Today is the first day of classes! Last night I was having some déjà vu of being in kindergarten and just so excited to learn! It’s a little dorky, I know. But since arriving I’ve been spending so much time walking around with my Berlitz French in 30 Days book and three pages of Darija phrases and words teaching myself that I was so excited to actually have a teacher teach things to me. Unfortunately the excitement didn’t last that long. Trying to stay awake during my 8:30 am Arabic class after just eating dinner at 1 am and then sahoor at 4 am, I was essentially running on about 4 hours of sleep! I miss those filled lecture halls where the teacher doesn’t know any ones name! My Arabic class only consists of me and another Penn student, Rachel, so sleeping is not an option! But the teacher is so sweet and essentially spent the first hour bashing Al-Kitaab which is what all American universities use to teach Arabic.
Its crazy though how quickly I am picking up on Darija. My teacher’s name is Touriya and she is an old lady but has SO much energy that you get tired just listening to her. But I know that the lessons have been paying off because last night in the Medina I was able to hold a conversation with the shop keeper. One of the first things she taught us was “That is too expensive, I am only a student.” Looks like I am going to need to find some more phrases for bargaining because after talking to the dude for twenty minutes trying to buy this pair of fushia purple Aladdin pants he only took the price down from 80 to 70 dirhams. Opportunity cost of time would call that an epic fail. He even told me he wanted to visit America and still wouldn’t budge below 70!
Oh well, they are super comfortable!
This weekend was pretty low key since its Ramadan. The whole country spends the whole day just chilling waiting for fatoor time and then after people eat the streets and beach are packed to the max! On Friday night I went to the beach with my twelve year old host sister and her cousin. There is this long pier that goes all the way out into the Atlantic with huge rocks along the side that people are chilling on. It is absolutely gorgeous and just a ten minute walk from my house. They also have kayaks, jet skis and a place where you can take surf lessons there.
Yesterday I went to the Mohammed V mosque and mausoleum twice. The first time was during the afternoon and it was beautiful but really hot and we just spent about 30 minutes there. I am not going to even try to explain the beauty, Ill upload pictures soon. Then for the taraweeh prayer that night me and my host dad went there again and it was one of the most moving prayer experiences ever. The mosque was packed so people were praying out on the terrace under the stars facing the front of the mosque with delicate lights shining on everyone.
After the prayer, me and my roommate went to the medina to buy my host mom a Ramadan present and got this traditional serving plate. Here my bargaining skills worked a little better. At first the guy asked for 100 dirhams and we ended up buying it for 70. Our mom really liked it and also last night was the first time we ate couscous in the house. She used our plate to serve the couscous and kept thanking us.
Ahem, now on to the couscous!!!!! It was BINEEN BZAAF (very delicious!) We all used spoons to eat from the big plate and it was covered with vegetables like squash, sweet potato, carrots and potatoes and also had meat. I saw my mom put in a whole bar of butter into the pot so I thought I would just eat a little but it was just too delicious. Me and Julianne were both stuffed and just kept eating. I cant wait till Ramadan is over so we can eat couscous every Friday. The lesson: Couscous is by far my favorite dish in the world and I will learn how to cook it like my host mom and make it for everyone in the states.
B’slama!!
Ps. Note to self: Don’t write blog entries about delicious food at lunch time while you’re fasting.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
8/25/10 I hope you're hungry!
Today is my first day with my host family and they are absolutely adorable! My host dad’s name is Mohammed and my host mom’s name is Karima. They have three children, Siham (20), Saad (17), and Zoubaida (12). Julianne, another student in the program and I will both be staying here for the semester. This was not the family that we were initially assigned to live with. Just an hour before it was time for us to meet our host families, which was a surprisingly nervous moment for me, Julianne and I were told that our host family will be moving out of Rabat this month and cannot host us. All the students were afraid that their host families wouldn’t like them, which was really cute and quite hilarious, but Julianne and I figured that worst case scenario is that this family also decided to “move” out of Rabat.
Alhamdulillah, it really worked out for the best because in our new home we both have our own bedrooms and the family has hosted three sets of American students before us. Julianne is just beginning Arabic so we are both relying on French to communicate with the family and the little bit of darija that we learn in class. I am incredibly impressed with how quickly French has come back to me though!! Granted there have been countless conversations where I have no idea what is going on and am just nodding, but that’s because I am just too tired to try and figure things out before fatoor.
For the past four nights we have been having fatoor at restaurants and I thought that was impressive, but today my host mom Karima out did anything we had seen so far. There were dates, figs, hareera soup, quiche, pizza (I think this was our special welcome), eggs, cheese, homemade bread, fried fish, meatballs, and probably so much more that I had forgotten. By the end I was stuffed and there was so much more that I still wanted to try. Right now it is 11:30 pm and Karima is in the kitchen again preparing dinner. From what I have seen, there are two whole roasted chickens, liver, sweet potatoes, an eggplant dish, and probably some other things. I was sort of expecting cous cous, but apparently it is not common during Ramadan except for on the 27th night which is “laylat al qadr”, or so that’s what I understood.
I am hoping that Karima does not tire herself out this much every day during Ramadan because unlike what I am used to in my family where you cook until fatoor time, she keeps going afterwards! I don’t know how she does it but hopefully this is much more food than we will be normally eating. Oh and did I mention that there is another meal at 3:30 am? I am praying so hard that I will have room in my stomach for the midnight meal, but unless a special miracle happens there is no way I will be able to eat that third meal.
For our first night here, they also invited some extended family over. After dinner Julianne and I spent the whole time talking to the little girls who are about 12 years old in French. For some reason I have had the hardest time asking “how old are you?” That and midway in French sentences I will insert Hebrew words like can (yes), ayfo (where), biimed (really). No one has any idea what I am saying! Regardless, by the end of my first day I feel like my French is exponentially better than it was when I first arrived. But my new technique from now on when trying to learn a language is to always befriend children because they don’t hesitate to look at you like you’re crazy when you throw in Hebrew words where as my host dad just smiles and nods:)
Julianne and I are so excited to begin to explore the area around. We are a ten minute walk from the Medina in a neighborhood called Hassan. We are already making lists of things we want to do like kayaking, surfing, and jet skiing. I also think I am going to try and take tennis lessons. I’ve always wanted to learn but have never played before so this feels like a great opportunity to fit in lessons! So I guess this is what I will be calling home for the next four months. The warm yellow walls of my bedroom make me feel like I am in Morocco. The American bubble I was in the past four days has burst and the real adventure is just beginning!
Alhamdulillah, it really worked out for the best because in our new home we both have our own bedrooms and the family has hosted three sets of American students before us. Julianne is just beginning Arabic so we are both relying on French to communicate with the family and the little bit of darija that we learn in class. I am incredibly impressed with how quickly French has come back to me though!! Granted there have been countless conversations where I have no idea what is going on and am just nodding, but that’s because I am just too tired to try and figure things out before fatoor.
For the past four nights we have been having fatoor at restaurants and I thought that was impressive, but today my host mom Karima out did anything we had seen so far. There were dates, figs, hareera soup, quiche, pizza (I think this was our special welcome), eggs, cheese, homemade bread, fried fish, meatballs, and probably so much more that I had forgotten. By the end I was stuffed and there was so much more that I still wanted to try. Right now it is 11:30 pm and Karima is in the kitchen again preparing dinner. From what I have seen, there are two whole roasted chickens, liver, sweet potatoes, an eggplant dish, and probably some other things. I was sort of expecting cous cous, but apparently it is not common during Ramadan except for on the 27th night which is “laylat al qadr”, or so that’s what I understood.
I am hoping that Karima does not tire herself out this much every day during Ramadan because unlike what I am used to in my family where you cook until fatoor time, she keeps going afterwards! I don’t know how she does it but hopefully this is much more food than we will be normally eating. Oh and did I mention that there is another meal at 3:30 am? I am praying so hard that I will have room in my stomach for the midnight meal, but unless a special miracle happens there is no way I will be able to eat that third meal.
For our first night here, they also invited some extended family over. After dinner Julianne and I spent the whole time talking to the little girls who are about 12 years old in French. For some reason I have had the hardest time asking “how old are you?” That and midway in French sentences I will insert Hebrew words like can (yes), ayfo (where), biimed (really). No one has any idea what I am saying! Regardless, by the end of my first day I feel like my French is exponentially better than it was when I first arrived. But my new technique from now on when trying to learn a language is to always befriend children because they don’t hesitate to look at you like you’re crazy when you throw in Hebrew words where as my host dad just smiles and nods:)
Julianne and I are so excited to begin to explore the area around. We are a ten minute walk from the Medina in a neighborhood called Hassan. We are already making lists of things we want to do like kayaking, surfing, and jet skiing. I also think I am going to try and take tennis lessons. I’ve always wanted to learn but have never played before so this feels like a great opportunity to fit in lessons! So I guess this is what I will be calling home for the next four months. The warm yellow walls of my bedroom make me feel like I am in Morocco. The American bubble I was in the past four days has burst and the real adventure is just beginning!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Imdagdaga
I just finished my third day in Morocco! Today we got our host family assignments and tomorrow we will be moving in with them. So far it has just been “orientation” which has consisted of a lot of sitting around during the day amongst a bunch of American students. Getting to know the other people in the program has been really interesting, but I really do feel like I am in this little bubble and didn’t really get thrown into Moroccan culture yet. In fact every time I try to talk to someone in Arabic they respond to me in French! I have been trying to practice Moroccan Arabic, or darija with everyone! This includes taxi drivers, hotel doormen and waiters. The darija language is so odd and I cannot get my tongue to work properly at all! Essentially it is fusha Arabic minus all the vowel sounds. My favorite word so far is “imdagdaga” which you have to say super fast and means I’m exhausted and is almost as amusing as its French equivalent, fatigue. Lately any Moroccan I meet I am trying to talk to them in Arabic and they ALL think I am Lebanese. Really? Lebanese?
And then when they find out that I am fasting they are all shocked that there are Muslims in America. Its actually quite amusing because Moroccans will be explaining to the group of foreign Americans that are mainly majoring in Middle Eastern Studies what it means to “fast” and they all point to me and are like, Besan is fasting! All the Americans in the program are super nice to me though and seem so amazed that I survive the whole day. You know how some families spoil the younger kids with their favorite food and constant praise, that’s what the other students are doing to me and its quite enjoyable!
For dinner every night we have been going to restaurants and having “fatoor” which consists of hareera soup, shebekiya, hard boiled eggs, some bread, dates and coffee. Essentially its this miniature meal Moroccans break their fast on where they consume as much sugar and protein as possible while filling up as little space in their stomach. Its actually quite impressive. They don’t have their main meal until around 11 pm, but for the past three nights all I have been eating is fatoor because just the idea of eating at 11 pm and then going to sleep makes me sick.
Also just down the street from our hotel there is this huge mosque and for Taraweeh prayer it is completely packed and overflows onto the sidewalk. It truly is an amazing sight! So far there have been a couple of times while with the Amideast group when I wish I could just disappear, and one of those times was last night walking home from fatoor. A couple of girls and I were trailing in the back of the group and saw the prayer congregation so crossed the street in order to not walk right in front of them. Upon crossing we noticed the rest of the group in front of us walking right in front of at least 100 men praying on the sidewalk… God must have been really proud of us and wanted to reward us because across the street we stumbled upon this AWESOME ice cream shop named Terre de la Glace (which I initially thought meant potato of ice cream) with flavors like Kinder Surprise, tirmasu, hazelnut, and so much more that was absolutely delicious!
Probably the only other exciting excursions we have had so far apart from our daily fatoors are our late night outings to the Madina. Because it is Ramadan, or so I assume, the streets begin bustling just after 10 pm and are lit up with festive lights. It consist of road after road of men selling everything from colorful Moroccan shoes to Hannah Montana posters to delicious food to electrifying music. Two nights ago while we were roaming the souk, we got these ground beef + egg + ketchup sandwiches on fresh bread that were divine and washed it down with fresh peach and orange juice. That cost us a total of 10 dirhams which is about $1.25!!! Also that night I bought a new purse that is this bright fuchsia color (supposedly real leather but Im not sure about that, Ill have to have my mom look at it) and really adorable for 150 dirham or just under $20. Ok that might be a little much for a purse here but the dude initially asked for 200 Dh, so it feels cheap! Keep your eyes out for it in pictures because I think its adorable!
Ok, so this is a pretty long and random post, and I am imdagdaga, so bslama!
Ps. I am so excited to meet my host family tomorrow
And then when they find out that I am fasting they are all shocked that there are Muslims in America. Its actually quite amusing because Moroccans will be explaining to the group of foreign Americans that are mainly majoring in Middle Eastern Studies what it means to “fast” and they all point to me and are like, Besan is fasting! All the Americans in the program are super nice to me though and seem so amazed that I survive the whole day. You know how some families spoil the younger kids with their favorite food and constant praise, that’s what the other students are doing to me and its quite enjoyable!
For dinner every night we have been going to restaurants and having “fatoor” which consists of hareera soup, shebekiya, hard boiled eggs, some bread, dates and coffee. Essentially its this miniature meal Moroccans break their fast on where they consume as much sugar and protein as possible while filling up as little space in their stomach. Its actually quite impressive. They don’t have their main meal until around 11 pm, but for the past three nights all I have been eating is fatoor because just the idea of eating at 11 pm and then going to sleep makes me sick.
Also just down the street from our hotel there is this huge mosque and for Taraweeh prayer it is completely packed and overflows onto the sidewalk. It truly is an amazing sight! So far there have been a couple of times while with the Amideast group when I wish I could just disappear, and one of those times was last night walking home from fatoor. A couple of girls and I were trailing in the back of the group and saw the prayer congregation so crossed the street in order to not walk right in front of them. Upon crossing we noticed the rest of the group in front of us walking right in front of at least 100 men praying on the sidewalk… God must have been really proud of us and wanted to reward us because across the street we stumbled upon this AWESOME ice cream shop named Terre de la Glace (which I initially thought meant potato of ice cream) with flavors like Kinder Surprise, tirmasu, hazelnut, and so much more that was absolutely delicious!
Probably the only other exciting excursions we have had so far apart from our daily fatoors are our late night outings to the Madina. Because it is Ramadan, or so I assume, the streets begin bustling just after 10 pm and are lit up with festive lights. It consist of road after road of men selling everything from colorful Moroccan shoes to Hannah Montana posters to delicious food to electrifying music. Two nights ago while we were roaming the souk, we got these ground beef + egg + ketchup sandwiches on fresh bread that were divine and washed it down with fresh peach and orange juice. That cost us a total of 10 dirhams which is about $1.25!!! Also that night I bought a new purse that is this bright fuchsia color (supposedly real leather but Im not sure about that, Ill have to have my mom look at it) and really adorable for 150 dirham or just under $20. Ok that might be a little much for a purse here but the dude initially asked for 200 Dh, so it feels cheap! Keep your eyes out for it in pictures because I think its adorable!
Ok, so this is a pretty long and random post, and I am imdagdaga, so bslama!
Ps. I am so excited to meet my host family tomorrow
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Hello Rabat!
First day in Rabat, check. I flew AirFrance over and felt like I got a little bit of an immersion in French culture on my way over as it seemed like the moment I boarded the plane in Dulles Airport everyone was speaking only French, Then, very much to my surprise, the overwhelming presence of the French language carried over since my arrival in Rabat. Signs are in French everywhere, and the average person in Rabat can converse with you fluently in French. In fact I was amazed by just how many Europeans there are in this city who appear to assimilate so well with Moroccans! Its funny because one of the main reasons I chose to study in Morocco as opposed to anywhere else in the Middle East is so I can also learn French and that had recently slipped my mind. I did buy a “Learn French in 30 Days” book from Borders while I was in Boston and even though I have only gotten to page three, the four years of French from high school are quickly coming back to me.
The Amideast program is also very interesting. Most students enrolled know very minimal Arabic and are instead depending on their French to get around. Its odd though, because for the first time while I am in the Middle East I truly feel like a tourist because I am always moving about in this huge group of Americans. We stand out like a five year old stands out in a college calculus class. Its Ramadan though so the city is much quieter than usual and most things are closed during the day. I arrived last night and after dinner went straight to bed. This morning I woke up and was fasting, the only student in the program, but it went surprisingly well. We spent the morning in the Amideast office, which is this building right beside a McDonalds in Agdal that appears to have no connection to the University. After that we toured some awesome ancient ruins in the area, which was the first time I really realized I was fasting. Rabat’s weather is surprisingly tolerable. Not just tolerable, but beautiful, as long as youre not standing in the sun. Tomorrow morning is our placement exam. At this moment we do not know which classes we will be taking, nor do we know our host family. It’s a little weird in that sense, but oh well! My goal this semester is just to take things easy, enjoy life and not stress about things. Essentially do the opposite of what Ive been doing at Penn for the last four semesters!
The Amideast program is also very interesting. Most students enrolled know very minimal Arabic and are instead depending on their French to get around. Its odd though, because for the first time while I am in the Middle East I truly feel like a tourist because I am always moving about in this huge group of Americans. We stand out like a five year old stands out in a college calculus class. Its Ramadan though so the city is much quieter than usual and most things are closed during the day. I arrived last night and after dinner went straight to bed. This morning I woke up and was fasting, the only student in the program, but it went surprisingly well. We spent the morning in the Amideast office, which is this building right beside a McDonalds in Agdal that appears to have no connection to the University. After that we toured some awesome ancient ruins in the area, which was the first time I really realized I was fasting. Rabat’s weather is surprisingly tolerable. Not just tolerable, but beautiful, as long as youre not standing in the sun. Tomorrow morning is our placement exam. At this moment we do not know which classes we will be taking, nor do we know our host family. It’s a little weird in that sense, but oh well! My goal this semester is just to take things easy, enjoy life and not stress about things. Essentially do the opposite of what Ive been doing at Penn for the last four semesters!
Up in the Air
Ever since watching Up in the Air it’s all I think of when Im sitting in an airport. I feel like Im in a movie. I don’t really believe that in less than 15 hours I will be in a foreign land, unable to communicate and not knowing anyone. You see, I don’t really think that I have processed this. I am about to embark upon an exciting adventure and all I can think of is if Ill have coffee while in Morocco. I still don’t know the answer to that, so I bought a medium Dunkin Donuts coffee and a coffee cake muffin for dinner. I asked for decaf because I wanted to be able to sleep on the flight.
I really cannot believe that I am studying abroad. It feels like just yesterday that I was trying to convince my parents that the Huntsman Program was for me. I cannot believe how time flies! In all honesty, I really am not all that excited. I don’t know. It’s a weird feeling. Like the first day of school. But not the first day of Kindergarten, more like the first day of eighth grade where you know that its part of the routine and there just isn’t anything too exciting anymore. The one thing that is giving me hope is that I know that every person that has studied abroad comes back to the US saying it was the most amazing experience! So that is what I have faith in. But like I said, I do not feel like I am about to get on an airplane and I most certainly do not feel like I will be waking up in Morocco tomorrow. But that’s how I like to do things in life, just jump right in!
I really cannot believe that I am studying abroad. It feels like just yesterday that I was trying to convince my parents that the Huntsman Program was for me. I cannot believe how time flies! In all honesty, I really am not all that excited. I don’t know. It’s a weird feeling. Like the first day of school. But not the first day of Kindergarten, more like the first day of eighth grade where you know that its part of the routine and there just isn’t anything too exciting anymore. The one thing that is giving me hope is that I know that every person that has studied abroad comes back to the US saying it was the most amazing experience! So that is what I have faith in. But like I said, I do not feel like I am about to get on an airplane and I most certainly do not feel like I will be waking up in Morocco tomorrow. But that’s how I like to do things in life, just jump right in!
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