[someone should let me know if those album addresses worked.]
I'm going to have to do a short summary of my trips since time slipped away and I now have two more under my belt since Morocco. I will leave Sweden till yet another day though.
I don't mean to be cliche, but even if I found a better phrase to explain Morocco than... it was amazing... I still wouldn't do any better because that's what it was. (but I do hate being so vague)
I won't brag on myself but I was really thankful pretty quick into the trip that I had learned some Arabic and I was also proud that my small french vocabulary came in so handy.
No but really... there wasn't much to brag about it was kind of pathetic.... but I sure could ask if they had that shirt in yellow (a vital phrase) or for some tea in Arabic... I do have restaurant Arabic pretty much down.
It was good practice for Paris too, less intimidating in a way but it did draw my attention to the fact that as much good as it did me to be able to understand most of the French that was happening around me (or to me) it does little good when you can't remember the verb you need.
(or when you the taxi keeps asking WHICH hotel and you are trying to tell him that you don't have a hotel you just need him to take you to ANY hotel... thats a fun story.)
lesson dually noted.
Our hostel was an exotic little place with and open courtyard in the center and the view from our rooftop was over hundreds of stair step white washed roofs with little courtyards on top and the ocean in the background. I'm pretty sure that all five of us had the sudden urge to pretend like we were Aladdin and Jump to the terrace below us... luckily none of us did though because Aladdin was a cartoon and cartoons don't have bones but I'm almost positive Jeremy and Zach do. They were of course the two that would have actually considered it... No, that is false. They are all crazy... I would have been the only one left to clean up the mess.
the view.
The first time through the Medina was slightly overwhelming. For one thing, my body is not used to sunshine anymore and my skin started to shrivel and the 70 degree weather made the world spin a bit. Just joking, the sunshine was unfamiliar but really it was ridiculous amount of handmade Moroccan shoes that lined the souks and the beads and the shoes and the iridescent fabrics and the shoes... you get the point.
We were warned (by the internet) that since we were three obviously American girls that we would probably be harassed and even pinched or grabbed. Not a fact. Some people get a little over-anxious when it comes time to note differences in culture... it was probably the same people that think British people are known to suddenly attack unsuspecting Americans on subways and force them to denounce their political views and promise to recycle (...also not a fact.) Morocco was one of the friendliest places I've been and we obviously drew some attention (we have blue eyes and Abbey was blonde) but the worst that ever happened was a passer by who exclaimed "OH MY GOD! beautiful!" Which I consider to be the appropriate response to our presence and a compliment... and I think the guys around here should take a lesson.
can you blame them? look at how well we fit in. perfect.
Our days consisted of going to the beach, walking around the Medina (fun even if you're not buying anything...which is not what I did but it was Morocco and handmade and get over it) and our second full day we added a camel ride. All in all incredible experience, a great group of people and huge relaxing blessing.
Top 10 from Morocco.
10. finally having a legitimate excuse not to brush my hair or wear make-up
9. having a break from wearing jackets. blek
8. really cheap food
7. going to the beach
6. being in africa again
5. everything and everyone was beautiful and made my pictures good without any effort or talent of my own.
4. having mendhi (henna) done by someone besides me
3.speaking and understanding Arabic and French was fun.
2. making friends while arguing that they should sell you those shoes for less than they asked.
1. I don't have favorites. I spent four days with four gnarly (and photogenic) people in Morocco. need I say more?
Irelanda (ireland.)
I have less to say about Ireland.
Surely it's understandable though. We only had about three days to re-coup from an amazing, warm, sunny, emotionally uplifting Morocco before we had to head out again to Ireland (where it was also cold. and wet.)
Everyone is allowed to have off days. (or at least I'm allowed... You can think whatever you want.) Even if it comes during a time that people might think it should be overlooked... Travel is a blessing but there are more important things in my life than Ireland.
So considering the previous exhaustion, the disinterest in being cold, and a few other unnamed factors I did have a hard time getting too excited. We went to Dublin, which I feel was part of the problem because Dublin is really nice but it is hard to enjoy being in Ireland when it just looks a lot like where we live minus my own comfy bed. It wasn't rolling grassy hills spotted with Castles, sheep and bagpipes playing in the distance, it was more like a big town with Irish pubs and landmarks. I think we assumed there would be more St. Patrick's day festivities happening throughout but there wasn't much going on. I feel like the Irish may have said "get over it" to the powers that be... "St. Patty's day in still on the 17th" and disregarded the move of the holiday. So we came a few days too early and missed most of that fun. I'm not much of a big city person when it comes to traveling like we are because with only two days to see "Ireland" or where ever we go, I would probably rather see the story book Ireland than the traveler's magazine side. We went out to the coast the first day which was beautiful and we climbed things and Kara and Adrian dangerously laid coins on the train tracks (it really wasn't that dangerous) and we took lots of fun pictures.
The second day we went out to the countryside and it rained all day and I was miserable. Physically I wasn't miserable the WHOLE time... but after about one hour my previous mental disposition (which was "unmotivated" to be there, remember.) suddenly noticed that my shoes, which were about two dollars to begin with, had become less like shoes and more like really wet, thin socks. Then it noticed that my feet weren't the only thing that were slowly disintegrating from being underwater and with every step up that big ol' mountain that my lighthearted mates happily traversed (in their shoes with soles) a rock on the rock path we climbed went through my soggy sock-shoes and eventually my physical and mental met and decided that they hated Ireland. No, they hated this trip to Ireland.
Its not a secret and I'm not really that worried about admitting it. I wasn't really doing that great before the other members of the party decided they wanted to climb the mountain sometimes, when no other options are available you do what you have to do and look forward to, not the long and moist plane ride to London or the chaffing bus ride back to Oxford, or even the bitter cold wind blowing icy through your still wet hair, but to your warm bed in your (as you suspected) empty room in the house on 10 Canterbury Road.
walking around on the first morning
this is Kara and Zach imitating ACU's beautiful sculpture outside of the campus center. Bringin a little piece of ACU with us everywhere we go...
Fog thwarted our view both days but sticking to traditional ideas of Ireland I think it was only appropriate. It also didn't make for good pictures but it didn't really matter I didn't really want pictures at the time anyway. So I don't have as many from that trip
Don't worry about my sentiments towards my Ireland trip. I have to revoke my previous statement that I hated it, I hated a lot of it but actually there was a good 18 hours at the beginning that I really enjoyed.
Sweden was much better and I intend to make it back one to Ireland day so all is not lost.
Lessons learned
-My mom plans really good trips
-5 people is just about enough
-Irish music can sound like country music
-Texas is better than Ireland
[defensive Syllogism:
Ireland is nice, but it will never love me.
[However] my grandparents will love me.
My grandparents are in Texas.
conclusion-Texas will love me.
Therefore: Texas is better than Ireland.]
-Experiences aren't everything.
Dually noted.
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