Africa

Yeah, that is right... from April 29 to May 3 I was in AFRICA!!! Specifically, I was visiting friends in Rabat, Morocco. While some parts of the trip were confusing, I really enjoyed my stay. While I was there, I got to meet with 4 Moroccan girls who studied abroad at MSU... Laila, Sanaa, Ikrame, and Houssna.

So, I arrived in Morocco, and was supposed to call my friend Laila, who would pick me up when I got to Rabat. However, I couldn't figure out how to use the pay phones in the airport... grrr. I had to take a train into Casablanca city, then change trains to get to Rabat. However, once in Casablanca the trains were not very well marked... so I ended up missing 3 trains into Rabat while wandering around the train station looking for some English speaking help... which I found out doesn't exists much in Morocco (everyone speaks mainly French and Arabic). A very friendly Moroccan guy helped me out, even though he spoke no English. He helped me figure out the payphone, and figure out which train to get on. Language barriers can be overcome is the moral of this story.

When I arrived in Rabat, Laila was there waiting for me... and was wearing an MSU shirt and sweatpants. I am sure I had the biggest smile on my face when I saw her there decked out in MSU's finest clothing :) She took me back to her place, where I met her boyfriend Badr. He is a really cool guy, and we both have a lot of similar interests, so I really enjoyed meeting him. Laila made me my first meal in Morocco... and it was some of the best turkey I have ever eaten.

Yummy! More please!

That evening, I met up with another friend Sanaa. I went with her and her boyfriend Abdul to a place called Oudaias. We first went through a market street filled with all sorts of interesting Moroccan goods and crafts. I wish I had bought something, but I didn't feel comfortable stopping in the crowded street. Then we arrived at Oudaias, which is a 12th century or so fortified city on the hill. We drank some Moroccan tea there, and then sat and watched the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean. It was quite a sight.

 Crowded market street.

Oudaias from the outside.

 Sunset on the Atlantic, a new film by Steven Spielberg.

The next day I was on my own. All the girls had to work, so Laila gave me the names of places to visit. I ended up visiting Chellah, a necropolis and botanical garden (what a combination!), the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Hassan Tower, as well as a small Palace where wedding parties meet and some government sessions take place.

Chellah was interesting, as it had both Moroccan and Roman influences. The gardens were quite nice too, as there were plants from literally all around the world. Also, there were more than 40 cats and many more storks living there... which was cool, but a bit scary at times as well. :)

Chellah!

The Mausoleum and Hassan Tower were interesting to visit. Sadly, I did not have time to go inside the Mausoleum, but I did get some good pictures of the outside of it. While I was there, I was grabbed by 4 girls who proceeded to put Henna on my arm (Henna is a type of non-permanent tattoo). They then tried to talk me into paying them 10 euros for it! I ended up finally giving them 4 euros, which is way much more than I should have... but at least they finally left me alone.

Hassan tower and a fountain thingy.

Henna-d!

The palace was interesting because each room was designed differently. All had intricate patterns on the doors and ceilings... and when you went upstairs, there was a great view of the entire city.

I am king!

After the palace, I met up with Laila, Ikrame, Sanaa, and one of Laila's friends from work. I ate a really good shish kebab, and we were able to relax and chat for a while. After lunch, I went with Ikrame to her work. We talked for a good long while, and then I went downstairs to use the computer lab.

Lunch time... good thing I had my friends to translate the menu!

That night, Laila and her boyfriend took me out with some of their friends to a Mexican bar/restaurant. It had a very relaxing atmosphere, and I had a lot of fun that night just talking with their friends.

The next day was International Labor day, so the girls didn't have work. Sanaa, Ikrame, and Ikrame's younger sister took me to the beach. While we didn't go swimming or anything, it was a lot of fun to relax on the sand and overlook the Atlantic Ocean. That night I ended up staying in a hotel, since none of the girls could host me. It was a nice hotel though, and was only 50 euros for the night. I was able to sit back and watch some TV, and I did a little walking up and down the main street.

Sanaa, Ikrame, and Ikrame's sister (Fadwa?)

 

The next day I met up for lunch with Ikrame, wandered the streets a little more, and just took the day easy. I even saw two fights in the street, both in front of McDonalds. Apparently, the golden arches make Moroccans quite hostile. I met up with Houssna, Sanaa and Ikrame at a Cafe to talk. That night, Ikrame's family allowed me to stay at their place. Her mother made a really good Moroccan soup for dinner... which I hope to get to eat again in the future :). Ikrame's brother Mehdi then took me out to play pool with some of his English speaking friends. One of his friends had even studied in Spain, so he knew some Spanish too! 

Sanaa, Houssna, and me

Moroccan meal!

 Mehdi, Ikrame's brother, showing extreme happiness.

I had to wake up early the next morning to catch a train to the airport. I got maybe 2 hours of sleep that night, but I was able to catch up a bit on the plane to Spain.

As I look back on my time in Morocco, I have an incredible urge to go back and visit it as soon as I can. There is so much culture and history there, and the people there are so nice. Plus, I need to take a picture with Laila... I spent more time with her than any of my other friends there, yet I still never took a picture of her during my entire trip!

Well, that is all for now, as this blog entry is a little long. Next time, I will talk about my time in Barcelona, Spain! I was there for 2 days after I got back from Morocco, and I got to see some amazing sights. Have a great week everyone, and see you back here soon!