Settled and Comfortably Exploring...

(This little girl's name is Neerma, which means something like a gift, sort of the Arabic form of Grace. She is the daughter of one my host sisters and one of the cutest little girls.)

So I am settled into my family and home. I get lost half as much winding through the medina. In case I haven’t fully explained what the medina is, it means city, but in Fes and now in Rabat, it is usually the word that refers to the oldest part of a city that is walled in. To go to my home here from the school, I walk through the new city, which looks very European from the French colonization to the medina, or the old city. I walk through a large arched door in the walls that surround the city. Once I am inside the medina, I am immediately confronted by every possible merchandise possible. I wind through these streets and get to the alleys that lead to the houses. However, what looks like a sketchy alley to us, is really a normal street. All the houses are walled in as well. This means no yards, no driveways, no trees, none of the normal suburban space but instead old city walls. Just thought I would explain that a bit…

Think about the song, a whole new world, and picture the area they fly through in the beginning… under the archways and such? Yep, that is where I am living for the next three months…

I have officially started my classes. I had been taking intensive Darijja, but now am taking Foosa (modern standard Arabic), Advanced French, Maghrebian Francophone literature, and Gender and Society in Morocco. A lot of the literature class has focused on the French colonization of north Africa and what is has meant for their identity. Algeria, who was occupied for 130 years, has suffered intense injury and crises from the colonization. This comes through in their writings, their attitudes and even their present-day politics. Morocco and Tunisia only were occupied about 45 years? And therefore it is much harder to find traces of the colonization struggle in their writings. What you find instead is a sort of French ideal in Morocco. The French language is essential to succeed, either in the government, the social ladder, most professional careers… French is imitated and revered. French is commonly the language that young men will speak to young women they are interested in as well, since it is the most impressive language they speak.

A lot has happened I guess… I almost was robbed Saturday. I was walking through the medina at night, when it was really crowded and a guy tried to reach into my purse. I pulled it toward me and looked at him. It didn’t dawn on me what was happening, I just sort of felt something weird. One of the girls I was walking with noticed what was happening and pulled my purse too. The guy let go, walked by us, and then turned back where he had came from. It was a bit awkward really.
Sunday, I went to another hamon, (public bath). This one was different from the natural one in Fes and not a sulfur spring, but more of a shower room/ with the heat of a sauna/ but with buckets and not showers…? I paid a few extra Deerham (which is nothing really) to have the massage as well. It was well worth it. I was viciously scrubbed until my skin was red. I don’t think I have ever been so clean.

I explored by myself today since the sun was so wonderful. My mission? Find the ocean and a good spot for reading and prayer. While I am sure the quiet would come more in the morning when there aren’t a million creepy guys vying for your attention… I did find some great spots. Rabat is an interesting city in relation to the ocean. The city turns its back on the ocean. It was built with ocean invaders in mind and so the ocean was used as a defense and not for pleasure. The city is built on the hill overlooking the ocean and has graveyards on the hill coming up from the ocean. It isn’t really built with tourists in mind, like some of the other ocean cities are now. It has a very rocky coast that I saw, with some jetties that go out pretty far.

There is a small city that was built closer to the ocean, Odayas Kasbah. The walls are the white and blue that reminds you of the Greek islands. There is a beautiful café that overlooks the ocean with several peaceful terraces. It has a calm breeze and a beautiful view. I feel above it all and not at all in Rabat there.

I also love the rain here. This is mostly because it rains inside my house and I hear it at night. This might require some explanation… My host house, as I’ve said, is in the walled in Medina. This house is quite large and has a kind of courtyard in the middle. It opens up to the sky and has walled rooms with doors, windows and ceilings surrounding it. There is a formal sitting room and a living room that has a computer and a tv. They are Moroccan decorated, but in a classy way. The house speaks for itself. It has beautiful mosaics and stone floors, with several elegant Moroccan rugs. My room is up the stairs and overlooks the courtyard. I have stone floors and sort of a stucco walls. I will have to take a video of it so you can fully understand what I am saying, since it is unlike any house I have ever seen in the States. I like it at night, since on a clear evening you can see the stars from in the house.

Beginning in Rabat.

Today is Friday and I arrived in Rabat on Thursday. I am somewhat settled in to my new host family and home in the medina of Rabat. My family is much larger, with six children (four daughters and two sons); the oldest son isn’t at home though. Some of the daughters are married and have their children at this house with them. This seems to be a trend. In America, once someone is married they usually move out and then have children. This doesn’t seem to be the case in morocco… The children are adorable though, in elementary school and learning foosa (modern classical Arabic) in addition to speaking darijja (the Moroccan dialect) and learning French and English. Smart kids. Most people here speak so many languages that it puts us Americans to shame.

There are also two other students staying at the house, one Dutch and one Egyptian. One is studying here and the other is on vacation here, but both speak some English and seem to be nice girls. I am now the only American though and no longer have a roommate from the program. I am on my own, with the exception of these two girls.

The mother and father seem nice, welcoming me saying that I am their new daughter and this is my new home. I showed them pictures of my family and friends and they seemed to be impressed, saying my family is beautiful. I couldn’t argue of course. :)
Last night one of the students, the son and I went walking around Rabat. It is a much bigger and more modern city than Fes. I got stared at half as much and started to get accustomed to the city. It is much more European and so far much warmer too.
Thursday we had a little tour with the study abroad group. Here are a couple things of interest. There are marches and protests everyday at Parliament. We walked by the parliament building today. Apparently the marches have to do with people receiving degrees and still being unemployed. There are mixed reactions to the protestors. Sometimes they end in violence and the police get involved. I was told that pictures should be taken with caution since the police have been known to restrict cameras and even confiscate curious onlookers looking to snap a candid shop.

The medina, while smaller, has better prices and is much less touristic. It is not half as confusing to maneuver and I like the clothing a lot more. My jeans are all a bit stretched out, probably since I have worn them so many times and can’t dry them in a dryer. So I might be making a jean purchase soon. One of the sisters is 18 and offered to go shopping with me, since I am quite American and will get a better price with a moroccan. I gladly obliged.

Pray for my communication and mutual understanding, my interactions with friends and now the family, and simply that I would trust the Lord in all things. Also pray for that the Lord would give me wisdom and bless this time here.

I miss you and love you all.

Last Day in Fes...

Today is my last full day in Fes and so marks the end of one portion of my trip. Last night my host family presented my roommate and I with gifts. My sweet family gave my roommate and I each a necklace, a leather coin purse, and a leather slipper key chain. The necklaces are very moroccan with silver and blue large beads. So we were pumped. I now felt compelled to present them with my gift for them. I brought a great Minnesota book with pictures of snow and lakes and such to give to them. Unfortunately, crazily enough, one of the last students they had was also from Minnesota and presented them with the exact same book.

Oops. So i retrieved my book anyway, wrote a nice little note in the front, and gave them their second Minnesota picture book.
They were very gracious and acted excited to receive the gift anyway. They then informed us that they really liked us and didn't give gifts to the other students they housed. It's so nice to know that they liked us as much as we liked them! They have been so gracious to us and extremely welcoming. I couldn't have asked for a better host family.

Couple events of note....

On Sunday we traveled to a hilled country city, I am continuously forgetting the name, and went to a Moroccan high school. There we met with English classes that have been studying for 2 to 3 years. Their English was great. We met in small groups with students and helped them practice their English (since they had never spoken with native speakers), while answering any questions they had about America. At one point one of the girls and I got into an almost heated discussion about why I don't cook at every meal. I told them it was a waste of time to cook when it's just me eating at school. I mean, I have other things to do that are more productive then create elaborate meals for myself, right? Anyway, she thought I said it was a waste of time to cook at all. While I did correct her, she still seemed to put down my apparent lack of domestic abilities. I now feel compelled to attempt more cooking and other household activities when I return to America after less than adequate by these 16 year olds....

Traveling plans....
People are stirring about our April spring break plans. I will be in Granada for some of the time with the program and possibly somewhere else the rest of the time with some students? Possibly Senegal? Or Greece? We shall see. I yearn for beaches and sun. Not sure if I've mentioned it, but since the initial sunshine and warmth of the first week, we have experienced the full force of the winter rainy season in Morocco. I am usually a bit damp and chilly from the weather. But it really isn't anything to complain about, it is far warmer then back home.

That's all I can think of until I arrive in Rabat. Tonight we have a last dinner at a restaurant in Fez and then on to my next adventure!

Love you all!!!!
This is a pic of some of the girls (and me) in the group overlooking the city of meknes...

Volubilis, Street Children, and Meknes...

Wowza. I have had a whirlwind of the last couple of days.

Friday: Typical class in the morning (we had a Darija quiz - I couldn't remember how to say here is your money, so I finished my shopping dialogue with, sorry I have no money! Bye).

In the afternoon we went to an association for street children that work to educate them and then reintegrate them into schools. They provide formal education in an informal setting. We played with these adorable little guys (it was an all-boys center) and tried to teach them english. I had a group of 4 around me that would repeat everything I said. Then they tried to teach me more words in Darija. However, would laugh whenever I said anything. I also taught them some french. We ended the afternoon with an intense game of futball, Americans vs. the moroccans. I don't remember who won, but it was really fun. Soccer really is the world's game.

In the evening was bath night. And by that, I mean my roommate and I packed into the car with our host family and drove 30 minutes outside of Fez. We went to a hamon, a public bath house. This one is a natural geiser-type thing that smells of sulfur, but people use the water and the steam for its bathing qualities, since it is evidently very good for your skin. They have separate bath houses for men and women. It was quite the experience. In the end I smelled not so sweet but my skin felt oh so soft. If you want any more detail, ask me later.

Saturday: We had tours. We went to Volubilis, which are ancient Roman ruins in Morocco. Very cool. We saw amazing architecture that remained in tact and beautiful mosaics that were uncovered. The romans never cease to amaze me with their advanced technology and way of living. Anyone who insists that we are more educated or evolved since ancient times has obviously not been to ancient Roman ruins.

We had lunch in Meknes and then went to the imperial city of Meknes. Moulay Ismail established this city as the capitol of his empire, building a beautiful city among an even more beautiful countryside. This city could be called the Versailles of Morocco with the elaborate buildings. The place he is buried is a huge walled palace essentially and is decorated with elaborate mosaics and architecture. As far as I know, only he resides there. During his reign I heard that he owned 12,000 horses...

Contrasted with the beauty of the city and the architecture, is a dark side of the city. Evidently, Moulay Ismail really was a tyrant. "My subjects are like rats in a basket, and if I don't shake the basket, they will gnaw their way out." He is quoted as saying. We saw the dungeons that were only known to the emperor and the guards that guarded them, since they are located beneath the city. There he imprisoned at least 60,000 people. Eery to see the place where thousands of people died torturous deaths.

I love you all and miss you!

Couscous and Ceramics..

Hello Sahbakum w LAala (friends and family)

I am pleased to report that my stomach has settled for the time being and I’m feeling better. Thank you for your prayers. I am now sort of settled in and slightly more familiar with my surroundings. I have a local shop I regularly visit for water, a route I take to school and back, and even a class schedule and friends. Routine is attempting to interrupt my Moroccan adventure.

Events of late: I visited a ceramic shop Thursday in Fez where they create ceramics and mosaics at every stage of the process. The mosaic construction as well as pottery construction is so intricate, resulting in wonderful pieces. Very cool. We saw everything from the mud before the clay, to the molding, to the fire, to the paint and glaze, and who knows what else goes into those pieces of art. I love the imagery of a potter as our heavenly father, who has labored over us painstakingly to mold us how he wants us.

Wednesday, I had a Moroccan cooking lesson. “How to Make Couscous”. I’m sorry, but I have officially decided to never endeavor upon this long and arduous task myself. While homemade couscous is excellent, it took at least 2 and a half hours to make. Yikes. I will take my instant couscous thank you very much. The process involves mixing, multiple times boiling, sifting, and fresh chicken. (As in we picked out the chickens to be killed and then witnessed the gruesome event, bringing it home to cook that evening) However, I will add cooked vegetables and store bought chicken to my couscous in honor of the class. I realize that my food won’t ever come close to the greatness that is Moroccan couscous, but maybe someday it will resemble it?

Another fun thing, my little host brother and sister, the 6 year old and an 8 year old, have discovered the greatness of Macs. They have been recording songs on garage band and had lots of laughs with Photobooth. Silly faces connect people with greater ease then knowing the language ever does - at least with 6-year-old children. : )

Prayer requests anyone? Simply that I would stay healthy and give every moment to the Lord. Pray that every conversation I have would give God glory and that my weak body wouldn’t interfere. Pray for my French and my ability to communicate with my host family.

6 hours of exploration Sunday, Monday/Tuesday = Sick. :(

Sunday, my roommate (Sarah) and I decided we needed to be walking more as a result of our excellent food... So we explored the medina for two hours in the morning with our host sister and then ate a delicious lunch of seasoned turkey and salad followed by exploring for 4 hours in the afternoon with some other girls from the program. The medina really has something of everything.

It is impolite to barter with someone if you have no intention of buying the item, however, we accidently got into a situation with a berber who owned a silver shop. He insisted we came into his store, something about good luck. We went in = first mistake.
Second, he told us about the berbers a bit, and where he came from, concluding with offering us tea, sugar or no sugar? We, not sure what to do, looked to our host sister, who said uhh, ok. We each responded with sugar please. This acceptance of tea would be our second mistake.

Next, he pointed to the silver jewelry and told us that by not touching the objects, we are giving him bad luck. Sketchy? Yes. He then brought out the rings we were looking at, I am looking for a good deal on a silver ring... He gave us a price of 300 Deerham, which is way too much. I probably had 20 D with me, which, in American dollars equals about $3.00. Definitely not enough for what he was getting at. We then set about getting out of there, insisting that we wanted to look around more first. Once he got the picture that we weren't going to barter and weren't going to buy anything, he got very mad. He angrily turned the lights off in the store and then we got OUT OF THERE. My roommate later told me she thought we were going to die. lol. I don't know if I'd go that far, but I wouldn't bet on it by going back... Live and learn.

Another update? I am now sick. :( I thought it was only eggs at first, since we had oil doused omelets Sunday night for dinner. Which were delicious, I must say.. Monday was spent in nauseous silence, until finally concluding with my evening spent in the bathroom. Which, although not as eventful as my trash can experiences in spain... ask me later about that. :) It was still a public sickness where my whole study abroad group was a room over from me. I survived the slight embarrassment and took the next day off (today) to stay at my host house, alternating between the bedroom and the bathroom. Fear not, I will give no more details.

I am not worried about my bout with an upset stomach. No matter how careful we Americans are with the water and food, we are bound to fall ill from the newness of it all and the contents of the water. I am sure I will not be alone in my ailment, unfortunately. I am getting plenty of rest and liquids (bottled water), in case anyone becomes concerned. This was a nice opportunity to catch up on some reading for me too. I have been reading Pilgrim's Progress (Christian and Faithful just met with Talkative), combined with 1st Samuel and Philippians. This was a good resting and re-focusing morning for me.

A couple things I thought I would describe. Maybe I am starting to feel better since I am thinking first about food...

Moroccan Mint Tea = The moroccans love the sugary hot drinks. I ordered plain black tea at a cafe, and was given 6 sugar cubes on the side. I used none of them. Atea, (Not sure the spelling, sounds like A Tay) the moroccan mint tea, is made with mint tea leaves and indecent amounts of sugar. It has the consistency of a hot syrup more than tea. It warms you up and the Moroccans are very proud of it, offering it with cookies to visitors and to us any time of the day.

Bread at every meal = Freshly baked loaves of bread at every meal. These are excellent. Each morning my host family sets out a couple loaves of round flat bread. They are usually still warm from baking it themselves each day. This is combined with topping choices of cheese, a type of honey jam, and a hazelnut spread. I take mine plane, which is still excellent. Each meal following that is combined with this bread as well. If the food served is ever questionable, I have loads of bread to supplement.

Being a woman here. Correction, a white, American woman. I have learned to not make eye contact with anyone passing me, especially men. I have heard every call I can think of, from hello beautiful, my flower, you are spice girls, to other things in different languages. The insistent ones will try greetings in multiple languages, french, english, even spanish. I ignore them all. I don't go anywhere alone, even if daytime. I have heard that one reason that we are so attractive is that America is associated with money. We are these white superstars. The models in the stores are white and blonde. It is strange. I am taking a gender in Morocco class while here and will definitely report more from that.

Love you all!

The Athens of Morocco....

So, as I am writing this I am sitting in a little internet cafe owned by the host family of some friends from my program. It is located in the center of a courtyard on the outskirts of the medina, which is the oldest part of the city. The medina in Fez is apparently the largest medina in the world. It is also one of the most confusing places to be, acting as a maze to outsiders. So of course we are going to explore.

Just to preface this day tour, I have to admit to being a little lost last night coming back from the American Arabic School. While we (I mean me and my roommate) took a petit taxi to the school somewhat successfully, we desperately wanted to walk more then drive on the way home. So, along with four other girls, my roommate and I embarked upon the return trip. Evidently my roommate, our neighbors, and I all forgot what the house looked like where we were staying, We therefor passed it and continued to wander for an hour until we decided to ask for help... This proved even more funny because we asked for a ride from a taxi, who wouldn't bring us back since we were evidently, "already there" A hotel receptionist told us the same thing, pointing to the next building over. Oops, crises averted.

Today, we thankfully had a guide, and our whole group was taken all through the medina. Aside from exploring the winding, donkey-filled streets, and passing the markets of everything possible, we visited several key spots. We saw scarves and blankets being woven from silk... I, of course was ecstatic and might have bought a scarf.. or two... They are beautiful. We also visited the tannery and saw every stage of leather-making. Evidently this is one of the hardest jobs in the world. The smell was a bit atrocious, but it was countered by mint leaves that we could smell instead. Fez is apparently known for its leather goods. Since none of us are muslims, we were unable to enter any mosques, but did enter an old one which isn't in use anymore. This one was ridiculously ornate. Aside from this, I had a date and a couple of figs from a stand. They were delicious. I will definitely have more in the weeks to come.

Well, aside from this, I have explored a bit and sat in the sun, I'm sorry to report to all you snow-surrounded friends. I am a bit pink from the weather, and pleased. :)

I love you all!

Le jardin est tres beau...

Bonjour!

Salaam w Alekum!
(here's where you answer) W Alekum Salaam.

This is a greeting I have worked on during my two days of Darija, the Moroccan dialect of Arabic. We have three weeks of this in Fez and then we will begin Modern Standard Arabic. Another greeting, Labas? Where you answer, Labass. There, now you can make a Moroccan friend. :)

Right now I am sitting outside on a bench at the English Arabic school in the midst of a beautiful garden. 70's, sunny, and quite pleasant, I must say. I can't get over how wonderful the weather is.

I arrived at my Fez homestay last night. I will describe the actual house later.. but the family seems really great. The father and mother both speak French and Arabic, so I can communicate without much trouble with them in French. They have two daughters plus an adopted daughter. The 19 year old daughter speaks French, English, and Arabic, so it is easy to talk with her. They also have two sons, one who is 23 ad speaks French, Moroccan, and a little English and the other son is 6. The 6 year old is learning French and so he speaks to us some in that. He is such a cute little guy and brought his toy cars out to play with us, also showing us some fancy karate moves. We also overhear him in other rooms singing loudly for the whole medina to hear. The family has a maid/ nanny that has worked for them for thirty years. They are very generous and were very welcoming to us.

I will write more later, I need to get out and enjoy the lovely afternoon!

Fuzzy Fez...

Hello again....

After a beautiful breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice, fruits, croissants, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives... you know, typical breakfast foods, we headed out to Rabat. We went to the IES building and had a safety discussion and a short orientation. We were served very tasty little cookies and moroccan mint tea - the main content of the tea being sugar of course. While I prefer unsweetened tea, I eventually did drink my whole little glass.

Next we had lunch with one of the host families in Rabat at their home. One thing I like about Rabat is the decrepit buildings. Many of these are homes from the middle ages, definitely showing the age on the outside. However, get past the unassuming walls and there are gems within. They aren't built to impress people, showing off their fancy exterior. Instead, they are inviting places that are warm and open to visitors within.

We walked into this home and were immediately struck by the architecture, the bright colors, the paintings, and other signs of Moroccan flair and comfort. The food was amazing (couscous which is eaten from a central bowl, i'll describe this later) and the family was very gracious. I was blessed to find out that this was MY FAMILY. It is beautiful, has a wonderful courtyard in the middle of rooms, lofted pillow filled beds, think Aladdin style digs... It's close to my classes and I am excited.. I won't be back to Rabat for two weeks though.

Next we arrived in Fez today, one of the imperial cities. It used to be the capital, so it's very nice, though not as busy as some of the larger cities. We ate another wonderful dinner.... this food has the potential to drastically impact my waistline... :( When in Rome, right?

I will be here for two weeks, I go to my Fez homestay tomorrow and start Arabic bright and early tomorrow morning. EEK. Moroccan Arabic is very different from Standard Arabic... so I won't be the only one confused, since the students that have studied arabic already are almost as confused with me with the dialect change. We shall see, we shall see....

Here's looking at you kid..

So, I made it.

My trip included a teary goodbye with the family. Four months I have just realized is a very long time to be away.
I then proceeded by flying to a snowy Chicago, where I enjoyed a window seat with no one sitting next to me. At Chicago O'Hare I drank some tea, which contributed to keeping me awake on the long night flight (even though I had my own section to myself to stretch out). It was very good tea though, so I got over it.
I arrived to Paris and the confusion set in. I didn't really know where to go, followed people, followed some more people, and then attempted to interact with the French....

I was moderately successful and after an hour and half of wondering through the airport, tired and very heated, I finally took the shuttle and found my terminal where I printed that illusive boarding pass and then found my boarding terminal. Next stop Casablanca.
While there I met some other girls from the program flying on my plane, other young American girls traveling alone, definitely easy to spot. We packed on a very smelly bus, got to our hotel, ate some pizza, amidst confusion and a bit of a scene. The last person got here, so now it is all 21 of us? I think that's right.

This may have been too much detail to be interested in, but its the start of an adventure. So it's relevant.

It is really warm outside and thunder storming now.

All my love to you all.