Rabat after 2 days

New friends Rebecca (left) and Nina (Right)

There have been a couple of things that I have found really fun, and a couple of

Two of the cats that seems to have taken over this country
things that I have found really funny, in Morocco so far.

The first is Arabic class by far one of the best decisions I have made in a long time. The school is great, the teachers are very supportive and interactive. It has been a long time since I have had this much fun taking classes. Basically, I decided to embrace the idea that I will often make a fool of myself but perhaps I will learn more that way. Whether it helps or not I hope that everyone else in my class at least thinks its funny.

Funny thing one. As one of my suite mates likes to say, "Development seems to have taken Morocco by surprise." What he means is that I will hit a light switch expecting the light to go on and nothing will happen in the room I'm in, however, somewhere in the apartment a light will switch on or off. There is really no rhyme or reason to where light switches are place.

The pottery shop

Funny thing two. There are these propane tanks sitting around the apartment called budagas. (Its how you heat water or run a stove, apparently when the cities, and these are some new areas I'm talking about, were developed no one thought that there would be a need for gas lines). Now, budagas is different than propane tanks in the US. These tanks have absolutely no safety measures, there is no pressure release valve and no auto shutoff on them. What the Moroccans have basically done is create a series of little bombs that you put around your apartment if you ever want anything to be hot.

Two of the cats that seems to have taken over this country

Today we took a couple of trips off campus. The first was to a pottery studio, I'm pretty sure that we were brought there because to teacher wanted to go shopping but it was pretty cool anyways.

I have decided on a favorite arabic word. Inshallah, god willing, it is used all over the place but it mostly means hopefully.

With that, masa asalama.

Ben

New friend Alex

Where babies come from

At the challah (Roman/Moroccan ruins)