Beach Bum

The end of the Eid holiday is upon, and, with that, brings the return to a bit of normalcy.  Well, for most of the working people of Morocco anyway.  In my case, this week is the start of the semester.  Finally. While the end of summer vacation in the US is marked by the appearance of backpacks and school supplies in stores that children eerily avoid until the last possible moment, return to school for university students here is a bit vague.  As my boss says, it is a "conjugal dance" between faculty and students to see who makes the first move into the classroom.

In my case, this dance has gone on for three weeks.  Yes. Three.  In the past three weeks, I have had my schedule change three times, been given multiple start dates, and basically have become resolved to the fact that I have no idea what's going on and everything can change at every possible moment.  For a control freak like myself, this has been a hard fact to swallow.  Do not for one second believe that this experience is bad, though.

With my time off, I have been able to visit Agadir, learn to cook Tagine, one of the national dishes of Morocco, picked up my boxes from the US, found a wonderful apartment, and spend quality time at the beach.  Well, really, multiple beaches.  This weekend, I spent Saturday at Agadir.  It was beautiful and it is still warm enough to go swimming! Connor and I ate at McDonald's which is right next to Pizza Hut-the mecca of Americana.  Today, I spent the day with some friends at Devil's Rock which is a bit outside Agadir in Inoumrane.  We then went to one of my fave restaurants in Taghazout called Le Spot and played Settlers of Catan-one of my favourite games from undergrad at UCSD.  Yes, I have resolved to become a beach bum for the next 8 months-when my teaching duties permit it, of course.

This week brings many new changes to my life.  First of all, I start teaching on Wednesday.  I am excited and nervous, just like I get at the start of meeting new students, figuring out the faculty rules, and learning how to navigate a whole new system.  In addition, Connor and I will be moving into our new, beloved apartment with the tiny kitchen this coming weekend.  We cannot wait! Once that all goes to plan, which can change at any minute-I remind you, then I will be posting pictures of sunsets from the beach-which is a 10 minute walk from our abode.  Here's to hoping that next week proves to be as interesting as the last three!