Ahlan Wa Sahlan
Bienvenue
Welcome to Morocco!

The Journey – Aug 23-24
A direct flight from JFK airport to Rabat, Morocco takes approximately seven hours. A series of delayed flights, consequent route changes, and a mini tour of the EU’s airports cost me some thirty odd hours and my two pieces of luggage, over which I had belabored for literally days! However, despite my lack of sleep, food, and knowledge of Spanish, which led to tears at the Air Iberia ticket counter in Madrid, I couldn’t help but feel exhilarated as my plane finally touched down at midnight in Fez, Morocco! I may not have had my clothes, my sanity, or an intact circadian rhythm, but ready or not this was it. Spending a semester at Al Akhawayn University in Iftane, Morocco was no longer a nice plan on paper or a pipe-dream fed by Lonely Planet guide books.

As the blue university 12-seater van sped away from the airport down dark streets, I gazed out the window at the orange sun over shapes that could only mountains. The beat of the driver’s Arabic music rang in my ears. I was utterly exhausted and down my two bags, yes, but still I was thrilled to be in the moment, heading down the road to a new experience.

The Welcome- the first few days
I know I am in Morocco, but the cookie-cutter red roofed chalet-style buildings of Al Akhawayn keep tricking me into believing I am in Switzerland. I half-expect yodeling to erupt at any moment. The campus is beautiful, though I admit I am still getting lost among the nearly-identical buildings. My dorm room is much bigger than those I’ve lived in in the past, and I have a decent view of the trees and Middle Atlas “mountains” (more akin to large hills really) from my window. I keep getting a kick out of the internet- Google pops up in Arabic and the cursor goes from right to left. My roommate, Amal, is from Casablanca. She is friendly, talkative, willing to converse in French and Arabic even though her English is flawless, and she watches Oprah! I think I might be a little too excited about the latter quality!

We spent the first few days in International Student Orientation. Our sessions amounted to a barrage of dos/do nots concerning culture, travel, safety, health, classes etc. Dress code was a hot topic. During my packing blitz back home, I ruled out the idea of even brining sleeveless shirts. I’m going by the philosophy that erring on the conservative side is preferable to the alternative. Reputations here seem to be pretty important. For instance, we’ve been warned that spending one too many nights at the local bar can be detrimental to one’s image. Islam forbids alcohol, although non-Muslims can indulge. Some of the Moroccan students, however, seem to have no problem wearing halters and mini-skirts. I’ve been told this is strictly on-campus attire and these girls know the limits for clothing while in town or at home.

I am trying to retain as much of these dos and don’t as possible but I know that experience will be the best teacher. I am prepared to laugh at myself over my cultural faux pas should the need arise…and I am sure it will. Also, I have come to terms with that fact that in spite of my best efforts to speak the languages, follow cultural norms, and be respectful, I am inevitably going to stand out. There are not too many blond Moroccans!

Today was the first day of classes, although mine start tomorrow. I am anxious to get a feel for the academic environment. The nerd in me is really looking forward to reading my text books with titles like Poverty and Development in the 21st Century and Globalization and Politics of Development in the Middle East. I also can’t wait to get back in the swing of Arabic. Darija, the dialect spoken in Morocco, is a far cry from Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the formal Arabic taught in the classroom. I hope to pick up a little darija so that I don’t sound like a haughty book snob when I order tea or fruit from a merchant in the local market. I’ve been speaking much more French than Arabic so far.

Last night I had dinner with my friend Soumaya from Rabat. I stayed with her family last May for a week. I was so surprised to run into her while eating at a café in Ifrane two days ago. I was busy sipping my sweet Moroccan mint tea (a staple beverage here) and eating my brochettes du poulet (chicken kebabs) when all of a sudden Soumaya came walking down the street. It turns out she is here on vacation with her family. Ifrane is a tourist-town, popular in the summer because of its relatively cool climate compared to the blazing South, coastal cities and lower elevations. There is not really much to Ifrane. The centre-ville has a few cafes and hotels while the marché (market area) boasts a dozen or so ice cream vendors, hodge-podge electronic shops, meat market, restaurants and miscellaneous shops with everything from shampoo to jellabas, a long woman’s cloak with a hood. The town entrance is guarded by a huge bronze lion. I’ve yet to get the story behind the beast, but I did take get a lovely photo with him!

I can’t wait to travel and really get a feel for the rest of Morocco. I have made it know to my fellow exchange students that should anyone want to go anywhere at anytime, I’m more than willing to tag along.

Monkeys, Music, and Couscous
On the last day of orientation, 200 new Al Akhawayn freshman and seventy-some international students boarded buses for Cedar Gourard, a nearby mountain park and resort area. When we got off the buses we headed into the forest, kicking up red dust everywhere. A few boys stood nearby offering donkey and horse rides. No more than ten feet into the trail sat several monkeys. Using my extensive zoological knowledge (aka-Google) I later identified these monkeys as the Barbary Macaques of the Middle Atlas. The monkeys paid no mind to the fact that 300 college students were suddenly swarming their habitat. In fact, they seemed to enjoy the company, letting students walk right up behind them to capture this Kodak moment. I even heard rumors of one monkey steeling a candy bar out of a one of the vendor’s boxes! One other monkey, who was plopped on the ground with his arms dangling lazily, looked unnervingly like a fat old man watching Sunday night football!

After a dusty 15 minute walk we came to a clearing. Some of the students said the scenery reminded them of Northern California. Four large tents were set up with tables underneath. A feast was in the making! Ten Moroccan men clad in long white robes and caps, beat on hand-held drums while their leader, a man in an orange robe, led them in a chant-like song. I joined in the dancing for a while, not really sure what to do but playing along anyway! This was traditional Moroccan music, staged and funded of course, but nonetheless entertaining. Eventually we shuffled over to the tents where we served Moroccan mint tea, followed by community style couscous with vegetables, chicken, and the most delicious grapes and melon I have ever tasted. If you took the best honeydew in the world and bred it with the best cantaloupe in the universe and then added extra juice and sugar, you might end up with something akin to this mouth-watering treat.

After lunch we wandered around the site, roaming through the herds of sheep and goats. We climbed a large hill and scoped out the view. I “rode” a horse- sort of. After a twenty seconds of trotting, which entailed me bumping up and down while searching frantically for something to hold on to and scrapping my leg against the stirrup, I politely asked the man running alongside the horse to please slow it down in French.

The feast and sun wore me out. I returned to AUI that afternoon ready for a nap, but also ready for the semester. The day trip was an excellent beginning to the school year.