak Arabic or French so she therefore cannot talk to me. Thinking that maybe I’m here to LEARN Arabic obviously never entered her mind…. We also had our first classroom talk about our homestay with our professors today and it was actually really nice. I mean I’ve known all along that I’ve not been put in the WORST situation (one girl’s family actually lives in another house while she’s alone all the time, one girl has been served bread with cat pee on it, and one girl is totally ignored and sometimes not fed at all—the poor thing also just found out that the very itchy rash that hasn’t gone away in a few weeks is not a virus but SCABIES… If that’s not the worst thing to happen to you I don’t know what is.) Anyway, it’s definitely true that my situation could be a lot worse.
Anyway, during our chat today it was nice to hear about everyone else’s experiences and although I’ve talked to almost everyone about it already, I still learned lots of new things today that I wish I had learned weeks or even months ago. It may have made me appreciate my family for what they are sooner. I also realized that the biggest problem with my family is that while I’m getting so much out of living in in their home, they aren’t getting anything from me in return—and in theory this is a cultural exchange program. I know for a fact that our program wants the families to be equally as treated to our company as we are to theirs and I think after having SO many students over the past few years, my family has lost the enthusiasm to be an equal partner with me in this exchange. Jaded if you will. Buuuut no more complaining about that because it’s over and in the end was a great learning experience in so many ways. Hurray. J
I have also recently booked 2/3 of the tickets that I need for the 10 days I’ll be in Europe post-Morocco pre-coming home. Buying those tickets took the BIGGEST load off my shoulders it was so nice! And although those hidden taxes and fees that sprang up on me kind of added up, it still wasn’t THAT expensive and it’s definitely worth it to see Hanne and Irina especially!
I really wish I had more to say about this week but it’s been kind of eventless! The next three weeks will be really busy and I hope to have internet enough to update as often as possible….
For those of you who don’t know, I’m applying to another mini-study abroad program for next semester to Turkey. It’s a 2 hour a week class during the semester and then in June we are going to Turkey for 16 days. I had a phone interview with the professor in charge of the whole program last night and it went really well. Over 40 people applied and there’s only room for about 12-15 people so I’m still keeping my fingers crossed.
And while I’m here, I guess I’ve never really explained the phenomenon of the Moroccan mint tea, and considering it’s such an avid part of my daily life, it would be wrong not to give you all an explanation.
Well, first of all, tea is made in the pot itself and when poured there’s a little mini strainer inside the spout to strain the tea leaves and mint leaves that are inside the pot. Of course there are always little pieces in the bottom of your glass but you get over it. So inside the tea pot you measure out the proper amount of green tea leaves, mint leaves and of course SUGAR. Then you add the water and put it on the stove and wait until it boils. THEN of course you pour a few glasses that you directly pour back into the pot as to “stir” it up a bit. And when you pour, you have to raise the pot as the tea comes out to make sure the tea bubbles. “If it doesn’t bubble, it’s not good.”
And as for the sugar, they add BLOCKS of sugar to every pot of tea. For a tea pot that will pour about 5 small glasses, they probably use a full cup of sugar… I.am.not.exaggerating!! In the village they added even more. And at first it was nice because it was always sweet, but that was before I saw with my eyes how much sugar was actually in it. Tea is made in the average household 3-5 times a day and I order it often at the internet café because it’s also delicious along with being diabeticlly provoking. And to top it off, I think I’ve built up a tolerance to the immense amount of sugar because it doesn’t taste nearly as sweet anymore… that’s bad. I’ll never be able to drink sugar free tea againnnn Ahhhh. (I’ll add a photo “tour de Rabat” before I leave on ISP hopefully)
Speaking of sugar (and lots of BREAD at that…) if I was still questioning whether or not I’ve really gained weight while I’ve been here, it was answered this afternoon when I had to go get passport pictures taken to extend our visas for the rest of the semester. Technically, I still fit into all of my clothes but all I have are t-shirts and jeans that haven’t been put into a dryer after about 100 wears—so maybe that’s not so telling. I also never look in a full length mirror, or really any mirror at that. Only in the bathroom. But I absolutely have gained a few pounds and apparently they are all sitting on my face. Greatttt. Cannot wait to stop eating meat again—that did wonders the first time! And at this point I’m even very motivated to begin training for a marathon when I get home..? Paul you may get that wish after all… (but don’t hold me to it hahaha)
Saturday:
Yesterday (Friday) was the OFFICIAL last day of class and it could not have come at a better time. I’m really starting to appreciate the way our schedule is set up because even though I have an entire full month left, it doesn’t feel that way and it’s going to be spent being happy instead of homesick!
For our research project over the next 3 weeks we have to have an advisor—someone from Morocco, who speaks English, who is somewhat of an expert regarding our topic. My advisor, Mokhtar, is a professor of sociology at the university in Rabat and does his research surrounding youth in general. There are four of us who have him as an advisor and all four of us have pretty different topics although they all involve children/young people to an extent. So Mokhtar rocks!! I had such a great meeting with him yesterday, he was so so so helpful and had great insight and ideas—it was the first time I’ve felt like I’ve really talked to a professor and gotten advice and help from them this entire semester. His ideas for my project (which is hopefully defining the modern definition of “childhood” in Morocco and comparing it to past generations) was to get lots of photos of people and to write mini anecdotal narratives about different people’s childhoods. Anyway, it’s all still quite rough considering I haven’t actually started yet, but I’m excited nonetheless!
So yesterday was one of my good friend’s birthdays and we went out to eat to celebrate that and the ending of class and had a grand ole time obviously. Also, lots of people are staying in Rabat for their ISP so many of them have rented houses or apartments in the medina for really cheap so they have a place to stay (we are NOT supposed to stay with our host families and we are given a small stipend to live off of). Anyway, 5 of my friends got a little house which is awesome and they had a little party (I could only stay until 10 of course) but while I was there we had a lot of fun. ISP is going to be really great... I hope!
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