First Weekend

Ossallam Allaikum!

I am done with my first week of classes in the ARANAS program. What an exhilarating experience it has been so far. I am happy to say that I have started learning Arabic, and I am having (limited) success so far. Arabic is a particularly difficult language to learn, because the alphabet contains several letters which most English speakers are not accustomed to pronouncing. I love my professors (oostev for male, oosteva for female) Meriem and Abdullilah are spectacular instructor's with impressive resumes. Being in class 4 hours a day is particularly grueling, but I feel that the reward at the end of it all will justify the long hours spent in the classroom, and even the night's staying up late trying to do my homework!

The ARANAS program organized a trip to the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilus and to the medinah in Meknes today. What an experience! I knew nothing of Volubilus and was particularly impressed at how well preserved the ruins are. I will put up pics from the weekend to give everyone a look into my life. Next weekend we head to the desert, and I can not wait to ride the camels and spend the night perched atop a sand dune in the Sahara.

I thought I would make a little list of some of my favorite things about Morocco thus far... in no particular order:

1. My roomate Samir
2. The Tagine (a delicious Moroccan dish, if you don't know what it is I suggest you look it up on wikipedia, learn how to make it, and enjoy.
3. My fellow classmates
4. The Hamaam (Turkish bath) I haven't actually done this yet, but I will tomorrow morning. Sounds like it will be very interesting. (More updates to come.)
5. Writing in Arabic. Even though I have not learned all of the letters in the alphabet yet, I am surprised at how quickly I have familiarized myself with those I have learned.
6. The cheap prices. I have the luxury of not needing to buy gasoline, so the prices are spectacular so far.

Now a different kind of list...the list of things I don't like so much

1. The homework. I normally lead a lazy lifestyle during this time of the year. When I left I was so excited to be coming to Morocco. I completely forgot that I was going to an INTENSIVE (literally this is intense) language institute, and one that is widely regarded for teaching Arabic.
2. The large groups. I was frustrated during my trip to Volubilus and Meknes today, because we had to do everything in a group of 40+ people. I don't like viewing a mozzoleum, while simultaneously shielding my eyes from the constant flicker of bright camera flashes.
3. Missing my friends and family. As little as I have communicated with everyone so far, I am missing everyone from back home. Little things in Morocco remind me of time spent at my desk at work, or of my family, and I feel homesick. I am getting accustomed to my surroundings, but I still wish more people (that I am familiar with) could share in this experience with me.
4. The town of Ifrane. This place is surprisingly cold, because we are at 5000 feet in elevation. It is a wealthy town, and the culture of Al Maghrib does not seem to be represented very well. The university is practically a gated community, and the town is a vacation spot for some of the richest people in the Eastern hemisphere.

I am so glad that I made the decision to come to Al Maghrib. Hopefully I can make it through.

MaSallam
Dick