The First Week

The first week was great. Maye it was adrenaline or stress from the travel keeping me going, but I had a great time. It was nearly a 13 hour travel, first from Orlando, then to Miami, then 8 hours over the Atlantic to Casablanca. An it didn't stop there. From Casa, we traveled in groups to Fez by train.

Our final stop the first night in Fez was in a traditional riad found in the Old Medina. We were welcomed with mint and sugar tea, and served a delicious dinner of bread, meatballs, and eggs prepared in a traditional clay bowl. After our bellies were full, we headed up to our rooms.

In my first week's reflection, I talk about my introduction to my new class and my new host family, as well as my first impression's of the country. I was happy to have been well prepared by my professor at UF, Dr. Bougettaya, as I excelled from Day 1. I described my encounter with Moroccan culture as not too difficult, noting similarities with my own Latin American culture. The people were warm and inviting, and my host mother, Atika, offered me tea and cookies when I first arrived. I came to love this new flavor, mint and sugar. By the time I was meeting her, I was exhausted from a tour of Fez, in which I saw incredible things:

Like the tannery

And the gorgeous entrance to the famous Old Medina market, al-Suk:

There were a lot of people shopping and going about their day in the market, and I did not feel comfortable filming others without their consent. But every 6 feet of an alley was a different shop, each one with different aromatic spices, colorful clothes, or sparkling jewelry and keepsakes. In another part of the market, all sorts of fruits and vegetables were on display, including my favorites which happened to be in season: peaches and watermelon. Other areas had fresh meats and even exotic meats like camel and pigeon.