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.
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.
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