So it’s been a couple months. You’d think I would have already gotten over the inevitable feeling of reverse culture shock, and we’d be on with life, right? Well, apparently not.  Even after two months of being at home, with friends, and being busy, Morocco seemed to invade my brain once more.  I was shopping in TJMaxx (one of my favorite shopping haunts) and out of the blue I was reminded of my host sister, and how much she would have loved some of the shirts and bags I had …

There are some things that never change, and where I am in the globe certainly isn’t one of them!  Somehow, after a long plane ride over the Atlantic, I ended up in the U.S.  How did that happen?  I’m back to the land of wide-open spaces, huge malls, and, of course, the birthplace of fast food!  Again, when did this happen?
I began my surreal excursion back home around 4:30 in the morning three Saturdays ago.  Since I felt it completely unnecessary to try to go to sleep at what I …

As I sit here musing upon my time here in Morocco in my last few days in the country, I don’t think I will ever forget my time in Chefchaouen.  Chefchaouen is a small mountain town in the North of Morocco that’s about a 2.5 hour drive from the Mediterranean coast.  It’s beautifully nestled into the side of a fairly large mountain (at least according to me), and while this seems like a description you’d see in a guidebook, I really did fall in love with the town.  Upon arriving, …

This week has been filled with education and educational experiences.  For starters, I began teaching English in a conversational style at one organization in Sale, the sister city of Rabat.  That has definitely been a lot of fun, and has brought me closer to Moroccan youth culture than I ever thought I would be.  Each class is definitely an adventure as we go through topics ranging from geography to hip hop to religion and back again.
One of the most interesting discussions I have had since arriving in Morocco has been …

For the past two weeks, I have been living (almost) truly on my own in Rabat in a house with 11 of my fellow study abroad classmates. Well, at least independent of my Moroccan host family.  I am currently figuring out how Moroccans go about their daily business, aka finding food among the many vendors on the market street.  Figuring out who is good and who is, well, let’s say letting things slide, is surprisingly challenging sometimes.  However, I have successfully attempted to make several dishes many involving vegetables because …

When you go to a foreign country, you expect to hear a different language that what you’re used to (except if you’re traveling to an English-speaking country, of course).  However, you don’t expect to hear a variety of languages completely melded together.  In Morocco, there is a clear distinction between languages when people talk about languages, but the distinction between each language is not as clear when people talk.
French has had such an impact on the country that a number of words have been directly borrowed and put into the …

Street harassment.  It’s just one of the realities of living in a North African country, so I hear.  And from my experience, it is definitely real.  What constitutes street harassment, though?  Americans have a very strict view of what harassment is, sexual or otherwise, but in Morocco that definition is stretched a little bit.  For instance, it is not uncommon for a woman of any type to not be able to walk 5 feet down a road in any city in Morocco without hearing men all around her constantly saying …

Ah, the countryside!  It was a very welcome relief to get away from noisy and dirty city to the wide-open spaces of rural Morocco.  However, after spending last week with a family in the countryside of Morocco, I must say that everyone lives in a different way, and some ways are more different than others.
As I walked down the long road to my new home with the my new homestay father that first day, I felt at home in the open spaces and beauty around me.  I felt as though …

It seems that the two most commonly used words in conjunction with the Middle East are “terrorist” and “hijab”. While Morocco isn’t a country most people consider to be part of the Middle East, a shared history and religion keeps the country tied to the Persian Gulf and surrounding countries. The connection started when the Arab Empire first swept over North Africa in the 8th century on their way to Andalusia, what is now known as Spain. With them, they not only brought their language but also …

“God wiling, things will work out.”  That’s the phrase you’re most likely to hear no matter where you travel in the Muslim world.  “God willing, I’ll meet you in Fez.”  “God willing, I’ll have the money later.” “God willing, I’ll go to school tomorrow.”  There are always references to God, aka Allah, no matter how liberal-minded a family or person is or seems to be.  Perhaps it is an American affinity to equate religion with conservatism, but this idea always takes me by surprise.  For a mother in the Medina, …