A simple update

Hello! I’m lying in the living room of my house watching Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on TV with my homestay brother Mehid. The movie is being played in English, not that it matters, he really only pays attention during the fight scenes.

Anyway, I thought I’d update people on what I’ve been up to and a few things that lie ahead. My first week of classes is officially done. Arabic class is really fun and I’m picking it up rather quickly (this may come as a surprise to those of you who are aware of my past struggles with foreign language…but it’s the truth). In my other two classes (which are really just one class), we’ve had a few lecturers come in and discuss current events, politics, and the role of journalism in Morocco and the Middle East.

We also had our first assignment due. It was exciting to present my own work while getting a sense of the talents of my fellow students. We were asked to write about food. Students wrote about a wide range of topics including posh restaurants, strange delicacies, and the country’s health issues. The program is creating a website where all of our work will be available, so instead of posting my piece now, I will just post a link to that once it goes live.

We are leaving tomorrow for a week-long excursion to the south of the country. I’m really looking forward to it and I’m sure I’ll come back with pictures to post and things to say and stories to tell. We will spend time in big cities and small villages; we will drive through the Atlas Mountains and ride camels through the desert at sunset. I don’t know what my internet situation will be so you may not hear too much from me, but we shall see.

Other than that all is well. My family still likes me (although the language barrier would prevent me from finding out if that were otherwise) and I feel energetic and healthy. If anyone is looking for a book to read, I am currently reading Bruno Schulz’s The Street of Crocodiles, which is stunningly beautiful (although a tad strange at times) and I would recommend it. I think next on the list is William Burrough’s Naked Lunch, if I can find it for sale somewhere in this country (you’d think I could). Until next time.               -Granger