First day in Morocco

Hooray – I made it to Morocco in one piece… after a two hour flight delay and my driver leaving me stranded at Fes airport. Nonetheless, I am safe at Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane, which looks more like a holiday resort than a university campus. I’m surprised with how big this place is, but I guess most campuses look large compared to my home universities in London. The mosque is at the centre of the university, and all buildings have a high pointed arch, to enable snow in the winter season to run down it.

After an extremely bumpy landing, I tagged along with an American family in figuring out how to get to our destination, considering our drivers ditched us. After some contemplation, I decided to grab a taxi and was lucky to share it with an American student, Geoff, who was heading to the same university as I. As the first students to arrive from our group, we stuck together looking for our tutors, ID cards, and most importantly, food! 

Security is quite tight in this university. There are security guards everywhere, but people seem very friendly. As I post this on my second day, I have managed to make a friend, Badr, who has agreed to show me around Ifrane after his library shift. I’m looking forward to it.

I was surprised to be sharing a room with someone, a really nice native Moroccan girl, Ayda, whom I hope will teach me the basics of Arabic, and how to get to certain places. I’m quite pleased with how this trip is panning out.

I have 3 days spare before the rest of the Diplomatic Academy of London group joins me in our lessons in North African and Middle Eastern politics. During this time, I aim to learn the basics of Arabic, buy gym gear in order to work out hardcore, read through my United Nations briefing paper, and educate myself on Moroccan culture and system.