An African Adventure!!

Salut!! I hope that everyone is doing well back home and that you have all recovered from your delicious Thanksgiving meals! I will be honest, it felt strange going to classes instead of being home to watch the Macy’s Day Parade and I certainly missed the delicious smells and tastes of Thanksgiving. The IMLS office (the office that is my home-base here) threw a Thanksgiving party for us. We all brought food but it was FAR from traditional—the corn that I brought was placed next to Ellen’s pancakes, a platter of French cheese and wine, an egg and ham loaf, 2 quiches, 3 dessert tarts, brownies, and sandwiches. It was one of the strangest Thanksgiving meals that I have ever had but it was just nice to be with my friends and their host families!
Last weekend, Friday through Tuesday, I traveled to Morocco with three of my friends. We stayed right in the heart of the old medina in Fez, the cultural capitol of Morocco. We stayed in a wonderful hotel where we were treated like queens! We spent the first days exploring the medina with our guide. We visited a ceramics school/workshop, the infamous leather tanneries, silk and carpet experts, and important monuments and buildings. The next day, we voyaged outside of Fez to visit five surrounding villages. On this day, we dined in a Jewish cave, visited a national park, and even fed monkeys! Our final night was dinner and a 2-hour show of traditional Moroccan songs and dance. The food was DELICIOUS and I will never again be able to eat a shish-kebab with as much contentment! The weather was fabulous—it only rained on Tuesday when we were leaving. It was the most magnificent trip—everything was so different from anything that I have ever experienced before. Also, the people were warm and welcoming. For example, I got a hug from the customs officer in the airport as he told me that I must return to eat more couscous. I loved everything about the trip and hope that you enjoy the pictures!

THANKSGIVING

The Thanksgiving Feast/Centerpiece


Four of us (Ellen was the Pilgrim and I the Native American)/The group minus Ellen


MORACCO

Me drinking traditional Mint Tea/The tanneries


The little monkey cleaning Leah/Me with my banana, afraid of touching the monkey


Ellen and I on our rooftop terrace/My view during lunch one day


Another view from our terrace/Me at the palace door



A courtyard with the mosque tower looming over the corner/Typical gate into the city


African countryside/The stray kitty that decided to plop on my lap for an hour


Hillside city just outside of Fez


The donkeys DO NOT stop!/Ellen and the ceramics man showing us how strong the pottery is


"The Blue House" (rooms are 2000 dollars a night!)/Our breakfast room


Salad Assortment--15 different veggies/My kebabs!!!!


Traditional tajine meal/Moroccan breakfast!!