My Journey Home: Planes, Pals and Pirates

My journey home started on Wednesday evening. I left AUI and headed to Casablanca around 5 PM with three other students. When we arrived, we exchanged our extra dirhams. The man who helped us was hilarious. He was quite happy to relieve Brooke of her extra Skippy peanut butter!

I'm still not entirely sure how Heather managed to carry her bag, which was about twice as big as she is...

The other three girls headed to their gate around 12 AM for their flight, which left at 2 AM. I got my boarding pass at 12, but couldn't do much more until about 6 AM. I chatted with a man from Spain for a while. He mentioned that Morocco is the most expensive tourist destination in the world. Then he noted that he preferred to stay at four and five star hotels and that most of his meals averaged about 300 dirhams (close to $40). Honestly, if you want to stay in ritzy hotels, I don't think you should vacation in Morocco. I think the cheap (sometimes slightly sketchy) hotels we stayed in were part of the experience. You should not come to Morocco and spend your days in a hotel room. Obviously you need a place to stay, but this country is for explorers. We always ate pretty inexpensive, but generally good, meals. He commented on how "unacceptably dirty" the food service is in Morocco. I must admit that when I first arrived, I was a little shocked with how the food was handled and prepared. However, our group ate at countless "dirty" (according to American and European standards) restaurants and for the most part, none of us got sick. I told him that if we could spend four months there (and Moroccans their whole lives), they must be doing something right.

I was told Royal Air Maroc only allowed one carry on, but I was hoping my giant, 40 pound backpack could count as my "personal item." Apparently, it did not. I went to check my other suitcase. As I signed the receipt, I was more than a little disgruntled when I saw the 1500 dirham (about $200) price tag. I was happy to finally get on the plane at 9:30. Also, it was nice to get one last Moroccan breakfast, even if it was plane food! The harsha and msemmin weren't bad at all!

Bye, Morocco! I will be back, I promise :) 

My first flight to Frankfurt, Germany was about four and a half hours long. When I arrived in Frankfurt, I had a two hour layover. I was surrounded by a group of older, retired women who had spent two weeks traveling around Europe. Since I was alone, I struck up a conversation with a few of them. Before I knew it, I had my laptop out and was showing them my photos from Morocco. As I flipped through pictures of camels, waterfalls and countless old medinas, I realized it was really over. However, I think sharing my experience with other people has made the transition a little easier. I'm pretty sure I may have convinced a few of them to visit, which was pretty exciting! :) 

After a few hours, we boarded the plane bound for Chicago. I sat beside a man who had just traveled all over Italy. His son in law is an Italian Navy Seal and had led him through remote parts of the Italian countryside. He smiled as he recalled the hospitality and kindness of people who welcomed him into their homes and offered endless amounts of food. His stories were definitely reminiscent of my time in Morocco. I love meeting new people in my travels. I always run into characters. I remember when my sister and I were flying back from San Francisco in 2007 and we met a close friend of John Edwards, who I was a huge fan of at the time (before his love scandals were revealed). 

The flight was around eight hours long, which was a little rough. Also, I have newfound sympathy for tall people. The person in front of me moved her seat back, which almost touched my knees. As most of you know, I'm not exactly tall (5'3"). When the person beside her moved his seat back, the seat basically smashed the knees of the man beside me. However, I must say I was impressed with the amount of food and drinks offered by the airline. Lufthansa definitely takes care of its passengers! We got two or three meals, tons of snacks and drinks, all for free!

I finally arrived in Chicago around 9:30 PM. Before heading to my connecting flight, I had to go through U.S. Customs. When I made it to the desk, the Customs agent asked, "What in the world were you doing in Morocco?" I told him I was a student, to which he responded, "And what did you learn?" At this point, I had been traveling for nearly 40 hours. I blurted out, "That American development policy is very flawed?" He was not impressed. He glared back and asked, "What ELSE?" "I learned a little French," I squeaked out. I quickly grabbed my passport and shuffled away...

I knew I was back on American soil when I paid $7 for a coffee and water in the Chicago airport. However, seeing a massive coffee cup was pretty exciting. Most of what I've been drinking for the last four months has been about a third of the size of this "regular" cup. Then, in my sleep-deprived stupor, I spilled about half the cup down the front of my shirt. My clumsiness has officially been restored. After about an hour, my flight left for Pittsburgh. Luckily, I didn't have any trouble finding my luggage. I grabbed dinner with my Mom and we headed to our hotel. When we arrived at our hotel, I flipped through the TV channels. No lie, the first show I stopped on was an episode of "Las Vegas," set in Marrakesh, Morocco. I just can't get away haha...

Morocco did leave me with a lovely little souvenir. I have noticed little bumps on different parts of my body in the last few days. We went to a Med Express in Pittsburgh, where the doctor told me that I have folliculitis (inflammation of hair follicles), which can be contracted in steam rooms, saunas, etc. Hammam, anyone? Apparently, having a layer of skin ripped off in a steamy room of naked women CAN have adverse effects on your body...

On Friday night, we went to a Pirates baseball game. Our seats were right on the third base line! I've always watched baseball with my family, since I was little. It was definitely a good way to celebrate my arrival home! PNC Park is also beautiful! 

Thank you, Mom! Love you! :) 

We headed back to Charleston on Saturday. We stopped at Ikea on the way back, which was pretty awesome. It's so huge! My people (the Swedes) definitely know how to do housewares! When I got home, I was greeted with my Dad's amazing cooking! Salmon + salad = happiness! 

I also picked up some African red tea, including Moroccan Pomegranate. At least I can still drink like I'm in Morocco haha :) I'm planning on making some mint tea in the near future as well!

I was especially excited to be reunited with Mr. Jack! He's fluffy as ever! :)

It's definitely nice to be home. I thought it would be hard to readjust, but so far, it hasn't been bad. It's been nice to see my family again and I look forward to catching up with my friends! I start work tomorrow, so I don't have much down time, but that's the way I like it. To everyone in Morocco, I love and miss you all! Stay in touch! 

The Final Countdown: Good Friends and Goodbyes

This weekend was my last in Morocco. While I look forward to seeing everyone from home, I still can't wrap my head around leaving this country. On Friday, we had our last cookout. Sean and Ammi were the grillmasters!

Ty's watermelon was definitely a hit! I can't remember the last time I had it in the states...

I'm going to miss my mental soulmate and little Italian loveboat, Rebecca (Lav).

Lovely ladies! (Kim, Brooke, Savannah and Shannon)

I'm going to miss these two! Trifeckta will always live on...

Ty brought marshmallow puff, which was also a hit!

Anna, from England, had her very first Oreo! Unfortunately, she didn't seem overly impressed.

The original group (minus Jill). We've traveled across this country together. Since arriving in Morocco,  I have journeyed to Meknes, Fez, Azrou, Merzouga, Ouarzazat, Ait Ben Haddou, Tinghir, Marrakesh, Essaouira, Asilah, Chefchaoen, Akshor, Volubilis, Casablanca, Rabat, Tetouan, Tangiers and Fnediq. Not bad, eh? :)

I'm going to miss you guys so much!

Three of the West Point guys, Joel, Ty, and Rob left on Friday night. I tried to hold it together at the picnic, but I've never been good at goodbyes. There were definitely tears.

On Saturday, we had our last party. Here, Garrett and Sara (the Idaho kids) discuss Morocco Mondays.

The last week has been bittersweet. I have been stressed (and totally sleep deprived) from finals and papers, but I'm not sure I'm quite ready to leave. I've met some incredible people in Morocco and hate to say goodbye. I promise we will meet again, kids! Amor y besos!  

Salut, Fez: Madrasas and Mint Tea!

Yesterday, I headed to Fez for the last time. We visited the Bou Inania Madrasa in the Old Medina. It was pretty cool because Hailey, Sabina and I all took the Islamic Art and Architecture class at AUI this semester. In fact, Hailey and I had also just taken our final in the class. The final was a little ridiculous, but we all agreed that we have learned so much in the course. This madrasa is a defining form of architecture created by the Marinid Dynasty in Morocco. This one functioned as both a congregational mosque and education facility.

We studied epigraphy like this, which often offers a transition between the different layers of decoration.

Hailey explained different aspects of madrasa decoration and architecture to her Dad.

Check out that axiality! In this madrasa, you can see the mihrab from the entrance. 

We bought some orange juice while we shopped. I haven't yet had a glass I didn't love. You can beat fresh squeezed juice for less than a dollar! :)

After eating camel burgers for lunch, we headed to Cafe Clock. It is a well-known tourist destination, but we never really tried to get to it on earlier trips. We ordered iced mint tea, which was SO good! Sabina and I were quite pleased! :)

We could see the minaret of the madrasa from our table! 

 Before we left, we took in one last view of Fez from the balcony of Hailey's hotel.

Fez is definitely one of my favorite cities in Morocco. It was one of the first cities we travelled to and will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Tangiers and Tétouan: Beaches and Banana Juice

Last weekend, we headed north to Tangiers and Tetouan. It was our last weekend of travel in Morocco :(. We left on Friday afternoon and caught the train to Tangiers, where we spent Friday night. The trip was a little more exciting for Rebecca and me, because we finally had a chance to use our Spanish! Sometimes, the train gets a little dull, but we always find ways to fill the time...

Like drawing tattoos on each other's toes...

Or hanging from the luggage rails...

We found a fresh juice stand after dinner, where we got watermelon juice. The banana, avocado and strawberry juices were delicious too!

The next morning, we got up and wandered around town. The picture below is the view from our hotel window. 

The beach in Tangiers was gorgeous!

We got a taxi to Tetouan in the afternoon. 

We wandered around the Old Medina for a while after arriving. The picture below is my favorite from the trip! We decided to visit a hammam before leaving Tangiers. I've gotten mixed reviews, but figured it was worth a try. One thing I did hear was that the women scrub your skin incredibly hard. So, I bought a softer sponge. Rebecca and I headed into a hazy room filled with staring, naked Moroccan women. She glanced around and said, "I'm pretty sure this is what Hell is like." Then, as all of the other women watched, we lost a solid layer of skin. Unfortunately, the lady scrubbing me chose the course sponge instead of the one I bought. It wasn't terrible, but I'm not really sure laying face down and being scrubbed with a Brillo pad is something I'd be down to do again...

That evening, the power in our hotel went out. We spent a couple of hours chatting with other guests in the hotel, which included a French couple, a Venezuelan man, a woman from Madagascar, and a couple of Moroccans. The conversation was interesting and there seemed to be a consensus that Obama is a good president. The Venezuelan man kept comparing Obama to Bush, which was pretty entertaining. One of the Moroccans played his American music for us, which consisted mainly of Akon songs. As we drank mint tea in the dark, I couldn't help but think of how much I am going to miss Morocco.

I saw these outfits in one of the markets. Honestly, I think all men should wear similar attire...

One of my more exciting purchases of the trip was a Goosebumps book in Spanish! "La Noche de Muneco Viviente" looks pretty promising! :) 

Garrett asking a local for directions to the beach...

After a short taxi ride, we arrived in a beach town about 45 minutes outside of Tetouan.

I've never seen a flower like this- so pretty! :) 

We relaxed on the beach and looked at/ swam in the Mediterranean. I was a little wiser with the sunscreen this time, and only got burnt on my scalp.

Ty bought a magnetic chess set that he and Garrett used on the way back!

Although I'm sad that my time here is coming to a close, our last weekend of traveling was really nice and relaxing. We have been fortunate enough to travel almost every weekend we have been here. To say the least, it's been incredible and I feel so blessed to be here!