My first week in Rabat has been an overload of the senses. I live in the most colorful, detailed, and lively place I have ever seen: The Rabat Medina. It is the old quarter of the city, far more traditional than other parts. In order to record my feelings and observations, I have been using sketching amongst other media. Here are some of my doodles that capture things I have seen or thought throughout the week. It doesn't sum up my time very well considering I have already done so much; I have been to 5 Moroccan cities, learned dozens of phrases in Darija (Moroccan Colloquial Arabic), and have been exposed to innumerable new things that I must integrate into my daily life. This includes a new dress codes, using a squat toilet, eating several large meals a day, being catcalled and forcing myself to not retaliate, becoming comfortable with communicating in French, hearing the beautiful calls of prayer 5 times a day, learning the right balance of respect and camaraderie living with a new family... it is so much. This is why my first blog post since my start of my adventures is a compilation of unrelated doodles. My thoughts are very scattered as I absorb what is around me.
As for the media I have used here, I use Micron pens for the black line work and Prismacolor markers for the color. I brought 6 Prismacolor markers with me: brownish yellow, navy, periwinkle, leaf green, rose, and a dark brown. I plan on doing more media that just sketches in the future. I am planning to post audio files, images of local pottery (some that I helped make!), textile arts, and more.
À bientôt,
Adrienne
Adrienne Lane
<p>Hi, my name is Adrienne Cecile, though many just know me as Ace. I am originally from Los Angeles, and I am now a rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I specialize in biotechnology and Franco-Arab Studies. I have a huge passion for making art, particularly drawing and sewing. I spend a lot of my time at school at my arts fraternity, St. Anthony Hall, where I do community arts outreach and make a lot of art, of course. I am so excited to be in a Francophone country for the first time after studying French for eight years, and I cannot wait to learn Arabic and do independent research on minoritiy communities in Urban Morocco.</p>
