So this whole taking the time to sit down and blog is a lot more challenging than I originally thought it would be, at least for the first week or so. I figured we would be kept hopping between orientation stuff and classes, but what I didnt count on was making so many amazing friends right off the bat and spending so much time with them. It has been wonderful and magical and perfect in every sense of the word, and I am willing to forgo a regular time for writing this than to miss out on a trip to the Marche or a pickup game of frisbee on the green.
That being said, Happy September everyone! August is over and the days of school are finally almost in full swing. I say almost because for most exchange students our schedules are still mildly up in the air, and I am no exception. We still do not have an advanced Arabic professor, although as of this morning we do have a day and time! So definitely making progress. Its been rough because all of the advanced students are at various levels of advanced, and especially in my case they just dont know how to integrate us. So hopefully that will all be sorted out by tomorrow. My other classes have ended up being US/ME Relations, Intro to African Politics, Political Islam, and American Government. It almost seems like im cheating taking a government class, but since I switched my majors its required, and I figured what better way to understand our system than learn about it with people who dont know anything. Thus far it seems to be a wise decision. Political Islam is a course that focuses on Muslim countries, and how religion came into politics, where lines can and should be redrawn, and a variety of other issues relating to Muslim countries. African Politics and US/ME Relations are pretty straightforward, and I love the professors for both which is good. So thats all for school!
We did go on our first Moroccan excursion last week. Myself and six others (a group which we have adorably dubbed ourselves The Breakfast Club, because we are all craving milk and cereal) took a day trip to the city of Meknes, which is roughly an hour away from Ifrane. We ate, we danced, we walked a million miles, and we narrated the conversation of ducks. It was a lot of fun, and definitely bonding time.
So much has happened in the past week, but to attempt to get it all down would be a nearly impossible feat. As it is this is the third time I've sat down to write this post, and I am only on the 4th paragraph! So we may just have to do a general overview and skip forward to now. Here are some of the finer points and answers to questions you might not even know you had:
-I am not homesick by any stretch of the imagination, but for the last 3 days I have had a mad urge for some pancakes. I'm hoping to fix that craving over the weekend when we go to Fez, another big city.
-Yes, the food is absolutely wonderful. I've had shawerma at least 5 times, and I drink juice more than anything else. Pineapple and orange juice in particular.
-I didnt have too much jetlag, but like any college kid anywhere my sleep schedule is still a mess. Stay up all night, work all day, rinse and repeat. Its slowed down a little in the past three days, but not by much. We will see how it goes over the next few weeks.
-I havent met the king yet, but not from lack of trying. He wasnt home when we were in Meknes, but I havent given up home that Ill run into him at some point. Keep your fingers crossed.
-No, I do not wish I were in Cairo. Not a day goes by where I am not a thousand times thankful that I am here instead of there. This place, these people, the classes- they were tailor made for me. Before I left I was trying to remember why I was studying what I am, and I was discouraged. Just a week here has reminded me, and opened my eyes to so much that I needed to see. God is far too good to me, and I recognize that more and more every day.
A lot of people have been asking about the language, and what kind of barrier I've encountered. Here is the best explination I have, a snippet from an email to my parents-
It's so weird for me to live in a place where communication isn't easy for me. I get by because almost everyone here understands my Arabic, but I have to decipher their half French-half Arabic answers. I'm getting better, and my friend Melanie (who is fluent in French) and I are working on improving the others language. It's a good setup. All of my friends here are so impressed with my ability, but I am continuously humbled with how little I know and I am so beyond impressed with all of their dedication and sheer will power to learn Arabic. It's incredible to meet kids my age who appreciate the language that I am so passionate about.
Well, thats all folks! I promise this will be the last long stretch of emptyness, and next time ill be more organized both with my thoughts and presentation. Salam!
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