Azrou

We certainly aren't "slumming it" yet, to say the least.

Azrou is a beautiful city nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains of the Middle Atlas. It is a completely different environment here from Rabat-- breezy, slower placed, and you can't beat that view.


We're staying in what I believe is some sort of ritzy hostel; we share rooms and bathrooms, but are still spoiled crazy with delicious meals three times a day, and the building itself has that exotic Moroccan vibe. After arriving last night we settled in and went walking through the town, into the markets and around the mosque. It's very modern, with cell phone shops and internet cafes everywhere. One thing I've noticed so far about Morocco is that the ancient and modern coexist in the same environment in business and in dress, and attitude.

Having been introduced to our LCFs (Language and Culture Facilitators), we began training today with two language sessions. We work in small groups at a fast pace, adding to the vocabulary, practicing dialoge, adding vocabulary, practicing dialogue etc., etc. We're learning Darija, which is the most commonly used dialect. After some time here, we will be broken down into smaller groups and be assigned one of three different dialects. I've spent most of my off time tonight studying minus a quick trip to the Maroc Telcom shop to buy a cell phone. So.....if anyone wants to call, just remember, it's free for me! I'd post my number now but I left it in my room, and I'm sitting in the sitting room listening to M'Barek, one of the LCFs, play some sort of lute. He's really rockin' it....everyone is clapping in rhythm and singing, and I can't help but bob my head. I suppose the best way to describe it would be "fast-paced belly-dancing music".

I attempted to buy a towel tonight while we were out on the town (no towels here, it seems), forcing myself to interact and put my language abilities to the test. It's expected that we do a lot of self-directed learning, one of the forms of which is interacting with local Moroccans. It's important to have a sense of humor about it because you're going to have to do it sooner or later, and you're probably going to look and sound stupid the first twenty or thirty times. Which I did. That towel was too expensive anyway. I did get some delicious dates, though.

Tomorrow is actually a self-directed learning day, meaning that there are no scheduled sessions. One of the LCFs is taking us hiking in the morning up and around one of the mountains, which should be pretty great. I'm off to get some sleep...layla saida.

PS- check out the Photobucket (look for the Azrou link on the left) for some pics.