A Photographic Summary by Negina Pirzad

Hello world,

Today has marked the 17th day of our stay here in Marrakech and everyday has been filled with new and exciting discoveries that are extremely hard to put into a single blog entry. The best way I can think of to share our journey thus far is with a select few pictures from my collection of 583 (I know, I'm just kind of obsessed with this place).

Our first stop was Casablanca...

...where we visited the gorgeous beyond gorgeous Hassan II Mosque

...(مسجد الحسن الثاني)

 ...along with Casablanca beach...

...and got our first dosage of some couscous lovin'!

 Next up: Marrakech!

So far, we've visited a couple of NGO's: including a girls' school...

...and a baby orphanage.

About a week ago, the CLC organized an insane city-wide scavenger hunt where we got into teams consisting of half Moroccans and half Americans. We got a checklist and some money, then went wild! One of our teammates climbed to the top of the Koutoubia Mosque ( الكتبية )... 

...and then we cheered with glasses of Jamaa Al Fnaa's ( جامع الفناء) infamous orange juice.

Then a few days ago, Michael Fitzgerald and Brahim Zoubari from the CLC kindly took us on a historical tour of Marrakech.

 One of our stops was the incredibly beautiful Ben Youssef Madrasa that was an all boys school, turned museum.

And on Sunday (a.k.a. family day) I got to experience something that I like to call a Moroccan flee market: Souk Al Khamis.

 

And my newest adventure was watching last night's futbol match: Morocco vs. Tanzania. My roommate Lilly, my two host sisters, and I got to share the experience among truly passionate fans at probably the most crowded café in town. The people there made it feel like we were at the stadium; every "seer seer" and "Olé, olé, olé" chant we heard, made me realize how surreal my life was at the moment. All I could think of was: Am I really here, watching the national Moroccan team play a home game in its capital?

Everyday that passes here, I constantly need to stop and remind myself that what's going on is real. Like my host sister, Zinab, said the first day we got here, "Everything that you see in Marrakech is a picture." From kids driving donkey wagons to a family of five riding on a moped, this place is unlike anything I've ever seen before. A year ago, I definitely wouldn't have thought that I'd be sitting in a Moroccan language school, sipping on some mint tea, and writing a blog entry about such an amazing experience. I guess I'll get back to some more exploring.

Until next time,

Negina