follow the sun

[wherenerdsarekings]

The Chellah

Written 5/6/14

(Photos courtesy of Kat Leitzman, check out her awesome blog at http://katleitzmann.wordpress.com)

Yesterday, after trying to find time all term, Kat and I finally made our way to Chellah, the roman ruins in Rabat. We walked down Mohammed V Ave. past parliament and the palace and out the doors encompassing Rabat’s ville nouvelle (the new part of the city built by the French during…

View On WordPress

[wherenerdsarekings]

Fes, round 2

Inside one of the many carpet shops I visited in Fes

If Morocco has taught me anything, it is the value of generosity. People here are generous with everything from their food to their time. Nowhere was this more obvious to me than in Fes, my favorite city in Morocco. I liked it so much when I visited for the weekend with Anisha, Malia, and Amina  that I returned there a week later with Malia to…

View On WordPress

[wherenerdsarekings]

Fes, the first time

May 10, 2014

The doors to the palace in Fes

As I sit on the train from Rabat to Tangier I reflect on the fact that it is my last train ride in Morocco. The train always brings a new adventure. I remember coming back from Fes last month the train was so crowded that Malia, Anisha, and I were forced to sit in the narrow aisle between the private compartments and the windows. We would stand up every…

View On WordPress

[wherenerdsarekings]

First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is!

B'salaamah for now Morocco, it's been real. Hola Barcelona!

Avenue Mohammed V in Rabat in the middle of the day

Early Saturday morning Bella and I took the train from Rabat for Tangiers and from there flew to Barcelona, Spain. Walking down Mohammed V Avenue from Hotel Darna (where we were housed for the last week of the program) around 6am most of the shops were still closed and there were only a handful of people around. The sun was just beginning to…

View On WordPress

[wherenerdsarekings]

Souk Day in the village

Tuesday, 3/11/14

Today was, as Fatima kept reminding us in her low, hushed voice “souk” day. After a small breakfast of bread and tea we prepared for the trek to the big, rural souk in Oulmes.

Oulmes souk

After several outfit changes, Fatima locked up the hut and we set off. We diverged from the country road, taking a shortcut over the grassy hills, past a small stream and narrow swimming hole.

I…

View On WordPress

[wherenerdsarekings]

Reflections on hipsters, Day 2 in the village

3/10/14

Fatima’s donkey

Breakfast was the best harsha I’ve ever had smothered in apricot jam. Our village host mom, Fatima, left on the donkey to take Ilham and Noura to school in Oulmes, so we spent the rest of the morning playing catch with Aya and Usama (the young son of Melouda, who lives next to us).

Later, our program leader Nawal came to take us to “the big house” to have a discussion with…

View On WordPress

[wherenerdsarekings]

Village Stay- Day 1

Village Stay- Day 1

3/09/14

Us and Aya.

Today I woke up inside a mud hut to the sound of Amazigh music playing from an old battery powered cassette player as chickens clucked and a donkey hee-hawed just outside. I could hear Aya, my 4-year old host sister laughing hysterically. We arrived in the Ait Baa Akka village near Oulmes yesterday afternoon. Amina, Kat, and I were assigned to the same family and were greeted…

View On WordPress

[wherenerdsarekings]

Ceuta, and other times it pays to be American

Collecting shells on the beach of Ceuta, Spain

A couple weeks ago I went to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa that shares a border with Morocco. My program took us here in order to get our passports re-stamped to avoid having to apply for a visa. We were 30 American students and our Moroccan program leader, we drove up to the border on a giant tour bus, and upon realizing who we were the…

View On WordPress

[wherenerdsarekings]

Part 2: Macaques in the Cedar Forest

Part 2: Macaques in the Cedar Forest

My new friend

Up high in the Atlas mountains just past Azrou there is a forest that reminded me of Bend, Oregon. We descended from the bus in a parking lot just off the road.

The place was crawling with tourists. It only took a short walk to the trees along the road to see why. Macaques (also known by their scientific name, Butt Monkeys) were everywhere.

Babies loped through the trees while teen…

View On WordPress

[wherenerdsarekings]

Part 1: Marrakech

Part 1: Marrakech

Tagine, pre pressure cooker

Our southern excursion last week was a whirlwind of new sights and experiences. Documenting all of the incredible things I saw would make for a very long post so I will pick out a few highlights in this post and those following it:

In Marrakech I had the privilege of taking part in a cooking class at a hostel in the medina. We learned how to make tagines for…

View On WordPress

[wherenerdsarekings]

Trip to the Sahara

Trip to the Sahara

Yesterday began with a bountiful breakfast at Hotel Taddart in Midelt in front of the fireplace. We then climbed back on the bus and headed further East, into the Sahara desert.  We drove through a few villages nestled between the peaks of the Atlas Mountains, which were speckled with patches of snow. Sheepherders blended into the rocky, beige landscape. As we traveled on, the occasional oases…

View On WordPress

[wherenerdsarekings]

Casablanca (Dar Baiid)

Hassan II Mosque

Yesterday I took the train from Rabat to Casablanca with two friends, Malia and…

View Post

[wherenerdsarekings]

When in Morocco...

In Morocco, even the kitties observe the call to prayer.

Finding out who we would be living with…

View Post

[wherenerdsarekings]

Al-baab

One of the many beautiful arched entrances to the medina.

View Post

[wherenerdsarekings]

A long walk

On Tuesday we got lost. Everyone in our program left the hotel and got on a tour bus. Then three by…

View Post

[wherenerdsarekings]

[fuckyeahtattoos]

This tattoo means a lot to me simply because of it’s Harry Potter background. Hermione is my favorite character in the series, and as I sat watching the movie as a the tears rolled down her cheeks after having “mudblood” cut into her arm, I knew that I needed it as a tattoo.

I know it’s probably not the most original HP tattoo, but it’s probably my second favorite tattoo that I have right now, and I can’t wait until my kids ask me what it means. When they do, I’m going to give them book 1 and tell them to tell me what it means.