B'slaama from Sahara

Wow, I neglected this blog for a month and the biggest things have happened in that time. Going to write things here because there are some memories I NEVER want to forget.

The goodbyes began about two weeks ago. It was only in my last few days that I realized how many people I had gotten used to seeing everyday – the security men at school, the hnoot guy, the rgaiff men, the front desk workers, the cleaning ladies, the medina boys. Luckily, I am going to be seeing many of the kids from my program this summer. Saying goodbye to my family was surprisingly hard…I really have gotten attached to baby Ashraf and my host mom. It’s an odd thing to say goodbye to people who realize you most likely will never see again. Right now, I know I would love to return to Morocco but reality is bound to hit hard upon returning to America.

Sahara. Quite possibly one of the best times of my life, including one of the best nights of my life. We got to Marrakech last Saturday and were picked up at the station by two Bedouins who would be our incredible tour guides. The next two days was driving to Ourzazate, where the desert began, and seeing amazing sights (gorges, kasbahs, villages) on the way. I became close to Said, our tour guide. He told us all about his life one night as a nomad, moving when the grass became sparse for the animals, living in tents. Now that the tourism industry has boomed, his life is totally different from when he was younger. He never went to school but is one of the smartest people I have ever met – just from interacting with foreigners, he has become fluent in English, French, Spanish and already knew Darijha on top of that.

We spent night 3 in the Sahara Desert, Merzouga. That night, Juj and I drank tea with the Bedouins in Blue and then her and I went stargazing.

It was panoramic – everywhere you turned, stars, stars, stars. It felt as if we were in the sky. And then I saw my first shooting star. And then my second, third, fourth, fifth. I have never seen stars like that in my life. The desert was the perfect way to say goodbye to Morocco.

Next entry: Egypt!
Current location: Amman, Jordan

Waning

One week left! Truly insane.

I just finished my third paper of four and am gearing up to tackle the 5 finals headed my way next week. We had a great trip to Marrakech this past weekend. Pictures coming soon.

Qamara = Camera

"The ancient Greeks thought our eyes emitted rays, like a laser, which enabled us to see. The first person to realise that light enters the eye, rather than leaving it, was the 10th-century Muslim mathematician, astronomer and physicist Ibn al-Haitham. He invented the first pin-hole camera after noticing the way light came through a hole in window shutters. The smaller the hole, the better the picture, he worked out, and set up the first Camera Obscura (from the Arab word qamara for a dark or private room). He is also credited with being the first man to shift physics from a philosophical activity to an experimental one."

Operation Save Sadaf

Operation Save Sadaf continues! I was rescued by my uncle and cousin from France Friday night and made it back to London without any hitches. The wedding was yesterday and it was LOVELY. I tried not to let myself worry about how I would be getting back to Morocco but now the wedding is over...and I'm a bit worried.

However, I'm definitely seeing the bright side of all of this. I am experiencing a historical event. Global travel as we know it has been halted to the most severe degree in history. I am getting to spend more time with my family in Wales. And none of this is my fault!

News reports say airport bans are to be lifted tomorrow afternoon which is a shame since my flight was scheduled for the morning. This means I will be in England at least a few more days since there will be thousands of people trying to rebook flights and, predictably, little organization.

Unfortunately, this is cutting out of my last few weeks in Morocco. I experienced NO sense of reverse culture shock coming to the UK though...I think once May 29th rolls around, I'll be ready to come home.

Bad Job, Iceland

...but then again, who could have predicted a huge volcanic ash cloud to halt all air traffic in Europe?




Her name is...Mt. Eyjafjallajokull.

Found out all flights into UK were canceled as I was collecting my boarding pass in Rabat. Decided I would have better luck finding transport from Paris.

NOT. It was a huge catastrophe. After several hours, we finally received a hotel voucher but I had been lucky enough to get in contact with a GW friend (DC - you're an angel, thank you) and am currently crashing in center Paris. It is 5:30 AM - spent the last hour coordinating with my uncle how to get to UK for Noreen's wedding. ALL trains are booked solid until Sunday so...we turned to the sea!

Hopefully meeting him in Calais tomorrow, he is driving to France to get me.

Bright side:

- was interviewed by the LA Times
- met some really cool people
- saw DC!

It's funny. This is my second time in Paris and I have yet to see the Eiffel Tower.

Coocoo for Couscous!

Fridays in Morocco are definitely a day I look forward to. It is tradition for Moroccan families to prepare a large, delicious couscous for the family to eat after prayers.



This picture does not even do justice to the amazingness of the dish. Today, my host mama taught me and Kelsey how to make it. It took almost three hours! The process is not difficult, just long. And definitely worth it. Hopefully I will be able to recreate it to some degree back home.

Some cultural tidbits:

- couscous is traditionally made with several kinds of boiled vegetables and meat. The meat is hidden under the vegetables and usually eaten towards the end of the meal
- everyone eats from the same dish. It is rude to reach in front of someone else’s ‘place’ in the dish
- many Moroccans drink buttermilk while eating couscous
- there is also a ‘sweet’ couscous that is made with carmelized onions and raisins

Most Fridays after class, I head to the hammam with a few of my friends to soak away the weeks’ worries in a hot, steaming sauna. The hammam is an interesting facet of Moroccan culture – here is one of Moroccan women’s main social hubbubs. After hammam, we all head home to couscous. After couscous, we usually have a post-couscous nap.

There is no doubt that my first Friday back in the States I will be wishing I were here. Or at least eating couscous.

Spain

I am tan. Actually, more like…browner. Dark chocolate, if you will.

Madrid and Canary Islands = great spring break. It was very relaxing. We had a lot of:



and went here a lot:




Look! Black volcanic sand!



and stayed at (after we almost got stuck on a hostel farm!):



Only bummer was having my wallet stolen on my first night in Madrid. Luckily, I am safe and my friends were gracious enough to save me all week. It was surreal meeting up with GW friends in Madrid. I got to see Elyse! And even a few high school friends. It was odd for all of us traveling from Morocco to Spain as we got our first taste of reverse culture shock. Our tongues kept spitting out Arabic words by instinct and the overwhelming smell of ham and pork in Madrid seemed so foreign. It was odd being in a sea of white after being in a sea of brown for so long. I was really looking forward to returning home to my host family and to Morocco. My host mama made us couscous last night for dinner even though it wasn’t Friday! The perfect homecoming gift.

It was so interesting to see traces of Spain's Islamic history hidden here and there. I saw a tajine dish used as decoration in one hotel, random mosaic walls in restaurants, some lattice windows. Other than that, there is no indication that Spain ever used to be a thriving Muslim country. I wish I could have made it to Cordoba or Grenada.

Now it’s all work/work/work until final exams which are in FIVE WEEKS! They don’t lie when they say study abroad goes with the blink of an eye. Also, feeling the pressure of growing up…been apartment scouring for the past month and now have to decide if I am graduating early or not.

More pressing matters include…wedding present shopping for my cousin this week! I am flying out to Wales in two weeks for Noreen baji’s wedding and can’t wait. I only get to see this side of the family every other year. Nani Ama, cousins, uncles, aunts….! England!

Starting to realize how little time is left here.