Weekend Shenanigans

This past weekend broke the record of first's:

• First time I stayed in a hostel.
• First time I stayed in hotel that cost less than $10 a night.
• First time I traveled by train in Morocco.
• First time talking on the train to someone in Morocco with no common language.
• First time I traveled by bus in Morocco.
• Fist time I took a nap on a bus in Morocco.
• First time I went two days without showering (Because I couldn't shower, not because I was lazy).
• First time I learned about and smelled spices in Morocco in the back of a spice shop.
• First time visiting a holy city.
• First time hiking in Morocco.
• First time making friends with the tour guide.
• First time seeing the Berber language written by someone who knows Berber. 
• First time I thought sheep tracks were coyote tracks.
• First time talking on Viber.
• First time being extremely exhausted in Morocco therefore I was not able to make coherent sentences.

This weekend provided many great memories and experiences that I can learn from. With the basic Arabic I have learned so far, I was able to order my train ticket and say hello, thank you, good morning, and good evening to people. (I am hoping by the end of the week I will be able to order food or at least ask where the restroom is.) Throughout the trip, I was able to bond more with the other students traveling. As a group, we traveled to Meknes, Azrou. Ifrane, the roman ruins, and the first Islamic City in Morocco. 

Meknes:

The Hostel we stayed in on Friday night:

 The Berber tea we tried at a spice shop: (Wasn't the taste I was hoping for.)

 I have no idea if this building is  important but it is pretty:

 A fruit stand:

 The view from the roof of the Hostel:

 Random street (I love the colors of the buildings in Morocco):

 Azrou:
The hostel we stayed at:

 I am loving the metal mask:

 Hiking in Azrou: (Such an amazing view):

 The sheep:

 Ifrane:

The famous lion statue which was built to represent the last lion killed in Morocco:

 A random town we visited in Morocco:

 The Roman Ruins:

 The 1st Islamic City:

Arabic

Hello Arabic,

You are the biggest struggle of my trip in Morocco. I wish your words and letters were a lot easier to pronounce. Also, I wish the 5 hours classes were 3 hour classes. I have only learned a few phrases so far. I hope one day soon we can be friends.

Best,
Gabby

Today is a holiday because it is Mohammed 5th's Birthday. Yesterday the program went to see the festival in Sale (which is the day before the holiday). The festival was very interesting to see. The prince came to the festival, he is really young.

Home Stay Family

My home stay family is amazing!! They treat me like their own daughter. The family consist of a mom, dad, daughter, and son. The daughter and son are around my age. The mother and dad speak Arabic and a little bit of french. The son speaks Arabic and French and the daughter speaks Arabic, French, and English. My conversations with the family involve a lot of laughing because we are trying to understand each other using three different languages. Sometimes I mix my Spanish and French. This week I will be asking them to strictly talk to me in French and a little Arabic. As I will be starting class on Monday and really want to improve my language skills. On Friday, the son and I walked to three different beach and in the forest. He invited me to play soccer with him and his friends next Sunday. I am excited to play! I have not played soccer in a while so this experience will be interesting! The daughter and I get along really well! She is a girly girl so we went shopping together in the Medina. The Medina host a variety of traditional Moroccan clothes, purses, shoes, and jewelry. The items are beautiful!!! While shopping I picked up pastries for my host family. The pastries were delicious! My host family was very thankful! As this new week approaches I am excited to learn more about the city of Rabat and improve my language skills.
(I will try to write in my blog three times a week)

First Adventure in Morocco

Today, we ventured to several historical site in Rabat, Morocco. We visited Cella, Mohammed 5th's Mosque, and Oudayas (Sorry for any misspelled words.)
Cella:

 Mohammed 5th's Mosque:

I have no photos at the Oudayas because the lighting was to dark. 

We also visited the beach. I can't wait till the water is warm so I can take surfing lessons!

So far I am loving Morocco! I feel at home! Today was definitely an adventure. Tomorrow I meet my home stay family and I am very excited and nervous! Until next time!

Beginning my Adventure

Tomorrow, I leave for the beautiful country of Morocco! I am very excited to embark on this journey! I hope all of you enjoy my blog! I will try to update my blog with photos and a brief description as much as possible!