I'm momentarily moving the blog postings over to wordpress. You can now check out Musing and Meanderings at its new address: lizhiggins.wordpress.com
There you will find pretty much what you find here. I'm just testing out the Wordpress blogging interface to decide if I like blogger better or not.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Friday, February 12, 2010
School, The Mediterranean and Life Abroad
The following email accounts the initial arrival in Morocco, the school and traveling to Tetouan in the North.
Enjoy!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Hello everyone from a very rainy Morocco (I bless the rains down in Africaaaa!)
Since I last wrote, these past few weeks have been extremely crazy in respect to school and traveling! Al Akhawayn University keeps me very busy with schoolwork; however, the professors here are extremely knowledgeable, so it’s worth it. My two Economic Development classes are really interesting, the professor for my Economic Development in the Middle East and North Africa has worked all over the Middle East and for organizations such as the World Bank and United Nations Development Program as well a few Non-Governmental Organizations. Needless to say, he’s my hero. As well, I’ve joined 3 clubs; The Horseback Riding club, The Explorers Club and Courant d’art (a club that gives cooking lessons and does music related stuff).
The school also hosts tons of events on campus because the school is located in a fairly remote part of Morocco and the city it is in….has next to nothing to do. Last week, they had a local Berber music group come and play, it was amazing!
Music group (The picture is kinda blurry, but the guys were spinning their drums on the ground..):
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/3917257329_78f308d0d0_b.jpg
The School’s Library (I pretty much live here…and spend a lot of time staring at the ceiling…)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3432/3917877652_200abb7546_b.jpg
The Mosque on campus at night:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2498/3917260439_2b054148b1_b.jpg
My weekends have been spent traveling across Morocco. The first weekend I went with some other International students to Tetouan in the North to visit the Mediterranean! It was absolutely incredible! We stayed at a beautiful Riad in the center of the Medina/old part of the city. It was over 400 years old and had beautiful tile work everywhere. It had an incredible view of the city from the Terrace on the roof and was encircled by Mosques. It was amazing to hear the call to prayer echoing from all around us.
The Mediterranean:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/3917878790_f937e4436e_b.jpg
And on the Mediterranean, we had a very Mediterranean lunch:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2476/3918045322_4497cc33af.jpg
These are the Rif Mountains in Northern Morocco:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/3918046230_1a4d62e9f9_b.jpg
Rug Shop in Tetouan:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2671/3917880932_f658fee52a_b.jpg
Random Moroccan City on the way back from Teouan:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3476/3917875316_9b3ffc9645_b.jpg
This was taken on the way back from Tetouan in a Grand Taxi:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2513/3918048286_e546d61b36_b.jpg
There are 2 kinds of Taxis in Morocco, there are the Grand Taxis (old Mercedes Benz) they can hold up to 6 people (2 in the front seat and 4 in the back) and they travel between cities. As well, there are Petit Taxis that only hold 3 people and they only operate within city limits. Traveling in Grand Taxis is always an adventure, you’re never really sure what will happen….there have been times when we thought we were going to get hit…But, they’re professionals….
The following weekend I travelled to Fez with some other exchange students. We arrived late Friday night around F’Toor time, when Muslims break the fast during Ramadan; it’s also the time when everything closes. This proved to be a slight problem for us because we had not made reservations for any hotel. As well, it was pouring and my feet were soaked, foolishly I had forgotten a change of socks or clothes for that matter, so, we ended up at a café and had a F’Toor meal that consisted of Mint Tea, Harira and bread. While there, we randomly picked a hotel located in Nouvelle Ville, the new part of the city. After F’Toor, the taxis started running again and we asked the driver to take us to our “Budget” hotel, yet he took us to the 5 star hotel in the area, luckily we were in walking distance of our actual hotel and we made it there safely. As usual, my friend was offered camels for “all the pretty girls”. After reaching our hotel, we decided to go down to the Medina, or the old part of Fez, it was incredible. It was like something out of a storybook, or off of Aladdin. It had tons of narrow passages, covered bazaars, little stores that sell everything and donkeys with carts were everywhere.
Medina (during the day….)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2603/3931246866_a26f215b5d_b.jpg
Donkey and cart:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3449/3931247784_d42eafea19_b.jpg
I loved the Fez Medina so much, we went back the next day. We spent most of the day at Muhammed’s Café, actually, I don’t know the actual name, but the guy that owns it is named Muhammed.
Noos Noos (Coffee with Milk):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2438/3917095977_027e0be71e_b.jpg
Noos Noos, like Mint tea, is amazing. Generally, I don’t drink coffee, but Noos Noos, with lots of sugar (because, everything they drink here is really really sweet) is incredible.
Fez is widely known for its excellent leather goods, so we visited the Tanneries (and I bought a bag):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2482/3917094465_0a1d661a81_b.jpg
As well, they have amazing pottery:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2460/3930464903_3a7422c19c_b.jpg
Fez from a café:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/3930465719_c47e097b2b_b.jpg
Enjoy!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Hello everyone from a very rainy Morocco (I bless the rains down in Africaaaa!)
Since I last wrote, these past few weeks have been extremely crazy in respect to school and traveling! Al Akhawayn University keeps me very busy with schoolwork; however, the professors here are extremely knowledgeable, so it’s worth it. My two Economic Development classes are really interesting, the professor for my Economic Development in the Middle East and North Africa has worked all over the Middle East and for organizations such as the World Bank and United Nations Development Program as well a few Non-Governmental Organizations. Needless to say, he’s my hero. As well, I’ve joined 3 clubs; The Horseback Riding club, The Explorers Club and Courant d’art (a club that gives cooking lessons and does music related stuff).
The school also hosts tons of events on campus because the school is located in a fairly remote part of Morocco and the city it is in….has next to nothing to do. Last week, they had a local Berber music group come and play, it was amazing!
Music group (The picture is kinda blurry, but the guys were spinning their drums on the ground..):
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/3917257329_78f308d0d0_b.jpg
The School’s Library (I pretty much live here…and spend a lot of time staring at the ceiling…)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3432/3917877652_200abb7546_b.jpg
The Mosque on campus at night:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2498/3917260439_2b054148b1_b.jpg
My weekends have been spent traveling across Morocco. The first weekend I went with some other International students to Tetouan in the North to visit the Mediterranean! It was absolutely incredible! We stayed at a beautiful Riad in the center of the Medina/old part of the city. It was over 400 years old and had beautiful tile work everywhere. It had an incredible view of the city from the Terrace on the roof and was encircled by Mosques. It was amazing to hear the call to prayer echoing from all around us.
The Mediterranean:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/3917878790_f937e4436e_b.jpg
And on the Mediterranean, we had a very Mediterranean lunch:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2476/3918045322_4497cc33af.jpg
These are the Rif Mountains in Northern Morocco:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/3918046230_1a4d62e9f9_b.jpg
Rug Shop in Tetouan:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2671/3917880932_f658fee52a_b.jpg
Random Moroccan City on the way back from Teouan:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3476/3917875316_9b3ffc9645_b.jpg
This was taken on the way back from Tetouan in a Grand Taxi:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2513/3918048286_e546d61b36_b.jpg
There are 2 kinds of Taxis in Morocco, there are the Grand Taxis (old Mercedes Benz) they can hold up to 6 people (2 in the front seat and 4 in the back) and they travel between cities. As well, there are Petit Taxis that only hold 3 people and they only operate within city limits. Traveling in Grand Taxis is always an adventure, you’re never really sure what will happen….there have been times when we thought we were going to get hit…But, they’re professionals….
The following weekend I travelled to Fez with some other exchange students. We arrived late Friday night around F’Toor time, when Muslims break the fast during Ramadan; it’s also the time when everything closes. This proved to be a slight problem for us because we had not made reservations for any hotel. As well, it was pouring and my feet were soaked, foolishly I had forgotten a change of socks or clothes for that matter, so, we ended up at a café and had a F’Toor meal that consisted of Mint Tea, Harira and bread. While there, we randomly picked a hotel located in Nouvelle Ville, the new part of the city. After F’Toor, the taxis started running again and we asked the driver to take us to our “Budget” hotel, yet he took us to the 5 star hotel in the area, luckily we were in walking distance of our actual hotel and we made it there safely. As usual, my friend was offered camels for “all the pretty girls”. After reaching our hotel, we decided to go down to the Medina, or the old part of Fez, it was incredible. It was like something out of a storybook, or off of Aladdin. It had tons of narrow passages, covered bazaars, little stores that sell everything and donkeys with carts were everywhere.
Medina (during the day….)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2603/3931246866_a26f215b5d_b.jpg
Donkey and cart:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3449/3931247784_d42eafea19_b.jpg
I loved the Fez Medina so much, we went back the next day. We spent most of the day at Muhammed’s Café, actually, I don’t know the actual name, but the guy that owns it is named Muhammed.
Noos Noos (Coffee with Milk):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2438/3917095977_027e0be71e_b.jpg
Noos Noos, like Mint tea, is amazing. Generally, I don’t drink coffee, but Noos Noos, with lots of sugar (because, everything they drink here is really really sweet) is incredible.
Fez is widely known for its excellent leather goods, so we visited the Tanneries (and I bought a bag):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2482/3917094465_0a1d661a81_b.jpg
As well, they have amazing pottery:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2460/3930464903_3a7422c19c_b.jpg
Fez from a café:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/3930465719_c47e097b2b_b.jpg
Friday, January 22, 2010
Fez and Azrou
This email describes our short excursions around Ifrane mainly to the cities of Azrou and Fez. These two cities are extremely different from one another, however, both favorite destinations of the exchange students.
Remember to copy and paste the links to see the pictures.
------------------------------------
Hello from Morocco!
As promised, here’s another update! Life here has been pretty crazy, it’s midterms week and I think we’ve all had a few mental breakdowns, but, it’s almost over and we’ll be heading to the desert this weekend to ride camels and watch the sunrise over the dunes. If you want to see what adventure we’re going on here’s the link!
http://www.cameltrekking.com/Desert-Tours/erg-chebbi.html
A few weeks ago we went to a Berber city about 20 minutes away called Azrou. Azrou is the berber word for rock, coincidently, in the center of the city there’s a large rock for which the city was named after. We ended up climbing up to the crown that was on the top, where we met 4 forestry students studying in Rabat, they were from Sengal, somewhere in the Sahara, Rabat and Casablanca.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2800/4018106768_07e964c0d8_b.jpg
In the Crown:
http://i37.tinypic.com/mts07t.jpg
After climbing up the rock, we went to a local café and had mint tea and wandered around the city.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3533/4017316686_b2d99d92f3_b.jpg
We ordered sandwiches from a local shop; they had sautéed vegetables and a weird fried corn thing in it. The sandwiches were amazing and cost about 38 cents.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2503/4017316434_369f05086e.jpg
And then we visited a juice shop and drank some of the best Banana Juice (Jus D’Banane) in the world. I should also mention, that in Morocco they also make Avocado juice (which we have seen translated as Lawyer Juice…) and mixed fruit juice, the color of the juice depends on the season, sometimes it’s brown…sometimes it’s red…..
Banana Juice:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2461/4022046146_6940080309.jpg
After Banana Juice, we watched the sunset from the overlook in the city….
Incredible Sunset:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2449/4017345349_70016fd968_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2635/4031162115_c081cc3ca3_b.jpg
Sunset on the Mosque:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/4016551159_f04452292f_b.jpg
And….Here’s a short video from our trip to Azrou, it’s right at sunset and you can hear the call to prayer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajRPvJkAGbU
The Following weekend we went to Fez and visited the Jazz Festival.
We visited the Tanneries again:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/4017316006_d5991be9f8_b.jpg
Man working in the Tanneries:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2469/4017316320_3dc8b515e5_b.jpg
We went back to the Pottery shop to visit the owner and look at the pottery:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2469/4017316144_a6acfebb9d_b.jpg
After that, we wandered around the Medina and visited our “friend” who sells jewelry, he remembered us from our numerous times in Fez. He specifically remembered me because of my smile and because I apparently look like a Spice Girl. We bought some things from him and he gave us free keychains (yay!). I should probably also add, when you go to big cities, it’s inevitable that young males will say things to you (usually they don’t if we take our male friends with us…) such as “Spice Girl” or “Pretty pretty” or other ridiculous things.
We also walked by a very beautiful Mosque:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2593/4031207565_963123cbe3_b.jpg
Anyway, The Jazz Fest was awesome. While walking there we met a band from Paris, Zephyrologie, they insisted that we see them and so we did along with 2 other groups.
The Jazz Festival took place in a huge Riad in Fez (Here’s just one side of it):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2478/4031960340_609eed7774_b.jpg
Zephrologie:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3523/4031207465_72c5b570d4_b.jpg
Interactive performance:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2691/4017316802_56e2778411_b.jpg
Here’s a video of their “interactive” performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEBQQfCdKeI
After that another group played….Kader Fahem Hispanica Jazz Trio
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2717/4031966950_3849b16eb8_b.jpg
And here’s a video from that beautiful performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLzAR5DxNH8
The performance was excellent and then afterwards we had a lovely dinner at Café Clock, which in my opinion is one of the best restaurants in Fez (it even serves camel burgers!).
I hope everyone is doing well! Stay tuned next week for a recap of our desert excursion!!!
Remember to copy and paste the links to see the pictures.
------------------------------------
Hello from Morocco!
As promised, here’s another update! Life here has been pretty crazy, it’s midterms week and I think we’ve all had a few mental breakdowns, but, it’s almost over and we’ll be heading to the desert this weekend to ride camels and watch the sunrise over the dunes. If you want to see what adventure we’re going on here’s the link!
http://www.cameltrekking.com/Desert-Tours/erg-chebbi.html
A few weeks ago we went to a Berber city about 20 minutes away called Azrou. Azrou is the berber word for rock, coincidently, in the center of the city there’s a large rock for which the city was named after. We ended up climbing up to the crown that was on the top, where we met 4 forestry students studying in Rabat, they were from Sengal, somewhere in the Sahara, Rabat and Casablanca.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2800/4018106768_07e964c0d8_b.jpg
In the Crown:
http://i37.tinypic.com/mts07t.jpg
After climbing up the rock, we went to a local café and had mint tea and wandered around the city.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3533/4017316686_b2d99d92f3_b.jpg
We ordered sandwiches from a local shop; they had sautéed vegetables and a weird fried corn thing in it. The sandwiches were amazing and cost about 38 cents.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2503/4017316434_369f05086e.jpg
And then we visited a juice shop and drank some of the best Banana Juice (Jus D’Banane) in the world. I should also mention, that in Morocco they also make Avocado juice (which we have seen translated as Lawyer Juice…) and mixed fruit juice, the color of the juice depends on the season, sometimes it’s brown…sometimes it’s red…..
Banana Juice:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2461/4022046146_6940080309.jpg
After Banana Juice, we watched the sunset from the overlook in the city….
Incredible Sunset:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2449/4017345349_70016fd968_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2635/4031162115_c081cc3ca3_b.jpg
Sunset on the Mosque:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/4016551159_f04452292f_b.jpg
And….Here’s a short video from our trip to Azrou, it’s right at sunset and you can hear the call to prayer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajRPvJkAGbU
The Following weekend we went to Fez and visited the Jazz Festival.
We visited the Tanneries again:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/4017316006_d5991be9f8_b.jpg
Man working in the Tanneries:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2469/4017316320_3dc8b515e5_b.jpg
We went back to the Pottery shop to visit the owner and look at the pottery:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2469/4017316144_a6acfebb9d_b.jpg
After that, we wandered around the Medina and visited our “friend” who sells jewelry, he remembered us from our numerous times in Fez. He specifically remembered me because of my smile and because I apparently look like a Spice Girl. We bought some things from him and he gave us free keychains (yay!). I should probably also add, when you go to big cities, it’s inevitable that young males will say things to you (usually they don’t if we take our male friends with us…) such as “Spice Girl” or “Pretty pretty” or other ridiculous things.
We also walked by a very beautiful Mosque:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2593/4031207565_963123cbe3_b.jpg
Anyway, The Jazz Fest was awesome. While walking there we met a band from Paris, Zephyrologie, they insisted that we see them and so we did along with 2 other groups.
The Jazz Festival took place in a huge Riad in Fez (Here’s just one side of it):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2478/4031960340_609eed7774_b.jpg
Zephrologie:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3523/4031207465_72c5b570d4_b.jpg
Interactive performance:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2691/4017316802_56e2778411_b.jpg
Here’s a video of their “interactive” performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEBQQfCdKeI
After that another group played….Kader Fahem Hispanica Jazz Trio
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2717/4031966950_3849b16eb8_b.jpg
And here’s a video from that beautiful performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLzAR5DxNH8
The performance was excellent and then afterwards we had a lovely dinner at Café Clock, which in my opinion is one of the best restaurants in Fez (it even serves camel burgers!).
I hope everyone is doing well! Stay tuned next week for a recap of our desert excursion!!!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Sahara and Camels.
Here accounts one of the best trips ever. The Sahara is a remarkable place, with lots of sand, camels, bedouins and thousands of stars. I will never forget riding the camels out to the camp and sleeping beneath the stars.
Just copy and paste the links to see the pictures.
--------------------------------------------
Hello everyone!
We just returned from the Sahara on Sunday, it was absolutely incredible. I’m not sure if I can describe it in words, but I will try. The entire trip was so…surreal.
We left Saturday morning around 5:30am, needless to say, I don’t really remember much of the car ride because I was asleep most of the time, actually, most of the people in our van were asleep……
However, when I was awake, we passed many villages:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3526/4047624125_9c1144ebd9_b.jpg
And Date Trees:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2605/4048015314_82e1754938_b.jpg
As well, the King was passing through the region, so there were flags everywhere showing national pride, I suppose. On the way back we passed many envoys…so…who knows, we could have passed the King!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2753/4047273827_2532c75706_b.jpg
As well, we learned from Emily (on the left) a new trick with scarves….The Italians had fun with it…
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/4047623575_4983a95ab7_b.jpg
Eventually, we reached the hotel, we didn’t actually stay there…just used their bathroom. Which, I have to add, was the best public restroom in Morocco so far, it actually had toilet paper and soap.
The hotel:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/4048462682_60d9af2d07_b.jpg
After using the best restrooms in Morocco, we set off for our adventure into the desert:
Camels waiting for us patiently:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2473/4047275685_c2996a25c5_b.jpg
This was my camel, apparently, his name was Bob, I did not name this camel. If I did, his name would have been Lulu.:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2487/4047276249_80940956ea.jpg
This is what it’s like to ride a camel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIZqno_5coY
Camel Shadows:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2604/4047273205_ae547d6a50_b.jpg
Omgz, I’m on a camel:
http://i38.tinypic.com/2qlwlrm.jpg
Riding into the Sahara:
http://i37.tinypic.com/dvndrr.jpg
And there’s sand everywhere:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/4047624361_9831151b3d_b.jpg
The Sahara is incredibly quiet and beautiful…..especially at sunset:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2588/4048548356_550ec08661_b.jpg
We reached our campsite at nightfall and we stayed in Bedouin tents….and ate a fabulous Tajine and fresh fruit….
We stayed in tents similar to these:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2633/4047275949_35ba25de91_b.jpg
The next morning, our guides woke us up at 4:15am (another early morning) to watch the sunrise from atop the camels:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2703/4048366210_33c29e1e4b_b.jpg
Desert at Sunrise:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYKVJfPfyNI
The sunrise was incredibly bright:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3485/4048366870_1a4137fbaa_b.jpg
We eventually stopped to watch the sunrise from atop a dune….
Our guide:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2773/4047624853_3bb45a9230_b.jpg
Camel:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3464/4048366732_a1e7ca73b1_b.jpg
I’m with a camel:
http://i33.tinypic.com/34xgwg6.jpg
Eventually we boarded (????) our camels and returned to the hotel:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2442/4047625637_03384f7e5b_b.jpg
The “off roading van” we took to get to and from the hotel:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2790/4048612694_5d254e2e4c_b.jpg
Camels on the road:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2561/4048612526_ae24abc724_b.jpg
On the way back we passed more villages, this is what I expected to see when I came to Morocco:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/4048612830_3a1f87186a_b.jpg
As well, we stopped and visited the monkeys that live in a forest about 20 minutes away from the University, as you can see, they’re a huge attraction for tourists:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2477/4047869259_5bb1bcd2bb_b.jpg
And the day finished with a beautiful sunset in Azrou:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3504/4048613108_969c5fd45b_b.jpg
Other than the fabulous trip to the desert, life here is fantastic, as usual. Midterms are finally over and I have a lot more time to enjoy life here and classes
Just copy and paste the links to see the pictures.
--------------------------------------------
Hello everyone!
We just returned from the Sahara on Sunday, it was absolutely incredible. I’m not sure if I can describe it in words, but I will try. The entire trip was so…surreal.
We left Saturday morning around 5:30am, needless to say, I don’t really remember much of the car ride because I was asleep most of the time, actually, most of the people in our van were asleep……
However, when I was awake, we passed many villages:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3526/4047624125_9c1144ebd9_b.jpg
And Date Trees:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2605/4048015314_82e1754938_b.jpg
As well, the King was passing through the region, so there were flags everywhere showing national pride, I suppose. On the way back we passed many envoys…so…who knows, we could have passed the King!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2753/4047273827_2532c75706_b.jpg
As well, we learned from Emily (on the left) a new trick with scarves….The Italians had fun with it…
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/4047623575_4983a95ab7_b.jpg
Eventually, we reached the hotel, we didn’t actually stay there…just used their bathroom. Which, I have to add, was the best public restroom in Morocco so far, it actually had toilet paper and soap.
The hotel:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/4048462682_60d9af2d07_b.jpg
After using the best restrooms in Morocco, we set off for our adventure into the desert:
Camels waiting for us patiently:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2473/4047275685_c2996a25c5_b.jpg
This was my camel, apparently, his name was Bob, I did not name this camel. If I did, his name would have been Lulu.:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2487/4047276249_80940956ea.jpg
This is what it’s like to ride a camel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIZqno_5coY
Camel Shadows:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2604/4047273205_ae547d6a50_b.jpg
Omgz, I’m on a camel:
http://i38.tinypic.com/2qlwlrm.jpg
Riding into the Sahara:
http://i37.tinypic.com/dvndrr.jpg
And there’s sand everywhere:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/4047624361_9831151b3d_b.jpg
The Sahara is incredibly quiet and beautiful…..especially at sunset:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2588/4048548356_550ec08661_b.jpg
We reached our campsite at nightfall and we stayed in Bedouin tents….and ate a fabulous Tajine and fresh fruit….
We stayed in tents similar to these:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2633/4047275949_35ba25de91_b.jpg
The next morning, our guides woke us up at 4:15am (another early morning) to watch the sunrise from atop the camels:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2703/4048366210_33c29e1e4b_b.jpg
Desert at Sunrise:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYKVJfPfyNI
The sunrise was incredibly bright:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3485/4048366870_1a4137fbaa_b.jpg
We eventually stopped to watch the sunrise from atop a dune….
Our guide:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2773/4047624853_3bb45a9230_b.jpg
Camel:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3464/4048366732_a1e7ca73b1_b.jpg
I’m with a camel:
http://i33.tinypic.com/34xgwg6.jpg
Eventually we boarded (????) our camels and returned to the hotel:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2442/4047625637_03384f7e5b_b.jpg
The “off roading van” we took to get to and from the hotel:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2790/4048612694_5d254e2e4c_b.jpg
Camels on the road:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2561/4048612526_ae24abc724_b.jpg
On the way back we passed more villages, this is what I expected to see when I came to Morocco:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/4048612830_3a1f87186a_b.jpg
As well, we stopped and visited the monkeys that live in a forest about 20 minutes away from the University, as you can see, they’re a huge attraction for tourists:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2477/4047869259_5bb1bcd2bb_b.jpg
And the day finished with a beautiful sunset in Azrou:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3504/4048613108_969c5fd45b_b.jpg
Other than the fabulous trip to the desert, life here is fantastic, as usual. Midterms are finally over and I have a lot more time to enjoy life here and classes
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Essaouira
A continuation in the email series....This following email recounts our trip to Essaouira. Click the links to view the pictures. Enjoy.
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Marhaba from sunny Morocco!
I have a little more than a month left here in Morocco; I can’t express how enjoyable and amazing this entire journey has been. There hasn’t been a single moment where I’ve regretted my choice about studying here, well, except for being sick in the beginning. In Morocco, you never know what will happen, everyday is an adventure, you can never predict what will happen on a particular day or when doing a simple task such as going to the Marche( the market) to buy fruit ,it can easily turn into a random language and cultural interaction…I rather enjoy it. There are a few things that I miss having such as toilet paper in public restrooms, actually, restrooms that aren’t Turkish Toilets. As well as, set prices and not bartering over everything. Even though, I find these things as annoyances, I know that when I go back to Montana, I’ll miss them.
Anyway, our adventures in Morocco continue, this past weekend we traveled south once again, but this time we went to Essaouira on the Atlantic Coast. We left right after class on Thursday and took the train to Marrakesh. We arrived right after midnight, after eating dinner at KFC (Yeahhh….it’s much better here than in the states…), we decided to find a hotel, however, finding a hotel on a holiday weekend in Morocco is seemingly difficult so we ended up wandering the streets of Marrakesh trying to find a hotel until 3am when we decided to go to the Bus station instead to see if we could find an earlier bus to Essaouira, as chance had it, there was one leaving at 4am. We arrived in Essaouira at around 10:30am. My first impression of the city was that it reminded me of Chefchaouen yet next to the Ocean. We eventually found the main entrance to the Medina…but it was blocked by construction. It was sort of surreal seeing an excavator in the 18th century entrance to the Medina, it seemed out of place in a way…
Entrance to the Medina:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2768/4100571804_9cd9fa5fbb_b.jpg
We wandered the streets of the Medina in search of a hotel:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2749/4097043592_1b31bfd0f7_b.jpg
There are large doors everywhere throughout the city (I’m rather fond of this picture):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2528/4097042460_0305494e06_b.jpg
We eventually found our hotel, which was considerably nicer than the other hotels we’ve stayed at in Morocco, this one cost around 10$ a night but it included breakfast. Also, it had a nice terrace which we sat upon and enjoyed the view for a bit before wandering the Medina.
Crumbling building next to our hotel:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2445/4099814661_f9df66d3c4.jpg
Seagull:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2793/4100571584_e2dc7d7a0c.jpg
View of the street below:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2642/4100852236_caae347d5b_b.jpg
We then wandered around the city and visited the fortifications…
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2719/4100852370_cfaf61fd61_b.jpg
Rocks, waves and a city in the distance…
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2571/4096284703_01a00c0fed_b.jpg
Cannons:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2705/4117732412_90e2631da4_b.jpg
Essaouira is known for its wood products:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2493/4097043364_ec738ddeb6_b.jpg
and Fish Markets:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2737/4100095837_d3023ba939_b.jpg
We also visited the beach:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2536/4117745794_833966ae25_b.jpg
Camels on the beach:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2711/4096283723_dd0b5d6210_b.jpg
Man riding on the beach:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2791/4117785882_ee3893c85a_b.jpg
People riding camels on the beach, they probably paid a lot to do this:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2567/4117818844_82d1665241_b.jpg
I’m on the beach…ha ha ha:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2618/4117048737_c1c33a7c3e_b.jpg
A man with camels wanted to take us on a camel ride, but we didn’t want to:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2785/4117817980_e6e2134e82_b.jpg
We crossed a small “river” to walk along the beach to find the place where Jimi Hendrix had found
inspiration for his song “Castles Made of Sand” and when we were coming back the tide had risen, so we had to ford across the river. The water would have reached up to my waist, so, my friend Megan carried me across the “river”:
http://i46.tinypic.com/f24efk.jpg
Essaouira:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2486/4117115061_bf3af011d8_b.jpg
We left the following morning…and we realized that the bus station is the very essence of what Polychronic means. Our bus tried to go between the other two busses:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2750/4117818214_f5072a9bf3_b.jpg
Next week, we have a long break for Eid al Kabir, instead of traveling in Morocco, I’ll be heading off to The Netherlands, Brussels and Luxembourg!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Emails once more....
Ever since the beginning of my study abroad experience, I had sent a series of emails recounting all of my trips for family and friends. I'll be in the process of posting these emails in order from the most recent to first email I ever sent out. Enjoy.
The last email recounted my trip home and the final few weeks in Morocco. Sadly, this email contained no pictures unlike the previous emails do to technical problems with my laptop.
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The last email recounted my trip home and the final few weeks in Morocco. Sadly, this email contained no pictures unlike the previous emails do to technical problems with my laptop.
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Well, I’m back. Back in Montana that is. I can’t say that it’s not strange, because, well, it is. I’m both happy and sad to be back. I miss all the experiences and people I met while in Morocco. But, I’m happy to be back to my old life. Studying in Morocco was the best decision I’ve ever made and I highly suggest studying and traveling abroad to everyone because it changes how you perceive and interact with the world.
Anyway, I haven’t updated since the middle of November. A lot has happened since then, during the “Thanksgiving Break”, we traveled to Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Brussels and Brugge. It was an amazing trip. Sadly, I don’t have any pictures because my computer is currently being repaired, it decided to start freezing and have other problems. Anyway, back to the update…Amsterdam is a beautiful city; I imagine it’s even better during the summer months. We visited museums and the Anne Frank House on the first day. As well, we enjoyed the beauty and food of Amsterdam. Moreover, we stayed in a boat youth hostel; it was probably one of the most memorable places to stay and highly suggested. Luxembourg is beautiful. Even though we were only there for a day, we visited a beautiful cathedral and spent most of our time in Christmas Markets eating Fondue and drinking Gluhwein (hot spiced wine). The following day we boarded the train again and went to Brussels, Brussels is a huge city; I wish we had more time to visit everything; however, we tried our best to visit as much as possible. One of my friends is a huge fan of the European Union, so we visited a multitude of EU buildings all over the city. I never thought I’d see so much of the European Union in one day. Later that evening, we visited the Brussels Christmas Market and were able to take a ride on the Ferris wheel and have an excellent view of the expanse of the city. The following day, we took a daytrip to Brugge. Brugge is like something out of a fairytale, I’m not sure if anyone actually lives there because it’s so perfect. The buildings are all hundreds of years old and so quaint. There are a multitude of Belgian chocolate shops and Cathedrals and Christmas Markets, all of which we visited. Europe was fun, but by the end, we were all wanting to go back to Morocco.
Our final 2 weeks in Morocco were dominated by finals and papers. It seemed the school plans to assign all of its work within those final 2 weeks. Thus, we didn’t travel very far. We went to Fez on the weekends and Azrou during the week to buy our final gifts and other things. After finals, I left Al Akhawayn and went to the nearby city of Meknes to visit my roommate and her family. It was nice to stay with a Moroccan family and see how they live.
I left Morocco on the 19th and flew to Paris; I slept in the airport that night and awoke to find that the flight I was supposed to take back to Montana was cancelled. I went to the desk to reschedule and the only flight they could place me on was on the 22nd. At this point, all I wanted to do was to fly home. So, I left the desk in hysterics because they refused to help me anymore. I called my mom on my phone in confusion and she was able to help me find a hotel. Finally, on the 22nd I was able to fly from Paris – London – Seattle. When I reached Seattle, I discovered that they had failed to complete my booking to Montana in Paris. Luckily, they were able to find room on the plane for me and I was able to fly home.
And now I’m back.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The unofficial hit and miss list of 2009/ Morocco
I haven't written anything since the camel trek.
Am I bad blogger? Or maybe I'm having too much fun.
I've recently made it back state-side. It's quite nice. Everyone speaks English and I'm no longer a minority. Is that a bad thing to say? Either way, it's the truth. I can once again eavesdrop and understand what people are saying. Oops. There I go again, spilling my internal thoughts and actions. So, can I go back to Morocco now?
Anyway, back to the subject....
Hit/Miss of 2009
I think I'll start with the Hit list (not that sort of hit list....even though, I should start one of those...just for fun)
Hit List (The Positives of 2009 - Mostly from Morocco)
-Morocco - By far the biggest and bestest thing that happened in 2009. It was amazing, I can't put words into amazing-ness. So, I won't...But, I do know that stuff about/from Morocco will appear on this list...a lot.
-I turned 22 in style with a chocolate cake made by John Blake. Another year older....another year wiser? Perhaps.
-Traveling to France for the second time. It was incredible, as always, and very relaxing. While in France, I was finally able to visit a discotheque, drink wine at lunchtime, take a tour of a French village on a 4-wheeler and eat a lot of cheese.
-(Cue Arabian Nights-esque music) Ride a Camel into the Sahara and camp for the night. Does this really need an explanation of the awesomeness? Have I mentioned how much I love camels?
- Beneluxxxxx. Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. All in one extended weekend. A 6 day tour of Chocolatiers, Museums and Christmas Markets. Excuse me, but do you have a puzzle book?
- In fact, I can't really remember much of 2009 except for Morocco.
-Fez (Fes), Morocco- I love Fez, regardless what others say (Anass...). I love the Medina and Muhammed's cafe, disappearing into the other-worldness of Cafe Clock, the stinky Tanneries, getting lost in the Medina, Jus De Banane, rooftops and the Bab.
-MASI- Montana Arabic Summer Institute. Otherwise known as; the craziest and busiest few weeks of my life, as well as, the funnest and best job ever. I loved working with all the various personalities that incorporated this years MASI program including the students. We had so much fun traveling and teaching/learning Arabic together. Another round of pictionary please.
-Chefchaouen, Morocco- (Also known as, the place that I cannot spell except after 4 attempts) The entire trip north, excluding Tangier (it wasn't that exciting), was something out of Alice in Wonderland, it was so strange, so bizarre, yet, so wonderful. Any place that is painted all blue cannot be ordinary.
-The Desert, I know I brought up the camels, but the desert is one of the most incredibly beautiful places and so sandy.
-The people I met in 2009. I can't list them all because I know I'll exclude someone. The people that I met in Morocco are the some of the best people I've ever met in my life thus far. We traveled together, lived together (sort of), we were sick together, we went through Ramadan together, spent so much time together that if it were anywhere else, we would probably hate each other, but by the end of the semester we remained so close to one another.
-Essaouira, Morocco. A crazy trip of fresh fish markets, fording rivers, Gnawa music, bargaining, rooftops, really long and sauna-esque bus rides and KFC. One of the best cities in Morocco.
- Buying a Macbook and an iPod. I love my Apple products, when they work.
- Crocheting more hats than....than...what I know what to do with.
- Azrou sunsets with Jus De Banane and Cheap Sandwhiches.
-Highland Dancing at First Night..... solo.
-Saturday Nights watching Babar and playing Rock Band II in Madeleine Street house.
- Couscous and Tajine. NoosNoos and Mint Tea. Food is good in Morocco.
-Polychronic. The very concept of being polychronic is so much more relaxing, however, sometimes it's a bit annoying because nothing gets done in a efficient manner. It just takes longer.
Miss List (Things that I missed out on)
-Not spending more time in Morocco. Heck, it's a great place, full of culture and history. I wish I was spending more time there. But, I'm planning to go back in the near future, so, round 2 of Liz in Morocco will soon happen. Inshallah.
-In relation to the previous, miss item, not spending enough time in Marrakesh, Casablanca and Rabat. Apparently, those are great places or something, because everyone across the pond here in the states keeps asking me if I went to those places. Um. Okay.
-Breath mints for dogs. Only because my dog is panting next to me and her breath stinks. Ew.
- Not Dropping Advanced-Intesive Arabic. Why didn't I drop the class like I wanted to. I should have taken that Sociology class instead.
- Not going Skiing. Maybe next year.
- Not singing Africa by Toto enough when it rained.
- Not buying a teapot or a jilaba in Morocco. Sad Camel.
- Jet Lag. I really could have done without it.
-Not skipping class more and traveling.
-Bargaining/Bartering. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Sometimes it's fun, other times I just want to scream in frustration. Please, I don't care if it's democratic price or you'll be giving me a good price. I don't believe youuuuu.
Miss lists are harder to write...because I generally don't have that many regrets to count for....Oh well.......
This is it. The unofficial hit/miss list of 2009. I'm sure there is more...and they will be added in time.
Well. I'm back. And now I want to go back.
Am I bad blogger? Or maybe I'm having too much fun.
I've recently made it back state-side. It's quite nice. Everyone speaks English and I'm no longer a minority. Is that a bad thing to say? Either way, it's the truth. I can once again eavesdrop and understand what people are saying. Oops. There I go again, spilling my internal thoughts and actions. So, can I go back to Morocco now?
Anyway, back to the subject....
Hit/Miss of 2009
I think I'll start with the Hit list (not that sort of hit list....even though, I should start one of those...just for fun)
Hit List (The Positives of 2009 - Mostly from Morocco)
-Morocco - By far the biggest and bestest thing that happened in 2009. It was amazing, I can't put words into amazing-ness. So, I won't...But, I do know that stuff about/from Morocco will appear on this list...a lot.
-I turned 22 in style with a chocolate cake made by John Blake. Another year older....another year wiser? Perhaps.
-Traveling to France for the second time. It was incredible, as always, and very relaxing. While in France, I was finally able to visit a discotheque, drink wine at lunchtime, take a tour of a French village on a 4-wheeler and eat a lot of cheese.
-(Cue Arabian Nights-esque music) Ride a Camel into the Sahara and camp for the night. Does this really need an explanation of the awesomeness? Have I mentioned how much I love camels?
- Beneluxxxxx. Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. All in one extended weekend. A 6 day tour of Chocolatiers, Museums and Christmas Markets. Excuse me, but do you have a puzzle book?
- In fact, I can't really remember much of 2009 except for Morocco.
-Fez (Fes), Morocco- I love Fez, regardless what others say (Anass...). I love the Medina and Muhammed's cafe, disappearing into the other-worldness of Cafe Clock, the stinky Tanneries, getting lost in the Medina, Jus De Banane, rooftops and the Bab.
-MASI- Montana Arabic Summer Institute. Otherwise known as; the craziest and busiest few weeks of my life, as well as, the funnest and best job ever. I loved working with all the various personalities that incorporated this years MASI program including the students. We had so much fun traveling and teaching/learning Arabic together. Another round of pictionary please.
-Chefchaouen, Morocco- (Also known as, the place that I cannot spell except after 4 attempts) The entire trip north, excluding Tangier (it wasn't that exciting), was something out of Alice in Wonderland, it was so strange, so bizarre, yet, so wonderful. Any place that is painted all blue cannot be ordinary.
-The Desert, I know I brought up the camels, but the desert is one of the most incredibly beautiful places and so sandy.
-The people I met in 2009. I can't list them all because I know I'll exclude someone. The people that I met in Morocco are the some of the best people I've ever met in my life thus far. We traveled together, lived together (sort of), we were sick together, we went through Ramadan together, spent so much time together that if it were anywhere else, we would probably hate each other, but by the end of the semester we remained so close to one another.
-Essaouira, Morocco. A crazy trip of fresh fish markets, fording rivers, Gnawa music, bargaining, rooftops, really long and sauna-esque bus rides and KFC. One of the best cities in Morocco.
- Buying a Macbook and an iPod. I love my Apple products, when they work.
- Crocheting more hats than....than...what I know what to do with.
- Azrou sunsets with Jus De Banane and Cheap Sandwhiches.
-Highland Dancing at First Night..... solo.
-Saturday Nights watching Babar and playing Rock Band II in Madeleine Street house.
- Couscous and Tajine. NoosNoos and Mint Tea. Food is good in Morocco.
-Polychronic. The very concept of being polychronic is so much more relaxing, however, sometimes it's a bit annoying because nothing gets done in a efficient manner. It just takes longer.
Miss List (Things that I missed out on)
-Not spending more time in Morocco. Heck, it's a great place, full of culture and history. I wish I was spending more time there. But, I'm planning to go back in the near future, so, round 2 of Liz in Morocco will soon happen. Inshallah.
-In relation to the previous, miss item, not spending enough time in Marrakesh, Casablanca and Rabat. Apparently, those are great places or something, because everyone across the pond here in the states keeps asking me if I went to those places. Um. Okay.
-Breath mints for dogs. Only because my dog is panting next to me and her breath stinks. Ew.
- Not Dropping Advanced-Intesive Arabic. Why didn't I drop the class like I wanted to. I should have taken that Sociology class instead.
- Not going Skiing. Maybe next year.
- Not singing Africa by Toto enough when it rained.
- Not buying a teapot or a jilaba in Morocco. Sad Camel.
- Jet Lag. I really could have done without it.
-Not skipping class more and traveling.
-Bargaining/Bartering. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Sometimes it's fun, other times I just want to scream in frustration. Please, I don't care if it's democratic price or you'll be giving me a good price. I don't believe youuuuu.
Miss lists are harder to write...because I generally don't have that many regrets to count for....Oh well.......
This is it. The unofficial hit/miss list of 2009. I'm sure there is more...and they will be added in time.
Well. I'm back. And now I want to go back.
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