Au Revoir, France: Until we meet again

Bonjour tout le monde. As I write this, I have two extremely stuffed suitcases (one of whom I had to sit on to close) sitting on my floor. I am not super excited about getting them down all those stairs. Now has come the time to say goodbye, and to thank everyone who made this semester so wonderful.

My exams went pretty well, I think; and I actually enjoyed hearing all of the other language student's final presentations. I was pretty proud of mine as well. We had a lovely little farewell dinner thing with adorable delicious sandwiches and fancy desserts together; and it was great to be able to be all together here for a final time! I know I'll see everyone again, back in Boston and such, but still, its hard for such a defining experience to come to an end.

My host family had a little special dinner last night with me; I finally tasted foie gras (its good, though I'm not sure I got quite what all the fuss is about). Funnily enough, the girls got really excited about that! Imagine American kids getting thrilled about the prospect of foie gras. I can't. My host mom also made a chocolate cake, since she knows I love chocolate, and we chatted about my favorite things in France. I think she was kind of surprised when I explained that one unexpected thing I love here is taking the train! I enjoy the quiet rides and the scenery, and of course to me its much more of a novelty. The US needs to get on that. I said goodbye to everyone and did la bise and thats that.

I'm really happy with the way this semester turned out. There were certainly rough patches, and being totally ill at the beginning didn't help matters, but I have learned so much about myself. And I have traveled quite a bit as well! 2 continents, 5 countries, and 14 cities, to be precise. And those suitcases are quite a bit fuller than when I left. Can't think why (may have also bought a new pair of sandals just yesterday).

I'm also, I think, ready to leave. I will miss France so much, but I also miss BU and all of my friends there. I am ready to speak English again and be in a world where things are familiar and normal--I don't think I ever quite got to a level where things were totally normal here. But of course that's me talking now--in a week I may be sobbing to go back!

So thank you also to all of my travelling companions this semester. Thank you to the other language students, and to the engineers. Thank you to our program organizers. Thank you to my host family. Thank you to my family family, who was there through all the crises. And thanks to you for reading this blog! I hope you enjoyed reading about my exploits!

Adieu,
Miriam

Last few weeks in France

My time in France is almost up! I'm leaving this Friday, taking a plan to Frankfort and then from there flying to NYC, where my lovely parents await me with baited breath. Or something. I'm sure they'll muster up a little enthusiasm for the occasion.

Recently, things have been very nice and relaxed here. After coming back from my grand adventures I only had one week of classes, of which one of the days (May 1) was a public holiday. May 1 is quite a big one as its the worker's holiday so absolutely everything is closed, even the trams. I was a little suffocated, but it was okay. May 8 and 9 were also public holidays, but some things at least were open and also the spring sales have started! So I may have to do some shopping before I leave. Assuming I have any money left.

My 21st birthday was May 7, which was lovely, as my friend Lindsay organized a little get together complete with mac and cheese, that much craved American dish, and wine and a strawberry cake. It was so great to hang out with everyone, especially knowing our time here is limited. I loved the card they got me, too, a cute little kitty card that everyone signed! Twas a fantastic birthday, even more so because the next day I went to the new bubble tea place downtown and had my fave drink for the first time in months. Lovely!

Last night my host family and I were finally all home to eat togethter at the same time, so they purchased some delicious mini pastries and put 21 candles in and sang Happy Birthday in English! It was really nice and sweet and the pastries were great. They also got me a little makeup bag as a gift, very cute and practical so I'll remember them by it.

Mostly things have been quiet because its now the exam period, which while still much less intense than at home, is nonetheless irritating and cranky, so as a treat Lindsay and I took a day trip yesterday to a small city about an hour train ride from here, Chambery. Chambery is very cute but small, and has a lovely little old city with fun little shops. We got fondue for lunch, since we were in the Haute Savoie region, and had a lovely Savoie white wine with it. The next time I go to France I definitely want to do a vineyard tour! A highlight was a visit to the chateau complex, which is very old and has been added to over the centuries. We took a tour with a hilarious and friendly guide, and among our group were some adorable little French children. I like baby French--one little boy kept saying "par que" for "parce que". She asked where everyone was from, so of course when we said we were American the French people did the sort of head tilt big smile "Ahhh" they always do when we say where we come from, as if they are 1) surprised we speak French and 2)confused as to what we are doing there and not Paris.

I have recently been taking note of language things in French, as I get more advanced. One saying I quite like in French is "j'ai le droit de" which literally translates  to "I have the right to", but is used frequently as a kind of I can. It is such a very French thing to say, for everything from I have a right to watch TV without you yelling, Tess, to I have a right to an extra blanket at the hospital. Another favorite saying is the word "vachement" which is used quite frequently as an intensifier, but literally means "cow-ly". I also like what the kids like my 11 year old host sister say, which is "grave" whenevery they think something is cool or they really agree with it. It is sort of like saying something is "sick" in English.

That's all for now!
Love,
Miriam

Le Maroc et L'Italie

So as I've been rather lazy  and slow updating this, I shall combine what I planned to be two parts into one, to insure that I can write it all! Plus things have been happening here in France too over the past week; but I'll get to that.

So where I left off, we had just arrived in Rabat. This actually led to rather an adventure and a possible scam; I had booked the AirBnb, an apartment, for the trip, and showed the address to the cab driver (all in French, bien sur). He confused us quite a lot, in saying something about it not being a proper address, and then the phone numbers we were given not being Moroccan, and we were getting more and more confused. Finally we got out of him that apparently the neighborhood it was in was very bad and not safe and that he would take us there but advised us against it. Naturally, we were pretty freaked, and then he said he could take us to a tres bon hotel near the medina in a safe neighborhood, and so we agreed as it would cost us each basically just another 60 euros for both nights and we were scared. Looking back, we may have been scammed;  but its hard to be sure, as the neighborhood was pretty far out. .. Anyways, it worked out fine with the hotel and we got a nice dinner with Lindsay's friend Mimi that night.

The next day we got up, got breakfast in the hotel (still with fresh squeezed orange juice, those Moroccans love their juice), and went out to explore the medina. It was very different than the Fes medina, partly because it was newer and wider, so there were places where you did actually have to look out for cars. We picked up a new suitcase for me, since Ryanair broke my old one, and walked around, buying gifts and enjoying the sights. I did kind of miss the Fes donkeys, though. We wandered upon a beautiful sea view at one point, then headed over to the kasbah, or fort, to get some henna done.As soon as we got in a lady jumped at us to do our hands, and it was nice but not my favorite henna I have gotten--it was pretty watered down tourist stuff. But the kasbah was beautiful with a lovely courtyard garden and I quite enjoyed myself.

After that we met Mimi at the beach and enjoyed the sand and surf for an hour or so. There really weren't any women in bathing suits, so I didn't feel comfortable even going out in my one-piece, but I did go wading and the water was great! We got lunch, and then Lindsay and I went to this monument called Tour Hassan, which is the remains of an unfinished mosque next to the mausoleum of the last king of Morocco. It was very pictaresque, but I particularly admired the mounted guards in flashy uniforms. That evening we went to dinner on a boat, which was a fancy French place, much to Lindsay and my amusement. It is an interesting fact that in Morocco, alcohol is legal to non-Muslims over the age of 18, but technically illegal for Muslims (not sure how much that rule is actually followed).

The next day Lindsay and I again had a bit of an adventure, going over to the train station to get our tickets out of Rabat to Casablanca, where we were flying out the next day. We went up to a couple of nice looking girls our own age, and asked them how to get to the station, and one of them told us she was going that way too and would walk with us! She was a really lovely girl, and tried to speak mostly English with us even though I'm sure our French is better. She told us about how she wishes she had our freedom to travel where we wanted, as she has to always be with a brother or father. She's studying graphic design, but worried about getting a job; there aren't nearly enough jobs in Morocco, especially for the growing educated class. We met a lot of people like here in Morocco, who were open and friendly and always wanting to share and chat; we actually met one just a few hours after!

We had planned to go to these beautiful ruins called Chellah, so we went to find a taxi at the train station that afternoon. We had trouble with a guy trying to scam us; so a train station official started to lead us in the direction, then came across a guy he apparently knew and left us in his care. This guy turned out to be the most awesome hippie man ever.
Highlights:
"I was a non believer, than I was agnostic, now I am Muslim, but bit of an anarchist!"
"I met my wife in 1975 in a bus in Bourgogne. We were smoking a lot of cannabis."
"I write poetry and sometimes give it as gifts."
"I like those American musicians--Neil Young, Joni Mitchell. . ."
And then he quoted Pink Floyd.

We met some interesting people in Morocco, I suppose.

Chellah was absolutely beautiful, all ruiny but with lots of garden and plants and a sort of natural peaceful feeling, which was lovely after being in some crazy cities. Unfortunately, it was about midday and had gotten really rather hot, so both of us felt it was necessary to find some lunch. We wandered around for a bit and then took the train right to Casablanca!

Do not go to Casablanca. It is sketchy and a little scary and that's all I have to say about that. We flew out the next morning, and then I was in Florence (after a flight, a shuttle, and a bit of a walk to the hostel). I met up with Julia Lopez, a friend from high school who also happened to be traveling in Florence at the same time,and her friend Caroline, and we had a lovely dinner by the Duomo, where I had my first real Italian pasta, which was even better than I imagined. The next day, my traveling buddy Alex was coming in in the evening, so I took the day to explore. I went across the river to the Palazzo Pitti, an old palace that is now a museum, and saw their stunning costume collection and some of their artwork and porcelain. I saw the Santa Maria de Novella church that we were staying near, and got a Firenze Card for 50 euro, a wonderful little three day thing that lets you get in all these places for free.

Alex came that evening and we had a great time wandering around the city and found delicious pizza for dinner and gelato for dessert. I had a LOT of gelato in Florence. The next day, Saturday, found us up bright and early to explore the Palazzo Vecchio, an old Medici palace, the PonteVecchio, which was cool but had mostly jewelry stores atop, and the Galleria Uffizi, which I enjoyed but at that point I was exhausted and had rather sore feet and was feeling a bit ill due to a cold, so unfortunately I didn't enjoy as much as I might have, even though I loved the Botticelli rooms. We also did lots of window shopping, which was really rather impressive for a city I don't normally associate with being a fashion capital in Italy. Lots of leather goods like gloves and shoes, but also hats and beautiful dresses and jackets and top fashion designers like Gucci and such. It was really rather stunning.

Sunday we went to see the David at the Galleria Accademia which was really kind of astounding. Definitely worth seeing in person, no matter how many pictures you have seen. Photographs aren't allowed in there, which is an annoying difference between Morocco and Italy! Then, whilst wandering over to the Museo Ebraica, we stumbled upon a lovely little old botanical garden, which claims to be the oldest in the world. I particularly admired the roses and the lovely greenery. We definitely were traveling at the right time of year! The Museo Ebraica was really stunning, a beautiful old Sephardi style synagogue, though I was saddened that you have to go through pretty much airport level security to get in--you can't even take in a purse!

That afternoon Alex and I went to the Casa Dante, which was kind of a disappointment as it was more about the complicated political history of Florence than about the Divine Poet. We also went over to this fortress near our hotel that happened to our surprise to be hosting an artisans fair! We particularly enjoyed the free samples of cheese in the food section. Alex then was off, so I dined with Julia and Caroline again and prepared to go home.

The next day, after a train, a bus, a plane, another bus, and two trams, I was back in France! And I'll tell you about things here soon, but this was such a long post I don't know if anyone even made it to the end. . .

Love,
Miriam

Spring Break, Part 1: Fes, Meknes, Volubilis

Bonjour tout le monde! I returned Monday night from my fabulous adventure in Morocco and Italy. It was truly a wonderful trip--so good I think I'll break it into three blog posts. This first one will focus on the first three or so days, which we spent in what is now one of my favorite cities, Fez, as well as a day trip to nearby tourist sites.

After many crazy travel mishaps on a day that seemed to prove Murphy's Law, Ryanair didn't even deliver my suitcase, which was as you can imagine very stressful. I didn't even know if it would ever come--I was rather freaked out. Still, very excited to arrive! And our airbnb, which was a wonderful riad, or old traditional style house, was absolutely beautiful. It had a lovely courtyard and beautiful stucco and mosaics, but most marvelously a gorgeous terrace where Lindsay and I shared a lovely first meal  that evening. We could see the city of Fes, with its myriad of low roofs (and lots of satellite dishes, Moroccans love their TV!). We planned to do a guided tour of the medina, or old city where we stayed, the next day,as it is impossible for a tourist to find oneself there--there are more than 9000 alleyways! It is about a thousand years old and is truly like stepping back in time.

So the tour was actually really wonderful. Our tour guide's name was Khalid, and interspersed history and architectural and cultural tidbits with personal anecdotes in a cheerful accent, peppering his words with frequent "ok yes sir"s. He also seemed to know everyone! The medina was busy, as it was a Saturday, a major shopping day. He took us in to many stores and sites. I bought some fabric, a few gifts, and some beautiful leather shoes. One particular thing I was quite impressed by was a house with a plaque where Maimonides had lived--very cool! I suppose I'm also living in the country of Rashi, so there we have two great Jewish sages in one semester. I was overwhelmed by the sites, but also a little nervous about taking pictures, as I didn't want to be super obtrusive or offend any religious people, as photography is technically forbidden in Islam.

We did see a fair number of tour groups, but still itseems to be a place mostly untouched by tacky touristness; although we did get warned about Marrakech, as all told us that was the tourist city, overpriced and not as "real" as Fes! Speaking of Fes, the name has nothing to do with the hat, which comes from Turkey and is spelled with a Z. Just to clear that up. We also saw about a million stray cats; no dogs, since Islam prohibits them as pets, but so many cats!

Also saw a beautiful madrasa, or traditional school, a holy mausoleum,  and a number of mosques, which we as non-Muslims could not enter. We also had a delicious lunch of tajine (which just refers to a cone shaped dish which steams the food inside) and the ubiquitous mint tea, without sugar as the Moroccans like theirs with fistfuls of it and we do not.

That night luckily Ryanair had located my suitcase in Marseille and was sending it on to Fes, so I went to the airport and picked it up while Lindsay and her friend Mimi, who is studying in Rabat, enjoyed camel burgers and almond milkshakes. Still enjoyed a nice chat with the cab driver who ended up also driving us the next day! A very nice man who, like many of the Moroccans we met, told me basically his life story and ambitions and was only to happy to be helpful and friendly. He hoped to someday open his own restaurant; he had worked on his father's farm until his father had to sell it due to money troubles and from then on he had worked as a driver for the tourism company.

The next day we had a day trip to Volubilis, an ancient Roman site, and Meknes, which was the home to a massive royal palace and now is a beautiful little city. The drive itself was incredibly lovely, as we drove through hills of orchards and farmland, much  of it belonging to the king. Volubilis I really enjoyed, as it is sort of overgrown with wildflowers and plants, and our guide delighted in showing us all of the different flower types. Plus, I saw my first stork!

After a lunch, where I tried pastilla, pastry enveloping chicken and almonds sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, which was delicious, we saw the massive granaries and stables that the king of morocco, a contemporary of Louis XIV, had constructed. We also saw his mausoleum. I was rather excited about it as I had been reading a book about him and the piracy and slavery during his reign, which united Morocco albeit only until his death. He was kind of crazy, but still rather revered by Moroccans as his was a time of relative peace. The book is called White Gold, if anyone is interested.

That late afternoon/evening Mimi and I went to visit her host family from when she had spent a few weeks in Fes; Lindsay had contracted a rather nasty cold so was lying down for a bit. It was cool to see how a real Moroccan family lives, and we did get fed some VERY  sweet tea. They spoke French, but like most of the people there it is most definitely a second language and it was strange to me, after living in France with its emphasis on correct grammar, to hear their many casual "mistakes". Most of the time in Morocco we spoke a Franglish, with the occasional "Shokran" or "Salaam". Afterwards we wandered about the medina a bit and got kind of lost, though a random kid on the street helped us find our way back! On our own, we got quite a few cat calls, especially Mimi who is a stunning Nigerian girl and got some interesting calls: "sister of Obama" and "Mama Africa" mostly. The calls on the street don't feel as creepy and predatory as in Europe or the states, but more humorous or more trying to sell something.

The next morning we haggled for some saffron to bring back to our families, then caught a taxi to the train station and were off to Rabat and thenext blog post!