One More Thing

I found this interesting:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/26/102458/137/70/522670/

A post about food in Morocco is soon to come!

Things They Don't Tell You About Studying Abroad

I've been a bit lazy in the blogging lately, especially since the weather has gotten nicer and finals week in approaching.There are so more things I want to cover before I leave, so I'm going to attempt to get it all done. 

It's How You Look At It.

        The other day I mentioned something about “Living In Morocco”, and I was correct by another year-long exchange student that no, I “Study in Morocco” and, most importantly, have a set date to leave. The person who corrected me is constantly talking about what he misses back home, and is literally counting the days until his return to the US. He views this as a temporary escape from real life, whereas I view it as a drastic change IN my real life. I think that because I committed to this experience wholeheartedly, I am much happier with my decision.

You'll Miss Your Family

       Sorry family... But I didn't really expect this. Since it it near-impossible to just call home whenever I feel like it, I find myself looking forward to skype calls and emails much more. I am also much more appreciative of what they have done for me, especially in handling things while I'm away.

People Won't Get Your Jokes

      Unless you are with people from the same country 24/7, you will make jokes or tell stories that people will not understand. Some things just don't translate, and that is all part of the learning process.

You Won't Learn a Language Overnight

      It will become easier, but only over time. Language learning requires patience and a willingness to make mistakes, two things I struggle with. Learning Arabic has been especially difficult, since the colloquial in Morocco differs so much from what I learn in the classroom.

Weird Food Makes Your Body Do.. Weird Things

      I won't go into that one in detail. Let it suffice to say that there are delicious foods in Morocco that are better for me not to eat.  

You Will Learn Who Your Friends Are

      I have mentioned this before, but I will say it again. People who I have expected to stay in my life have virtually disappeared, and people who really care about me have managed to show it. I also know that there are people I will see again and it will be like nothing has changed.  

What's New?

A trip to the Spanish City of Melilla

Writing my name in the sand 

The Beach

Sunday lunch.... 

With good friends!

SNOW in APRIL. In Africa. Womp. 

Playing my guitar.. because it's too cold to go outside!

And also.. This funny story. Remember when I was worried about making some serious cultural faux pas? Well, I worry no more, because my two of my friends (names will be omitted) committed the ultimate faux pas.. No way I could ever top this one! 

In the train station in Fez, there are bathrooms. In those bathrooms there are long, trough-like sinks sitting  on the ground. These sinks are used by Muslims to preform ablutions before prayer. However, when placed in a Men's bathroom, and to the full bladder, they also resemble... Urinals. My friends were yelled at for this, but of course didn't understand until after the deed was done. Opps. Happy Monday Everyone!

Five Things.. Well, Ten Really.

Five Habits I've picked up since being in Morocco.

1. I eat cumin on everything. I may only have salt and cumin shakers in my house from now on.
2. I am comfortable kissing people I've just met on the cheek as a greeting. I will probably need to drop this habit when I get home, to keep from making people feel awkward.
3. I never look men in the eye while I'm in public... I started doing this again in Ireland towards the end of the trip, but I am still much less friendly to strangers now.
4. I'm much more ok with enormous/expensive places of worship. Although I still do not think religious institutions should build fancy centers of worship exclusively for their own use, I've started to accept it an an unavoidable fact.
5. I am much more interested and understand more Middle Eastern politics than before. I can now recite a fairly unbiased history of Israel/Palestine, as well as keep up with current politics and issues with the Arab Spring.

Five things in America that I no longer take for granted:

1. My family and friends. Being here, I've learned who really matters to me, and who cares about how I'm doing. I appreciate those people so much more now. I have also found those kind of people here, a few of which I want to maintain friendship with.
2. The ability to drive. For almost four years, I had the ability to just get in my car and drive pretty much where ever I wanted. After nine months of buses, trains, and grand taxis, it will be really strange to leave when ever I want, in the comfort and style of my trusty Dodge. 
3. Understanding and communicating with people. When traveling, and even in school, I live in a constant state of no-quite-knowing what is going on. It's better now that I can communicate my basic needs, but still frustrating. When interacting with Moroccan Students, they don't get my jokes or references, which can make me feel left out.
4. Rocky Mountain College and all the freedoms that come with it: No curfew, walking on the grass, drinking water in the library, knowing who to talk to for help with classes. I am excited to go back to professors that know me, and to finish my two degrees at RMC. 
5. Mexican Food, Peanut Butter, Bacon, and Ranch Dressing. “Nuf said.   

Running Rabat

Around the middle of Febuary, a conversation went something like this

“Hey, wanna run a half marathon?”

Me: “That sounds hard.”

“No, it'll be fine.”

Me: “Ok.”

Following that conversation, I downloaded a training plan, followed it (sorta), and ran 21km in Rabat on Sunday. Here's the list of awesome things that happened:

-It was well organized. AND it started on time. Those two things rarely happen in this country, and so I was pleasantly surprised.

-People cheered you on through the whole course. The best was a group of kids standing outside their school with their hands our for high-fives. Second best was the yells of “Good Job Mademoiselle”

-There was a disproportionate number of men to women- Probably about 80%-85% men.

-It was GREAT to run outside, in shorts, with all the other competitors. There were over 2,000 people there from all over the world, all united by a common goal.

-Rabat is a beautiful city. Right on the beach, and we ran past what was literally a castle with botanical gardens inside. You really get to see a lot of a city running 13.1 miles through it.

AND THE BEST PART....

-I, formerly know as “weannie D'Jeannie”, finished in 2 hours and 16 minutes, only 6 minutes slower than I hoped for. I had never perviously run that far, nor had I trained for any sort of time-trial. And it felt good.  

Number and Residency Card- Since I'm a resident it only cost me 30 Dirhams to Register!

After the race!!

Group Photo!

Me and a big boat

Rabat Boardwalk 

Post-Race Desert

Morocco A to Z

My first semester of Arabic I learned... Alif, Baa, Ta, Tha... But I don't want to bore you with all that. So, here is my Morocco alphabet!

A is for... Arabs. The second most common ethnic group here, these are descendants from the the dynasties that spread Islam into North Africa in the late 7^th century AD.

B is for... Berber. The “natives” of North Africa, these are descendants of the people who lived in North Africa before the spread of Islam. The Berber language is still spoken by about 25% of the Moroccan population, mainly in rural areas.

C is for... Casablanca. The largest city in Morocco, and the home of the Hassan II Mosque.

D is for... Dirham, the currency in Morocco. The current exchange rate is about 8.2 dirhams to 1 US dollar.

E is for... Equality. Although things here are changing, they are changing slowly. Approximately 10% of people here live below the poverty line, though some figures show it may be as high as 20%. In contrast, about 2% of people in the US live below the poverty line.

F is for... French. Morocco was a French protectorate from 1912 until 1952. This influence is seen in the language (French is an official language, and the language of business in Morocco), as well as in the school systems and city architecture.

G is for... Geography. Morocco has everything: mountains, beaches, desert, big cities and rural villages. The geography of this country is so diverse.

H is for... “Hamdullala”, literally meaning “Praise God”, it is a commonly used expression of thankfulness. A greeting commonly goes, “Are you well?” “I am well, Hamdullala”

I is for... “Inshalallah” Another commonly used expression, this one means “God willing”, and is tacked onto almost every phrase about the future. “I will meet you tomorrow, Inshalallah.”

J is for... Jellaba. The Morccan national costume, this is a long robe with a pointed hood worn by both men and women.

K is for... King. Morocco is ruled by a monarchy, and the current king is Mohamed VI.

L is for... Lions. The last Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1922. The stone lion in Ifrane commemorates this species. An attempt bring back the species is being made in zoos.

M is for... Music. Traditional Moroccan music involves a lot of drums, a small guitar, and chanting.

N is for... National Football (aka soccer) team. The super bowl pales in comparison to the support roused when a Moroccan football team plays. It is great fun to sit in a cafe and drink tea and watch the games.

O is for... Official Language. The official languages in Morocco are Arabic and French. Berber was recently added as an official language as well.

P is for.. Population. The population of Morocco is about 31,900,000, and population density is about 185 people per square mile.

Q is for... Queen. The queen of Morocco is Lalla (princess) Salma, the first wife of a Moroccan rule to be given a royal title.

R is for... Rabat, the capital of Morocco.

S is for... Sahara. An area of about 103,000 square miles in the South of Morocco is disputed territory with Mauritania. Referring to this area as disputed territory is an EXTREMELY touchy issue however. According to Moroccans, the Sahara belongs to Morocco, unconditionally.

T is for... Tajine, (rhymes with D'Jeane). The name of a clay pot used to cook a variety of delicious dished. Tubkal, the highest Mountain in North Africa, located in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

U is for... University. The worlds oldest continually-operating university is located in Fes. The Karaouine was founded in the 9^th century by a woman named Fatima.

V is for... Video protests. On the 20th of February 2011, several young Moroccans posted videos on YouTube demanding, “equality, social justice, employment, housing, study grants and higher salaries”. The king, aware of the results of similar protests across the region, addressed the issues almost immediately. This prevented the protests from escalating.

W is for... “Wuzen” or the “root” of an Arabic word, usually composed of three letters. For instance the word love is “hib” but to say I love is “Uh-Hib”. In order to look up a word in the dictionary, you must know it's “Wuzen” or root.

X is for... eXtra wives. A man here is allowed to marry up to four women here, but only upon their consent.

Y is for... “Yalla!” An Arabic word meaning “Let's go” or “Hurry up”.

Z is for... Zip Code. Ask me what it is and send me something! (Kidding. I just didn't know what else to put for Z).

Photos from Ireland

Saint Patricks Day Parade 

Cliffs of Moher

Puffin Picture in the Interpretative Center 

Dublin News Office

(Probably) The Worlds Smallest Pub