Not such balmy nights...

The Kasbah in the evening.

Thursday marks a week since I arrived here, and I've been feeling slightly like a hermit; not venturing out much and trying to keep warm. In my defence it has been really cold (and I don't cope with the cold) and I'm slightly shy and unsure of myself. However, on Friday I ventured out of my shell as I was shown the beach and the Kasbah by Lexy and John. Baby steps! I also took some photos, so decided it was time for a bit of an update!

I've well and truly settled into my accomodation, even putting things on shelves and in drawers (anyone who knows my room at home will know that for me, personalising a room is a big deal). The security guard at the hospital now knows me and greets me every morning with "Bonjour Mademoiselle"; the children know my name; I am recognised on the way to work, I can use the public transport system, and most importantly I can beat a 10 year old at a game of jungle speed. Speaking only arabic.So basically, I win at life.

The beach was cold.

It feels like I've been here a lot longer than I actually have, and the thought that I'm here for the next 3 months doesn't scare me nearly as much as it did when looking forward in Australia. I genuinely feel welcomed, though I don't think I will ever get used to the attention that comes with being a single white female in North Africa.

I won't lie, it was incredibly overwhelming to begin with. To be chucked into a culture that is so different from one's own is tough. The weather is different (I'm currently tucked in bed, repping the Ignatius' trackies and trying to keep warm) and dont get me started on the food. It's incredible. We had our weekly get together on Wednesday night, and from now on whenever I have a get together I'm going to insist that at least two babies be present to be cooed and fussed over, there is loud and funky franco-arabic music, and the food is scrumptious and covers an entire table.

The atlantic ocean. Is big.

Possibly the most interesting thing to happen this week was also on Wednesday night. We went out to play pool after the get together, and on our way home we saw people and riot police running away from the medina. Unsur of what was going on, we stayed to watch, and found out that a protest about unemployment had gotten out of hand and started blocking the traffic. So the riot police had been called in. As you do. When we wandered back towards Bab Bouiba (one of the gates into the medina) we saw the the entire entry to the main street, Avenue Mohammed V, was again blocked by riot police. Needless to say we left as the police began dispersing in our general direction, but it was an interesting night.

Personally I didn't take any pictures of the protests or the get together; I'll get them from Lexy in the next day or so and upload them in a separate "recap" post.

It is now saturday night and I'm a blog behind after todays adventures, so check back soon for another installment. What happens in Morocco...

Clem  xx