In one fast week I went through orientation, class registration, began classes, and went on a last minutes adventure. The weather also seemed to be moving fast. Some days it was uncomfortably warm, others it was chillingly cold, and then there were the days in which I was walking through clouds. The common factor between all of these days is the consistent humidity.
Orientation
As international students, we attended special orientation sessions created just for us, but we also attended one session of freshman orientation. During the sessions, we registered for residency and were given tips on traveling through Morocco and adapting to our surroundings. Those tended to be a little boring, but practical.
Now the exciting part was the orientation that had the University President's speech. He spoke in Arabic, so the other international students and I only understood some of what he was saying if we understood any of it. After the speech, the lights dimmed and the curtains began to part. From behind the curtains emerged multiple people: the dance club. They put on quite a show. I only remembered to take a video part way through the dance because I was so surprised and intrigued by the whole ordeal. Arguably, it was the highlight of orientation.
The School Week
Monday morning 6:30 am. I woke up with a pressure in my chest. This may sound concerning, but that is just how my body tends to process anticipation and stress. Why was I stressed for the first day of school? When it comes to my academics, I am a planner. I want to have everything set perfectly several days in advance. However, Al Akhawayn University's system is set in such a way that, as an international student, one can only add or drop classes from Monday, August 28th at 9 am until Monday, September 4th at 5 pm. In addition, every change has to be made through the International Students office ( also known as the OIP office). I arrived at the OIP office with a couple of friends at 8:30 am because one of the classes that I wanted to get into started at 10 am. We waited in line for over two hours. By the time I finished setting up my schedule, the 10 am class was over. I made it to all of my other classes that day and went on with the week. I am really excited for all of my classes because they are all intriguing topics and having this wonderful opportunity to study them in Morocco makes it all the more exciting.
My schedule is very spread out: I have multiple five-hour gaps between classes. My hope is that I will have time to finish all of my homework and readings during the week in order to optimize my excursion opportunities. So far I have been able to make mini explorations in Ifrane and a large excursion to Tangier this weekend with other international students.
Ifrane
The medina and park are all within walking distance and if one chooses to take a taxi it is twelve MAD (Moroccan Dirham) at most. The main places within Ifrane that I have visited are the Marche, the park, and the souk (Arabic for market) area. The Marche consists of many little shops; almost everything you need to get started can be found at the Marche. Except for conditioner and gel. I have curly hair and conditioner is a must. The Marche has two or so places that sell hair related products. There are shelves and shelves covered in shampoo, but conditioner is a rare sighting. Out of hundreds of shampoos, I found three small bottles of conditioner. In other words, conditioner exists here, but it is really difficult to find.
Another place that I visited with some friends was a park. At this park, children were playing soccer, people were out for a stroll, and then there was a mini souk (market). They were selling jewelry, bags, and much more. On the way to the souk, we took a stroll through the park and found a beautiful archway with stairs around the bend. At the top of the stairs, we could see the mini souk. Out of excitement, I bought multiple gifts for people back home; even though I know it is way too early to be purchasing gifts. Either way, the action of exploring was an enjoyable experience.
Tangier
The University was closed Friday, September 1st for Eid Al Adha. Side note: Eid Al Adha is a Muslim holiday that recognizes and celebrates the prophet Abraham's willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice of his son in obedience to God. However, God ultimately prevents the sacrifice. For more information visit: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/02/world/eid-al-adha-muslims.html?mcubz=1
The campus was going to be empty, so a group of my friends and I traveled to Tangier for sight seeing. To get to Tangier we took a taxi from Ifrane to Meknes and then a train to Tangier. This was my first time on a train; that is unless you count the little train that goes to the Grand Canyon. We paid 137 MAD (Moroccan Dirham) for a first class cabin train ride from Meknes to Tangier. On the way there we got to see a lot of the country side of Morocco and had fun waving at trains passing in the opposite direction. My friend, whom I will call Birdy to protect her identity, took the picture of me on the left. It almost captures my excitement and nervousness that arose as the train began to move. The picture on the right consists of my travel companions as we began our second leg of the trip.
Upon arrival, we checked into our hotel and proceeded to explore the new city. The streets were eerily empty, maybe one of two groups of other people. We expected this because all of the families were preparing for the festivities of Eid. This proved advantageous because we were able to take pictures of different parts of the city without fear of taking pictures of people. We walked down, what we assumed was, the main road to explore and take pictures. At the end of the road, we found ourselves face to face with the incredibly blue, massive Mediterranean Sea.
The next day we traveled to Hercules' cave. Our taxi driver was one of the most kind, amazing men I have met in Morocco. Instead of trying to get us to the destination, get paid, and ditch us as soon as possible, he took his time, pointed out landmarks and stopped to let us take pictures on the way to the cave. When we would take too long, he would put on his glasses and read a book. On the declining road to the cave, he pulled over and explained that what we were looking at was the point at which the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet. Of course, we all had to get photos of this area, but I decided to get a picture of them taking photos of the transitioning body of water (Picture on the left).
After stopping numerous times to take pictures, we arrived at the cave. Excited to see the amazing sight we walked quickly down the path.
Unfortunately, we fell for the tourist trap because the actual cave of Hercules was closed for the holiday weekend. It was still an awesome sight but most of the intrigue cave dwellings were covered by merchandise for sale.
Unfortunately, we fell for the tourist trap because the actual cave of Hercules was closed for the holiday weekend. It was still an awesome sight but most of the intrigue cave dwellings were covered by merchandise for sale.
Upon discovering that we fell for a tourist trap, we left and approached the beach to see if we could see, or reach it from the outside. They were hopeful thoughts but we ended up looking at another stunning view of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
All all of us wished the weekend would last longer, but we had to take the train and taxi back to Al Akhawayn University, back to reality, and back to our studies. When ever I notice the sun setting I feel the urge to stop and enjoy the changing colors because my grandma always does.
And that's a wrap for Tangier!
On a side note, there are Mcdonald's Fast Food Restaurants everywhere and yes they are fancier than the ones found in the United States.
Random Tips
- Attend all Orientation sessions, they are tedious at times but fully worth it.
- Always purchase a 1st class ticket for train rides because it guarantees a seat, where as in 2nd class one might find oneself standing between cars for two hours or more.
- In big cities, men will catcall you, try to get your attention, and follow you, especially if you look different from what they are used to seeing. My best tip is to always travel in a group of three or more girls or with a male companion. If you ignore them, they will eventually go away. *I do not believe that this is special to Morocco, honestly this sort of occurrence can happen in any big city* Just make intelligent choices and always be aware of your surrounding situation.
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