SOOOO HOTTTTTTT. As soon as I stepped foot outside of the airport it was as if I was stepping into an oven.
Region
The region of Morocco I am in is located more towards the center of the country and it is mountainous. Unlike New England, there are no oceans around, therefore, the weather tends to get very hot but there isn't much humidity (which I like). The town of Ifrane is located about an hour outside of the major city of Fez and the landscape has a desert feel to it, but it is unique in a way that there is a lot of vegetation. There are rows of this certain type of tree, I have yet to ask what kind they are, that are grown in a very uniform way, as well as pine trees that are along the side of the road.
As we continue towards Ifrane, the houses that are around us appears somewhat run-down, but there are lines of laundry hanging from them which signals that they are a home. As many would expect, I do see women and men dressed in the traditional robes and the scarves around the women's heads. These scarve-pieces are very beautiful, some with a lot of color in and designs. I met a girl today telling me that when a woman comes of age, they can choose to practice their religion by wearing the scarves around their heads and wear long dresses. I need to do more research on this and what exactly it represents, but so far this is what I have.
Ifrane
As we entered Ifrane, the feel went from desert to more of a European town. It had a lot of green and the buildings looked more clean and well kept. There were more people in modern clothes that I noticed in this town where women did wear shorts and a t-shirt as well as jeans and a nice top. Men dressed a lot like how the men in the states dress, with khaki shorts and a graphic t-shirt, polo, or button downs. The feel to this town is very modernized and I got the sense that people in this area were very used to foreign exchange students coming to their town.
The People
So far, everyone I met here are super friendly and very hospitable. Many seemed to be very open to different cultures and always gave a friendly smile or nod back whenever I made eye contact. As soon as we arrived on campus, we were greeted by our two student ambassadors named Reda and Marouane. They were, to my very surprise, just like any modern teenager living in the States. They like all the same things that we college students like back in the States, and they know all the popular music as well, even the throwbacks! Right from the start we were very comfortable with each other and were joking around just like I do back home. They took us into town where the market, called the marche (this is in French), is where we got out cell phones to use with the sim cards as well as our power converters and foooooood! The food was DELICIOUS. Reda and Marouane ordered the dishes for us and we ended up getting a very famous dish called Tijine Kefta, which is meatballs with eggs and tomatoes, as well as a salad that was topped with mayonnaise and tuna. We also had roasted chicken with rice and french fries! After the main meal, we finished with a sweet tea with mint leaves. The tea was VERY VERY sweet. Reda and Marouane told us that Moroccans love sweet foods therefore they add a lot of sugar to all of their meals. For me, it was a little too sweet, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Oh and the bread. YUM...!! More on the food later though.
Region
The region of Morocco I am in is located more towards the center of the country and it is mountainous. Unlike New England, there are no oceans around, therefore, the weather tends to get very hot but there isn't much humidity (which I like). The town of Ifrane is located about an hour outside of the major city of Fez and the landscape has a desert feel to it, but it is unique in a way that there is a lot of vegetation. There are rows of this certain type of tree, I have yet to ask what kind they are, that are grown in a very uniform way, as well as pine trees that are along the side of the road.
As we continue towards Ifrane, the houses that are around us appears somewhat run-down, but there are lines of laundry hanging from them which signals that they are a home. As many would expect, I do see women and men dressed in the traditional robes and the scarves around the women's heads. These scarve-pieces are very beautiful, some with a lot of color in and designs. I met a girl today telling me that when a woman comes of age, they can choose to practice their religion by wearing the scarves around their heads and wear long dresses. I need to do more research on this and what exactly it represents, but so far this is what I have.
Ifrane
As we entered Ifrane, the feel went from desert to more of a European town. It had a lot of green and the buildings looked more clean and well kept. There were more people in modern clothes that I noticed in this town where women did wear shorts and a t-shirt as well as jeans and a nice top. Men dressed a lot like how the men in the states dress, with khaki shorts and a graphic t-shirt, polo, or button downs. The feel to this town is very modernized and I got the sense that people in this area were very used to foreign exchange students coming to their town.
The People
So far, everyone I met here are super friendly and very hospitable. Many seemed to be very open to different cultures and always gave a friendly smile or nod back whenever I made eye contact. As soon as we arrived on campus, we were greeted by our two student ambassadors named Reda and Marouane. They were, to my very surprise, just like any modern teenager living in the States. They like all the same things that we college students like back in the States, and they know all the popular music as well, even the throwbacks! Right from the start we were very comfortable with each other and were joking around just like I do back home. They took us into town where the market, called the marche (this is in French), is where we got out cell phones to use with the sim cards as well as our power converters and foooooood! The food was DELICIOUS. Reda and Marouane ordered the dishes for us and we ended up getting a very famous dish called Tijine Kefta, which is meatballs with eggs and tomatoes, as well as a salad that was topped with mayonnaise and tuna. We also had roasted chicken with rice and french fries! After the main meal, we finished with a sweet tea with mint leaves. The tea was VERY VERY sweet. Reda and Marouane told us that Moroccans love sweet foods therefore they add a lot of sugar to all of their meals. For me, it was a little too sweet, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Oh and the bread. YUM...!! More on the food later though.
Tajine Kefta (Meatballs, Eggs, and Tomato Sauce)
Salad with Corn, Cheese, Lettus, olives, cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, mayonnaise, and olives.
Sweet tea with Mint Leaves
Night Life
Surprisingly, the night life here isn't that much different than it is from the States. Except for the fact that Moroccan nightlife goes for much longer! Things don't usually start till about midnight and it ends around dawn. In towns such as Azrou, all their shops and restaurants remain open until very very late, or should I say early?, in the morning. There is a bar that is within walking distance from the University called Aguelmam that students here go to on the weekends, or for causal drinks. We had the opportunity to watch the big soccer game between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Aguelmam where we were able to get drinks and food, just like the bars/pubs in the states. It was such a great experience.
More on this later as well, it only has been about 4 days. ;)
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