On Saturday, August 31st I flew away from Boston for the next 9 months. 3 plane rides, much German Chocolate, and one serious case of jet lag later I arrived in Rabat.
It is Saturday the 7th and the past week has been simultaneously the longest and the shortest of my life.
Monday: We arrived at the AMIDEAST Center and were given a tour. From there we walked to lunch which was delish! We then returned to AMIDEAST and had some orientation type things. At 5:00 our host families came to pick us up. My host family is couple with a two month old baby. I am living with another American named Emma who is fabulous! Their apartment is so pretty and has a gorgeous view over Rabat!
Tuesday: We had lunch with a Moroccan girl who studied abroad in the U.S. last year through YES and a boy hoping to apply for next year. They were so nice and it was fun to meet some kids our own age. We also went to Chellah, this is a place in Rabat where there are old Roman ruins. It was very pretty and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Emma and I walked home from AMIDEAST using our little folding map which was very exciting!
Wednesday: We had more orientation meetings and AMIDEAST in the morning and hung out in Agdal, the neighborhood the center is in. In the evening we took taxis to the Rabat beach and walked along the break wall. The beach was crazy crowded and there was a lot of trash on the ground but the view of the medina, the coast, and Salle across the river was fabulous!
Thursday: Emma and I bought bread on the walk to AMIDEAST because we were running late, yum! Yet another orientation with the wonderful Sarah (our in country coordinator). Went to a cafe in the afternoon, I ordered a cafe au lait (how french). We went to a supermarket/farmers market type place and bought local honey which supposedly helps you adjust the the bacteria in the air which will prevent you from getting sick from the water and food. Dinner was great as per usual and we met two of our host mother's sisters who are very nice.
Friday: More Orientation stuff in the morning but in the afternoon we split in to three teams (I was with Charis and Astrid) and competed in the Rabat City Challenge which was basically a scavenger hunt all over Rabat. We went in to the medina for the first time which was so cool! There is everything from nice leather bags to fake RayBan Sunglasses to cow face sandwiches (I wish I was joking). My team won but it was a battle until the end! Afterwards we all went out for coffee and laughed like crazy people because we were all so tired.
The reason it has taken me so long to post this is that I do not have internet at my host families house. I can get internet at the AMIDEAST Center and soon I will have a device that provides internet wherever I am! Until then I will update as frequently as possible! Feel free to email me anytime.
