Awkward turtle...

The majority of today was spent walking. Walking here walking there, walking up (many stairs) walking down, walking all around. The next Doctor Seuss eh? Woke up bright and early at 5:50 am when the call to prayer went

off at the Mosque right across the street from our apartment. I was able to go back to sleep until around 7:30 for my alarm,which I have finally figured out! I might also mention that there is a rooster in an apartment across the street from us that crows not only when the sun rises but also nearly every 30 minutes after that.

Brittini and I ate a quick breakfast with our host mother and sister and headed to AMIDEAST. It was about a 30-44 minute walk. It was lovely to get out and walk in the brisk morning air with our host sister Fatima. She is very easy to talk with, eager to learn and to help teach us Darija (Moroccan arabic). At AMIDEAST we told each other stories about our first night with homestay families. All seems well, some host families are very modern, some speak mostly french, come are very busy and never home, while others stayed up late on their sofa's talking. Of course my homestay seems to be the best :)

Then came time for the Rabat challenge, a scavenger hunt throughout the city and a whole lot of walking. I and four other girls hit the town! We had to get pictures of various places, a cafe, internet hot spot, pharmacy, bank, etc. Also we needed to go to the Medina and buy a gift and something ambiguous for the rest to guess it's purpose. We headed towards our homestay's to show each other our new homes. Along the way we passed a high school which must have just gotten out for lunch because crowds of youngsters were gathered around. We caused the biggest ruckus I have ever caused. Everyone was yelling things and boys were drumming on the cars, we're kind of a big deal I guess.

We magically found our way everywhere we needed to go without barely looking at the map. We stumbled upon homestay's, wandered right up to the walls of the Medina, came out the other

side, remembered our way to the post office and train station, and jumped in a taxi saying, "McDonalds Agdal," and they took us to the McDonalds right around the corner from AMIDEAST! Needless to say we felt pretty accomplished.

We gave presentations of our days, revealed our ambiguous objects which were interesting cookie cutters in the shape of a pyramid, swirly design, and the Hamsa. During tea time after we arrived home I spoke the most arabic consecutively since I arrived in Morocco. Brittini and I worked our hardest to communicate with Rabia the host mom and it actually worked. We gave them our gifts from home and had a very enjoyable meal. Later I taught Fatima some American hand gestures and meanings like "high five", and "awkward turtle" and I learned others. My personal favorite is "Shooma" which you say as you pull down the skin beneath your eye with your index finger, it means shame. Then of course some good ol' Moroccan soap opera's to end the night. In this one the jealous housewife made her maid change her name to her mothers in order to scare her husband away from here. Oy Vey, what will

they think of next!

Layla sa3ida (goodnight)

p.s. this is the view from my room