Smiling Again
I finally feel like I’m in the Arab world again – it took a lot longer than necessary to actually get here…story later…but I’m so happy to be back! So far, Morocco has been much different than Egypt, especially Cairo, but it brings back a lot of memories for sure.

Synopsis of the airport fiasco, and when I say “fiasco,” I mean أزمة (“azma,” a crisis): I’ll keep it short, but I’ll just start with saying that this was the WORST travel experience I’ve had. Our group of ~30 flew out of Dulles on Thursday afternoon, but our plane took off and landed late in Paris, at Charles de Gaulle (CDG). And the landing was probably the most frightening landing I’ve ever had, as well. We ran through CDG and were told that they would hold the plane for us, but when we arrived at the gate, no one was there and it was closed, even though the plane was still there. So frustrating.

Our camp-out site in CDG baggage claim...everyone was laying on the ground by the end

So our new task was arranging a way for 30 people to get to Casablanca. Extremely complicated. After many conversations, two food vouchers, running back and forth with passports, and befriending the security guards, we ended up splitting into three groups, departing at three different times. My group ended up waiting in CDG for 10 hours, working through a giant disaster to locate/gather baggage from off-site storage facilities. Then we took a two-hour shuttle ride to the other airport in Paris (Orly), re-checked our bags, and finally boarded ~9:30pm. So yes, our “layover” in Paris was over 14 hours, and so by the time we arrived in Casablanca, I had barely slept in the past 30 hours. However, I’m thankful that I have my bag because a lot of luggage was lost in the process.

We slept overnight in Casablanca, and took a 4 hours bus ride to Tangier. After a good night sleep, though, things have been much better. But aside from that, here are some reasons for being happy:

Meredith and me in one of the museum's courtyards

1.     Seeing Meredith (or “Mezdez,” according to the Arab pronunciation), who was one of my best friends from my year in Egypt. We haven’t seen each other since our rushed goodbye in Dulles two years ago on our way back from Egypt, but she is here this summer doing a research project on a grant from Stanford. Needless to say, we haven’t wasted much time by spending most of today together…first Matsumoto tour of the summer :) 

2.     Exploring Tangier and getting lost: We went into the old medina (city), which is separated from the rest of Tangier by walls, and accessible through several different “gates.” Tangier is actually quite hilly, so we trekked up to the Kasbah, which is central structure, and wandered around until we found the Kasbah Museum. The museum was actually a palace built by Moulay Ismail (ruler of Morocco, 1672-1727) that is now filled with artifacts from around Morocco, from the Paleolithic ages until the Portuguese occupation (~16^th century), so there was quite a variety. The building itself was also beautiful, with painted wood ceilings and colorful tile. One of my favorite parts, however, was a gallery of colored photos of Morocco from 1935 because they gave insight into what Moroccan life was like.

Neat doorways in the medina

We wandered back down tiny alleyways in a residential area of the medina,. We hit some dead ends along the way, but the buildings were painted in bright colors and some of the doorways were exquisite, so getting slightly lost was definitely worth it. On our way back down, I heard loud cheering from a TV in a shop and saw Egyptian flags waving. I stopped in and found out that Mohammed Mursi, the candidate from the Muslim Brotherhood, had just been announced the new president of Egypt! The Egyptian people were on the streets celebrating, and the shopkeepers were obviously pleased. We had a short conversation with them, and then continued on our way.  

TV announcing the election results

And to continue:

3.     Drinking a giant glass of mango juice (although not as delicious as Egypt)

Mango juice!

4.     Buying dates…the giant piles in the souk were irresistible

5.     Finding out that there’s a pool where we’re living (at the American School in Tangier)!

6.     Arabic classes starting tomorrow!

So after those many hours of travel, I can finally smile again! 

Off to the Arab world again. It's one day before I leave for orientation in Washington, D.C. for the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program. I'm currently watching the Spain vs. Croatia game in the Euro 2012, sitting next to Lily on the leather chair - last time I'll be in this position until 2013.

CLS is an 8-week, intensive Arabic program, and I absolutely cannot wait for another immersion+travel experience. Like the program I did in Egypt (see my blog for more info: monicaegypt.blogspot.com), CLS is sponsored by the U.S. State Department to promote the learning of languages deemed "critical" to national security - Arabic, for example. A group of ~30-40 undergraduate and graduate students will be in Tangier this summer.

I just got back this morning from a wonderful trip to California to visit my relatives, and now I have to finalize packing and other details. It wouldn't have been difficult to pack for a summer in Morocco, but I won't actually be back in the United States until the end of December. After Morocco, I'm stopping over in Cairo to visit my host family for a few days before flying to Amman, Jordan to begin my fall semester abroad. I will also be studying in an intensive Arabic program through CIEE (Council of International Educational Exchange), a non-governmental, non-profit organization for international student exchanges. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but here's the website for the Arabic language program I'll be doing: http://www.ciee.org/study-abroad/jordan/amman/arabic-language/#1rightForYou.

And after Jordan, I'm planning on traveling around Turkey with a good friend from Rice on the way back home - here's the rough schedule for the rest of 2012, since it's easy to lose track:
June 21-August 21: Tangier, Morocco
August 22-26: Cairo, Egypt
August 26-December 21: Amman, Jordan
December 22-30: Turkey
December 31: Home! (Charlottesville)
January 5: Back to Rice for classes

This outline is the basis for the title of this blog, which can be roughly translated to "possible" - not too original, but I think it sums up the next six months well because anything is possible, no matter how difficult or unexpected. First, both of these programs are immersion, meaning NO English allowed, and even though this will be challenging, I seriously can't wait. Moreover, I'm armed with not one, but TWO Rough Guides - one to Morocco and another Jordan, so I plan on traveling and exploring as much as possible. Perhaps some Matsumoto Tours! (it's actually a real thing, just look on Facebook) if I can find other students who also love to explore the country and culture. Plus, "mumkin" is one of my favorite Arabic words to say.

That's it for now, but more details later, for sure. And a last tribute to the country I'll miss, despite its imperfections, and the people in it: