So it is officially the end of the first week of my life here and let's just say that I have never felt a longer week in my life. Not in a bad way, but because we have had such a jam packed schedule that it has seemed as though everything would fill several weeks at least. But you know they do say work hard and play hard, but this weekend was more relax hard for me!
During the school days we have attended many meetings that take up our time and the teachers have been preparing their classrooms. For the interns however there isn't much to do until the returning staff arrives so that we can meet our departments and start figuring out our schedules. So during those slots of time we have found different things to do aka reading outside or bugging friends. I have tried to help here and there but being new it's not as though I know where anything is to get.
On Thursday Night we finally had couscous (EXCITING!!) We were invited over to the Director's house for a proper couscous dinner, which if they saw how we eat it back in the States they would be horrified here! You sit around round tables and they prepare huge dishes of couscous with lots of vegetables and meat placed on top. Huge amounts of food. Then you clean your hands and dig in. Literally. You use the vegetables and meat to clump the couscous around and mush it in your hands until you get a round ball. Then you get to eat it! Lots of work but well worth it. Let's just say my couscous skills are severly underdeveloped as of right now and I did more of a scoop and eat deal.
Friday was a long day at school followed by a nice night they planned as the end of orientation week. Most of the returning staff has arrived and so a couple hosted a happy hour on their amazing balcony! (Seriously this balcony could have fit at least 50 people) We got to mingle and I met all of my department which was great. They are all super cool and laid back which helps considering I am coming from one of the best departments around at Chap! Speaking of this world is a lot smaller than you think. The English Department Head actually taught at Chaparral before coming here which is awesome because his wife and him will talk Colorado with me when I need someone to understand where Turquoise Lake is or Casa Bonita.
After that we went to a nice restaurant named India Palace for Ftour dinner. It was a beautiful dinner and we had amazing Indian food. And lots of wine. Afterwards we all headed home as it was an exhausting week. However my body had something else in mind. I got rather sick that night and had to battle a fever and stomach issues for hours. When I got up on Saturday I felt pretty dehydrated but I wanted to go to the beach with everyone else even if I didn't surf. So I trekked to the meeting point with plenty of water on hand as well as medicine.
So to get around in Casablanca there are two types of taxis : red and white. The red ones fit 3 people max and for the inner city. They are cheaper but you absolutely have to make sure they reset the meter as they try to make an extra Dirham whenever possible. The white taxis fit 6 and go in general directions, for example out to the beach or to the city. They also differ in the fact that they are per person and will stop to pick up people until they get 6. So you could make tons of new friends on the way! We had to take a red taxi to the white taxi station to then make our way to Dar Bouzza. We had 7 of us so we fit in and headed out. Jack Beach is where the surf school is and it was really easy to get to. We got there and as I was feeling better we all got suited up (wetsuits are needed so the salt water doesn't cause too much friction with the boards). The couple of guys who own the surf school are really cool, they have competed internationally and are part of the Surf Europe Initiative. They taught us how to stand up while still on land as it's much harder in water. Then we went for a jog which must have been a sight for the Moroccans enjoying the day at the beach. Imagine 10 americans in wet suits jogging past you waving their arms as they stretch. Awesome.
Now here is what I learned: when you watch movies like Blue Crush, it makes surfing look so easy. Not. True. At. All. At least when you are a beginner. We might have seen 1 minute of standing time together as a group. But it will be great to learn more and it seems as though the more we practice the easier it gets. I lasted only half the time as I was still dehydrated so I sat and took some photos. There was lots of people watching to do so I stayed entertained. Afterwards we stayed for a couple hours and hung out, played around in the waves. We made our way back and it was only around 3. A great morning. Afterwards I seriously just crashed and relaxed. Listened to music, read, watched lots of great pirated movies that were left for us. (they don't sell real ones here, I promise). But in other words the perfect Saturday to end a crazy week.
Life will slow down soon and we will get into routines. But I hope that surfing saturdays stay a part of my routine as it's amazing and a great workout. And its fun to have a community of us learning something new in our new home.
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