Oh and one more thing..

I have the funniest story about today! So I'm not sure if you know but walking down the street here for a woman is like the equivalent of walking past a construction sight times 50 and then when you add being a foriegner in the mix it's pretty out of control. Anyway, today I was having a hard time with it, culture shock and all, and I was telling my friends that the only thing that would make it better is if the person said something so off the wall in English that I would just have to laugh. Well on the way home we were walking past two guys who were sitting outside of their apartment building. Of course they whistled, but then they said "Tom and Jerry". I completely lost it! How hilarious is that? We just laughed the whole way home about how random a pick up line "tom and Jerry" is! So I just thought I would share that little cultural moment with you all!

Finally!

I was able to figure out how to upload my pictures. So if you are interested I have two new photo albums on my picture site! Tara and Ben I think you should be very happy! By the way how was the trip to the East Coast? Oh, I almost forgot. If anyone wants to send me mail here in Morocco. That would be great! My address for the next 2 months is

Sarah Markley

Apt 15 Imm 30

Rue Oukhaoune

Beausejour

20200 Casablanca Morocco

Just remember where I am and keep that in mind when you are writing, ;) ;) It could also take anywhere from 2 weeks to a month for mail to get to me, so keep that in mind as well. If you are wondering if you can send anything, Orbitz gum and blue goo (for sticking stuff onto concrete) are the things I need most! Oh and maybe some Crystal light packs! :)

A Fun Weekend Getaway

This weekend we took a quick tripto visit our friends in Fez. It's supposedly a 4 hour trip by train. Unfortunately our train took a little longer and it ended up bein a little closer to 6 hours. Even the Moroccans were complaining! Taking the train was a very interesting cultural experience because everyone sits down and immediately starts talking to everyone else in the car. It was a fun way to practice some of our Arabic, but boy the moroccans can talk! Luckily we were in a car with some young people who spoke English and so were were able to communicate rather well. Once we got to Fez we met our friends, had lunch and then it was off to the Medina, or old city, to do a little shopping. That was so amazing. Just knowing that the city has been there for centuries was incredible. And for some parts of it I wasn't sure if any changes had been made since the last century! :) I got some great deals on some Moroccan tunics and shoes, thanks to our wonderful guide. That night we went back and the girls practiced some belly dancing and got Henna. I, unfortunately, fell asleep and slept through the whole thing. I was so shocked to wake up and everyone was asleep! The next day we went to the McDonalds in Fez which is truly a highlight. It is the most fancy McDonalds I think in the world, and it has a beautiful view of the Medina. IT seemed kind of funny to be eating at McDonalds though! :)
Anyway, then we left to the train station and we took the train back. Luckily it was much shorter this time because we were crammed into a car with not very good air-conditioning. All in all it was a great experience and it was good to get out of the city and see more of the country side. I'll get pictures of it as soon as I can. I'm still working on pictures of my apartment. I have them I'm just trying to get them online. They will be there soon, Inshallah! :)

I have arrived!

I know that technically I have been in Africa for a little over a week, so some of you are wondering what I'm talking about. Today when I was driving to a friends house for dinner, I saw a camel in the middle of a herd of sheep. It was my first camel that was out in the wild. Well sort of, I guess. There was a shepherd but it was still in the wild. Anyway, I just thought I'd share my little update with you all. :)

Morocco!

Well, I promised a longer update and so here it is. Where to start! It's been sort of a whirlind of activity since I got here last Sunday. It's crazy to think that I have already been here 1 full week. We went to the airport yesterday to meet some friends who were coming in to go to Fez and all the feelings of coming in last week came rushing back. It was wierd to think that in just a week all the things that had seemed so foriegn were things that were familiar and usual. It's so funny how fast you get adjusted. Not that I can say that I'm even close to being actually adjusted but I guess I'm on my way.
This week was spent in Orientation, with a little Moroccan Arabic in the morning and various games and activities to get us acclimated to Morocco in the afternoon. On Thursday we had a Scavenger hunt, where we went into the real city part of Casa and explored the different areas. I have to say that despite it being crowded and the fact that I got gum on my shoe (:P) the Medina was my favorite place. It just felt really authentic.
Friday we got to go to the sight of the new school and see the shell of the apartments we will be living in and the construction on the new school. I have to say that it will definitely be a year of transition and flexibility, as school is scheduled too start on the 19th and the buildings still aren't done! The workers assure us it will be done by the 19th, In sha'illah (pronounced Inshala, and meaning if God wills) Actually the phrase In sha'illah is very common and used after any plans you make for the future. So it's kind of hard to get a firm answer sometimes, but if you tend to have a more laid back personality anyway, "In sha'illah" is great because you never have to set a firm time! And let's face it we all know that sticking to times and details isn't really my strong suit! :)
Let's see what else...I guess cultural differences is a huge category but I'll tell you some of the basic ones. First and foremost, everything is in a state of flux so there is a lot of contradiction in the society. You'll see a Mercedes and a donkey together going down the street. You see completely covered women and women wearing tight European clothing holding hands walking down the street. So it's definitely different than what I thought in that regard. The people are very warm and caring and will go the extra mile and a half for you. To illustrate, this morning we were on the way to our community meeting and we didn't really know where we were going. We just had a rough idea and a street name. Our taxi driver started taking us there but then couldn't find the street. He was looking everywhere but couldn't find it. He stopped 4 times and asked directions, and every time he turned off his meter so we weren't getting charged. Then finally we were like, "That's okay, you can just take us back" but he held firm that he was going to find it, and he did. Afterwards he told us all the things to say to the next taxi driver when we wanted to come back. It was great!
I guess the most frustrating thing so far is that I don't speak either French or Arabic and so the language barrier is hard. When you walk into a store and you have no idea how to ask for what you want it can be little frustrating, but learning a few key phrases can really get you far and also so can hand motions and pointing. :)
Well, I've talked myself out. Hopefully this all makes sense and helps to fill you in on how things are going here. I have pictures of my apartment but I don't have a computer that I can pull them from yet so I will put them on as soon as I can. Tomorrow, we are going to the American Embassy and then the rest of the week we will be at the school so hopefully there I will be able to put some new photo's on. Thanks for being interested in my trip and feel free to e-mail me questions or put them in the comments.

Finally here

Well, I finally made it. There is so much to say and to write but unfortunately I have a huge line behind me and I don't have internet at my apartment yet. I will write a long boring post later, I promise! So some of my first impressions were getting off the plane and driving 5 minutes and seeing goats and sheep. Then as we were unloading our luggage into our apartment lobby the bus we took had to move because a horse and cart had to get through and they couldn't back the horse up! So it was interesting. My apartment is really nice! We have two bathrooms although they are both tiny, a washer and huge kitchen and living room. I really like the froshes, which are the couches that line the walls in the salons, living rooms. They are a little uncomfortable to sit on for long periods of time but they are so comfortable to nap on! Anyway things are going well, I'm a little jet-laggy but nothing too bad. Hopefully I'll get e-mail soon and I can tell you all more!

My last Monday in America

I can't believe that the time is finally here. In 5 days I'll be leaving the country and traveling off to hot and humid Casablanca. I'm really ready to get started on this great adventure! There is so much unkown and I find that it makes the prospect of getting there even more exciting. I'm anxious to have a home again, that's for sure. Today I was talking to a company and they asked me what my zipcode was and I really had no idea what to answer them. I could give them my zipcode in Alaska, but that's not really my house anymore, or I could give them my zipcode here but that's only good for another 5 days. I can't give them my zipcode in Morocco because I don't really know it. I guess the fact that I'm living out of a suitcase is starting to get to me. I just want to be settled! Soon enough, soon enough!
I had an amazing weekend with amazing company, and although I almost had to physically steal myself to not get on the plane with him, it renewed my excitement to get going on this journey. So, to my absolutely wonderful, supportive, caring, and really handsome boyfriend, you are truly a gift, and I won't say more because we both hate that!
Seeing as this is my last week in the country, it will be full of all the last minute things I thought I had already taken care of, or didn't even know about until just recently. That's the great thing about being a procastinator, you don't worry about anything until you have like 2 days to get everything done and then you freak out for 2 days but then it's done! :) I'm teaching tonight, which is great because that means I'll have all my nights free for the rest of the week. I'm pretty excited about that!
Anyway, the next time I write will probably be from Casablanca. Which I'm sure you are all excited about because who really cares about LA anyway, right?
I know you just keep hoping to get some cool news from overseas!

2 Down, 2 to go!

Well, I'm halfway through training and things are going great! I am continuing to love my teammates, even though we are finding out everyone's deepest darkest secrets and spending like 24/7 with them, which in itself is an amazing thing. We are so excited to be in the last 2 weeks of training with a long weekend in the middle! Just the thought of getting off campus is enough to keep us happy. Yesterday we were able to get out and go to the beach, it was a lot of fun especially for an alaskan kid! :) The guys were even great enough to let us bury them in the sand, we couldn't believe it. All we had to do was catch a frisbee, something makes me think that they wanted to get buried but were just afraid to ask, but who can understand the mind of a boy! :) Thank you guys for taking the time to read this and please feel free to comment, I love getting e-mail!