My Fes Family

I have now been living with my host family for two days now. I was so nervous to meet them at first. I didnt want to do the wrong thing and hug them ...which is definitely not a social norm here. But when I calmed myself down and followed their lead I simply shook their hands.
My host mom and dad dont speak any english so it has been a challenge. They have four kids; two little ones, I would guess are around 9 and 2 older daughters.Luckily the daughter who is my age speaks pretty good english! We talked about how she loves facebook, twilight (she is on team edward) and  even lady gaga. The first night my host mom made the biggest dinner I have ever seen. It consisted of pancakes, moroccan soup, and spaghetti. While I could hardly put a dent in my plate it was all so delicious. I could definitely get used to all these amazing home cooked meals (no offense mom). And while spending time with my family Ive definitely noticed that they looooove their tv. Every night thats where we congregate to eat dinner. They like to watch some pretty bad soap operas I will say; but they also enjoy their american movies. The first night we all sat around the tv and watched titanic. I found it pretty funny that I was sitting in someone elses living room half way across the world and watching a movie Ive seen probably ten times.
Overall I feel like I got really lucky with my host family and I cant wait to get to know them better over these next 5 days.

Excitement and Stress

I am typing this post from my iPod so don't mind my spelling. But anyways...morocco has become a place of many firsts for me and that has come with a lot of excitement and stress. Seeing a place so visually different has made me camera happy here. I feel like there is so many things I want to capture (so glad I bought that 8GB memory card. And everytime I feel like I've seen something that is so different such as a morocccan mosque something else comes along and I really feel like I'm in a dream. When we went to Sale the town next to Rabat and saw the HUGE ancient graveyard by the ocean I couldn't believe my eyes.I even saw a prayer service going on and it amazed me that these people live the way they do and how extremely different it is.
As far as stressets I've has I would definitely say that the gender division has put me on edge. Walking down the street it is completely normal for a guy to try and be flirty to see if you'll respond. And simple eye contact here honestly is a way of signaling interest. It has become such a hard norm to break because at home male and female strangers make eye contact all the time. I guess I am trying to worm at not judging so much but just understand it is a different lifestyle. The culture is not going to change but the way I respond definitely can. I wish I could write so much more but computers have been hard to come by. I am in meknes now and I will be leaving for Fes tomorrow. I'll be staying with my host family there so I can't wait to tell u all about it!

I have arrived!

After over 24 hours of traveling I can now say I am in Rabat. Just sitting at this internet cafe everything is different from the people the computer and even the keyboqrd which is making it quite difficult to type. Over these past two days I feel like Ive been transported to another world. This is definitely not a tourist place. I saw the atlantic ocean yesterday which was beautiful. I took two three hour survival arabic classes and it was pretty difficult but I have the basic frases down...i think. The medina aka market is truly intense but it is so exciting to be in a place unlike anywhere else and I am going to attempt to bargain tonight so wish me luck. Hopefully I can update you all soon!

Bon Voyage

It’s still so mindboggling to me that my suitcase is actually all packed and ready to go and that I am leaving for Morocco tomorrow.
 It's quite surprising how there is less in my suitcase for this three week trip than I have ever packed for a one week vacation. I am a huge overpacker and I am quite impressed that my suitcase is not bulging at this point and I have managed to stick to the packing list (for the most part). But hey I have to leave room for all the souvenirs I have to bring home. 
I also just wanted to say thank you all for reading my blog and supporting me as I prepare for my trip, it really means a lot to me. I can’t wait to keep you all updated with my travels while I’m in Morocco and share pictures when I return.

Only 1 more day!

Only one week to go?

After all the time I have spent thinking about Morocco and what it will be like, it is hard to believe that I will be heading off on a plane one week from today. It still seems so strange to me that I won’t be traveling with my family and that I will be experiencing something completely new with my classmates.  Little things will be so different such as not having my sister acting as my “plane buddy” for the eight hour plane ride to Paris and then some to Morocco (tear tear) but I’m sure I will manage. I am looking forward to having  this trip  push me to stand on my own two feet in so many ways. I will have to figure out how to check in at the Air France stand without my mom taking care of it for me (she insists it won’t be that difficult but I’m I will find a way to make it difficult) and how to cram as much of Paris as possible into three days without my Aunt leading us every which direction. But I feel like experiences such as these will be new for so many of my classmates too, which will serve as a great bonding experience. I am so anxious for what this trip holds that I keep imagining so many different scenarios in my head and I cannot wait to actually live it for real!

Only 7 more days...meaning I should actually start figuring out how I am going to cram in 3 weeks worth of stuff into a tiny suitcase!!

The Final Stretch

As finals are approaching, my last assignment for my travel writing class has required me to find a picture of somewhere I am going in Morocco and what I am envisioning and expecting of this destination. My professor suggested that we chose a picture that "speaks to us" and embodies why we wanted to go to Morocco. I personally think this picture had some pretty big shoes to fill and it became quite hard to pick a single picture. There are so many different parts of Morocco I am excited to see and experience; such as wandering through the Medina, camping out in the Sahara desert, to seeing the ruins of volubilis. And being the indecisive person I am I just had to basically do the eeny meeny miny mo trick and go with a picture of the Medina in Fez. The small maze like streets and countless Moroccan people that make the Medina their second home seems so quintessential Moroccan to me. And it is furthermore a place where I can not wait to interact with local people and attempt to bargain for that one thing I just have to have. And so may of the travel pieces I have read in  class have focused on this location and its unique and exotic nature which tells me that there must be something about it that can "speak" to so many different kinds of people . Even though I am excited to visit so many different places I am most anxious to see if the Medina lives up to the ideas that so many travel pieces have painted for me.

What's the Deal on Gender Divide?

In the midst of working on my research paper on gender division through space, I have come to wonder as my date of departure becomes more and more real, how this division will affect women in their day to day lives, and how it will affect me, as a female traveler…not a tourist of course.  

Before beginning my research paper I had just assumed that religion is the reason that the people of Islamic countries are brought up to believe that men have different rights than women. As I picked my paper topic because I myself had so many misconceptions about this issue, I have come across so many interesting arguments as to why males and females are not viewed as “equal.” With ideas ranging from of course, religion, to social class, to location, to external influences, the one thing I have learned through all these different arguments is that there is no straight forward answer saying “this is the GRAND reason why women and men have different roles”…and believe me this would be extremely nice to have for my research paper! All these different factors in a way truly create a melting pot in the way social division is seen.

And as I and my other female classmates have been forewarned about the importance of traveling in groups, to tying our hair back so men won’t touch our hair, to just how to ignore catcalls; I have become a little anxious as to how I will adjust to this way of life for three weeks. But after these three weeks I will go home and everything will be back to normal. I won’t have to worry about these issues that Moroccan women face on a day to day basis. And although many Moroccans don’t see their gendered differences to be an issue like we would in America, I want to remind myself to be an open traveler and not judge so much when I am feeling frustrated, but rather try to learn and take something new from their cultural ways.

27 days to go!

What makes a goal?

After having gone through  a lets just say "interesting" cross cultural orientation I have come to reevaluate what my goals are for my trip to Morocco.

Before the orientation started we were all divided up by our respected destinations and had to come up with some goals for our trip. As my classmates and I came up with some entertaining ones such as "be able to drink cafe nous nous from a man cup" or "not to get too lost in the Medina"..which will most likely happen anyways...we also came up with some more personal general goals such as "have a better understanding of the culture" and etc.

But as we all partook in some cross-cultural simulations that made for some laughs and definite discomfort in the room..I had to ask myself many times if this is seriously happening? I really started to grapple with the ideas that adjusting to the Moroccan culture may not be as easy as I thought. For just doing silly  exercises such as trying to have a conversation where every verb you use you have to then follow with a synonym....its not as easy as you think!.. or partaking in a simulation where cultures clash through different ideas of personal space..this exercise was way to ridiculous to even try and explain I started to think about what I really want to learn from my real cross cultural experience.

While yes I would love to actually be able to drink cafe nous nous from a man cup..if my professor actually shares her secret of how its done.. or not get lost in the Medina I have discovered that I really want to not just get through these three weeks but really experience the vastly different culture, for the opportunity to interact with a culture so vastly different from your own does not come around that often and when it does you really do have to make the most out of the opportunity. And as I know there will be frustrating moments when I'm trying to interact with my home stay family and moments of discomfort for reasons I wont be able to understand it is my ultimate goal that I remind myself that as any journey has its ups and downs its all part of this once in a lifetime experience.

37 days til I say goodbye Chicago Salam Aleikum Morocco!

And So the Countdown Begins...

As bargaining in the Medina, attempting to speak that Arabic phrase I practiced so many times, riding a camel in the Sahara and so many other out of my world experiences are coming closer everyday;this once in a lifetime opportunity of studying in Morocco for three weeks earns its own proper documentation.
To make this trip blog worthy I have made a little contract with myself that I will post at least once a week before the trip about how all the different preparations and excitements and anxieties are coming along. And once I am there I will be trying to post as often as possible about everything and anything
*Signed Lisa Rodriguez*
…While the experience of getting to Morocco and back will be filled with so many emotional experiences, many I  can guarantee I have never encountered before, I hope to use this blog as a way to share and grow as a person on my journey.
When I first saw the brochure about the Morocco program with the picture of students riding camels in the middle of the Sahara desert I honestly thought that trip was not for a person like me..suburban girl turned (wannabe)city girl. Me and nature have never been best of friends and me and the not so nice amenities I have encountered in the past have been true enemies for a long time!..as so many people can attest to.
But then I got all sentimental and thought about the grand idea of the college experience everyone wants to have. College is in so many ways what everyone makes it out to be. As it truly is a time for trying new things, breaking barriers, overcoming what was once thought of as unimaginable, and most of all defining myself on my own.
Even though I could have taken the easy route and gone to Paris and Brussels for three weeks or any other truly westernized city for that matter…I am ecstatic  just being able to sit at my desk at this moment typing my first blog post that only a short matter of time stands between me and what I know will be one of the best experiences of my life.
43 days to go til I say good bye Chicago ssalamu ‘lekum Morocco!