NEWS!!! :)

So a few years back, students in the ISA program here in Meknes started an Intercultural University Forum at our college, Moulay Ismail. Since then the forum has multiplied in size and grew too big to be held in isolated little Meknes! International Students come to this forum from all over the world. This year it's being held in Seville, Spain during our fall break and a group of Moroccan and American students from our university will be going to present!

Today we found out that all eight American students that wanted to will be able to go!! I AM SO EXCITED!!

The theme for the Forum this year is Intercultural Dialogue in the Information and Network Society....and our presentation topic is Cultural Diversity and Globalization. We started discussing ideas within our group of Americans today and there are some really great ideas floating around. I'm confident that it's going to be a really great experience, and I think I'm going to learn A FREAKING TON!! I mean, really? Social networking and globalization...during this whole Arab Spring thing.....ohmygosh I'm going to explode from the anticipation of all these new encounters and experiences and points of view GOOD GRIEF!

Call me nerdy, but I couldn't be happier to be spending my week-long break from school in Spain being academic with other international students :)

Anyway, just wanted to tell people..because..umm...if you couldn't tell? I'M EXCITED!

Here's the Facebook page, if you're interested :)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Intercultural-University-Forum/162527926117?sk=wall

Happiness is available.

I've been living in Meknès for over two whole weeks now, and they have blown by. I didn't realize how long it had been since I had updated the blog, but a lot has been happening!!

We started classes two weeks ago. Arabic is really exciting, but really difficult. It feels so satisfying to finally be taking an actual class in Arabic when I've been wanting to for such a long time! The class itself is sometimes frustrating because our professor doesn't speak very good English, so things often get lost in translation. But I feel like I'm keeping up pretty well so far. I now know how to tell someone where I'm from and ask them what they do for a living, as well as write with the first seven letters and some vowels. Exciting.

My other classes are really good as well, I think I'm going to enjoy working with the professors I have here. Classes work a little bit differently here than in the states. Elective classes last three hours (which is reeeeally difficult for our American attention spans!) once a week, and the main languages are two and a half hours four times a week. We get a short break in the middle of each class, but especially if we have Darija class (which goes from 6-7:30pm) it makes the day seem very long. Also, it is completely acceptable for professors to teach to their opinions in class. Some of the stuff that is talked about as fact would absolutely not fly in most US universities.

One thing I've been learning quickly here is that it is an absolute necessity to have your mind WIDE open in accepting what happens to you. If you cling too hard to your expectations or what you're used to at home you will not survive here, or at least not be happy at all. It is completely within your own power to find happiness, but the second you refuse to accept something different, you're doomed. Same goes in life, really.

Example one: our very first Sunday night here in Meknès a big group of us went out together to a Hookah cafe near our apartments. It's a pretty nice place (although they've ripped us off with a foreigner price twice now) with live music and dancing and good Shisha. But at the end of the evening (like 10pm) three of us girls left the cafe to walk home and encountered two of the most obnoxious, attention-seeking boys....they latched on (literally, they grabbed my arm) the second we left the cafe, and continued to follow us nearly the entire way home. Touching our arms and hair, trying to get us to talk to them saying things like "parlez-vous francais?" and "you have facebook?" They were definitely not taking no for an answer...we tried in literally three different languages. The more we protested the more they laughed, loving the attention. Eventually we ignored them, then got help from some older men by ducking into the cafe by our apartment.
This is one experience that you really just have to take in stride in Morocco. Young men here are ridiculous. It's insanely annoying. But they aren't particularly dangerous..even if they get all the way to your front door they won't follow you in. I honestly feel like I'm more likely to get raped in America than here. But again....it's freaking obnoxious to deal with every time you walk outside.

Example two: Friday the 16th Iman took us to the Hammam (the traditional bathhouse) for the first time. There really isn't any way to prepare yourself for that. We walk in, strip down to only underwear, and walk back into a very hot, sauna-like room with hot and cold faucets along all the walls. There are lots of naked women. We lather ourselves in a special kind of soap made from the olives left after they make olive oil, and rinse with scalding hot water from the faucets along the walls. Then we get scrubbed. That first day I was scrubbed by a very large, very naked black woman, who pretty much draped me over her leg and scrubbed with force until dead skin was coming off in clumps. It sounds weird...like unsanitary and uncomfortable...but in reality it's the most refreshing experience, and somehow entirely natural! After you've been in there for two hours it feels so nice to put on a dress and walk outside into the cool air. I feel like I've never been cleaner in my life. We went back this Friday, and I think it's going to become a weekly ritual for us.

Last weekend we did a tour of Volubilis (the site of Roman ruins near Meknès), and Moulay Idris which is a little hilltop village chalk full of mosques and beautiful views. I was pretty sick that day so I don't really remember much? Hah, ahh..sad. But here's some photos!! :)

That same night I went out on the town with some of the other students..it was kind of crazy, and kind of a long story....but it started of with us stumbling on to a break dance battle! It was sick.

Morocco actually has a pretty big hip hop scene, which is really cool! It seems like you kind of have to either go looking for it, or just fall upon it like we did. It's not exactly really obvious.

This weekend has been really chill though, Saturday a few of us went back to the old medina (we went as a big group our first Sunday in Meknès). Here's pichas.

This is part of the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, the emperor who founded Meknès. We got to go inside of the mosque here! So beautiful.

This is the Bab Mansour, the entrance to the area around the mausoleum. Morocco is famous for it's doors..but supposedly this is the most elaborate in all of North Africa!

These are from inside the residential part of the medina. It's like a labyrinth of ancient homes and businesses..we got real lost in there yesterday, but it was kind of fun :)

This is in one of said businesses...there are many workshops and artisan boutiques in the medina. This photo is from a silver threading shop. The owner is a very nice man..he gave us a demonstration with the group, and was very welcoming when we went back yesterday. And his work is incredible.



That's about all the updating I can handle for right now..plus I have Arabic homework for tomorrow!

Love and miss you all at home...
-Rubea




ps. So proud of my best friends for being their popular selves and getting elected to homecoming court this year!! Wish I could have been there to celebrate!

Mo-rockin' out, yo.

FINALLY!!!!!

After 5 days in Granada, one day traveling, and one in Tangiers..we finally made it home to Meknes!!! It took a few days to really settle in, but now it's really starting to feel like home!

I loved Granada. It is such an interesting city...it is clearly influenced from both European and Arab styles. We went to visit La Alhambra one day, which is an old palace on the top of one of the hills overlooking Granada. Easily the most beautiful place I've ever been in my life! Seriously, I think I could wander those gardens with the creepiest man in the world and fall madly in love...it's just that romantic!

(You can't possibly get a full grasp of the place from only a few pictures. Go check out my facebook album.)

The last night we were there we went to see a flamenco show, which was way cool. It was fun to see how they are still in touch with their Spanish culture, especially with all the Western/American influence in the area. (For real, pretty much everywhere we go there is American pop music playing in almost all the shops. Except Meknes.) But other than that we just shopped, ate really great food and tapas, and drank a lot of fantastic Sangria. I've already decided I'm going back there someday..I basically fell in love.

Tuesday we got up super early and took a bus to the coast, then took a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar into the port by Tangiers, then took another bus to Tangiers where we stayed one night. A couple of us had a bit of an adventure finding lunch in Tangiers that day.. we came across this man (turns out his name was Abdul) who was wearing one of those long white tunic things, a fes hat, and bright yellow slippers..and he wanted to show us a good restaurant to eat at. Sooo we followed him? Granted this was like right after our director told us we probably shouldn't follow people. Bahah. Some of the girls got kind of freaked out. But he actually did lead us to a place, which ended up being aaaaahhhmaazing food! Not to mention a wonderful introduction to Morocco! It was four courses, appropriately ending with mint tea and cookies. I am also in love with mint tea. Yummm.

This was our first course, a delicious soup..chickpeas, rice, and veggies. Mmm. (Zakiya made this for dinner tonight, too!)

Besides that first meal, I wasn't a huge fan of Tangiers. I mean, it's a port city, and pretty well known for being a big thoroughfare for all kinds of things..I think a couple of the students got stopped and offered hashish. It just seemed dirty. It was okay though, we had a tour through the old part of the city, the Kasbah, and that was really cool. We also found Humphrey Bogart. But by the time it was time to get on the bus for the 4 hour drive to Meknes everyone was beyond ready.

We took some creepy tourist photos in the Kasbah, just by people's front doors. No big.

So now we're in Meknes! Settling in, orienting ourselves, making ourselves at home. It's really nice here. Cleaner than Tangiers, thank goodness! And our apartments are beautiful!! Soo spacious!! The first night we got in and ate the huge meal our apartment mom, Zakiya (no idea if that's spelled right) left for us (chicken tajine and vegetables..freakin delicious!) and then pretty much just went to bed. All the traveling had everyone really worn out. Yesterday we saw our campus, most people took language placement tests, and then started unpacking and decorating. Then we got phones, so now we can all communicate! Today has been productive, too..some of us tried out the bus system for the first time (great idea, we met some really nice people. And witnessed some strange "only in Morocco" moments.) and got to the big supermarket to pick up some necessities. Then, this afternoon we actually got around to finding internet connections for our computers. So now it REALLY feels like home!! :)

We start classes on Monday! I'm taking Beginning Arabic, Darija (the Moroccan dialect), Peace and Conflict Resolution, Islamic Civilization and Artistic Expression, and Three Religions Three Peoples. We've met some of our professors already, and they're all so excited to have us here. In fact, everyone we meet and talk to here is amazed that we chose their country. We talked to a girl on the bus today who wondered why we would ever leave America. "America has everything!" Each person who says that is first shocked, then very honored that we chose to study in Morocco of all places. It's humbling.

I'm getting along really well with everyone in the program, and I really like my apartment-mates. We've been enjoying family dinners and things. Right now we're all sitting around drinking tea and watching National Geographic Abu Dhabi. Ha. I love it.

Here's how my room looked when I first walked in.....I'd put up a picture of the final product but I can't connect my camera when my internet modem is plugged in? Yep. Check facebook later.

Okay love you all!!!

-Rubea

The rain in Spain..

I had a seriously weird My Fair Lady moment yesterday. I was on the train from Madrid to Granada, just admiring the scenery, and it started raining. I'm on a train, going through the plains of Spain, in the rain. All the while thinking “IS THIS REALLY MY LIFE?!?”

Spain is a beautiful country. I loved Madrid. The last two days felt more like a vacation than anything...getting to hang out in Spain with good friends, walking the neighborhoods, admiring the architecture, eating great food and drinking good wine. (I'm also really proud of us, because we absolutely dominated the jetlag!)

Leaving the girls at the train station was when it really set in that this is more than a vacation. And then I was completely alone in a country where I don't speak the language. Pretty sure I've never been that scared before in my life. But, it's all about the adventure, right? YIKES. Luckily a lot of people speak English here.

I did thoroughly enjoy watching the Spanish countryside go by on the train though. It really is a beautiful place. The whole country seems to be littered with hills and mountains, and almost entirely covered by vineyards or orchards. Occasionally there would be a set of wind turbines or an old stone building. I kept trying to read or nap but couldn't seem to take my eyes from the window. I did however refrain from taking geeky-tourist pictures though!

So now I'm in Granada, and there are already a bunch of other people from the program here. It's exciting meeting everyone, and I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for us this week and the rest of the semester.

Here's some Madrid pictures:

This is pretty much what all of my Madrid pictures look like. Pretty buildings.

..Or food! Our breakfast yesterday: Chocolate con churros, y cafe con leche. It only took us, what..two hours of walking to find the place? Ha. So worth it.

Anyways. Missing everyone, hoping things are going well at home.

Love,

Rubea