February 28, 2010

Hello All, I am back in Rabat after a delightfully hectic couple of weeks. Two weekends ago I was able to travel to Meknes, one of the imperial cities two hours north of Rabat. Meknes is minutes away from the Roman city of Volubulis, which sits on a hill facing the town of Moulay Idriss, which houses the tomb of the Idrissid king. From Meknes we trekked a couple of hours to Ifrane, the Swiss looking, snow covered resort town. Classes have been going well and the language is coming. Between classes and exploring, the week is pretty packed. I began swimming again! Big surprise, with a Moroccan swim club in the Agdal section of the city. We have a meet tomorrow in Casablanca. Results to follow. Last week, our program faciliated a trip to Marrakesh and Essouira in the south of Morocco. Marrakesh is world famous for its energy and Place de Djema Fna. It's desert location adds yet another dimension to Morocco's diversity. I have to say my favorite city thus far is Essouira. Resembling much of a Greek city, it is painted white and blue, created initially to house the Jews of Mogador. Today it is a wondrous beach town, with a world famous Gnawa music festival...If you have heard any of my music, gnawa is the trance-like blues of Africa. Discuss. Alors, I am baking peanut butter cookies for the family and getting some rest after a crazed week and longer than usual dance class last night. I have some funny stories too for you all. One of which being, the seek and find of a new church on Ashe Wednesday. It turned out to be a service all in Korean. Who would of thought? Miss and love you all, Cheers