Sunday, August 25, 2013

A Moroccan Minute

Salam everyone! This is my first post from the other side of the Atlantic and it still hasnt fully sunk in that I am currently living in North Africa. Although its only been 4 days since I left the States (I think its Sunday, but I really couldnt tell you for sure) it feels like i've been in Morocco a lifetime. This country is SO beautiful; and it has every kind of terrain imaginable. From the coastal cities to the mountains of Ifrane -where my school is located- all of it chock full of breathtaking scenery, cool breezes, and the scent of the desert (which is my absolute favorite). Since this my first post since the trip started, I have a lot of ground to cover. I wanted to do this in two parts but I am realizing that time to sit down and write is much harder to come by than I imagined (this is the first time I've been home before 12!) so I'm going to condense a little and just wrap it up here. I'll do my best to keep this lively, so dont't let the length bore you right away! Okay here we go.

Getting there... 42 hours Later
From the moment I left my house in the US to the time we drove on to campus in Ifrane, the total travel time was 42 hours with only 35 minutes of sleep. The trip in and of itself was a series of crazy events, both stressful and wonderful. I had trouble checking in at the Pensacola airport which was stressful, but two of my four flights were mostly empty so I ended up with window seats and room to stretch out. I wont go over every detail (mostly because I have too much else to talk about) but suffice to say it was long. When I got to Fez I met up with 9 other students headed for Al-Akhawayn, and got to know them pretty well as we sat on a bus together for 4 hours. We finally got to the school around 6am, and checked into our rooms (mine was a temporary one and I moved again, but am settled now). So that was getting there.

Foreigners
When we checked into our rooms our hosts informed us we had roughly four hours to sleep, and to be ready by noon the next day to go into the city. So my 9 pals and I rested up, then met up with another group of international students who had arrived before we did. We all walked into the city together, and spent the afternoon/evening hanging out and just getting to know each other. We were the only students on campus, so we stuck together in a group and stayed out late to try and offset the impending jetlag. I want to pause and say our first meal in Ifrane was shawerma and hot tea, two of my favorite things in the world. The tea here is some of the best i've ever had (although many of my friends think its too sweet) and I am in love with the spices and sauces they use. So if anyone was worried about my eating habits- dont.

Even More Foreigners
Saturday was our first day of orientation. Similar to pretty much every orientation around the world, we pretty much just sat through lectures and watched slideshows about school rules and other fun stuff. We had the chance to interact with the rest of the foreign exchange kids, and get to know each other a little better. We went into town twice, changing groups around each time, and spent the evening once again just getting to know one another and exploring what will be our home for the next few months. There are a ton of funny stories and fascinating conversations that have taken place, but since I havent had much sleep and I dont want to risk telling them out of order or anything, we will just say that everyone gets along super well and we pretty much moved from the awkward  whats-your-major phase to the familial everyone-try-my-avocado-shake phase (basically, we are all super comfortable with each other) in just a few hours. The exchange kids have bonded both over our fear of being the foreigners and our love for a good joke, and its really cool to think how those friendships are going to take root and evolve over the next few months. And for those of you who are wondering, avocado shakes are actually very delicious, and common here. Sunday was more orientation seminars, more going into the city, and trying to choose classes and so forth. Tomorrow is our last orientation day, and will be focused on filling out paperwork and finalizing course choices.

Schedules and Arabic and Pineapples, Oh My!
I have spent weeks freaking out about the Arabic placement test. I wasnt worried when I thought I would be going to Egypt- Egyptian Arabic is very similar to Jordanian Arabic, and I knew I would do well. But Moroccan Arabic is vastly different, and to get in to the courses here you have to speak in Fus'ha, the formal dialect (which I was raised to read and write, NOT speak). I figured I may be able to get by, and manage an intermediate class or something of the sort. Well I did much better than I expected, and I am soooooo excited to say that they placed me at the highest non-native/intermediate native level, meaning there is a chance I will be in class with Moroccan students, studying Arabic literature and formal writing for politics. 
My other classes are Modern Algeria (a history class) Middle East-United States Politics (focusing on our relationship with the Middle East, an International Relations class) Intro to African Politics (pretty obvious, a Political science class that focuses on MALI!!) and Special Topics in the Middle East/North Africa. The last one is particularly interesting, because it has a field component where we study a city/country for the entire semester and then travel there to experience and explore. This semesters topic was supposed to be Cairo, with a trip to Egypt in December. With the recent unrest the school is unsure if that will be an option, and they are considering switching the topic to Amman, with a trip to Jordan (which I SUPPOSE would be an acceptable alternative ;) ). We will find out more about that in the next few days, and In'shaallah everything will work out. As for the pineapples, the best fruit juice in the world is found in the Middle East/North Africa and I am severely addicted to the pineapple juice.  

This whole experience has been so completely surreal. I still havent grasped that I really am here, and I really am going to be taking all these classes and experiencing all kinds of new and crazy stuff. The school encourages students to travel as much as possible, and already plans have been set in motion for camping, weekend trips to Europe, and trips to major Moroccan cities. Its fascinating to be around so many people who have the same passions I do, and want to experience as much of an unfamiliar culture as they can. I love it.Its going to be a very challenging semester, but so worth it on every level possible.

Just as a parting thought, I want to share a specific moment that really touched me over the past few days. Last night we were walking into the city, and I was walking with three other international kids and one Moroccan student. We were all discussing our majors, why we chose them, and what we wanted to do. When it was my turn, I told them I was an IS/PoliSci major focusing on the ME/NA and IR, and that I was passionate about Middle Eastern culture and the Arabic language. The Moroccan student stopped me, looked me dead in the eye, and said "What right do you have to be passionate about Arabic culture?"
I have never been asked a question like that in my entire life. I didnt know what to say for a second, then was finally able to get out my background and explain the sense of home I have from the Arab people and culture. He listened intently, asking pointed questions and making me go into further detail. Finally, he smiled at me. And he said something I will never forget. "So many people claim to have a passion for the ME without understanding enough about the culture or knowing the people. It isnt enough to be interested in the issues or captured by the history- you have to know the flaws and the successes, the ugly and the beautiful, and the desire to fight for and with them before you can have a real passion. You are a fully American, but your heart is Arab. You are a child of the desert and of the sea, of two worlds, and you are a very rare gem for each side that can be used to build the bridge that is needed between two so very different worlds."
I have always been accepted by Arabs, but never before have they told me I am fully a child of both worlds. Most prefer to draw me over to the Arab side, not encourage me to stay rooted in both. It is humbling, encouraging and awesome to know that there are people who can see both sides of me working in harmony and like to think that my background will eventually help me bring those two sides together. I feel like this semester is going to rock my world in many different ways, and I am only hoping that it wrecks my heart in the process and gives me a clearer look at where I want to go next. I know I am where I'm supposed to be, and its awesome.

So yeah. and just to explain the title, a "Morocco Minute" is the time everyone is on here- late by at least half an hour. 

Bon Nuit!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Its the Final Countdown

Well everyone, the single-digit countdown is on! Six days from right now, I will be on a plane flying over the Atlantic. Its crazy to think that departure day is so close, and terrifying to think of how much I need to get done before then. Like any smart and well prepared student, I have not yet begun packing or attempting to figure out what I will need for my semester in Morocco. I am living in blissful denial that I have to fit 4 months of everything in to two suitcases, a carry-on and a backpack (although the upside is my new backpack is as legit as they come, its a Swiss Gear mountain pack and I am pumped about carrying it around) and instead spending my days amusing myself with books i've read a thousand times and playing  with my dogs. Its a weird feeling- I know I'm going and I'm certainly read for it, but it hasnt really hit me that in six days I will be living in North Africa.

In the interest of having another post (so I keep in the habit of writing) I am going to toss out some details of how the trip there and first few days are going to go. Starting with the epic process that is getting there, welcome to the First Few Days!

Step one: Loading the bags. (August 21, 6:30pm)
       We are going to fit my luggage and my entire family (because my siblings are FINALLY HOME!! and on Sunday dad will be too, so for 3 days we get to be a complete family again) into Mom's SUV then cruise over to the airport. Dad is going to check my bags, then I will bid adieu to my family, get through security, grab the best bagels you can buy in the US from the coffee shop, and sit down to wait.

Step two: Hotlanta!!
       Of course, my flight connects in the (to use my best friend's words) Bermuda Triangle of domestic flights airport. So I'll get to Atlanta, hop on over to terminal F and get through customs (possibly making a final Chick-Fil-A run if I have time) and board the plane to Paris. Its roughly an 8 hour overnight flight and Dad managed to snag me a window seat, so I will be making use of some delightful sleeping meds and passing out for hopefully most of the flight.

Step three: Get to ORLY.
       In Paris, I have to switch airports (Charles De Gaulle to ORLY) and have been given 7 hours to do so. So I'll disembark from the plane (hopefully not too groggy from my sleepy meds), collect my luggage, catch the bus that connects the two airports, go back through security, eat a delicious french croissant, and sit down to wait for the next flight.

Step four: Casablanca <3
       I fly from ORLY, Paris into Casablanca, which will take about 3 hours. Its going to be murder for me to be in the city and not be able to run to Rick's, but that airport is where I will be meeting several other International Students headed for AUI, so their company will keep me from ditching the airport.

Step five: The last flight.
       From Casablanca I (along with my newfound classmates) will be taking a 50 minute flight over to Fez. Fez is a decent sized city, and the only one in Morocco where the school will send a representative to pick you up. There is a group of roughly 12 of us on that last flight, and we will all be taken to the school together.

Step six: The drive. (August 23rd, 2:00am)
       AUI is actually located in Ifrane, which is an hour drive from Fez. So the last leg of the journey is getting to the city, and trying to stay awake long enough to check into the rooms, meet my roommate (if she is already there) and get my PJs on before giving in to delirium and passing out.

Its going to be a crazy 28 hours, but full of adventure and completely worth it in the end. Who I will be living with is a mystery, but I'm really excited about the opportunity to go in blind and spend the semester getting to know whoever she is.

August 23rd is a day off, and will be spent looking around campus/getting to know my roommate/sampling local cuisine/and trying to get on a normal sleep schedule.

International Student orientation begins on August 24th, and is a three day process of paperwork, choosing classes, and all the other stuff associated with being at a new school. I'll get to meet all the other Study abroad students, and hopefully some of the full-time students and faculty. I cant wait to see how the school is organized, and start taking classes again. Once I have an idea of what my schedule will be i'll put it on here, as well as a more detailed description of orientation.

I'm not sure if i'll post again this side of the Atlantic, so just in case, Ma'alsalameh! See y'all from the cross roads of European, Arab and African cultures and my newest place to call "home."