Tranquil Morocco

Just a short update to keep everyone posted, Tangier is pretty quiet in terms of protests. On Sunday there was a small protest in the main part of the city (which is far away from where I am staying) and some windows were broken in a few businesses and banks. However, it seems that some of this may have been caused by a group of rowdy futbol-ers after a game rather than by those seeking reform. World Unite, the organization I am working with, is keeping its volunteers posted of any rumors of protests and has suggested during a few evenings that we stay in our homes. But, these are just precautions and nothing major has occurred here. The general feeling seems to be that the King is well respected, and the protests that have occurred were aimed at reforms only. The only television stations in English are CNN World, BBC, and MSNBC so it is pretty easy to keep abreast on the big news in the region.

Moroccans seem to very genuinely like Americans and the only negative sentiment I've heard was about George Bush, which I saw as a tool to establish some common ground :)

OK-maybe this won't be a short update afterall...

I've now been in Morocco for almost a week and am really enjoying myself! I live in a small 'bungalow' with another volunteer (I guess I am not really a volunteer yet but hope to be soon!) on the compound of the 'Camping Miramonte' where some people actually do camp. The neighborhood is filled with kids playing in the street and the buildings are white and tan. I got the chance to see the inside of one when I was 'intercepted' by a Moroccan-American named Richard on my way home one day. He at first thought I was French and then we started speaking in English once he realized how bad my French is:) Apparently he was part of the beat/hippie crowd in the 60s and 70s. He introduced me to his two daughters and then I went to their house and briefly met the family. The outside may have been a little dusty but the inside was gorgeous! It was very ornate with rugs and pillows everywhere. Pictures of family weddings were displayed everywhere and a few younger family members were sprawled out watching TV. The house seemed to be down endless alleyways but taking a different way out I saw I was just two doors down from Miramonte's doorstep! My neighborhood overlooks the sea and is home to a popular coffee shop (Cafe Bafa) and the Muslim Cemetery. I find the cemetery beautiful but haven't taken any pictures because it seems disrespectful. Past the cemetery there is one of the King's palaces, and then it is a 20 minute walk to the Medina.

Each day I study French for 2 hours with Kadija, except for Thursdays when her husband takes me around Tangier to speak French and learn about life in the city. Today I went to the University where there was a forum for the Engineering school. I didn't catch most of what the speakers said but I know that the school is one of the best in the country and the forum served to educate them on upcoming opportunities in their field. During the remainder of the day I have been exploring, doing homework, and job/volunteer position hunting. There are a few NGOs present in Morocco but I will have to better my French significantly before I can approach many of them:)

At this point I am starting to feel that I cannot speak French or Spanish because I keep mixing them, but I think this is a good sign that I don't automatically revert to Spanish:) It sure does make for an interesting conversation when I use three languages in the same sentence though!