In our first or second week in Granada, one of my friends from IES came to me and said “Haley, I don’t understand it. Whenever I see my neighbor in the street I say hi and she says ‘Hasta luego!’ I don’t understand…does she not like me?”
On December 13th, Michelmas term ended and shortly thereafter everyone I know abandoned me, some to go home to see their families, others to do a bit of traveling around Europe (one of my roommates is hitting Scandinavia, France, Italy and I think Germany as well — I am incredibly jealous). I’m leaving on Monday to spend Christmas with my family in Harrogate, a pretty little spa town outside of Leeds (and also where I was born!) so I’m really not complaining. I just like to be dramatic.
I took the time to compile a list of “Things To Know” for your trip to Morocco!
1. If you are having lunch, dinner or tea with a Moroccan family, you are going to eat. What I mean by eat, is a full blown meal. During this meal you might here someone say “Kool! Kool!” No they are not interested in your eating habits, but they want you to continue eating. Kool=eat. If you are stuffed to capacity – in which you might be- Shabaat=I’m full. Never forget this.
The last couple of weeks of study abroad just whirled past me. My last trip was to Paris in the company of the best friends a girl could ask for. We all went to Norway together and wanted our last trip to be together as well. We figured out the Paris Metro (which is not an easy task if you ask me), and saw all of the “Greatest Hits of Paris”- the Arc de Triomphe, the Lourve/Mona Lisa, Notre Dame, the Lock Bridge, and of course, the Eiffel Tower.
During my last few days in Berlin, I’ve finally absorbed how much living in the city has truly meant to me. Not only have I experienced urban life for the first time, appreciating, in my impending nostalgia the rhythm of the train schedules, the beauty of both the ornate and utilitarian buildings alike, the constant din of voices and opportunities to go anywhere at any time, but I’ve collected stories and forged memories in a city already rich in stories.
Toward the end of the IES program, my friends and I took a trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I LOVED it. I had never been to such a tropical, beachy city before where people quite literally roam the streets barefoot and in bathing suits, often holding a surfboard, too. We stayed in the Ipanema neighborhood, one of the “nicer” ones since Rio is known to be somewhat dangerous, especially for tourists.
