A Moroccan Adventure

darkskiesfilm:

The Count Down Begins. Own Dark Skies on Blu-Ray™ May 28^th

1- I’m a lot stronger than I ever thought possible. I conquered first a city, then another, then eventually most of Morocco. I could communicate effectively in Arabic (not only Foosha, but Derija as well). I was called a Berber for how great I was at bargaining the price down from tourist price, to student price, to friend price, to Moroccan price, to sister price. 

2- It was easy for me to make friends. The locals got to know me after seeing me around so much, and eventually we struck up friendships. Some of the friends I made in Morocco are the greatest I have. Traveling provided even more friends as I could meet people on the train, joke with a taxi driver, and be invited to almost anyones house for couscous and a nap.

3- Laughter is key. Laughing at myself because easy. I was no longer self conscious over my accent, if I really knew a word, or how the hell I was going to get somewhere. I just laughed at any mistakes and corrected them, and learned to relax a little. I’m only an outsider as long as I let myself stay one. 

4- Everywhere has beauty. Even that little gas station between Casablanca and Marrakech, where the land looks pretty desolate, but in reality, if you stand on the red metal bridge and look out, the sun hits everything in such a way that the beauty is striking. 

5- Sleep is nectar of the gods. 

So, on the 17th of May, I took a train from Meknes to Casablanca, a flight from Casa to Dubai, then a direct flight from Dubai to Seattle (32 hrs in transit). 

I’m finally settled back in the US and trying to find a job, and settle in. Reverse Culture Shock has been a challenge, as it was when I returned from Turkey. 

So, from now on my blog will talk about the end of study abroad, the life after, and my experiences with reverse culture shock. 

1- when I got back from the airport, I met up with one friend and had to fight the urge not to kiss both cheeks and hug when we met. 

Morocco- kisses and hugs after not having seen someone for a year.

US- “Hey, how are you?”

2- People are offended if you walk to close to them, and will let you know. 

Morocco- Medina and street walking dictates to keep to get where you’re going, however you like.

US- keep space. 

3- A car two lanes away stopped and yelled at me for jay walking, when I was clearly walking behind their car, and it wouldn’t have hurt them at all if they had just kept driving. 

Morocco- traffic is hectic, so you play frogger to get across. If no one is there, woo hoo!

US- Use crosswalks!

DAY 3 back in the US. 

And I’ve cried more than should be humanly possible. 

I feel as if I’m just hopping back to the states for a weekend, and I’ll be back home in Morocco in no time. 

Source: kushandwizdom

How people eat breakfast around the world…

Click to see the picture and write a comment…

watanafghanistan:

An unforgettable novel about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else.

Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.

Will be avaliable on May 21, 2013. You can pre-order here.

So, last night Bryce and I ventured into the medina for one of the last times in Meknes. We visited some of his friends and tried their fish kefte. Best kefte I’ve ever had in my life. It was sardine and various fish meats pulled off the bone and mixed with cilantro, red onions, and a delicious spice mix. They balled up the meat mixture and cooked it over an open grill. I’m definitely going to try to recreate it!

http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/what-happens-when-you-live-abroad/

This is a far more eloquent way of describing the street harassment that I have so long wanted to write about. The excerpt from Fatima Sadiqi and Moha Ennaji’s article “The Feminization of Public Space.” All of the ISA students have felt this harassment and all of us had questions as to how a man on the street can watch as another touches, cat calls, or tries to hire one of us students, or any woman for that matter, and remain unwilling to help. 

The second trip to Merzouga I’ve had with ISA (: it was refreshing to visit the Sahara and get a lot of sun (too much perhaps) and visit all the saharawi’s that I met the first time!

punkrockmermaid:

acid attacks in pakistan

This literally left me in tears.

(via piercingsandink)

ccindecision:

Something weird has happened to The Most Trusted Name in News.

(via comedycentral)