Yallah Bina

I thought I would wait until Friday to blog, but this week has been too "wicked" not to share it all you all. On Tuesday, my host mother walked me to Amideast, and I spent the day with the other YES Abroad students, our coordinator, and two Moroccan students. The Moroccan students showed us around Agdal and welcomed us to their home, and I greatly appreciated their openness to drop everything and spend time with us. Together, we went to Chellah and Oudayas. Chellah is an old Roman ruin nestled into the hillside and the quiet air felt unhurried when compared to the rushing streets of Agdal.

From their we went to Oudayas, a more traditional area where all the homes are blue and white.

 When I saw the postcard-like views of my new city, it set in that this beautiful place is my home for the next year, and I realized I should seize every moment to explore. I fulfilled that goal today. After class at Amideast and lunch with my host family, I set out to meet the other students, in the hopes of orienting ourselves. We ended up walking to our school and by chance, met one of the administrators who offered us water and food for thought during our hour long conversation and tour of the school. Our school used to be a villa, and while it is spacious for a house, it makes for a much smaller school than mine in the United States. After a quick stop for ice cream in Agdal, we rode in a taxi to the beach and walked around. The views were stunning, both of the Atlantic ocean and of Rabat. From our perch, we could see Sale, Rabat's neighbor city, the walls of Oudayas, and a hillside filled with graves. People crowded the beach, and as our visit was impromptu, we did not swim. Hopefully next time!

The taxi ride home did not take long, nor did the driver neglect to lay on his horn from time to time. If driving in Morocco was a disease, the easiest remedy would be applying the horn liberally. However, this cure is not permanent, and after awhile, exacerbates the situation (and also any headache you may have). But I love it. I'm definitely in the 'honeymoon' stage of my exchange, where almost everything I see excites me. One of the most exciting aspects, for me, is being able to move around the city so easily. There are two types of taxis, grande and petite, the tram, and of course, your feet, and by using one or more of these methods, you can be anywhere you want in a matter of minutes. I love that if there's something I want to see or do, I can say "Yallah bina" and be off on an adventure. "Yallah bina" means "let's go" or "Allons-y," in Darija. This word has been my motto for the past few days, and I hope to hold it close to my heart in the coming days as well. "Yallah bina" summarizes the meaning of these past few days. They have been filled with serendipitous exploration--of Rabat, of my French vocabulary (when I don't know the words to say), and of my own abilities. Until next time, yallah bina!