Nine things I've learned:
1) Men aren't afraid to offer you $5 for sex
2) If you are a woman alone in a bar, you are a prostitute...no really, you are.
3) Allowing your eyes to stray from the sidewalk results in you stepping into a hole and spraining your ankle
4) Henna people are not your friend, no matter how friendly they seem--keep your hands away from them or they will start drawing on you not matter what you say
5) Moroccan people are some of the nicest people in the world--until they get behind the wheel of a car
6) Keep reminding myself that I'll appreciate the fact houses aren't heated in about a month when it starts getting warm outside
7) The loud sound that sounds a lot like a tornado siren every morning at 6AM is really the beginning for the call to prayer
8) Keanu Reeves is still annoying, even when dubbed in French
9) Morocco is probably the best place I've ever been
Despite some issues and a minor case of culture shock, I've found that Morocco is probably one of the most amazing places on earth. Not that I have much credibility in that arena considering I'm not a world traveler...yet. I have yet to find another memory card for my camera, so you'll have to make due with photos from day one. I've been too busy/lazy to look for a memory card in the medina which is only a twenty-five minute walk away.
The next time America's Next Top Model goes to another country for the competition, they should totally come here. The girls are some of the most beautiful and stylish people I've ever seen in my life--they could give a many European and American girls a run for their money. And the craziest thing of all, the Moroccan girls (and even guys) have no idea how beautiful and stylish they are. Maybe that's a good thing, if they were conceded they might not be nearly as friendly!
I'm all moved in with my family...I have a mom named Khartoum who is about the same age as Clark (my father) and is super sweet. She stays at home most of the day, cooking, praying, and cleaning. Perhaps she goes out and socializes while I am gone, but I have only seen her leave once or twice to buy bread since I've arrived four days ago.
Moroccans love to feed you--and they will not stop feeding you and that's another thing I've learned...Schbet. It means full, and I put my hand on my stomach and say it and smile. My mom is good about not forcing food down my throat; although I do not feel that the other Americans are as lucky. She also had her son, Nadir, come over and set up Internet, so I am one of a few who actually has access to the world wide web from home--and I haven't heard of anybody else really having it on their computer (except for a girl who got the password for her neighbor's wireless service, which she only got because he wanted to date her, sneaky girl).
I live in L'Océon, which is a area of the capital, Rabat. It is not the most aesthetically pleasing area (and a fellow student informed me of their epiphany that L'Océon is the car garage capital of the city) and walking around late at night alone is a bad idea--but it's home and I love it with all its quirky charm and character. I live two blocks from one of (I think) two churches in the whole city--which is great because I can just tell the cab driver "el-Kiniisa feh l'Océon" (the church in Océon) and they know right where to take me! I also learned that if you walk quickly with a mean look on your face, men won't harass you as much, possibly because they are afraid you are going to punch them in the face if they make one more kissey face at you!
L'Océon is near the ocean, and I am grateful for that when the weather gets warmer. It is about a 45 minute walk to school when you get lost, 35-40 when you don't. The bus here isn't as complicated or threatening as the other buses in Rabat, and it takes about 20-25 minutes to get to school using that...as long as you figure out where the unmarked bus stop is and the driver doesn't decide to skip your stop or the bus breaks down...
It's kind of a random city, Rabat, but that's part of the charm. You can't really get frustrated with all the insanity that goes on in this city, because it becomes a part of you and amidst all the chaos you find the pattern and things seem to make sense. You even learn to either laugh at, or ignore the constant barrage of catcalls and you master your fear of being run over by a little blue taxi that may not have breaks that work very well.
Oh man, I typed so much and I didn't even begin to cover what I wanted to...I'll have to work on updating this more often. Maybe tomorrow? We'll see.
1) Men aren't afraid to offer you $5 for sex
2) If you are a woman alone in a bar, you are a prostitute...no really, you are.
3) Allowing your eyes to stray from the sidewalk results in you stepping into a hole and spraining your ankle
4) Henna people are not your friend, no matter how friendly they seem--keep your hands away from them or they will start drawing on you not matter what you say
5) Moroccan people are some of the nicest people in the world--until they get behind the wheel of a car
6) Keep reminding myself that I'll appreciate the fact houses aren't heated in about a month when it starts getting warm outside
7) The loud sound that sounds a lot like a tornado siren every morning at 6AM is really the beginning for the call to prayer
8) Keanu Reeves is still annoying, even when dubbed in French
9) Morocco is probably the best place I've ever been
Despite some issues and a minor case of culture shock, I've found that Morocco is probably one of the most amazing places on earth. Not that I have much credibility in that arena considering I'm not a world traveler...yet. I have yet to find another memory card for my camera, so you'll have to make due with photos from day one. I've been too busy/lazy to look for a memory card in the medina which is only a twenty-five minute walk away.
The next time America's Next Top Model goes to another country for the competition, they should totally come here. The girls are some of the most beautiful and stylish people I've ever seen in my life--they could give a many European and American girls a run for their money. And the craziest thing of all, the Moroccan girls (and even guys) have no idea how beautiful and stylish they are. Maybe that's a good thing, if they were conceded they might not be nearly as friendly!I'm all moved in with my family...I have a mom named Khartoum who is about the same age as Clark (my father) and is super sweet. She stays at home most of the day, cooking, praying, and cleaning. Perhaps she goes out and socializes while I am gone, but I have only seen her leave once or twice to buy bread since I've arrived four days ago.
Moroccans love to feed you--and they will not stop feeding you and that's another thing I've learned...Schbet. It means full, and I put my hand on my stomach and say it and smile. My mom is good about not forcing food down my throat; although I do not feel that the other Americans are as lucky. She also had her son, Nadir, come over and set up Internet, so I am one of a few who actually has access to the world wide web from home--and I haven't heard of anybody else really having it on their computer (except for a girl who got the password for her neighbor's wireless service, which she only got because he wanted to date her, sneaky girl).
I live in L'Océon, which is a area of the capital, Rabat. It is not the most aesthetically pleasing area (and a fellow student informed me of their epiphany that L'Océon is the car garage capital of the city) and walking around late at night alone is a bad idea--but it's home and I love it with all its quirky charm and character. I live two blocks from one of (I think) two churches in the whole city--which is great because I can just tell the cab driver "el-Kiniisa feh l'Océon" (the church in Océon) and they know right where to take me! I also learned that if you walk quickly with a mean look on your face, men won't harass you as much, possibly because they are afraid you are going to punch them in the face if they make one more kissey face at you!
L'Océon is near the ocean, and I am grateful for that when the weather gets warmer. It is about a 45 minute walk to school when you get lost, 35-40 when you don't. The bus here isn't as complicated or threatening as the other buses in Rabat, and it takes about 20-25 minutes to get to school using that...as long as you figure out where the unmarked bus stop is and the driver doesn't decide to skip your stop or the bus breaks down...
It's kind of a random city, Rabat, but that's part of the charm. You can't really get frustrated with all the insanity that goes on in this city, because it becomes a part of you and amidst all the chaos you find the pattern and things seem to make sense. You even learn to either laugh at, or ignore the constant barrage of catcalls and you master your fear of being run over by a little blue taxi that may not have breaks that work very well.
Oh man, I typed so much and I didn't even begin to cover what I wanted to...I'll have to work on updating this more often. Maybe tomorrow? We'll see.
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