I have now been in Morocco for two days and I am
experiencing so many new and exciting things. I arrived to Ifrane with eight other American exchange students. We were the first to arrive on campus and we
have travelled together since arriving. I could not see much of the campus
because we arrived at two a.m., so when I woke up I was in awe of the gorgeous
architecture and views around me. My dorm is huge and we get a bathroom in the
room; which is something I am very excited about. In Morocco, the lights are
always off in the hallways to conserve energy and to refrain from creating too
much heat since there is no air conditioning in the dorms. When I first
arrived, having the lights off in the hallways was scary and nerve-wracking,
but I am really starting to appreciate the conservation technique as well as
the cool halls.
The first day we arrived, the group I flew in with decided
to wake up early and explore the town of Ifrane. We were told that at the
Marche there would be shops where we can purchase toiletries, cell phones, and
supplies. After walking to the town—which is only a mile from the University—we
thought we arrived. After exchanging money and looking through some stores, we
ate lunch at a busy restaurant. For an 8-inch pizza and a cappuccino, the total
was only 55 MAD, which is only $6.51. I am thrilled about the cheap prices and
the low cost of living here, getting a 1.5 L water bottle was only $0.75! We
could not find any stores with supplies that we needed so we all walked back to
campus to enjoy a late afternoon nap and some time to unpack. We all met for
dinner that evening on campus and then were invited by three Moroccan students
to go down to the actual Marche, and then to a bar near campus. The Marche was
absolutely amazing. It reminded me at first of Chinatown in NYC, but as we
walked deeper into the commune of shops and street venders, it realized that I
have never been anywhere like it. One of our Moroccan friends, Kenza, took us
to a shop to buy clothes hangers and cell phones, and then we were led to a
little restaurant where we ate M’semn (I’m not sure how to spell that) and
drank mint tea. M’semn is a bread that kind of tastes like a flakey roll that
can be eaten plain, with cheese, or honey. We ate ours with honey and it was
absolutely delicious. We then took a cab to the bar where we sat and talked to
the Moroccans about their culture and life here. Apparently the cops in Ifrane
have no control because the students at AUI come from rich and powerful fathers
and the police are afraid that they will arrest someone who has connections and
can get the police in trouble. We also learned that if someone gets arrested
before 18 years of age, the parents or guardians pay the price of the child’s
crime. After a couple hours, we walked back to the University and finally got
to settle in for the night.
Today we met up to go to a famous tree called Cedre Gouro.
We woke up and had some pastries for breakfast and then went outside the campus
gates to wait for a taxi. We were waiting for a while before one drove past and
we were able to arrange for more to come. Only three people are allowed to go
in a taxi at one time, so we waited for two more to come after three people
from our group went off in the first one. A nice couple that was leaving the
University, offered to take three of us to the place where we would transfer
taxis to get a bigger one. They were so nice and made sure that the taxi
drivers were giving us a fair price and would take us to the tree. After about
a fifteen-minute ride, we all arrived at the tree. Immediately after arriving,
we were swarmed by men who wanted us to get on their horses to ride around on a
trail. They ended up pulling one of the girls and forced her onto a horse, so
we decided to go with it, and all got on a horse. We were led around a circular
path for about one hour. I hated the way the animals were being treated, since
they were not in good shape, nor were they being properly fed or hydrated, but
I had to just sit on my horse and make the most of it. One girl’s horse
actually fell during the ride, which was so scary and sad. We convinced the
owners of the horses to let us off so we could look around and the animals
could get a break. We saw a lot of monkeys, which was so cool, and we got to
get really close to them. After exploring, we finished our ride and took the
taxi home.
Orientation starts tomorrow and I am happy to learn more
about the University and Morocco as well as meet new people. I am so thankful
that I arrived with a great group, but I am also excited to get to know others.
Unfortunately, my adapter does not work for my computer, so
I am borrowing a friend’s, so I have limited computer use until I find a
three-pronged adapter for my Mac. Hopefully, I will find one soon!
