So despite having booked the shuttle to take me from the hotel to Orly (which, thanks to e-mailed receipts, I know that I did) I was actually taken to Charles DeGaulle, which I embarassingly didn't realize until I asked a nice lady at an information desk to help me find my airline. Then I stupidly thought the train would be faster than the bus and, despite the efforts of multiple kind French women to help me do things like get off at the right stop, I missed my flight. Jet4You was not particularly helpful, as their next flight was going to cost about 300 euros or almost half of the total amount I had in the bank. After panicking, spending about 10 euros trying to call all the AMIDEAST numbers in my possession and/or Mom (I eventually managed to talk to one person at the AMIDEAST emergency number for about two minutes until I got cut off and was out of coins) I found an internet console and paid more money to try to get online and figure out if there were any flights. I found an easyjet flight out of CDG for a little over 100 euros and took the bus. It took me about half an hour of walking back, forth, up and down through CDG before I even found the easyjet ticket counter, at which point it was too late to buy tickets. I found a starbucks, paid yet again to access wifi, got back on the internet. Another Jet4You flight was leaving Orly at about 11 PM, which I knew I could make. (This is when I sent the first e-mail.) I got back on the train. When I got to Orly, there was no longer anyone at the Jet4You ticket counter. I walked around looking at the check-in places until I found a flight going to Casablanca, which happened to be Royal Air Maroc. I ran up to the Royal Air Maroc ticket counter. A little less than 200 euros. Possible. Of course, Chase was freaking out and would only let me do some things with my debit card and not others, so I had to pay for my ticket in cash. I was incredibly relieved that something had finally worked out, although still nervous that no one at AMIDEAST would know where I was or when to come pick me up. I sent the second e-mail while waiting to board the plane. I finally landed in Casablanca at about 12:30 AM local time, and was already trying to think about how I was going to call someone when I saw a man in the baggage claim holding an AMIDEAST sign. What a relief! I got to the hotel around 2 AM. I have an entire, very large room (most hotels in the US would call this a suite because there's an area with a couch and a TV) all to myself because I was the last to arrive.
I had to be up fairly early the next day for the start of orientation. I met most of my classmates at breakfast in the hotel. There will be 16 of us total, but that includes three who were here last semester as well and are therefore skipping orientation. All thirteen of the new students are women. We spent yesterday morning in meetings about AMIDEAST as an organization, schedules for the program, how not to get mugged, etc., etc. In the afternoon we all climbed into a van and Mohammed, who is in charge of AMIDEAST Rabat's academic programs, took us on a tour of some of Rabat's important sights. First was Chellah, which was originally a Roman outpost called Sala. It later became a military encampment for soldiers on their way from Marrakesh to Spain. I think it might be the most beautiful place in the world. There is a fabulous view towards the river, Bou Regreg, and Sale on the other side.The area around the ruins is basically a beautiful garden. Storks roost on top of some of the structures, including the remnants of a mosque which lost its minaret in an earthquake around 1600. They make a sort of clicking sound, which Mohammed described as a "love song." Storks, he said, are monogamous and this is the sound the single ones make in order to attract a mate. We also went to some of the potters' shops in Sale, and to les Oudaias, the Kasbah (fortress) of Rabat. Les Oudaias reminded me of Le Mont St-Michel in Normandie - winding, uphill streets and interconnected buildings like a honeycomb. At the top there's another lovely view of the beach. The water is very cold for swimming, but there were lots of surfers. (Rabat's first surfing club was established by the king,Mohammed VI.)
Today we're taking Arabic placement tests.Slightly stressful, but not too bad. I'm remembering more than I thought I would. Surprisingly, some of the other students have neither French nor Arabic. I'm not sure I would have been brave enough to come!
No pictures because my camera was out of batteries, but there are some nice ones here and here.
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