Diplomats, ambassadors, and representatives from the U.S. Embassy and the Fulbright Association came to discuss career opportunities inside the U.S. Department of State as well as the possibility of becoming a Fulbright Scholar in the future.

Rabat

Youseff-Teacher at Qalam wa Lawh

My last "hoorah" through the Medina! 

Cemetery right along the Atlantic and beside the Kassbah

Pop of Color-Yes that's a home. 

Last Class. 

Morocco Living Rooms

Typical Moroccan couches...wrapped around the room against the wall. 

Common to fall asleep here after meals...especially during Ramadan!

Smart use of space

The less typical Moroccan couch, but still beautiful! 

Jeehen and I! 

I have to dedicate a post simply for Moroccan living spaces. I'm a huge fan. The living rooms in Moroccan homes have such a great use of space. I'm basically obsessed and want to have a room designed like this one day when I have my own house. Also, how beautiful is this living room? I felt like I was in a Royal Palace. This is my families formal living room for parties and family occasions. 

Graduation!

On my last night in Morocco we had a graduation ceremony for completing our six week course in Modern Standard Arabic at Qalam Wa Lawh Center for Arabic Studies. Earlier that day we had our final exam which consisted of a three hour written exam and a presentation in front of a panel of professors and students that included questions from the panel afterwards. It felt so rewarding to graduate! I'm sad to be leaving because I had such a fabulous teacher and won't have anyone to speak Arabic with when I get home.

Graduation Certificate and Arabic Calligraphy Plaque

Fabulous teacher-Aziza! 

The Goodbye

Saying goodbye to my host family was harder than I thought it would be. We had just finished Ftour and I had to say goodnight/goodbye to them because only my Dad would be up in the morning. The second I hugged my cute little host cousin Jehen, I started crying. It was in that instant that she was holding on to me that I realized I was saying goodbye to my family, and that I probably wouldn't see them for a long time if not ever. In that moment it all hit me-I was going to miss the sounds and smells of the house, my daily routine, my host mom taking care of me as if I was her own child, and the love that the whole family embraced me with. Finally, here are some pictures of my host family! I posted one of my favorite quotes below that fits this particular post because living with a host family allowed me the opportunity to really experience the daily life of a Muslim Moroccan family and that's something that a hotel or dorm room couldn't give me. I'm so lucky to have been able to meet such wonderful people and be loved by them as if I was their own kid!

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” — Aldous Huxley

My host cousin Jeehen, basically my bestfriend and Arabic tutor! 

Host cousin, Siltan. 

My host sister Malika!

Aunt Loubna

Host Mom and hos cousins!

Morocco by night

Its my second to last night and i unexpectedly went out with my host mom and sister.  I decided to go out at night with them because i wanted to experience ramadan at night since all my friends have been going out late the last couple weeks with their host families.  My host sister told me we were going to a ladies house for her to get fitted for jellabas but it turned into a night around the city. Nothing comes as a surprise to me anymore,  Moroccan time is a way of life here. Just go with the flow! We drove for about forty minutes, beautiful cool weather!  Then we stopped at a shopping mall where my host mom bought kitchen supplies. Its so interesting to experience shopping here. Its not our Walmart or target. The store is filled with products that look like they haven't been regulated or certified as safe. The shopping center was filled mostly with women and children. At night during Ramadan a lot of the men sit at cafés.  Its really rare to see woman sitting there, especially alone. The cafes remind me of mens clubs. All of them have fun lights and are super modern because they are like "u.s bars", the place to be at night since alcohol is forbidden in Islam. There are also alot of families out, playing in the park and street. Its so awesome to experience the days reversed.  People sleep in the day and go out at night. Im so glad i decided to go with my host mom and sister so i could experience Ramadan by night!

Going to miss my neighborhood walks!