I have decided...

I've decided I really like Washington DC.

It's filled with bits of history and current affairs, young scholars and seasoned intellectuals, free museums, and all the restaurants you could ask for. In fact, I've noticed that DC-ites are all about three things: running, brunch, and happy hour.

At any time of day you can see people doing one of these three things. On my evening commute yesterday, I spotted no less than 8 people jogging along a patch of Wisconsin Avenue leading up to my house - and this was still during a pretty warm part of the day. The numbers increase in the cool hours of the evening and the early morning.

Along this same commute, I witness the restaurants overflowing with people out to happy hour with co-workers or out to dinner with family and friends. Everywhere I look, it seems, I see restaurants boasting bottomless mimosas for brunch or happy hour specials, and the best restaurants will be full to the brim on any given day. This reminds me so much of Spain, and I think might be my favorite part of the city so far. I loved the way Spaniards took the time to socialize, something that in my experience has always been scarce in the US adult population, but apparently I was just looking in the wrong place!

I'm more than halfway through my time here - many things have been exciting and fun, I've kept up with some of my goals for the summer (others, not so much), but I look forward to my last few weeks in DC!

1 month anniversary of adulthood

Among other experiences during my re-integration into the US, I have begun to experience what "feeling old" and "having experience" is like. I'm not sure if it's a product of some concocted ideas of adulthood that should appear when you turn 21, a bitter nostalgia at nearing the end of my time as a blissful Stanford undergrad, or if it is an actual period of growth. All of these feelings had been whirling around inside me but seemed to manifest themselves in real life yesterday at work.

The NIH hosted a graduate & professional school fair for all the summer trainees. I, naturally, came prepared with a host of questions for school representatives that were left unanswered after scouring their department websites for months. I noted all the bright and hopeful eyes of fellow trainees as I made my rounds to the booths, after all, we were getting the chance to talk to the people who have all the insider information on how to be accepted into these great programs. But as I joined the others in filling out mailing lists and asking questions, I realized that many of the students asking questions alongside me were still in high school, or at most freshmen or sophomores in college.

I commend them for learning as early as possible about what is out there - something that despite all my meticulous consideration I failed to adequately do - and I was slightly impressed with myself for knowing the answer to some of their questions because of research I had done on my own. But really, I envied there ability to walk through and simply gain knowledge. They still have no need for strategy or heavy consideration, they are just beginning.

After my experience at the grad fair and after reflecting on the current state of my life, I consider today the 1 month anniversary of my own adulthood. When I was much younger, I saw people in their 20's and thought to myself, "they must really have their lives figured out, they are twenty years old." Well maybe it's still a little presumptuous for me to actually consider myself an adult, because goodness knows that I still have a great deal to learn, but I know this feeling of uncertainty with life doesn't end in your early 20's. It continues into your late 20's, your 30's, and sometimes even beyond that. And according to The Free Dictionary (dot) com, "adulthood" is defined as the state (and responsibilities) of a person who has attained maturity. Well, I have a full time job and I pay rent. I also cook for myself and am responsible for planning all things related to budget and transportation. Sometimes I feel pretty damn adult.

But then I remember that come September, I will be back at the Stanford bubble. That I still have 1 more year of ridiculous mistakes that I can get away with simply because I'm an undergrad. All this playing adult stuff is fun most of the time, and I think I'll be ready for it when the time comes, but I can wait.

Let's back up a bit

I have now been in the DC area for 3 weeks and I can confidently say it has been nothing short of an adventure. I made it here with just over a day to settle in to my new home and began work the following Monday.

My first week as an intern at the National Institutes of Health was a bit nerve-wracking - I fumbled with my campus map trying to find my building and slowly learned what my role would be within the group of investigators I now call my colleagues. My work is similar enough to things I have done previously that I feel competent in doing what is asked of me, but different enough that I have to venture into unknown land and explore new skills as a scientist. I have a great mentor who knows how to guide me when I need help but has given me all the freedom I want and need to take on an individual project for the summer.

Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows out here – literally speaking. Less than a week after arriving, there was a huge freak thunderstorm that hit knocked out thousands of power lines all over the DC area and beyond and my house was unfortunately one of the worst affected. There was no physical damage, but we lost all power for 6 days, 2 of which registered as record high temperatures for Bethesda. We had no air conditioning, no phone service, and no electricity, which means we had no food or means of communication with the rest of the world.

Fortunately for me, I have a wonderful network of generous people who offered to help me through the worst of the storm. I ended up staying with a friend for 2 days, during which time we celebrated the 4th of July. My day was filled with friends, food, and fireworks, and despite being somewhat homeless, I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate America’s birthday in the nation’s capital.

Fast forward a week or so, during which time I settled back in at home and did a bit of city touring, and we come across my next bizarre experience.  Earlier this week I went out for a run to try a new route in my neighborhood (I’m doing pretty good with this so-called half marathon training so far). I revel in the cool evening air because it is not uncommon to have 90+ degree weather at the end of the day and suddenly notice rain drops begin to fall around me. It becomes a slight drizzle and I continue my path – I’m about 2/3 of the way done, so I figured it would be quicker for me to finish it up – but within minutes, the drizzle becomes a full on downpour. I’m not far from home, but there is no shortcut for me to take. I’m soaked from head to toe within seconds and all I can hope for is that no lightning strikes and that my electronics make it all the way home. I’m physically treading water by the time I make it back to my neighborhood, but somehow my phone and iPod made it through.

At least 20 years from now, when I’m telling my kids stories, I can officially tell those ridiculously exaggerated stories.

“Back in my day, I survived without air conditioning in a record heat wave. I had to tread water and run in the pouring rain…”

Resolve to do it

Now that I'm back in the whirlwind lifestyle that is being young, being a student, and being an American, there seem to be 1,001 things floating around in my head all at once. Between finalizing transportation arrangements for my summer job to packing and unpacking for the 8th time in the past 9 weeks, I feel like I'm a bit rusty on my ability to tackle multiple things at once. So after traveling (again) and (mostly) settling in to my new place on the other side of the country, I was inspired by my sister writing at her blog to make a list of things I want to see and do this summer.

1. Train for my half-marathon. And this time, I'm serious about the "training" part. I ran a 10K race in April but celebrated my 21st birthday a little too eagerly in the days leading up to the race. I was still proud of my finish - and didn't come in last place! - but I want to push myself to actually train for the 13.1 miles that await me in October at the Nike Women's half marathon.

2. Visit the national monuments and museums in DC. I know that 10 weeks is much too short a time to actually get to know in a city, but I hope to share some of the great sights in the area with friends.

3. Keep in touch. Being abroad made me appreciate the relative ease with which we can communicate while being on American soil. I went from a smartphone with email, texting, and calling capabilities to a small, prepaid phone that charged me 20 cents each time I wanted to make a call or send a text. Add that to the 7 to 9 hour time difference between me and my friends & family and I definitely missed being able to call or text someone on a whim.

4. Read the newspaper every day. I've grown out of touch with current affairs, partly because I've been out of the country for the past few months, but also partly because I simply have not been reading as much as usual. I want to read at least one newspaper article each day.

5. Make friends! One of my favorite things about being abroad was getting to know tons of incredible people, both through my program and through my travels. I am looking forward to meeting other summer interns and making friends in a whole new city.

6. Dabble in the art of being vegan. My roommate in the spring in Madrid was a vegan, and, frankly, most of the time I didn't even notice a difference in our meals. I do have a great love for eggs and cheese, but the last time I was living on my own, I became a vegetarian, who's to say there won't be another change? I can't guarantee anything but I think it's an interesting thought to consider.

7. Prepare for the GRE exam. This one isn't so much fun, but if I want to be ready to apply for grad schools this coming fall, I need to take my exam in October. Yay for studying even when you're not in school!

So here's to the start of summer - a summer filled with humidity, research, running, eating, reading, friends & family!

Where am I?

I've made it back to my hometown, but it somehow feels even more foreign than when I make my annual trips back from Stanford. There has been a significant amount of change, some of which feels like more drastic change in the past 6 months than there had been in the previous 3 years, but overall it still gives me a sense of comfort unparalleled by any other place.

It goes without saying that I missed the important people in my life - I'm really happy I was able to come home even if just for a short time to see my family before heading off to yet another adventure in the DC area - but leaving Madrid was still like leaving a part of me on the other side of the ocean. My only comforts are rediscovering the simple treasures I forgot existed in the US. One of the most obvious for me regards food. I was extremely fortunate in Madrid for having a host mother who genuinely cared about me and respected my choice to be vegetarian, and while she did amazing work in the kitchen, Spanish vegetarian food is not MY vegetarian food. It's not the hummus, avocado, and bean sprout sandwiches that remind me of summer, it's not the mango and black bean salad that I like to eat with chips and salsa, and it's definitely not the aloo palak Indian food that has become one of my all time favorite dishes. Spanish food is great - I fully intend on replicating some recipes! - but I missed the freedom of a kitchen.

I also desperately missed having a gym. It took my stay in Madrid to make me realize how much I took the gym at Stanford for granted. I found a great introductory deal to a Bikram yoga studio, but unfortunately couldn't afford a full membership. Soon after, I signed up for my first 10K race. Running kept me busy for a while, until I broke my toe trekking through the Spanish countryside on el Camino de Santiago just one short week after the race. My unfortunate toe kept me from walking without a limp for about a week and certainly kept me from running for at least 2 weeks after that (mostly because I never really took care of it or rested appropriately). Monday I walked into a gym for the first time in way too long and damn it felt good.

Then, of course, there is the world of smartphones, cable TV, Netflix, and Pandora that has opened up to me. A world of entertainment at my fingertips, for better or for worse.

But just as I expected, the reality of my presence at home makes my entire experience abroad seem like a dream. El Paso has a way of doing that even with my life at Stanford, but the greater physical and psychological distance between the US and Spain makes it much harder to bridge the two. Now it's on to the next chapter in m life - summer research, here I come!!

The time has come

I am sitting in my nearly empty room staring at my packed luggage, still slightly in denial that I will be flying back to the US tomorrow. My life over the past few days has only been slightly different from my usual life in Madrid - watching soccer games, going out at night, packing for my next trip - so it has been difficult to imagine that this time, I won't just be leaving Madrid for the weekend. My goodbyes to friends aren't a "see you on Monday," they are a "see you in September."

The hardest thing may be realizing that after tomorrow, I will (probably) never experience these sights and sounds again. The simple sights, like children playing in the plaza near my house or the bustle of people in the metro, make up the essence of Madrid, the true Madrid that I have lived in and not just visited. I could look back at pictures of monuments and views, but that isn't the Madrid that quietly grew on me.

After looking back at my first few posts and reflecting on my personal experiences before arriving in Madrid, I hardly know where to begin describing the immense changes I have undergone. It goes without saying that I no longer feel like a tourist in Madrid - in fact, it has become such a part of my sense of self that I am already planning a way to come back in the future.

More than anything, I am grateful to have been blessed with an incredibly supportive and enriching environment, one that has allowed for psychological, social, and emotional exploration not tied to the norms that have been ingrained in our minds as American youth. I have grown to love my host mother like true family and I credit a substantial portion of my personal growth to her thoughtfulness and understanding. I have met incredible people that I am so grateful I can now call my friends. I have thoroughly taken advantage of non-traditional learning and happy to say that I finally feel competent in my abilities to discuss intellectual topics in Spanish.

I constantly refer to our stay here as not "real life" simply because our life here - and the ease with which we can live it fully - is completely surreal. Stanford strives to create the optimal environment for us and I'm sure they want every student to experience all those things I just listed above, I am just grateful to have been one of those granted the opportunity. It has been life-changing, in every sense of the word.

So here we are nearly 6 months later, thinking fondly of my experiences and wondering what it will be like to return to the life I knew before going abroad. I guess tomorrow we will see...

Overdue! Paris, part II

My last day in Paris was like walking among the clouds.

I lost myself along Champs Elysee and the Luxembourg gardens, the Pantheon and the Rodin museum. 

I stumbled across the Latin Quarter discovering gem after incredible gem of beauty and history. I spent it unexpectedly alone since my phone credit expired just as I was heading into the city center, and though that was just one more item to add to my long list of unfortunate circumstances, I couldn't have been more grateful to be alive. 

And finally, I managed to find some internet and see my friends in Paris one last time. After touring the city at dusk, we made it to the Montparnasse tower just in time to get an unbelievable view of the City of Lights, complete with the Eiffel tower and all.

Even though it's been just over a week since I returned from Paris, it seems unreal that I actually saw and did those things I just wrote about. It's even more weird considering one of my friends in Paris has already returned to the states and begun his summer job!

And even though our adventures abroad are shortly coming to an end, I know our bittersweet goodbye is a small price to pay for all the wonderful opportunities we have been given over the past few months.

Voted city most likely to surprise you: Paris, part I

Even with a slight housing disaster and expired phone credit, my trip to Paris is one that I will remember for a long time to come.

The first day was a whirlwind of traveling and trying to find my way around in this beautiful new city. I came across some beautiful sights and managed to meet up with friends before meeting up with my Couchsurfing host.

Louis XIV square

Jim Morrison's grave!

Yes, I did Couchsurfing. If you don't know what that is, it's a system of hosts all around the world who offer a space in their home for people traveling through to stay relatively free of charge. In an expensive city like Paris, Couchsurfing was ideal. I thought I had covered all my bases before going through with the experience, unfortunately a misunderstanding with my host about what the word "compromise" means eventually led to a state of temporary homelessness in Paris. One minute I'm sitting out by the Eiffel tower admiring the twinkling lights, and the next I am frantically searching hostel sights for any available space. Cue mini crisis.

But, as always, the gods looked favorably on me and found me a solution before my anxiety could evolve into a full-scale panic attack (holla Dan & Randy!). I somehow managed to keep a bright outlook and visit some of the monuments that have lived only in my dreams.

Notre Dame cathedral

I was continually delighted by the beautiful nooks that I stumbled across in my wanderings around the city. I already expected to see the beautiful iconic landmarks that characterize Paris, but there is so much more to discover.

Sainte-Chapelle

The next night was then spent celebrating a friend's birthday and spending time with other friends studying in Paris. It was a great way to relax after 2 long days of traveling and living like a nomad. I had the intention of seeing as much as possible during my time there despite the various challenges that crossed my path, even though I knew I could not see and appreciate everything in such a short visit.  

Versailles

I was excited and deeply grateful to be in this great city, and more than anything I was glad to see that  my perception of the city thus far had (more or less) not been as awful as some of the descriptions others had shared. 

When I wasn't looking

Today, I am in the midst of planning last minute details for my final trip of the quarter while trying to ignore my headache from too little sleep and the unfinished sociology paper I have due the day after I return. I have another casual weekend trip to a not-so-casual destination (this time it's Paris!), and while I am extremely excited to see another city that I once only dreamed about, this trip solidifies the fact that my study abroad experience is almost over. One week from today my roommate will be packing up her things to leave, and two weeks from today, I myself will be getting ready to ship out.

The other day I had a beautiful moment of gratitude and nostalgia, but not regarding things from home. I was walking home from having dinner with a friend and in the dusk of the evening during a moment of relative quiet, I was taken back to my first week here - when the streets seemed loud and crowded, when I found something new every day as I walked to and from school, when the sun would set before 7pm. All these things that somehow changed when I wasn't looking. This wasn't just a repeat of the "meta" experience that I had earlier this quarter - it wasn't just that now I don't get lost or that I know where to find such item - it was rather a feeling of attachment to this place and a sense of sadness that it has now (almost) come and gone.

I still miss plenty of things from home and as much as I have tried to make this place my home, a part of me has held back, knowing there will be a time that I will return to normalcy and so there is no need to fully give in. As it gets closer and closer to the end of my trip, I have begun to think more frequently of home. It makes it hard not to miss things that are familiar and safe so I was actually a bit surprised when I was struck with such a deep sense of sadness of leaving this foreign place. Maybe I have become a little bit more than just a student studying abroad...

Another dose of wonderful, Seville part II

I spent the whole first day wandering around Seville by myself. I had nice chats with a handful of people throughout the day, but I had yet to meet up with my friend from Florence with whom I had made these travel plans. We finally made plans to meet in the hostel lobby the next morning and head out from there for another day of sight-seeing.

A large group of Stanford students studying in Florence (my friend from my hometown included) traveled together to Seville, but another friend from my hometown happened to be in Lisbon around this time and was also able to make it out to Seville for the weekend - double win!

It was another hot day in the city, so we took our time strolling through the streets, visiting some sights and sharing study abroad stories. I have to admit, it was nice to be around fellow El Pasoans after being away for so long - there are some jokes only we can make :)

We headed out to the beautiful Spanish plaza again then went on a search for Agua de Sevilla (lots of alcohol, pineapple juice, and whipped cream - what more could you want?) on our way back to the hostel.

The others wanted to see a flamenco show before leaving Seville, so after dinner we went to a bar deep within the Jewish quarter that offers free flamenco shows. I wasn't able to stay for the whole show because my bus left late at night, so I bid everyone an early goodbye and headed back to the hostel through the winding streets. I had just walked for a minute or so when I stumbled upon this:

a yellow arrow from El Camino de Santiago. I can't escape it! The camino will follow me for the rest of my life! I did a double-take when I saw it and knew I had to take a picture of it. There was a group of tourists walking past me as I stopped to take the picture, and while I'm sure they thought I was some weirdo, I felt like I was in on some cool secret society symbolism that no one around me knew about.

Walking through the streets in the warm night air and reflecting on my arrow-sighting, I remembered how lucky I am to be here. I realized that I really have acquired an immense amount of knowledge, both in and outside of the classroom, and that I have gained a greater awareness of myself and those around me. Sometimes I try to think of what will be the first thing I tell my mom or my sisters when I get back to El Paso, but honestly I don't even know where to start.

A dose of wonderful: Seville, part I

After a long bus ride into the night, I found myself walking the streets of Seville in the dusk before sun rise. The sleeping city (well, sleeping minus those who were just heading home from their nightly activities) was calm and surprisingly relaxing. I struggled to find the hostel in the jagged, poorly marked streets but I was welcomed by a smiling receptionist who handed me a key (even though check-in wasn't supposed to be for hours) and invited me to breakfast on the terrace. I welcomed the glorious sight of the morning sun on the terrace as I sipped my coffee.

I wasn't sure if my friends were awake - or even what room they were in actually - so I headed out for a morning stroll. Despite the early hour, the city was slowly coming alive. It was precisely these next few hours, as I observed the day begin, that captivated me. I wandered through the streets without a particular direction, walking along the main roads branching from Plaza Nueva and the cathedral (the biggest cathedral in Spain!), then winding through the quaint narrow streets of the Jewish quarter.

Honestly, I had been feeling a little lukewarm about Spain lately. Something about my classes and uprooting every weekend to travel was wearing out the spark that reminds me how lucky I am to be here (ironic, right?). Seville was the perfect antidote - it was just enough quintessential Spain to get me to fall in love all over again but modern enough to offer more than a cathedral and a famous plaza. Seville may have just won as my favorite city in Spain!

Later that day, I went in search of flamenco tickets. I made a half-hearted effort to find a place a friend of mine had recommended but actually got sidetracked by a charming bar which turned out to have flamenco shows as well. Something about the place won me over and after talking to the bartender I scored VIP seating in the front row :) I had some time to kill before the show so I went off for some tapas and more drinks. It took me a while to escape the tourist traps but the place I found was a no-name gem - and I met my first real, live Francoist. I indulged him in conversation for about an hour and was fascinated by the way he truly believed Spain has slowly deteriorated since Franco's death.

Being my first flamenco show, I really have nothing to compare it to, but I was simply blown away. The space was small, which meant that 40 people were crowded around a small stage that must have measured 50 sq. ft. in total, but the intimate setting was actually the perfect prelude to what was about to be an amazing show.

Each member was incredibly talented individually, but the best part of the show was the way they all fed off of each other's energy - you could see the lead singer give up his heart and soul as he watched the dancer step to the tune, the guitarist's fingers moved like a spider's legs when spinning a web and were matched only by the dancer's feet. The sound of the guitar, the rich, sonorous voice, and the tapping on the floor enveloped every person in the room until we became a part of the show itself. If you are ever in Seville, watch the Huelva Ocho flamenco show - it is worth every euro.

Bing trip #2: the return of El Camino

After embarking on our once-quarterly Bing trip, we are officially 2/3 of the way through the spring program – only further proof that 10 weeks is a period much too short for studying abroad!

Our 3-day Bing trip took us to the northeastern region of Spain, to the provinces of Aragon and Navarra. We boarded th bus on Friday at the crack of dawn – well it was actually 8am, but it felt like the crack of dawn – and had a long trip to the French/Spanish border where we would walk a portion of the beginning of El Camino de Santiago.

Yes, the camino had returned. While most of us had packed away our boot and trekking backpacks and had a compostelana as proof of our voyage, we became pilgrims once again. The mountainous region was incredibly beautiful and quite different from the landscape in Galicia. We learned a bit about the historic landmarks in the region, including the ruins of an old pilgrim hospital and an international train station no longer in use, and the fact that we no longer had to carry backpacks or endure rain and hail made the day much more enjoyable.

We then visited el monasterio de San Juan de la Peña, where the old monastery was built into the side of a mountain.

(We visited another monastery the next day – hate to break it to you BOSP, but really, when you’ve seen one monastery, you’ve seen them all).

The next town we visited was Olite – a little town not too far from the place my host mother was born! Our plan was to take part in some of the patron saint festivities going on that day, but the beautiful weather form the day before had turned into gloomy rain all day long. Instead, we all spent the evening chatting away, watching the Chelsea vs. Munich soccer game (holla Chelsea!) and enjoying our sweet castle-turned-hotel. I can now check “spend the night in a castle” off my bucket list!

The next morning we visited a wine museum to learn all about the process of making wine – this region of Spain is known for the high quality wine it produces – and to taste one of the signature wines of the region. Thank you, Bings!

We had an absolutely amazing lunch and made our way to our last stop of the trip – a visit to the river Duero to walk along a romantic path that the Spanish poet Antonio Machada frequented with his wife. Once again, the inclement weather didn’t allow us to take the intended path, but we did manage to get a breathtaking view of the river. 

A weekend of being wined & dined by Stanford is always something to appreciate and this trip was one more piece of my Spanish tour. Thank you Stanford <3

Haggling: it's an addiction

After a long 24 hours (had it really only been a day?!) in Marrakech, we were ready to explore the markets in the square and see what kinds of fun stuff we could scoop up. The street vendors had almost anything you could ever want to buy - soccer jerseys, designer handbags, shoes, hats, tea sets, jewelry, watches, scarves - all for prices subject to haggling.

It took a few tries to learn the strategies behind haggling- a type of dance between the vendor and the buyer, where you gauge each other's interest and willingness to compromise. Each purchase is a prize that you have earned and the thrill of it makes you want more. Most of us had things in mind we wanted to buy, but some purchases were a result of a deal that was too good to pass up.

Throughout the weekend, I scored some beautiful handmade necklaces, a couple bracelets, and a purse. I also bought some of the most delicious dried figs and apricots I have ever had and traditional Moroccan spices (in case you haven't seen my Pinterest account lately, I am counting down the days until I have a kitchen and can cook for myself). And the best part was that we could indulge in these treats without actually spending alot of money.

On our last day in Marrakech, we took a guided tour throughout the historic district. It was actually really nice to be able to walk through the more intimate areas of the city and avoid the overly touristy markets. We visited a mosque, a palace, a burial ground, the Jewish quarters, the Souk markets, and another pharmacy for an overall well-rounded tour.

At night, the main square transformed from a space owned almost exclusively by food and fruit vendors to one with dancers, pastry vendors, and henna artists. I got a henna tattoo on my hand, which actually turned out to be quite beautiful and well worth the price. A couple others got henna against their will as these women grabbed their appendages and wasted no time in applying the henna to their skin. The funniest case was when a woman insisted her design was for good sex and proceeded to apply a type of synthetic henna that now looks like a drawing made form black Sharpie on my friend's hand.

I still can't quite believe that I actually got to visit Morocco- trips like these are what remind me that I still have so much left to learn about the world. But for now, I think I'll focus on finishing up Spain (and perhaps a little bit of Paris too).

Adventures in Ourike Valley

The day after arriving, we woke up bright and early to take a day trip to Ourike valley where we would learn more about the Berber community, ride camels, and visit a waterfall. Our first stop was at a traditional Berber home where we learned about the home and family structure. We learned about the way animals are generally kept in a room inside the home because there isn't much room for them elsewhere, the way a man's first wife (they can have up to 4) is the one in charge of the household, and how villages grow from one household to a small nucleus in just a few hundred years.

Our hostess prepared us Moroccan mint tea and we enjoyed a lovely Berber breakfast before heading out once more. We drove just a short distance before I spotted our next activity: camels!

I have always wanted to ride a camel - I remember once at Stanford they had a camel in White Plaza for Israeli independence day and I was really sad I couldn't stop by to ride it. But riding a camel in Morocco is way cooler anyway :) After the camels, we made a few more photo-op stops before heading to the mountains where we would have an hour long trek to reach the waterfalls.

This hour-long trek sounded fine in theory, but it didn't take into account how steep the climb would be, nor how long it would take to come back down. Actually, it wouldn't have been all that bad if I had all my toes in non-broken condition - you never realize what important stabilizers they are until you try to climb narrow paths of rocks. I was way too preoccupied trying to climb safely to even think about taking pictures, but some of those climbs were ridiculously steep. On the bright side, the waterfall was refreshing (i.e. freezing) and helped to numb the throbbing in my toe quite a bit.

After the waterfall, we climbed a bit more and were relieved when we finally started going back down. I quickly realized, however, that going down a steep mountain is almost more painful on your toes than climbing up one. I slowed to a snail's pace, carefully assessing every patch of rock I would step on to make sure it wouldn't slide underneath my feet and that I could step down without putting too much weight on my toes. I felt bad because the sun was high and hot and the longer we took to climb down the mountain, the more time we spent in the sun and the longer it would take to eat lunch.

The trek down was tough but was made infinitely better by all the support that I got from my friends- from words of encouragement to holding my hand on the trickiest patches of rock, they helped me keep my sanity and even laugh every now and then.

The last part of the trip was visiting a pharmacy to learn all about Moroccan spices. We were given a tutorial on what each spice is used for and the types of health and cosmetic products made from them. A few of us bought some spices, but most of us were itching to get back to Marrakech to hit the good stuff at the markets. Haggling actually turned out to be one of our favorite pastimes...

[to be continued..]

Visiting a whole new world

One of my favorite books growing up was A Little Princess (by Frances Hodgson Burnett). There is a particular passage in the book where the main character, Sarah, says that what she misses most from her hometown in India is the way the air is thick with the smell of spices. Growing up it was hard for me to imagine what exactly that meant, but this past weekend I got to smell this rich aroma with my own nose. I didn't go to India, but my roommate confirmed that the smell that filled the air in Marrakech was very similar to that in India.

Dejemaa el Fna

Morocco was an experience that I can hardly begin to describe. It is by far the most "exotic" of the places I have visited, a place where everything was so foreign to me that I learned something new with literally every step I took. We arrived to a triple-digit weather and made our way as quickly as possible to the main central square (Dejemaa el Fna) where we would then walk to our hostel. The square was bustling with activity - motorcycles, pedestrians, and horse-drawn carts all shared the same path, vendors selling everything from fresh-squeezed orange juice, dried apricots/figs/dates, and all types of food called out to us as we walked past.

We couldn't find out way very well and eventually had to follow an interesting old man who insisted on guiding us to our hostel, and by insist I mean he kept walking in front of us, gesturing ahead and repeating "Waka Waka" (the name of our hostel) over and over. We finally arrived and, after dealing with some logistical issues, walking to the building where we would actually be staying in, and drinking a cup of tea with our hostel staff, we were officially welcomed into Marrakech.

Our first evening we decided to find something to eat and explore the square and the surrounding markets. We all tried our best to avoid the motorcycles and aggressive vendors that swarmed the walkways, at least until we were fed and ready to tackle the markets with the intent to purchase.

I'm going to skip some details of the day and talk about one of my favorite subjects: food. I will soon be adding food pictures to the blog because I personally didn't take any, but my friends with better cameras did :) Our hostel included breakfast with our stay, which meant that each morning we got a beautiful fried egg with various breads, juice, and coffee - a breakfast fit for royalty! We also sampled a traditional Berber breakfast on our day trip which is Moroccan bread dipped in butter, olive oil, or honey (all of which were AMAZING) paired with Moroccan mint tea. The typical lunch and dinner dish in Marrakech is a tagine, which can be various types of meat and/or vegetables steamed in a clay dish and seasoned to perfection (an example pictured below).

Photo credit: Anna

There were also various fruit stands throughout the market, as well as dried fruit stands and food stands serving tagine, couscous, snails, and various other treats in the square. Once in a while you came across stands filled with colorful mounds of spices which created the wonderful aroma in the air. But we struck gold when we discovered fresh fruit smoothies - none of this Jamba Juice stuff, think more along the lines of a licuado - for the equivalent of 50 cents! We didn't have to spend very much money to eat well - and quite frankly, there are few things better than sharing a great meal with friends.

[stay tuned for camels, waterfalls, haggling, henna, and more!]