The end of the beginning

The last few weeks have been great, I have had a chance to really get to know the other ETAs and to get to know more about my attitudes towards my new homeland.  However, I didn't really think much about moving to Agadir until it was upon me.

This week I have stayed with Sarah and Hannah in the medina in Rabat as well as the Casa Crew (Ariel, Tyson & Marjorie).  These two cities could not be more different.  Rabat is a sleepy beach town with a surprising array of cosmopolitan options.  I had lunch at a French restaurant, pizza and beer at a German institute and baba ghannoush (one of my favorite foods) at a Syrian/Lebanese place complete with an English speaking, very good looking waiter.  And now, on to Casablanca-or in the case of T9 on our phones - Capablamab, home of the Capablamis.

Casablanca is the economic capital of Morocco.  It is a bustling business center with Mango, Zara, and tons of Western malls.  Ariel's apartment is in the thick of things in the Maaref district close to the Consulate and the twin center. I helped her get her internet set up, negotiate things with her landlord, and just hang out and watch the bustle pass me by.  Whereas Rabat sleeps at 10 pm, Casa never does.  I will be back there soon to pick up my new passport and to discover more of the white house (Dar Beidha in Arabic).

Funny anecdote time.  On my way to Casa from Rabat, I had to change trains at Ain Sebaa which is pretty much the usual as every other train has a change there.  So, I get on the train to Casa-standing room only.  I also get the luckiest place of all - across from the bathroom.  Now, what happens next? Remember, TIA- this is Africa.  Two girls go into the restroom and hotbox it.  So, myself and the three young men were their stoned victims all the way to Casa.  Fun times.  At least I was quite relaxed for the controlled chaos of the consulate.  Weeee!

Yesterday I said goodbye to the North of Morocco and took a nine hour bus to the south.  While I usually cannot sleep on trains, I totally fell asleep and missed the ride in between Casa and Marrakech.  At Marrakech we took an enforced break at a cafe before the last 2 and a half hours to Agadir.  After getting back on the bus and saying goodbye to Mrakech, we were off to the hilly, arid plains that separate the two cities.  As dusk approached, I was struck by how similar the landscape is to San Diego.  The only difference: the reddish color of the earth.  Everything else was astoundingly similar yet a confusion of many pieces of my past.  There I was listening to my American music, hearing people speak Berber, Arabic, French and Spanish on the bus, while speeding through the Moroccan  plains.

I was picked up at the archaic bus station by Renda (last year's ETA) and we somehow got my huge suitcase into a taxi and off we went to her place.  I am about to move into an apartment and house sit for the month of October, which will allow me to save some $$$ and to figure out where I  want to live in Agadir.  I am hoping to get my bearings by the end of next week and start to figure out my place here, my role at the university and how soon I can go swimming on the beach.

It may be the end of the beginning, but it is quite far from the beginning of the end. 

Why 300 Sunsets?

So I wanted to explain the context of this blog. I decided that I wanted to write about my experiences in Agadir.  Putting it simply, I wanted to go watch the sunset every day.  Sunset has always been such a delightful part of my routines in France and Tunisia and I wanted to continue that personal tradition.  To that end, our Fulbright grant is for a period of 10 months, roughly 300 days, each with a sun setting on the Atlantic Ocean or Mediterranean Sea - neither of which is shabby.  From our scenic vantage point on the roof of the riad, you can watch the sunset in the Bouregreg river that separates Sale and Rabat.  I have been fortunate to catch the majority of our Moroccan sunsets there.

That all changes Saturday.  Saturday is D Day around here.  Many people will be off to various cities: Er Rachidia, Tetouan, Ourzazate, Casablanca, El Jadida, etc. I will be staying in Rabat over the weekend so that I can take care of renewing my passport at the beginning of next week.  Because Agadir is a 9 bus ride (8 hour train + bus ride) it would be a hassle for me to do it at another time.  So, I will get to experience a bit more of Casa when I visit the consulate on Monday & Tuesday.  Wednesday, I will finally go to Agadir.

I have been remiss in my blogging obligations. It has been a busy week...We have Arabic classes 9-12 with a long lunch and then 2-3 followed by presentations from 3-5.  In addition to our obligations, we usually go out, visit Rabat and generally get used to life in the medina here.  

I find myself confronted by how different my reaction is to things when compared to my life in Tunis.  I remember how angry I used to get at the injustice, the poverty, the treatment of the poor and the women.  I seem to take a step back now and see the bigger picture much more clearly.  This does not mean that I believe everything is fair here or that there is no hypocrisy.  Much to the contrary. What I mean to say is that I have made peace with both myself and how I relate to North Africa.  I feel a strange sense of calm about my 9 month adventure here and am really starting to get excited. 

This past weekend I spent the day in El Jadida, a smaller city with a beautiful beach and marina.  I was struck by how much rougher it is compared to Rabat.  Life here is easy going.  There is diversity, ambition, and luck all mixed in with poverty and vast wealth.  El Jadida was different.  The route from the train station to the city center goes through semi-rural areas, huge half finished apartment blocks, before reaching the relative safely of the medina and downtown.  I was happy to see that people were out late and there was an atmosphere of that sleepy happiness that only comes with living next to the water.  On the way back from El Jadida, I took the "souk bus" aka the bus of the people, not the touristic bus.  The disorganization, unplanned stops, alternating between freezing and sweating were all part of the adventure.  I thought of Tunisia and riding in the louages across the country.  Although I have a huge bruise on my rear to remember that trip, I don't think the bus system as as bad as people say it is.

Last but not least, Renda, the previous Agadir ETA arrived a few days ago.  I have spent the last few days with her and am beginning to think about apartments, neighborhoods, planning classes, syllabus writing, and running my study.  It is like I have been going in slow motion and next week things will finally speed up.  Tomorrow we are spending the day in Casablanca, and so, with a heavy heart, I must leave you now. 

Orientation in Orientalism

The last few days have seen my group travel, split up, say goodbyes, and continue on our journey.  Of course, having tummy problems was NOT part of the plan.

Friday, I woke up with tummy issues that have pretty much kept me eating bread and water.  Yes, fun, I know! I honestly haven't really let that keep me down...there has been too much to see and do in the last five days.

Thursday and Friday were orientation days where some faculty gave us presentations on the linguistic varieties in Morocco as well as in the classroom culture, security issues, and other important Fulbright information.  These were day long sessions and by the end it was information overload.  I learned a lot and really came to appreciate the effort that was put into making our orientation fruitful and informative.

Saturday we left Rabat and went to Fez, a place that holds a lot of meaning for me personally.  When I was at AUP (the American University of Paris) I came to Fez for the Sufi Music Festival in 2007.  It was my first glimpse into a North African country that wasn't Algeria.  I had such an amazing time here going to festivals, listening to beautiful music and chanting, meeting open minded people, that I promised myself one day I would come back.  Well, there I was.  We spent the day in Fez, ate at a great restaurant, and had a great dinner with the entire group.

Sunday, we woke up and dropped off the researchers, some of whom are my closest friends here.  It was sad to say bye to them, but it is time to get on with our program and focus on teaching the university students, who I am excited to meet.  Then we went to Volubilis to see the best roman ruins in Morocco, which were vast.  Carthage and Dougga in Tunis are wonderful and it was striking to see the similarities with the ones in Cherchell, Algeria.  We stopped by Meknes, took some pictures of the gate, and then were on our way back to Rabat.

The riadh we are staying in this time, by the way, a riadh is a house in the medina known for its open courtyard in the middle of the house, is AMAZING.  I will upload pictures soon, but I have a princess room, which pleases me greatly.

Tomorrow we start our Arabic courses, so to bed I must go!

the last 24 hours

The last 24 hours:
Crossing the Atlantic
No Sleep (NONE)
Going from muggy and humid to.....more muggy and humid
Lots of laughs
Diffusing tension
Dealing with my (limited) patience
Seeing Rabat
Eating delicious food
Having wonderful conversations
Taking the most rewarding shower of my life
Dreaming of passing out.

Gnite!

The big big thang

New York.

It's that kind of city where you see the parts of yourself that you have left behind, and you explore what could have been and what might could be.  It is a vibrant, living city and I have not felt this way about a city since I lived in Paris.  Spending three days in NYC was great.  It gave me time to recharge my batteries and have a bit of a lull in between the two madnesses: Teaching in La Jolla and Teaching in Morocco.  Walking around and visiting SoHo, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the HighLine (my personal fave) was an amazing way to end one experience and start another,  while also spending time with Vince from high school.