Dear Diary,

Today it is hot. I gather with my friends in a cafe to complete the truly obscene amount of homework and then we are celebrating the end of our first portfolio (5-pages entirely in Arabic about one topic) by swimming in what is purported to be the single sketchiest swimming pool in Fes. Diary, if I should be caught up in a prostitution bust later today, please tell my mother that I was just innocently enjoying a swim.

I've been trying to stay within my daily budget goals, but lately have found the stress of our workload and the actually obscene heat have driven me to indulge myself more (air-conditioned cafes tend to charge more for coffee but what's an extra 5 MAD 4 times a day?) I really need to get back to my frugal existence. I also just spent $1,100 on a plane ticket from Casablanca -> Paris -> Ouagadougou -> Casablanca for the month of August. I have to say that's more money than I generally enjoy spending at once. So back to saving! Tons of homework is just no excuse.

Why, might you wonder, am I writing like a twelve year old? The answer is, I hope, the heat. Or the sheer amount of BPA I must be consuming in all of the super-heated (and re-used) bottles of water. I thought I was being so thrifty by keeping my empty bottles and refilling them at school every day, but I think it is giving me strange dreams, not to mention the bizarre impulse to write in a diary.

Either that or I've finally gone completely mad. This conclusion seems damningly permanent so I'm going to blame it on the heat. And the BPA, of course.

200 MAD well spent

I bought a modem. I couldn't help it. I know a vacation from constant internet access was actually a highlight of this experience for me, but the fact of the matter is I'm an addict. Also, using the school's wifi has become impossible due the prohibitively slow connection.

Class is really getting challenging. I do not feel at all OK about the test I took today, I have my usual amount of homework, plus a five page paper due Wednesday. I'm really stressing, but I'm also finding that I'm dealing with that stress in really irresponsible ways, like listening to Red Hot Chilli Peppers at impolite volumes in the Riad and chatting with my classmates instead of working. (This is one problem that I'm happy to admit to. I have rad friends here.)

This weekend we will take a trip to the Sahara desert. There may be Camels involved. I'm really looking forward to the adventure, and also to the sweet hotel pool. (Hopefully swimming will actually take place long before that, but we're still working on getting every one ready for that.) The next weekend we may go to Rabat. Many adventures are planned. I'm still trying to balance my need to maintain a good GPA in this, my final quarter as an undergraduate, and my need to enjoy the hell out of this trip as it is likely the last of its kind that I'll be able to take for a while. I've been a pretty good student my whole life and I've often sacrificed fun for the sake of my GPA. I don't want to make excuses- I understand that the primary purpose of this trip is to learn Arabic- but I am only recently coming to fully appreciate the temptations of letting my grades slip for the sake of a good time.

So now I have this modem, which will allow me unlimited internet for a month and which I am sure I will deeply regret buying once I stop sleeping to stay up and gchat or email or facebook or blog all night. Oh well. So it goes.

Garden of Simple

I was feeling pretty dizzy and unfocused the last couple of days. Yesterday morning while getting into a Taxi, a man grabbed the door and grabbed my arm. I had about enough time to look up at his very cut and scraped face and to register the glassy-eyed look of a drug user when the cab driver reached across me, pulled the door shut and slapped the man's hands away, shouting something I didn't catch in Darija. I looked over at the driver and said "La Afhim?" ("I don't understand?") and he didn't say anything. I realized later that this was actually kind of a terrifying thing, but I didn't feel scared. In fact I promptly forgot the entire incident, until today.

This afternoon I took a nap in the lovely garden outside of Alif. Afternoon naps = the best possible idea.

(This made me think about the Ani Difranco song "garden of simple" and that is where the name of this post comes from.)

Yesterday we had a class meeting and discussed various issues about our host families and our home stays. I think that most of us feel pretty lucky on the whole, and those who are having problems are finding them manageable enough, or at least better than the unknown. I didn't bring up something at the meeting, and I'm not even sure if I ought to now. I am having a difficult time ignoring the blatant disparity between my own opportunities and those available to my host sister. She's exactly the same age as me. She's also a college student. But while I'm given the biggest room in her house she shares one room with her mother, sister and brother. While she wakes up to make me breakfast, spends the evening cooking me dinner, and the time between shopping for food and helping her mother cook and clean, I get to spend the day studying, napping, shopping, and going to cafes with my friends. Her family depends upon the money they get housing students and so taking care of me & my roommate is how she helps support them all. She had a major exam this week and barely had time to study.

Back in America, I think of myself as pretty poor. I share a 2-bedroom apartment with 3 other girls, we all work for just more than minimum wage, I have no health insurance and I qualify for all kinds of need-based aid. This experience is really putting the relative comfort of what I consider "poverty" in my own life and what actual poverty looks like.

It's not fair. My host sister should have the same chances I do. She should get to travel, she should get to spend her days tending to her education. It's just not fair. I understand that we don't actually live in a simple world, but I think the parallels between Senna and I make this injustice more obvious to me. I don't know what to do with this emotion. For now I'm trying to participate more in the house work, and eventually the cooking as well. It isn't enough, but at least it makes me feel better.

So, I bought this Jellaba...

It's great. I love it. It fits me well, I probably overpaid, but whatever, I love it. I thought it would be great to wear around, but especially great to sleep in as defense against the mosquitos. I told my host family this and they went from being THE MOST EXCITED about my having the jellaba, to horror at the idea of me sleeping in it. "No, it is too nice for that." My host sister said. "It will wrinkle. You should only wear it on very very special days."

So I have a great Jellaba that I can't sleep in or wear outside except on special occasions.

What is a girl to do?

I think this weekend I'm going to try to get some more clothes. Zoe bought some awesome tunics, and I hope I can find something long-sleeved with a long skirt (but not so nice that my host family will object) to sleep in. The mosquitos are definitely still winning. No one seems to know what mosquito nets are or where to buy them (not even the Moroccan Wal-Mart, Marjane, had them) but I think that as the summer gets hotter and drier there will be less of them (inshallah).

Calm

Today I feel very calm. This is surprising, since I spent most of the day in very not calming activities, like getting a taxi in the sun, Medina shopping, getting my friends hopelessly lost in the Medina, more taxi negotiations, bargaining and trying to pretend my millions of mosquito bites aren't itching. Still, I think I'm over the adjustment period. Things that used to seem like major obstacles, like conversing in Arabic, not having exact change, bargaining when I know I'm getting ripped off, now seem like minor annoyances at worst and, in many cases, just second nature.

This cat gets me:

Yes, it's hot. But this cat and I are super chill today.

I really enjoy the way time passes here. I don't have to worry about rushing off to work after class (if any one from my work is reading this I miss you all and I can't wait to be back, I don't mean it like that, I promise!) And there's not even that much pressure to cram our days full of activities, both because we have so much homework and because even the simplest things we do here, like shopping or drinking coffee, have become unique experiences by virtue of them being in Morocco and conducted largely in Arabic. It is super relaxing.

My improved financial situation is definitely helping. My stolen debit card is finally returned to me, my financial aid package was better than anticipated, and the exchange rate for the cash I got out of the ATM was a lot better than what I got at the airport (even when considering the foreign transaction fee.) I allowed myself a little splurge today and bought a linen jellaba (a traditional Moroccan robe) to wear while I sleep (latest attempt to beat back the mosquitoes) and, now that I've realized how comfortable it is, really to wear pretty much all the time. It was about $45 (350 MAD) which is the most money I've spent on any single item here. It feels like a huge extravagance but it fits me like a dream so I'm not going to regret it. My main regret is not bargaining better (the guy started at 450 MAD and I would have liked to get him below 300) but oh well. I'm at least improving, thanks largely to Kristi's help.

Children. Kind of adorable.

Children! 

More children: 

These kids make me feel dumb! 

Cafe hopping until the Riad opens

The Riad, which is a general term for a traditional house with a garden inside and no external windows, is the study haven for those of us living in the Medina. Unfortunately it doesn't open until 4:30PM, which means that we have a lot of time to kill before it opens. Three classmates and I are chilling in a cafe in the Medina just waiting for the magic 4:30 to arrive.

Ok I gave up writing on my iphone, but we spent the afternoon in 3 different cafes, getting lunch, coffee, ice cream and bonding over high school stories. It was pretty great. Now we're in the Riad, but I'm having trouble starting my homework since it is so lovely and cool. Don't believe me?

Proof:

Clearly Beau, Kristi and Ryan are not having the same problem. I should probably actually get to work now. I think I've mitigated the mosquito problem somewhat (though I have to say it's really upsettingly difficult to buy mosquito nets here. No one seems to know what I'm talking about) with a plug-in thing like a glade air freshener only with pesticides. Sweet, sweet pesticides. Also the IPE office solved my financial aid woes by calling the financial aid office. My aid is posted and I'm actually in better financial shape that I'd possibly imagined I could be. (Burkina Faso, here I come!)

أنا آسفة انا مجنون

Ok, so clearly today I'm completely nuts. I can't stop crying whenever any one talks to me and I'm having a hard time even being polite. Not acceptable. Back home I'm usually a high-functioning insomniac, so being this unstable after one night of no sleep is pretty unusual. I blame the mosquitoes. Again, something I should be able to handle. I've gone hiking and camping and I've had mosquito bites. What's weird about these is that they hurt and they itch so badly I can't sleep. I'm definitely feeling super lame for being such a wuss. It has become an epic battle between my sanity and the mosquitoes. There can be only one winner. It's difficult to say who I'd bet on, at this point.

We had our first test today and I think it went pretty well. Actually my main source of stress is coming from the Office of Financial Aid. I have to say, if there is one thing I really dislike about UW, it is how often the administrative offices make you feel like just one of way too many numbers. Hi, number 0850233, we'll be right with you. Please wait 3-4 business days. I don't feel like this is how it has to be. For example, while traveling I had confusion about when and to what institution I was paying tuition. I e-mailed both the OFA and the IPE office. IPE not only replied right away, they sent two replies explaining where the confusion came from and assuring me that I was not totally crazy for wondering. OFA still hasn't responded to that e-mail. (IPE makes me want to write haiku I love them so much.) I understand they are probably short staffed and overwhelmed at OFA, and probably also staffed by wonderful, hard-working people who rescue puppies in their spare time. But none of that matters when you're thousands of miles from home and have no idea if or when you're going to run out of money. Their job is too important, the stuff they handle is just too personal to wait 3 business days for a reply. Ok, end of crazy rant. For now I'm going to chill with my classmates, do homework, and figure out my next attack strategy for the mosquitoes.

I might be addicted to gummi vitamins...

So there are a number of things I'm super glad to have packed. First on that list is my gummi multivitamins, which my mom got me from Costco and which taste like candy. Unfortunately, unless I want to OD on Vitamins A-D, I really have to stop eating so many of them. (The first step, I am told, is admitting that I have a problem.)

I deeply regret not packing sandals. Today I broke down and purchased some from the Medina. Yes, they are leather. Yes, I feel awful. But my plastic flip-flops from the super market broke after 2 days and I needed shoes. Also, as my fellow vegetarian Kristi pointed out, at least I'm supporting a local industry rather than buying more cheap imported junk from China. Maybe the lesser evil? Maybe?

I'm also glad I packed my under armour clothes. (No, I'm not being sponsored by them, but you wouldn't know it the way I've been dressing.) Every UA shirt or pair of pants I brought has been key for keeping out the sun/heat and keeping me cool while also sufficiently covered up. But what is really great is UA underwear. Hell to the yes. Sorry if this is TMI but you try living in this heat in regular cotton panties. No thank you. I am never wearing any other kind of underwear ever again ever.

Extra sunglasses. I lost my favorite pair three days after arriving, and luckily I have a spare that my dear friend Casi left in my room when she was visiting for the Obama speech. (Sorry dude, they're totally mine now :)) I'll probably buy another pair while I'm here just because I don't trust myself not to lose Casi's if I'm wearing them every day.

Cloth shopping bag. Yes, I hear you laughing at me. Yes, it is kind of a cliche Seattle practice, but it is so handy to have a bag with me to carry supplies from the store or laundry to the bathroom.

Oh. Speaking of laundry, today I learned how to wash my clothes by hand and then hang-dry them. Rad. I feel so Little House on the Praire. Only cooler. Also, I am vowing at this moment to wash my clothes once a weeks so that I never have to wash all of them at once like today. (Yes, any one who has ever lived with me, I see your skeptical looks. SHUT IT.)

In other news I'm getting eaten alive my mosquitoes and have already busted out my ultra-bug spray that I purchased for Burkina Faso. Distressingly, it doesn't seem to be helping. My family doesn't shut windows at night and many of the windows don't seem to shut at all, so there's no preventing the mosquitoes I suppose.

Other major purchases for the trip so far: A sweet hat. It's a bit country for the states but here I feel like Indiana Jones. Also, it keeps the sun off of my face. 

Meknes, Volubilis, and kicking Bill Gates' ass

Update: Pictures by Alex Z.

So last night my host family sister mention that her computer was broken, and asked if I might be able to fix it. I told her I couldn't promise anything, as it is a PC and I'm a Mac person. (This, by the way, is not a concept that translates well.) So I sat down to work on the computer and realized the whole thing was in French. I spent the first few minutes trying to change the language to English. That didn't work. I eventually grabbed my laptop and opened instructions in English so that I could sort of guess my way through the process. After trying literally everything I could think of, I was just about to give up, when I uninstalled and reinstalled the software for the USB modem for the third time and it decided to work. My host family cheered, hugged me, and tried to feed me even more (it was midnight.) I declared victory over France (to be fair, they surrendered) and Bill Gates.

This morning we went to Volubilis, an old bunch of Roman ruins, and then on to Meknes, for lunch and a tour of the old city and a famous prison. It was fun. I'll post pictures, and more detail, when I'm less sunburned and tired. For now I'm going to study (we have our first test Monday) and hit refresh on the Financial Aid page until Monday morning. If any UW summer students are reading this and are still in Seattle- have you heard anything from Financial Aid? Has any one figured out why it still isn't posted?

Ok. More to come. Bye. 

The human cost

Today we went on a tour of the Medina. It was amazing to see all of the markets, the chaos of the very narrow and very busy streets, the grandeur of the architecture and the friendliness of the people. Our last stop was at a tannery. Morocco is famous for its leather, and looking at the shops it is easy to see why. But the tannery dashed any hopes I might have had for buying the leather sandals I had in mind.

I usually don't buy leather goods. I'm a vegetarian, and I think that if I am not willing to eat an animal I should not wear it, either. I don't like causing suffering of any kind, if I can avoid it. Seeing the tannery made me realize just how much human suffering goes into the processing of leather. The men work one of the hardest jobs on earth, not just because of the physically taxing nature and low pay, but, I'm sure, because of the smell. As visitors, we were handed mint to help us manage just the brief tour we were given, but I'm sure that I simply could not handle working in such an environment. Forget the cows. How can I now go to a shop and haggle over the price of sandals, now that I've seen what people have to go through to make them? I can't. I'm sure if I had toured a Chinese factory or a clothing sweatshop I'd be writing about the immorality of my laptop or my scarf, but as it is this is what I saw, these are the images that will haunt me if I try to buy something. The overwhelming inertia of the whole system has me in one of those strange, dark moods. It is usually so easy to pretend that my privilege, my affluence, is not coming on the back of people exploited and impoverished by my lifestyle. Today I can't. I know it isn't realistic to believe that every one can be economically equal, or that every one should have an opportunity to go to school and sit in air-conditioned rooms and argue about politics or linguistic theory, but today, right now, I just can't get past the shame of living in a world where I get to have these things and so many others do not.

Sorry to be so depressing. I'm sure in a week or two I will have forgotten, and maybe then you'll all still get those leather souvenirs I promised you.  Right now I just have to sit a moment and wonder if this must be accepted because it cannot be changed, or changed, because I cannot accept it. 

Mystery skull & Money

Samiya and I have decided to walk to and from the Medina. Last night we found this skull on the way home. Any ideas what kind of animal it might be?

I have enjoyed walking to and from the Medina lately. It is good exercise and it saves money. Last night I calculated how much I can spend per day if it takes 3 weeks for my debit card to get here from America, and I need to keep my spending around 100 MAD (about $15) a day in order to make my cash last long enough. That seems easy enough. Since arriving in Morocco I've spent about 200 MAD a day, mostly because I've had to pay for big things like hostel stays, train tickets, and my Moroccan cell phone. These were one-time expenses and so I'm not too worried about keeping to my new budget.

I'd feel a lot better about all things money-related if UW office of financial aid would get around to posting the summer award amounts. I understand the people working there are going as fast as they can and that a number of factors are causing the delay, but it is really, really stressful. 

On food and feeling sick

I think it's pretty normal to feel sick when you travel. The combination of stress, new bacteria, new pollen and exposure to strange food and drink will leave most people feeling at least a little ill for a few days. I expected this. I did not expect to get a cold, particularly not in 5,000,000 degree heat (this is an approximation. I'm still not really clear on how Celsius works.) But my stomach is basically a rockstar and my sinuses are completely weak. I'm surrounded by beautiful sunshine and I'm sneezing and coughing and have a sore throat. LAME.

It could be much, much worse. My American roommate is so sick she missed class today. She's been getting worse and worse so she's finally going to see a doctor, hamdulillah. I hope she gets better. I'm not sure what is making her so sick, but she suspects it was some very very fresh unpasturized cheese. They tell you not to drink the water or eat anything raw (fruits, veggies, dairy, etc.) in the medina (the old part of Fes) because of some issues with bad plumbing and water contamination. I was drinking the tap water in the Ville Novelle, but since I moved in to my homestay I have started buying bottled water just to be safe.

As promised, here is a photo of my Lizard buddy:

Any ideas for a name? 

Sorry guys, the contest is over

I officially have the coolest host family.


I know, it was close there for a while, but I've got you all beaten by a mile. My host family consists of our mother, two sisters and a brother. Another American girl is also staying with us. I have a huge room (bigger than my whole apartment in Seattle) and for the most part I have plenty of privacy and space to study. There is also a lizard (possibly more than one) who lives in the room and eats bugs. Since I am very anti-bug I have decided to be very pro-lizard. (Though, should I find one in my bed, I will probably not react with dignity.) I will post a picture once he slows down enough to snap one.

Anyway, I hope it goes without saying that my last entry was full of needless worrying. I know some of my classmates have not been so lucky, and I hope that in time all of us will settle in to our family situations and every one will feel comfortable. Sorry to make this so short, but I have more homework than time. More to come, ان شاء الله !!

اليوم الأول من المدرسة

Isn't our classroom pretty? 

Today is a high-anxiety day. For starters, it is the first day of our classes which are two-hour blocks of intensive Arabic. It's basically the hardest class I've ever had in college, and also one of the longest. Add to that the stress of those who just arrived in Fes last night or this morning and haven't had time to adjust, the look ahead at our very demanding schedule of mandatory lectures/cultural experiences/field trips, and the prospect of meeting our host families tonight.

I've never been in a long-term host family situation. I'm very, very anxious about this, because I've lived on my own longer than most undergraduates and I'm really not used to having a family with rules and expectations to deal with on a regular basis. While I haven't met my family yet, culturally Moroccan families are very different than American families. If I'm having a bad day in Seattle, I can go inside my room and shut my door and listen to music. Here, that would be considered very bizarre behavior and possibly even offensive. It just isn't done. I'm a pretty solitary person by nature. I need my space, I need my silence and I need my privacy. I'm really not sure how well I'm going to be able to adapt.

That being said, a homestay is a great way to immerse yourself in the culture (and language) of wherever you study abroad. It will certainly help my Arabic skills and it will hopefully be a totally worthwhile experience. Host families can also help you save money, as they feed you for free and (in places where bargaining is standard) can haggle with vendors for you. I'm sure my host family will be lovely people and I'll be happy to know them. But that doesn't mean I'm not anticipating the whole experience with more than a little dread.

After class this morning we had a group lunch and now we're just relaxing and doing homework until 6pm. It is incredibly hot already today and it's barely 2pm. I'm trying to stay positive but I didn't sleep particularly well last night and so that isn't really helping my outlook.

Last night there were huge protests just a few streets over. We could hear chanting, but our professor called to let us know which area to avoid. It sounds like everything stayed very peaceful (thank goodness) as most of the previous demonstrations in Morocco have been up till now. It doesn't look like the English-language press is covering the demonstrations from yesterday at all but, should you see anything, send me a link. 

Parlez-vous français?

The answer is no. No, I do not speak French. Not even a little. My professor tried to teach me the name of our school in French, which is something completely basic like "Centre Amercain" and I still can't say it. I parley vooo non-freaking fransey. I knew I forgot something...

Devin, one of the students who also arrived early is having similar trouble. He and I were getting dinner last night while waiting for our classmates arriving by train and the waiter refused to give us the total in Arabic, he just kept repeating it in French. We made him write it down. Devin has been encountering this even more than I have, apparently. I'm not sure what it is, possibly that the Arabic we speak is formal and not really all that similar to the Darija (Moroccan Arabic) that every one speaks here. I think it also may be an indication of a certain level of education, and perhaps people are trying to assert their status. Which is totally lost on us linguistically-challenged Westerners.

The hostel agreed to check Zoe and Samiya in late, but not a moment later than 9:30. Since their train arrived at 9:10, Devin and I went to meet them to hurry the taxi-getting and Hostel-finding process that took each of us way longer than 20 minutes (despite being about 1km from the station.) We found them (and Ryan, who was sadly lost to us by virtue of a reservation at a different hotel. Ryan if you're reading this I hope you made it OK! E-mail us if you can!) and got to the hostel just in time to check them in. SCORE! (I can not describe the elation of successfully directing a cab for the first time EVER. Ask my roommates, I have trouble with cabs on first hill back home.)

Our colleagues successfully rounded up, we started bonding with the Spaniard and the German who also stay at our Hostel. Zoe quickly made friends with our hostel cat and then we all went to bed.

Before finding Devin, I'd gone out with Ustaadha Rania to get lunch, window shop, and figure out a route to the train station for later. Rania is Egyptian, which means she is more easily understood, and she has helpful insights about all of the things that suddenly became bewilderingly complicated, like crossing the street and saying "no" when strange men want you to eat in their cafe. I am so glad I made the decision to arrive early. I can't imagine jumping right into classes without these few days to settle in and adjust to the chaos around me. Rania and I found a delicious cafe and she helped get me a vegetarian tajeen:

which is basically the most delicious thing EVER. I could eat only that every day all summer and I would be a very happy girl. Luckily Zoe is also vegetarian (as is Kristie, who will be joining us later today) so I don't think I'll feel too strangely about it. 

Unfortunately I think I also saw something horrible yesterday. Rania and I were done with lunch and walking around, when we saw a motocycle crash. A crowd formed pretty quickly, and since neither of us could do anything to help, we kept walking. On our way back, quite a while later, the young cyclist was lying in the street, not breathing, with a piece of cardboard over his head. I assume he was dead. This is the first time I've ever seen any one die, which is, of course, upsetting, but I think I was surprised at how upset I felt seeing it. I don't want to turn some one's personal tragedy into a teachable moment (cause I'm not Oprah) but I just want to say to all of you that driving and motorcycling in foreign countries is not something you should do without experience and, when riding a motorcycle, always wear a helmet. 

Ok, with that, I think I am going to head out with the gang and have some adventures. Be safe! 

I have no idea what I just ate

Also, I might be married to a very old cook.

So I got to Fes last night around 11pm, way way past the 9pm deadline to check into the hostel. I got a taxi (harder than it sounds) and got to a hotel. The guy at the desk told me they were out of single rooms and it would be 120 MAD for a double. I was thinking about what to do then, which must have seemed like saying no, because he said "all right, all right, I'll give you a double room for 100 MAD." This just seemed like a pretty sweet bargain, since it isn't much more than I'm paying at the hostel anyway. So I said ok, felt super proud of myself for bargaining, and promptly fell right asleep. I thought about trying to get some bottled water and that seemed really unmanageably difficult, so I just drank tap water. I woke up super early (about 6:30 am) and decided I should find my hostel. Unfortunately I had no idea where in Fes I was or, for that matter, where in Fes my hostel was. I just knew the e-mail from the hostel staff had said this hotel was "close". So I got a taxi (again, harder than it sounds.) and the guy drove me around for about 20 minutes before asking me for 20 MAD. I happily paid and got out. The hostel didn't open until 8 am, so I sat outside and watched stray cats and a super cute stray dog and resisted the urge to play with them. When the hostel finally opened, I checked in and read for a while before I decided to go looking for a cyber cafe. It was only then that I crossed the street and saw my hotel from last night, maybe a block and a half from the door of my hostel.

That's right, I'm an ignorant tourist and I got ripped off by a taxi driver. Oh well. Live and learn. I laughed this off and was walking in front of a small cafe when a very fat older man came out and started yelling at me, gesturing to come inside. I tried to wave him off, but he kept yelling, and actually grabbed my arm to pull me inside. I gathered that he wanted me to eat in the cafe. (He kept patting my stomach and then his, much larger one, telling me I needed to get fatter, I think.) I kept looking around for help but every one in the cafe was laughing like this was the most hilarious thing that could ever happen. He handed me a bowl of something. I tried to explain I didn't eat meat and he didn't seem to understand me but the soup was kind of hummus-colored and thin, without any obvious meat in it, so I just decided to try it. It was delicious. (Adil has explained to me it was Fava bean soup.) Considering I haven't had any food since I last ate a potato and onion frittata in the Madrid airport, (probably 24 hours) besides a few handfuls of the increasingly stale trail mix and goldfish crackers I brought from Seattle, I went from being scared and confused to being really, really happy. He gave me soup, bread and mint tea. Then he told me he would be my husband and mimed a ring on his finger, pointing to mine as well. So, I guess I'm married now? Honestly, if he keeps feeding me so well I will be a happy, happy little wife.

I have to say today is the best I have felt health-wise since I got sick back in Seattle. I had recovered from the kidney infection but the antibiotics and the stress of finals week had me feeling tired all the time. Then there was jet lag and the stress of travelling through three countries in two days, and last night on the train I kept dozing off and waking up with no sense of how long I'd been out. Today I feel great. (Other than really, really needing a shower.) I have energy and I'm excited about my program. I have never been so happy to see any one as I was to see Ustaadh Adil and Ustaadha Rania, who are also from UW but will be our instructors here in Fes. The campus here at ALIF is beautiful, and I am feeling more and more confident about surviving off of the cash I have until I get my debit card.

Speaking of money, I want to say a few things about poverty. I've traveled before, I've seen poverty, the kind that comes of temporary refugee camps turned into cities for 60 years. But on the train out of Casablanca I saw what looked like hundreds if not thousands of crumbling cement-block houses or people living in tents. I think it is easy to forget that being a poor student (even one living without health insurance) is nothing compared to actual poverty. And not the kind that comes of addiction or alcoholism, either. I don't know enough about what I've seen to know what I'm talking about, yet. I just wanted to take a moment and say that I got some perspective about how privileged I really am. I am so grateful to every one who helped me get here. Sure, it wasn't easy, but I am so lucky to have this chance to see the world and have these kind of misadventures. I probably won't forget that, but if I do, some one please smack me or something.

Ok, time to find out about that shower... I miss you all!

In a White House

Casablanca is hot. So far I've seen only the airport and the train station, but I've got a while to kill before my train to Fes and I have free WiFi so I'm makin' it count.

The flight from Madrid to Casablanca was terrible. First, we were delayed for over an hour. Second, every single crying baby in Spain also had a ticket for this flight. Thirdly, despite copious amounts of anti-motion sickness medication, I got sick. I don't know if every one has had this experience, but I have never gotten sick while traveling without having dozens of complete strangers try to help me. It's kind of awesome. I started shaking really really bad and couldn't stop, so the lady next to me helped me off the plane and the guy on the other side of me carried all of my bags. I kept telling them I was OK but they insisted on getting me to passport control.

Airport officials generally don't take so well to me. I should say, I am frequently "randomly" selected for additional screening (which, in Tel Aviv, meant a strip search and a lot of yelling about bombs, the dangers of travelling with any one who might be Arab, and my tattoos.) I think I have a deep bias against all airport employees because of a few bad experiences and that's really not fair. Every one in the Casablanca airport was super friendly, let me stumble through my questions in Arabic, answered them once in Arabic and once in English. I am way too late to make the check-in time at my Hostel in Fes (it's not until 9pm but the train won't arrive until after 10) so I get to play the always fun "let's find an alternate hotel in an unfamiliar city where I don't speak the language and I really really really can't afford to just go anywhere" game. Which, since the cash I have now is literally all of the money I will have until I can get my new debit card shipped from Seattle (probably 2 weeks) is not really a game I enjoy playing right now. Lesson for you: Have a back-up plan. If your hostel or other accommodations ends up not working, know a few alternative options. Luckily the staff at the hostel mentioned two hotels nearby with late check-in and reasonable prices, so I suppose I'm not totally out of alternatives.

Well the internet is going to leave me soon I just want to say this: The IPE office at UW rocks. I had a total freak out when my tuition posted strangely and then went away and I thought I was going to have to come up with a ton of money to give to the school in Morocco on Monday, but they explained everything to me and calmed me right down. The lesson here is that it's good to know who to contact when you're having trouble while abroad. Thanks IPE staff!

Hola desde Madrid!

Hello from Madrid. I have to say I like Spain, so far. The metro is great, every one is nice, and "Lo siento, I'm an American" seems to be the correct response to any question any one asks me. The girl at passport control didn't even look up from her conversation with a coworker to look at my face, so I probably could have been traveling with Michael Jackson's passport and still been allowed in.

My Hostel is in Plaza de Espana, which is great, but I'm a little concerned because the hostel requires student ID at check-in. This seemed easy when I made the reservation, but since I had my wallet stolen and now have no student ID, I'm a little bit worried. I guess we'll see how it goes in an hour or two, but if worst comes to worst and they don't let me in, it is still early enough to find another hostel or to return to the airport and sleep there.

I have completely lost track of time. I know it is 12:30 here and I know it is 3:30 in Seattle but I have no idea how long I've been gone and how much of it I was asleep. (Dramamine is my favorite part of flying). I think I have been gone for about 20 hours.

I was having real anxiety about getting to Morocco and forgetting all of my Arabic or not being able to understand anyone. While I was waiting for my flight in SeaTac, I noticed a older woman in hijab waiting for the same flight. Several other passengers were asking every one around if they spoke any Arabic, so I approached the woman and introduced myself. Turns out, she's from Syria visiting her daughter in Seattle and spoke maybe 2 or 3 words of English and read even less. She seemed shocked that I spoke Arabic at all, but later told me I was good for a first year student. I explained the boarding system to her and helped her find her seat. When we arrived in New York, the flight attendants were trying to tell her where to go to catch her next flight, and so I stepped in again and tried to translate for her. The flight staff thought I was MAGIC. It was hilarious. One actually asked "How did you do that?" like it was a trick I'd learned or something. Anyway, Mouna got to her gate and I got a boost of confidence about being able to get around in Arabic. She even said to me that some one in Morocco would help me because I was helping her. I hope she is right, because I'd forgotten how scary it can be to be alone and surrounded by people who cannot understand you.

I took a couple of years of Spanish in high school, and I worked in kitchens that primarily communicated in Spanish, but nothing prepared me for how different Spanish sounds in Spain. I get by OK and so far every one I have asked for help has switched immediately to English even when I try to ask things in Spanish. People are so accommodating it's incredible. I have seen the way some Americans treat people who don't speak English perfectly, and it I think that if every one had to experience things from the other side of the language barrier maybe Americans would be a little nicer about it.

Ok, well, I'm going to finish some e-mails and then go make a fool of myself trying to check in to my hostel. The next post should be from Morocco!

Travel Itinerary (mostly for my mother)

June 8th:

American Airlines 268
Seattle -> New York JFK
D 7:15AM -> A 3:40PM

NYC! 6 hours to kill!

Iberia 6252
New York -> Madrid
D 9:00PM -> A 10:15AM (June 9th)

Madrid! 28 hours to kill! (I've got a hostel for $16)

June 10th:

Easyjet 7881
Madrid -> Casablanca
D 1:30PM -> A 2:20PM

I'll then take a train to Fez, where I will stay (with some excursions) until August. On the 5th of August, my best friend will be arriving in Morocco from Burkina Faso, and once my school is out for the summer I'll be travelling with her in Morocco until the 15th and then we'll be heading to Paris until the 19th. We arrive back in Burkina Faso on the 20th. On September 6th I fly back to Spain and on the 7th I fly home to Seattle by way of Chicago.


As for now I'm sitting by the gate at SeaTac, thanks to my most wonderful neighbor Eric, who drove me to the airport this morning. My bag was 22 pounds under the weight limit, the TSA did not give me any trouble and my bagel with strawberry cream cheese is delicious. I also managed to find suitable(ish) gifts for my host family. (Seattle coffee mugs. I'm not all that original.)

Did any one else know that they sell Lady GaGa CDs (and, as far as I can tell, no other) at the airport newsstands?


My flight leaves in just over an hour. Here's to hoping I use the time to remember some Spanish.

Lessons learned

The girl who goes alone says with her body

the world is worth the risk.

-Elizabeth Austen "The Girl Who Goes Alone" 

So I took a finals week hiatus from blogging, since I had, hands down, the craziest week of my year so far. And a thesis due. And finals. Luckily I was going to blog about health and safety tips anyway, because I just learned some hard lessons. I got really sick and I got my wallet stolen (amazingly these were entirely separate incidents.) Getting your wallet stolen is stressful, humiliating and really scary at the best of times, but three days before you leave the country it is crisis-level badness. Here's what happened:

I was in a coffeeshop near UW which shall go unnamed but that you can be Sure I will not be back to. I ordered my coffee, I set my stuff down at a table and my backpack on a chair and turned around, walked across the room to get my americano and came back to no wallet. To compound my mistake, I simply told myself that I hadn't left my wallet on the table with my phone, after all, I had just put it back in my bag (which, of course, I didn't actually verify.) Anyway, a few hours later my bank calls to ask if I meant to charge $788 on Gucci.com. (I am so glad my bank knows me well enough to know I don't buy designer.) A bunch of paperwork, a number of phone calls, and at least one panic attack later, I'm fine. I'll have the money refunded in a few days and I didn't lose anything that can't be replaced. Getting a debit card shipped to me in Morocco might not be my (or, for that matter, my mother's) idea of fun, but I will be OK. (Or so I keep telling myself.) Here is what you can learn from me:

Never ever ever EVER walk away from you valuables. Even for a second. If they are not both in sight and within reach they can be stolen. If it happens when you're outside of the US the inconvenience (and danger) is even worse than what I'm experiencing and I can tell you it's no good at all. Just keep your money, passport, ID, whatever you can't live/travel easily without, on your person at all times.

Trust your instincts. I knew my wallet was gone and I didn't trust the nagging voice enough to just take ten seconds and check. It would have been easy. This goes for personal safety, as well. We all have animal brains that respond to danger and those feelings should be trusted. If you don't feel right about a situation or individual, walk away.

Stay calm. This becomes impossible at times but the calmer you are, the better choices you will make, the more clearly you'll be able to communicate with others (remembering how to say "my wallet was stolen" in a foreign language might be hard but saying it while hyperventilating is probably harder.) This brings me to my main personal safety tip which is:

DONT BE A SICK GAZELLE. Thieves and rapists and other criminals are like predators. They look for the prey that is sick or alone or easy to pick off from the herd. Don't let it be you. You're already going to stand out as a tourist, which will make you a target, but there is a lot you can do to avoid further drawing the wrong kind of attention. If you must be alone, fine, but try to travel with at least one other person, particularly at night, particularly if you're female (sorry, ladies.) Be aware of your surroundings. Look at the people around you and trust your feelings. Is some one watching you too closely? Is some one following you? I'm not saying you have to be constantly on alert, but being distracted, intoxicated or simply oblivious is a really good way to end up with your wallet stolen (sigh.)


Don't do drugs. Sorry guys, but if you're doing drugs not only are you putting yourself in a compromised mental and physical state, but you're also willingly engaging with some one else who doesn't mind breaking the law and who knows you have money to buy drugs. You are a Big. Sick. Gazelle. I don't mean to sound like your DARE officer or anything, but if you do drugs in a foreign country and something bad happens I officially do not feel sorry for you. Just don't do it.

Another, more common way to look like an easy mark is to look lost. Particularly panicky and lost. If you are lost, take a deep breath, stay calm, and go to the nearest shop or restaurant to ask for help or to check your map while you have a drink or something. Don't wander the streets frantically, don't walk while reading your map and if you must ask some one on the street for directions look for some one official.

I learned this when I went to the Netherlands as an 18-year-old. I was looking for a specific English-language bookstore and a nice man saw that I was lost and offered to help me. Then he insisted on buying me a coffee. Then he insisted on walking me through a beautiful park on the opposite side of Amsterdam. Then he tried to kiss me. When I pushed him off me, he insisted on walking me back to my hostel. He waited outside the next morning. I planned on staying in and hiding but a friendly hostel employee told him off. This was an incredibly mild and mostly sort of embarrassing incident but it could have been a lot worse.

This brings me to my next tip: Being safe is more important than being nice. It can be difficult to readjust your perception of "normal" behavior in a foreign culture. That's fine. But if you are getting a bad feeling, is some one is being too nice for no reason, if they try to take you some where on your own or want to know where you are staying, don't sacrifice your personal safety because you want to seem polite. Avoid giving out too much information; where you are staying, if you are alone, how long you are going to be around, anything that isn't relevant and could compromise your safety. As hard as it can be to see beggars on the street I also have to advise that you do not give them money. Taking out your wallet and showing you have cash in the middle of the street is never a good idea.

Ok, for the ladies: Don't respond to cat calls. Don't make eye contact, don't look up, don't talk back, don't say or do anything. Ignore them and continue walking. If you get a very persistant or harassing behavior find a friend, authority figure or the nearest shop and ask for help. One trick that has worked for me in the past is a fake wedding ring. I actually used this in Jerusalem when a guy at Damascus gate followed me around the old city asking for a massage. Finally I strung together enough Arabic to say "My husband wouldn't like it." I'm not saying this works every time but for most men telling them you have a boyfriend is like saying "I can be talked into it," and telling them you have a husband is "I'm some one else's and you'd better back off." American women are sometimes believed to all basically be Paris Hilton. It's just our reputation, and based in fact or not people will make assumptions about you once they find out you're American. Prepare yourself for this and don't be a sick gazzelle.

Finally, if you're going to carry something for self-defense like pepper spray or a knife please make sure it is legal where you are going. I really don't advise this, as any kind of weapon can be seen as a provocation. (Also I'm super afraid I'd pepper spray myself while looking for my cell phone or something.) There are plenty of totally normal things you might want to carry anyway that can also work in a pinch. Keys, water bottles, etc. For me, an aluminum water bottle is my best friend when I walk home at night. I don't have to threaten any one, just move the bottle to my hand where any one can see it.

Last item: A decoy wallet. If you're mugged, you take the empty wallet out of your purse/bag and throw it a little ways off. The mugger will most likely go for your wallet and not you, giving you time to run. (PS this is a good call even if you're being held up for your real wallet. Throw it and run. Money is not as important as your life.)

Finally, try to learn as much as you can about how emergency services work where you are going. Can you call whatever that country's equivalent of 911 is? if not, who can you call? Try to learn at least enough of whatever the local language is to say where you are and that you need help. Write these phrases down and carry them with you because when you're distressed/afraid you probably won't remember.

Ok, I'll be posting my full itinerary later tonight, but I am on a plane first thing tomorrow morning and for now I must pack. Travel safe!