Looking out my window on our bus as we arrived in Fes, I could tell that this would be an entirely different world from Marrakech. The green rolling hills abundant with trees and cleaner air called us further into the ancient medina of Fes. The first night was rough. I was placed in a homestay full of kind and generous people but it was not exactly safe. I was moved the next day to the house next to my institute. Basically I live in a Moroccan mansion (pictures to come). It is a riad style home with beautiful blue and white tile work, and all of the windows are framed with intricate plaster and wood carvings. The cat is well fed and the rooster, despite only having one foot, looks content.
I am sharing a room with Alexa, another girl on my trip. Our room is the last floor of the house up 5 or 6 flights of trecherous stairs. Its a work out for sure! One flight up from our room is the roof terrace with beautiful views of the city and the possibility of hopping to school from roof to roof. All of the students are located very close to the center, I imagine we could make aluminum can telephones to talk and make plans.
My host family is composed of Mama, Baba, a 19 year old girl Hesna, and a 12 year old boy Hamza. Mama is quite the character. She is always worried about something, whether its pickpockets stealing our brick sized cell phones or us not eating enough at dinner. I am so grateful to her for agreeing to host a second student in her home. She is a great cook, although she has a maid that helps with that. I am interested to see how the maid, an older, wise looking woman, fits in the family unit.
Today we had our first Gender in Moroccan Society class taught by Fatima Sadiqi, a famous moroccan feminist and linguist. She is incredibly intelligent. I can tell I will learn a lot from this woman.
We are continuing with moroccan arabic classes for one hour a day, four times a week, and will have every monday as a free day. That means 3 day weekends to travel!
Kevin comes to Fes tomorrow, we are going to explore every nook and cranny of this city from its museums, libraries, and schools to the gardens and hiking trails that overlook the city. I can't wait!
Now that I have more consistent internet access I promise to blog more than I did in Marrakech! I Promise!
Love from Fes,
Michelle
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