Miscellaneous Pictures From My Life in Rabat

Note: this was written on 21 July 2016, but took 4 days to upload. 

Today I will be leaving Rabat. It's a weird feeling since I'm not leaving Morocco for another week or so. But there's still the bittersweet feeling of leaving somewhere for who knows how long. Our group from Rabat is meeting back up with the Marrakesh group in another city in Morocco. 

I am leaving my host family and my home in Rabat. I'm leaving the school and the places we hang out. I'm amidst the feelings of excitement for the next adventure and nostalgia for this one. In that, I have compiled some photos to look back on this past weeks in Rabat. 

This is a picture of a door in the Medina. During the past couple weeks, I branched out a bit and started venturing further from my neighborhood in Rabat. I have to take a taxi and a tram to get to the medina. All in all it probably takes about an hour, but it's worth it. The souq is the medina. The first time I got myself to the medina, it was so liberating. This was from the first time I went to the medina. 

This picture was taken after we went bowling. We went bowling on our first day off in Rabat. It was the first time we bonded as Americans and with our host siblings. This was also the first time I ordered for myself in Morocco. It was rough, I ended up ordering in English, but hey, progress. 

As I said, we got breakfast and lunch everyday at school. It was always delicious and the cooks were the first relationships I formed completely in Arabic. This picture is beautiful. It makes me really happy. The colors and the henna are aesthetically pleasing. I also remember taking this picture. I just wanted the fruit and my friend photobombed with her hand. I think it enhances the picture. 

This is my henna. The design on my hand with the watch is a traditional Moroccan design. It's very geometric, it's also different from the flowery henna you usually see. 

This was my first adventure without Moroccans. Sure, it only resulted in a poorly lit picture of my crepe, but I remember that was the first time I got home all by myself. 

This picture was taken at our Moroccan tea ceremony. We learned how to make the Moroccan tea I think I'm addicted to. I like this picture because of the teapot, the tea, and the carpet. 

These cushions and rugs were laid out for the tea ceremony. We ended up spending a lot of time out there. My friends set up a thing like this for me at my going away party. 

This picture is when we went out for my host parents' birthdays. They both had birthdays within a week from each other. This day, I really felt like part of their family. It was a really great night. 

This picture was taken the day of the tea ceremony. Some of us wore Moroccan djellabas. I love this picture because it's a classic study abroad pic. The diversity is pretty cool too. I also love these people so...

Before I ever went to the Medina alone, I went to this bookshop. A friend of my sister loves books like I do. She was telling me about this shop, and I wanted to go sooo badly. My friend (charlotteinmorocco.wordpress.com) and I took a taxi to the area this shop is in. We walked around for almost 20 minutes all over the area trying to find it. It turns out if was a 30 second walk down the street we got out of the taxi at. 

I've mentioned the Medina a lot. The old city of Rabat is located near the water. It's a center of crafts and trade, just like in Fes. I love going to the medina. It's a perfect place to practice your Arabic. Most shop keepers speak French and English but since I can pass for Moroccan they speak to me in Arabic. I also love haggling, and seeing all the different things for sale. I think the best purchase was when I accidentally bought crooked Moroccan flags. 

Right outside the souq in the medina, there is a mini carnival. This ride cost 15 dhs to ride. It was old, rickety, and probably very unsafe. It wouldn't have been scary if I had faith in it to not break. I swear I could feel the arm of it coming off. 

I really wanted to make a meal for my host family. I never got to make them dinner, but I did make them breakfast yesterday morning. What's more American than chocolate chip pancakes?

This picture was taken at our party last night. I gave a speech thanking my host family in Arabic. This is my host sister. I love her and I'm going to miss her so much. 

These past few weeks have been incredible. I want to take another opportunity to thank everyone who made my stay in Rabat wonderful. The best way to get to know a country is through its people. Morocco has some pretty great people. 

Learn something today. 

Corie.