Le Maroc

Some random thoughts and pictures from my time here in Morocco.

[meridith-morocco]

As my hours in Morocco quickly dwindle, everything suddenly becomes a precious memory- every trip we took, the hours we put into Shoup’s papers, even that time we ate our lunches on the ground just because it was a nice day. I’ve learned more in the past 4 months here than I ever have and I will cherish this opportunity I was lucky enough to experience. Even though it seems like every day was laced with frustrations, confusions, and brief annoyances, I wouldn’t change a single second. I’ve made some incredible friends and I know this isn’t a permanent goodbye. So until next time,

It’s been real Morocco.

[meridith-morocco]

This is what we call "magic bread". It is probably the most delicious thing in the world. It's a type of misimmon and you can get it with chocolate, cheese, honey, or jam and it's only 5 dh! They even make it right there so it's all warm and soft ^_^

[meridith-morocco]

Last full day in Ifrane

The official goodbyes started today. I told myself I'd be fine- I'm no stranger to moving and leaving friends. But I wasn't prepared for this. This is completely different. I'm not just leaving people, I'm leaving a wonderful place. Even with the amount that Morocco annoyed me this semester, I'm gonna miss it. It's been such an incredible experience and I'm thankful for everything I've done and all the people I've met. I don't know what kind of emotional mess I'll be in tomorrow, but it'll be rough.

[meridith-morocco]

Oh Moroccan time

So I was supposed to have a pre-checkout this morning but no one showed. So I called to explain and see if I could reschedule for this afternoon. The lady told me that since I'm leaving Thursday night I'll have to do that Thursday morning and she'll send me an email... she didn't ask for my name, email, or room number so now I'm worried no one will show Thursday either which scares me because I can't close out of the business office until I get this taken care of. Moroccan time is the one thing I will definitely NOT miss. Ugh.

[meridith-morocco]

All done!

Well I'm officially finished with finals, and now I have 3/4 days before I head out. I don't know what to do to occupy my time considering I have no computer and my friends are all starting their finals today... maybe I'll read! In between packing. Either way, my brain is done working and I get to relax for my last few days here :)

[meridith-morocco]

What I've discovered

So this whole "6 degrees of separation" thing is becoming much more legitimate for me. Since being in Morocco I've had 3 small world moments. Who woulda thought I'd have these revelations in Africa?

[meridith-morocco]

Now I've done it all

So a few days ago my tooth started hurting really badly. Like, not being able to sleep bad. Today my friends convinced me to go see this dentist in a nearby town (recommended to us by an american family that's lived here for a bit) so I did. Of course I don't really know how these things work abroad (I barely know how it works in the US) but I went and got a filling re-filled to stop the pain until my dentist back home can take a look at it. So it was a good decision!

But now I feel like I actually belong here. Most people don't get to experience something like a dentist appointment while studying abroad. Go me.

[meridith-morocco]

Last couscous Friday :(

[meridith-morocco]

Moodswings from hell

So it's bad enough that I'm on an emotional roller coaster about leaving Morocco soon, but when you throw the stress of finals on top of that, it creates a very unpleasant situation. Nobody warned me about this when I was being prepped for study abroad!

[meridith-morocco]

So yesterday in my Arab society class Dr. Shoup rewarded those of us who had missed 0 or 1 classes this semester. Literally- he gave us cool gifts! I got a scarf and a small porcelain container. I've never been rewarded for going to class before! So thanks Shoup dog

[meridith-morocco]

I went to the souk in town today for the first time this semester and it was really cool! Like a farmers market but cheaper :) I got a kilo of clementines for 4 dh (50 cents)! So now I have a bunch of clementines... hopefully they last me a while, but let's be serious- I can easily eat 4 or 5 in one sitting.

[meridith-morocco]

Sidi Ali Hamdush

Today was pretty cool. We went to a town called Sidi Ali Hamdush which is the home of a Sufi order. They are a group that deals with mysticism and spirits, so we had to be open minded. But because of the spirits there, we werent allowed to wear the colors black, red, green, or yellow. That was a bit of a challenge considering all of my jackets are black.  But we got to put candles and incense on the shrine of Qandishah, we got a blessing from an oracle, and got a "fortune telling". I put that in quotes because most of it was him telling us about stuff going on in our lives rather than the future.

I was told that I'm happy and on a good path but want to do more traveling (true), my next trip will be good to me (yay), that i'll be doing volunteer work/ helping people (probably), and he asked if i was engaged/ was in a serious relationship.... not even close. So obviously not entirely accurate but still pretty cool.

After that we went to Moulay Idris for lunch. I sat by our professor and got to know more about him which was cool cause he's an interesting person but he is usually rude as a professor.. theres not a mutual respect between him and the class.

So overall, it was an interesting day. We don't get to do stuff like this ag IWU.

[meridith-morocco]

Happy Holidays! From our "family" here in Morocco :)

[meridith-morocco]

Since I have 2.5 weeks before returning home and I've been thinking about this a lot, here's what I'm looking forward to: - doing my own laundry - being able to take a shower that's longer than 5 minutes - veggies that aren't overcooked - being able to pet/ play with my cats and dog - a working computer - a wider variety of clothes/ shoes - driving

On the other hand, here's what I'm going to miss like crazy: - FRIENDS. whether American or Moroccan, it's not like going home for the summer-- I don't know when/if I'll ever see these people again - weekend trips - cheap items - nature/ landscapes (sorry but Illinois corn fields just aren't that exciting) - being able to practice my french

It'll definitely a roller coaster of emotions when I go home- I still don't know if I'm excited or sad to leave. Even worse, I hate knowing that I'm spending my last few weeks here preparing and studying for finals. It's not fair at all, but life moves on.

[meridith-morocco]

Overlooking the entire city of Fes

[meridith-morocco]

3rd time's a charm!

So this weekend I went back to Fes for the 3rd time this semester. This time I went with Sydney and 2 girls that live in Fes- Camilia and Sophia. Camilia was nice enough to let us stay at her house for the weekend so she could show us around the city and help us shop for the last of our souvenir gifts.

We headed to Fes Saturday morning and we spent all afternoon wandering around the old medina. After lunch, Camilia's mom and sister joined us and her mom led us to a gorgeous riad within the city, and then to the leather tanneries. After we looked around there for a bit, we headed back to their house for dinner. Oh my god homemade Moroccan meals are DELICIOUS. For dinner we had soup with homemade french fries and some sort of pepper/ tomato bread dip mixture followed by a chicken platter. Her parents were extremely accommodating to us as Americans, too. Moroccans typically eat from the communal platter with a piece of bread, but since we were struggling a bit they gave us a plate and utensils.

Sunday we woke up to a breakfast that was various types of bread and either butter or cheese. And of course tea (they drink tea with every meal. Sometimes between meals too). Then we hit up the medina for some last minute things we couldn't find Saturday. We did that quickly, and then Camilia showed us this incredible overlook where you could see the entire city! Then she showed us to a hotel that's owned by the princess, so of course it was absolutely gorgeous! We stayed there until her dad called telling us to come back for lunch. This time we had beef with dates and a bean side dish. Again, delicious food.

Camilia's great aunt ate with us and she had an amazing life story! She grew up with 7 brothers and she dressed as a boy in order to go to school. She never got married, but she is educated and completely self- sufficient. Not to mention she is about 3.5 feet tall, so adorable, and is the typical, sweet grandma- she kept putting food on my plate whenever it was getting a bit low.

Overall, just a wonderful weekend. I'm so glad I got to spend a weekend at a friend's home! Her family was so nice and would even talk to me in French which was a good way for me to practice :)

[meridith-morocco]

These are some photos from my weekend in Fes with Camilia and her family :)