Babies

When a Moroccan woman has a baby, traditionally the family will throw a party after 7 days. Last night I was told that I would be going to one of these parties, my host mom told me that it would be a small party starting at 6 pm. What this actually meant was showing up at 9, to find a full band, blaring music, and 60+ people. My host mom gave me a traditional djellabah to wear. (I'll post a picture later).

Anyway, these Moroccan women were the life of the party. We danced for hours until 1 am and only then did we eat dinner. There a plethora of hair whipping and somersaults and booty shaking by women of all ages. Finally I went home at 3 in time to get 4 hours of sleep before my first day of school at Qalam.

Later that week, my friend and I ended up at a party at the Polish ambassador's house.

RABAT!

My transition into my host family has been fantastic. I live in the old Medina with my host mom, Demja and dad, Najeeb. In the Medina EVERYBODY is family. But not exactly, it's more like 'this is my sister' when it's really just a neighbor.
My host mom and dad are not actually parents, so they are overjoyed to have me living with them and bringing friends over. Today they welcomed my 3 friends in for a traditional style Moroccan tagine,  a common dish. This included seafood, peppers, seasoning, olive oil, olives, and tons of bread to eat it with.
Trust me, if you ever travel to Morocco,  you will eat well. Hospitality is an important part of the culture.
Tonight, I found myself at a random party on the other side of town with people from America, Ethiopia, and Morocco, enjoying Moroccan music and food.

Some pictures of the ocean, (5 minute walk from my house), the king's garden in Oudaya,  the Souk, (market)

First days in Rabat!

For our first days in Rabat, we are staying at a center called Bouknadel  Camp, where I have discovered there are dorms, Wi-Fi, a pool, farm animals, amazing family meals and mint tea!

They also have some beautiful facilities and conference rooms where we have been thoroughly introduced to some key tips to surviving in Morocco, as well as important phrases in the local dialect, Darija.
Another plus...  flush toilets!! :)

Getting Oriented

So basically today was all about meeting my fellow Americans and getting ready for some culture shock. Tomorrow the 15 of us will fly out to Madrid and then Casablanca! It's been a fantastic 2 day orientation at Columbia University...

Departure

Tomorrow morning I’m leavin’ on a jet plane to New York, and in a mere 2 days I will be off to Morocco! I’ll stay there for 7 weeks, with a host family, (a mother and her 27 year old daughter), while studying Arabic at Qalam Wa Lawh Center for Arabic Studies. Although I don’t know much about what my trip will entail, I’m sure it will include many new tastes, people, camels, Ramadan, markets, beautiful sights, challenges, and sunny days.

I’m keeping this blog for all who are interested in my experience this summer in North Africa.

Below we have my lovely entourage at the Portland airport, my 'bon voyage' party!!