TGIF in Rabat!

On Friday I felt a lot better, I still had that sick feeling every once in a while but my body didn't ache from head to toe and THAT was something to be happy about. I made it through class without any major catastrophes because luckily for me, the day I missed they had gone over family members and some other things that I had already learned. I met with Sarah after class and she helped me with some of my homework that I was behind on. It's really frustrating to me that a lot of the homework has vocabulary that hasn't been taught or even explained in it and I don't have internet at home to look up the words I don't know. I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed by the vocabulary we ARE learning, so I don't want to see things that I haven't even learned yet. It makes me want to explode lol... okay not literally... that would be rather messy :P
        That night I met up with Ciara and Donna in Agdal and we went to meet some fellow classmates at TGI Fridays for dinner. Yes, Rabat has a TGI Fridays! Unlike the Moroccan Dominoes Pizza, they knew what boneless buffalo wings were and made them right, and I got to enjoy a good old grilled chicken ceasar salad... Heaven on earth. Not that I don't love Moroccan food, It's just hard not to crave the things I love at home, my comfort foods. Like most Moroccan hot spots, they played an awesome selection of American 90s music that I forgot even existed. The waiters had to wear the dorky suspenders and visor hats too, it was precious. It was one of the guys' birthdays and we were sad that we forgot to tell the staff that it was his birthday because apparently the waiters come sing for you there too. I almost forgot I was in Morocco for a minute!
        The girls went home to get dressed and then we met at the guys' apartment to try Will's chewy birthday cake and some 40 DH per bottle Moroccan wines (which weren't bad at all!). Mourad and his friend met us there as well as two other guys I didn't know very well. One of them was Moroccan but raised in France and voiced great approval of the Moroccan love for Americans. He also said that he hates the French and didn't know why anyone would want to be French or live in France (this seems to be a common sentiment around here). Good thing we didn't have any of our French friends with us that night... At about midnight, we took taxis downtown to a nightclub called Amnesia that is frequented by my friends. At the door the bouncers weren't going to let us in at first (even though they're in love with Donna and Ciara) because they thought that the Moroccans with us were trying to get in with us and didn't really know us. On the contrary, we INVITED them and were largely unable to convince the bouncers of this. Luckily Mourad pulled out his business card that describes his Free Art association and somehow that convinced the bouncers that they weren't riding on our coat-tails. Each guy had to pay dearly to enter while us girls got in for free. We got our own area and bottle of some terrible alcohol like gin or something that we left for the guys to help themselves to. Mourad and his friend didn't drink since they are Muslim so I felt terrible that they had to pay so much to get into the club. They danced and had fun though so hopefully it wasn't too much of a problem to them. I think we left around 5:00... the club wasn't even closed but it was getting ridiculous and we were tired, those people can dance FOREVER! I would have been good leaving by 3! We bargained with a cab driver who was trying to rip us off, unfortunately we weren't drunk and knew how much a cab costs to get back to where the girls live. On our way home, a police car followed us then stopped to talk to our cab driver at a light then waved us through a red light... weird. Then the cop car showed up again with it's lights on and pulled us over, he tried to talk to us but we didn't understand him. I think that's all he needed to know because he got back in his car and just followed us for a while then left when we got dropped off. Donna said he was probably just making sure we weren't prostitutes and had seen her sitting in the front seat and thought she was Moroccan. Yikes...
        
Saturday, I woke up exhausted on their apartment couch reeking of smoke and nastiness. I put myself together and ran down to KFC to get some food that I could carry out because I wouldn't want to sit anywhere in the condition I was in. They were out of mashed potatoes... quel domage! So I got some panini sandwich that ended up being disgusting. I just didn't want to not have food and get back to the house and find out that I had missed lunch, I didn't want mama Kaltoum to feel like she had to make me anything either since I didn't tell her when I would be back that day. My cab driver who took me back to Yassoufia laughed at me when I hit my head on the roof trying to get in... these cars are made for midgets I think. I was happy to get home and enjoy a shower and sleep for most of the afternoon. I spent some time with the fam and did some studying but my stomach was bothering me again so it was hard to concentrate on schoolwork. I really didn't do much else on Saturday... it was a lame day.


Sunday, I got up early for breakfast since I knew that the family was planning on going somewhere for the day and I didn't want to miss it. While I was back in bed doing homework, mama Kaltoum came bustling into my room with Nadia behind her looking like they were almost ready to leave so I assumed they were coming to say goodbye. Mama Kaltoum asked if I was going somewhere that day and I told her that I was going shopping with a friend later. She then asked if I wanted to go with them to Casablanca for the day and I had no idea what to say because I knew they were leaving soon (and I wasn't ready), I really did have plans to shop in a few hours, and I had no idea what they would be doing there. She informed me that they were visiting her son Mohammad and his wife to eat and would be back around 5 and that I should call my friend and say I was going to Casablanca and would be back at 5 to go shopping later. Hahah... SO I guess my decision was made for me and I was going to Casa. I got dressed and threw some homework in my purse and squeezed into the car with my happy little Moroccan family.
        The ride wasn't bad, and probably less hectic and smelly than the train ride to Casa. Unfortunately the road was kind of bouncy and my homework had to wait since my stomach was threatening to kill me if I didn't watch the road. Then baba Ali lit up his cig and hardly had his window open so I started to get a headache and my stomach wanted to jump ship. Okay, and while I'm complaining, Nadia is adorable, I love her, don't get me wrong! But the back seat is a decent enough size to fit both of our booties but she loves to practically sit on top of me so she can see and talk and hold onto my arm when she's feeling extra cuddly lol... This was also a problem when my head started to hurt because she's one of those people who doesn't have volume control and pretty much yells whatever she has to say... and this yelling was right in my unwelcoming ear :)
        I was relieved when we arrived at Mo's house and I finally got to meet their "artiste" son and his "artiste" wife. They were very loving and welcoming people, I loved watching them interact with their family because they are really affectionate and laugh all the time. I feel so bad that I can NEVER remember the name of Mohammad's wife! She is the cutest little thing and looks just like her goofy little character on the comedy show I saw her on TV. She cannot be over 5 feet tall if that, with rosy cheeks and gigantic eyes. I swear the girl never stops smiling and laughing! I can tell the whole family adores her. She speaks a little english but I think she was timid to try with me and just decided to speak a little french with me instead. 
        I got to speak in English with Mohammad and he told me about his most recent film projects, he is doing a series of short films since he is actually trying to be a director and not just an actor. After these projects in Italy, he will be working more on a movie with another director who worked with some big names in the business. The film is based on a Moroccan slave who discovered New Mexico and apparently Denzel Washington has already agreed to play the part so I'm excited to see how that turns out. It's supposed to be very controversial though so I want to find out more about the basis of the story since it's supposed to be true. Mohammed also told me that he was in the movie Babel and they had filmed right under his old house so he had Leonardo DiCaprio and some other actors come up to rest and have tea with them in his house lol so random... We also got on a political topic somehow and he briefly mentioned that Obama is hurting the relationship of the US with Morocco somehow, I asked him how and he didn't really answer me. He just said that Morocco agrees more with the Republicans and hope that the next president is not like Obama. I have heard a lot of Bush haters here so I am really curious to understand why he said all this. I'm hoping to talk more with him when he and his wife come over for Eid this week.
        Dinner was very good, it was a more modern salad and a traditional lamb tagine. I was so excited to actually have good lamb, and lots of it! yum :) Before we left, Mohammad's wife gave gifts to me, Nadia and mama Kaltoum. Nadia and I got jewelry and mama Kaltoum got a huge jug of this rare honey from central Africa that is good for people who can't have a lot of sugar. Mama Kaltoum hugged the bottle to her like it was a heap of gold lol it was really cute. I can't wait to see them again for Eid.

Today I paid a cab to take me to school since the freaking bus made me mad. I got to the bus stop early and it was about to pull out when I knocked on the doors to let me on and he just pulled away! They never do that unless they're full so I was not in the mood to wait 15+ minutes until the next bus came and be late for class because I knew it would be too full to let me off in the right spot lol... It only cost a little over 50 cents more than if I had taken the bus, this MAY become normal for me :D
        I got a little overwhelmed in class and decided to sign up for extra tutoring other than the time I had with Sarah. That worked out well because they helped me get through most of my homework and the rest I can do at home without dying too much... it think... hahah... This week is weird though because it's a huge holiday for the Moroccans and we get wed-fri off of school for Eid. This means we only have two days of real class and the rest is going to be studying on our own (NOT COOL). But I am kinda excited to celebrate with my family on Wednesday, minus the slaughtering of the sheep which will be crying on my rooftop when I get home tonight. It's comical to see the ways people bring sheep back to their houses because all week I've been seeing sheep on the back of motorcycles and mopeds, in the back seat of cars, being carried or dragged down the street... and on top of that I hear them bleating all through the neighborhood at night in the CITY! Oh my... I wonder if those poor little things have any idea what they will face come Wednesday morning.
        Due to the short week, I don't know how much internet access I will have so I'm trying to figure out a trip for this weekend on very short notice. Since I will have extra time this weekend, I want to go to Agadir since it will be in the 80s and I really need some sun and warmth. I know there are lots of good hotels for reasonable prices so I'm just trying to find people to go with me who aren't going on the Sahara trip this weekend. I obviously don't have the funds to take a second Sahara trip :P


Wish me luck!