Thanksgiving Day, Weekend Field Trip, and Less Than a Month Left...

So last week I was a struggle bus. Wednesday morning I was cleaning my ear with  Q-tip and the cotton from it got stuck in my ear. I went to the infirmary  on campus and the nurse that night found it and said that she would try to get it out. She said I either had the choice of her trying to get it out that night, or I can get a prescription ear drop which should make it easier to take out the next day. I tried the first option first. She ended up practically stabbing the inside of my ear and it hurt so much! But she apparently moved it a bit. She gave me the prescription and I had to go into town late that night on my own to get the ear drops.

Thanksgiving Day: November 27th 
I went back Thursday morning and it was a different nurse. He tried to look in my ear and he couldn't even find it. Worse, is that I kept asking them if it was there, and if he could find it. I even asked him in French. I received no response. He just walked away and left me in the room on the bed and I waited for fifteen minutes. I decided to get up and find out what was happening on my own and I went out into the waiting room and looked over to the adjacent office and found the nurse just minding his business at his desk. After waiting another five more minutes in the waiting room I got to the woman at the front desk and she just told me that he was unable to find it and that it is absolutely necessary for me to go into Fez and see a specialist.

I cannot explain my frustration with these nurses on campus. The first one finds it and stabs my ear. The second can't even find it the next after it is supposedly moved a bit and should be easier to take out. What idiots....

Anyways, I threw a fit because I had planned on staying on campus working all day. I had a paper and a report and presentation to prepare. But I had no choice. I left Ifrane at around 2 pm with a bus provided by the University and a translator came with. It only took about 45 minutes to get into Fez but even though we got there in time, we ended up waiting two hours or so to see a doctor. And he just took it right out no problem, He looked into a microscope, found it, and pulled it out without stabbing my ear. I was so grateful to have my hearing back!

That was what I was most thankful for that day. I had gone nearly 30 hours of being deaf in my left ear and I had never appreciated things as simple as that. You know when you get sick and you appreciate you being able to breathe out of your nose? I felt that, but with my ear, and every other sense I have. I thankful for being able to hear, and for being a functional healthy person. I'm incredibly thankful for my family and friends back home, and my family and friends that I've made all around the world that have supported me through everything. I'm incredibly thankful for my supportive and loving mother who gives me every opportunity I could ever dream of. She let me come to Morocco even though she was beyond terrified for my safety over here. I am alive and well, and I could not be more thankful for everything and everyone in my life, but also the simple things such as being a healthy human.

I could go on about how thankful I am about numerous things. I am an incredibly fortunate person.

Anyways, after he took the cotton out, I was extremely relieved and thankful that I could hear again. On our way back to Ifrane I was hungry so the bus driver took me to Mcdonalds. It was a long but productive day well worth it and I got two burgers. I don't really ever eat Mcdonalds in the States, bu sometimes being abroad does that to you I realize. You miss things as "American as it can get", or the closest thing you can find to food you would be able to find at home, and you resort to eating things even such as disgusting fast food because you can be certain of what it is and it's quality, when other foods in your current traveling environment can be pretty questionable. More so than Mcdonalds. So that was my thanksgiving. Realizing how lucky I am to be a healthy person and I was thankful for my sense of hearing. And I celebrated on my own with my bus driver by eating Mcdonalds. Cheers!

November 28-30th
Friday morning it snowed. Not a lot, but not little. But there was news that it would be getting worse, so there were reports saying not to travel for the weekend. I attended my morning classes like normal. For my afternoon class, African Popular Culture, it was cancelled because we had a field trip to Casablanca to eat at a Senegalese restaurant. I wasn't sure if we were still going to go because of the weather, but we did anyways. About half of my class (primarily exchange students) showed up. We met at the University's front gate and took a just short of a four hour bus ride. We arrived at our hotel at checked in. It was already late in the evening, so a group of us just went exploring around the neighborhood and looked for a nearby restaurant. We found a decent tapas place.

Saturday morning our professor took us to a cafe for coffee but no breakfast. We had to make sure we would be hungry for our Senegalese lunch. While waiting for our noon reservation to roll around we explored with our professor (an American who has been living and working here for the past twenty years) who gave us a tour of the area. He knew everything about the place, the history of the market, where any shop of any kind was located, different kinds of food and quality and where they could be found. You name it.

Flowers in the Market

Found some Lizards in the Market (alive and dead....)

Casablanca-The city of white houses

We ate our infamous Senegalese lunch. I had a dish called Mafi. Which is a rice dish with beef and a spicy peanut sauce. It was bombbb. Although one of my classmates who is from Senegal who came along said it was only alright. Whatever, I was happy, and my stomach was full all day.

That afternoon a bunch of us set out on a mission to find a grocery store. We ran our own errands (Ifrane is super small and you need to go to a city to find a lot of things you may need) and I got shampoo, wine, and cheese. Yeah, I know what's important..

Alcohol here is sold in a separate room called the Alcohol cave. It is in the grocery stores but is separate because it closes and locks at 8:30 pm. I like that it's called the Alcohol cave haha

We explored the medina with the goal of getting Christmas presents. Most of us were Americans and coming back home in December means Christmas presents. Shopping stresses me out so I just joined for walking around, but not really the shopping. There was this crazy guy in the medina who just showed up out of no where and wanted to guide us through it. Ok that part was normal. But then he started going off about how black people are bad and how he kills black people. Five minutes later he gets into a fight with some black people and he gets pulled away. Kind of scary... Having random people come up to you and start leading you as a guide through a medina is pretty common because people can get lost in them so easily. However they are generally very friendly. This experience was pretty unique... and a little terrifying.

Here are some pictures of exploring the medina, some small food shops and gift shops

That night we went out to dinner in our won small groups just based on what we wanted to eat. I was content being able to go to this small Italian restaurant and having a taste of home. I went to it the last time I was in Casablanca with my friend who took me so I knew it was good. Afterwards we headed back and pretty much spent the rest of the evening drinking our bottles of wine together and going to the bar next door to the hotel. It was a loud bar with some interesting people watching. It was a good night.

Sunday morning was a bit of a struggle. We couldn't find much food open before 9 am, and since our bus was planned to leave at 9 am, my roommate and I left with just juice and coffee and a croissant in our stomachs.

The bus ride home was quick and smooth. 40 minutes before arriving to Ifrane we stopped and got lunch. I got a meatball tajine which was delicious but so filling I couldn't finish it.

When we got to Ifrane it was pouring rain and depressing. I immediately had to start on all of my homework. I missed a full work day on Thursday, and I got nothing done over the weekend. Sunday night was stressful then I ended up feeling a bit sick. I think I ate too much. So I just gave up and went to bed at a decent time. No all night that night.

Today: Monday December 1st
It's Monday now. Still working on the paper that was due today. I got an extension to tomorrow. I'm off to work on it. But I'll try to post again soon. I'm working on the last of my last bunch of midterms. Then we have finals coming up in two to three weeks. I'm a bit overwhelmed with schoolwork and all, and realizing that I have less than a month here. I fly out the 22nd...

I don't want to leave. As excited as I am for my winter break plans (I will be flying directly out of Casablanca into Milan to spend a week with my Italian family for Christmas, then flying out of Milan to Taipei to spend about two weeks with my boyfriend for new years. SO EXCITED!) I've really just begun to fall in love with Morocco. As much as I hate my university, AUI (for numerous reasons), I've just started fulling comprehending things and feeling comfortable with myself here. I mean, I'm generally always a person comfortable in my own skin, but being in Morocco as a foreigner, and as a female is a extremely different situation. I've learned a lot about myself and a lot more of the culture in the past few weeks here since being on my own than I have my entire semester here. And I don't want to leave. I'm actually comfortable here. It's not just saying oh yeah I live here, i studied abroad here, others are being tourists. I actually feel like I will leave Morocco feeling like it was a true home. I understand more than before, and enough of myself being here, and the culture that I can comfortably call this a home. I don't want to leave.