Week Four Reflection!

Four weeks have gone by and I can still remember when I first stepped off the bus in Marrakech. I really am going to miss Marrakech. I've been learning a lot of Arabic and bonding with a lot of the people in the program.

On Monday and Tuesday the Rabat people came and that was an amazing. It felt so nice to interact and spend time with them. I forgot how much I miss everyone in Rabat. It was also sad because the next time we see them, we will be going back home.

Currently, I am in Essaouira and I can't get over how amazing the weather is. I've bought so much stuff it's insane. While I was buying hats for some family members, a middle aged man comes up to me and hits me on the shoulder and tells me in Arabic "Give me your money" and I just froze. He would not go away and he would not take his eyes off my wallet and he kept saying "give me your money" in Arabic. Luckily, the shopkeeper came and told him to go away.

I have been getting close with a lot of the people here and I really am going to miss everyone here. I've made great friendships and I feel like I've known these people for years and years. I've also gotten closer to my class and teacher. I feel a lot more comfortable asking questions and joking around with my teacher now. I can't even believer there are only two weeks left. I'm going to miss Morocco so much and I am definitely coming back to visit, inshallah.

I've really gotten to know myself and my capabilities throughout these four weeks. I've done so many things I never would have done back home. I feel so much more independent here and I love that feeling. I have a feeling when I get back home I will be depressed for about a week. I don't know how I am going to get used to not hanging out with my friends everyday from 9AM-9PM.

I'll be back next week with my week five reflection!

Week Three Reflection: Halfway Done!

Oh wow, three weeks have already gone by and we are halfway done with the program. This week has been pretty eventful. On Monday and Tuesday we were in Chefchouan and it was absolutely amazing.

Since coming to Morocco, I have grown a lot personally. I've been thinking a lot about what I want to study in college and I'm glad I now have an idea of what I want to study. I've made really great friendships here that I think will stick.

This week has been really hard concerning Arabic. I've been having a hard time picking up everything in class and adjusting. In every single Arabic class I've ever been in, I've always learned conversational Arabic. However, at the CLC they teach us formal Arabic and all the grammar rules. I haven't heard of any of the grammar terms and when I speak, I never think about the correct grammar.

This weekend we are going to Essaouira and I'm excited to go on the beach. Not much has happened this week, will be back next week!

Week Two Reflection

Wow, two weeks have already gone by! It's weird to think that we only have four weeks left at home. So far, we have had four Modern Standard Arabic classes and they have been very challenging (I'll get more into that later). Everyone here is forming close bonds with each other and I have no idea how I am going to function when I get home.

A big adjustment for me was the way the teachers teach Arabic here. I thought we were only going to work out of Al-Kitaab and for six weeks it would an "on your own" sort of thing. However, in my class we use the book as a guide but we go off on our own discussions. Our homework so far has been to review everything we did in class and then we be tested on it the next day. It has been hard adjusting to this kind of teaching style but I feel like I'm learning a lot. Since I was placed in a higher level Arabic class, a lot more is expected of me in terms of vocabulary and grammar rules. However, even though it's hard at the beginning, I will benefit in the long run.

Since my blog title is called From Curry To Couscous, I think it is completely necessary to talk about the amazing food in Morocco. Since today is Friday, we go home for Couscous Friday and have lunch with our families. The couscous here is so unbelievable amazing, I can't even wrap my head around the amazing taste. It has been a little bit of a struggle since I am vegetarian but I have still managed to fall in love with the food here.

More updates in a few days for week three reflection!