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....