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From Abroad

WARNING: This article will be fairly disjointed.

The day started with “est-ce que vous avez thé marocain?” Moroccan tea has more kick than coffee. I’m hooked.

As I sit at my desk, French and Moroccan pop music is blaring from my new roommate’s radio. Yesterday, I moved upstairs and was greeted by a freshman named Omar. He is a studious individual and while we have little in common thus far, we are both intensely curious of one another’s background and this curiosity produces very interesting conversations. As with many students I have met, people are interested in American and international politics and I have had to explain the government’s position on the war on terror. This obviously makes for a lengthy discussion.

Classes have begun and I have had Arabic, Islamic civilization, International Finance, and Intro to World Lit thus far. Two of my professors are from North America and are quite articulate; the other two are both enthusiastic Moroccan natives. While these classes should not be too difficult, learning Arabic will demand much memorization and practice. Last night, I performed miserably on the French placement test. I hope to enter an intermediate class and the results will be posted later today.

Believe it or not, white t-shirts can double as bath towels. When I get to Fès, hopefully this will change and I will be able to enjoy the warm embrace of a cotton towel. Yet it is interesting how resourceful one can be with limited supplies. I suppose it is something I have learned from working in the outdoors?I have even made toothbrushes out of trees. Don’t worry, I’ll make a ‘Survivorman’-type clip in the High Atlas mountains and impress you with my whittling.

My routine this semester will prospectively be comprised of studying, going to classes, writing and playing ultimate frisbee during the weekdays and exploration and adventure throughout Morocco on the weekends. I feel different studying here. It seems as if I have much Gmore incentive to learn given my immersion in this culture. I am also more curious about the subjects I am taking, even though I have had similar courses in the US. Learning takes place everywhere?from speaking with the cook staff to listening to music in other languages.

We are leaving for the big city of Fès Friday afternoon and will be returning to AUI on Sunday afternoon. The plan is to stay in hostels Friday and Saturday night and visit the market Sunday morning to purchase SIM cards and towels. Supposedly, there is a phenomenal bike exchange at this time and we will prospectively bus into Fès, but bike back to Ifrane. The distance between the two locations is 60 km (37 mi) so this may prove extremely difficult or impossible?we will also gain a few thousand feet in elevation. We may end up shoving our bikes and ourselves into a grand taxi for the remainder of the journey, but I hope to make it all the way. Given the road’s uphill nature, I plan on traveling about 10 km/hr and this should be sufficient. Our curfew is at midnight, so if we leave at noon we should have more than enough time to return.

Some strange bug had established itself in my system and left me emaciated?I think I have lost around five pounds since arrival. Due to my scarce quantity of Cipro, I did not want to take any of the antibiotic. I didn’t think that the bug warranted a visit to AUI health, either, so I decided to wait it out. I am feeling much better today.

My girlfriend, Brittany, told me that she is sending me a care package complete with Clif Bars, hand sanitizer, my shoes from home that I erroneously removed from my baggage during airport screening, and other items that I will certainly enjoy. I believe my parents are sending some stuff in the package as well. Thanks!

Goodbye! Adios! Au Revoir! M’assalaama! Ciao! Sayonara!