On Monday our project kicked off with a trip to a place called paradise island. Nestled deep in the forest, we hiked 45 minutes till we reached a secluded fresh water pond. We spent the day exploring the surrounding areas, soaking up the sun, swimming in the crystal clear waters, and most importantly trying our hand at some cliff jumping.
That night my new Moroccan friend, Aymane, took me and a few other exchange participants out for a traditional Moroccan Iftaar. Iftaar is what they call the meal that they break their fast with. It usually consists of dates, orange juice, milk, a hard boiled egg, meloui , and then a few bite size pastry/meat/seafood type things. Oh, and of course some Moroccan tea. We arrived at 7:20 and sat outside with a plate of food in front of us, waiting for the sun to set so we could dig in. After what seemed like an eternity the siren sounded, alerting us that we could now eat. The food was too die for, I honestly don’t know what I am going to do when I have to leave and can’t have meloui anymore.
After dinner we went back to apartment. I moved in with some of the other exchange students (3 French guys, a German, and a Bulgarian girl) who were living in an apartment nearby. It’s easier when we are closer together (not to mention a lot more fun). Plus, you really get to know each other on a whole new level when you have 8 people smashed into a one bedroom apartment.
The next day we went to a small village called Medina. It was really beautiful and we had the whole place to ourselves to explore and check out all the little shops in the area.
Now to explain the reason I am actually here in Morocco. It may seem like all I am doing is sightseeing and to be honest that is 100% correct. My job while here in Morocco is to go to as many places as I can, takes boatloads of pictures, and then plaster them all over social media to showcase how amazing of a country Morocco really is. There are 38 people stationed in the same cities as me, Marrakech and Agadir. However, there are also people in Rabat, Fes, and Tangier whose aim is also to promote tourism.
Originally, we were going to partner with a local travel agency, but that did not end up happening – so now it is all up to us! The group decided that the theme of our project is going to be “This is My Morocco”. As of now we have…
Blog: www.thisismymorocco.wordpress.com
Instagram: thisismymorocco
Facebook page: This is My Morocco
Can you see the theme there? Anyway, all the pages were just created yesterday so there is still a ton of work to be done. Once we start posting more I will let you all know and provide you with links to read everything.
Tomorrow it is off to a beach called legzira and then on the weekend I plan to hike the tallest point in North Africa – Toubkal, so I will check back in on Monday.
Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Postcards from Hannah 