Another weekend gone and not very many more stories, I think I’ll still type it up just to stave off the utter boredom and annoyance for a little bit longer.

On Thursday night, about 16 of us went out for dinner at TGIFridays. It was really nice to go out to an American restaurant and to actually eat a burger and fries. Service was really slow because they fed all the Moroccans first so they could break their fast. It also, coincidentally, happened to be our month-iversary of being in Morocco. It was also the first time (excluding core class) that so many of us have been in one place since the orientation. For me, seeing so many people was kind of bittersweet, it just threw so many of my/the program’s inadequacies into sharper focus.

After dinner, we all went over to the hookah bar in the nouvelle ville. In typical Arab tradition, it’s a smoky, dark room that is frequented by men and the occasional (or common) prostitute. In the typical American tradition, certain people in my program thought that it would be a good idea to bring along their cheap alcohol and mix it with Hawaii while in the bar. It was like a night full of stereotypes. Despite how bitter I am right now, I really did enjoy the night. We had four hookahs and a round of drinks and it ended up still being less than 50 bucks split between 10ish people. You really can’t beat that considering one hookah is at least 15 dollars at home.

The highlight of Friday was easily the first thing that I did. I woke up kind of late (around 9) and went for a run. I’ve missed working out so, so much and it felt so good to have a healthy sheen of sweat. I’d been really hesitant about running because the ground is never level here, women exercising outside of aerobics classes is odd, and I can’t run with my iPod. So, I decided to run out of the medina to the tiny park on Avenue Hassan II and went for a half hour leisurely jog in sweat pants and a T-shirt. People were still staring at me like I was a crazy person, but it was totally worth it.

Later that day, I went back to the Andalusian gardens and read for a bit. I think the henna hecklers are starting to recognize me- rather than follow me and grab at my hands, they just asked me if I wanted henna. The gardens did go down a bit on my list of places that I like, though, since I did have two awkward conversations with guys who just decided that it was alright to sit down next to me and start talking. I went out that night briefly for coffee with some of the people in Gabby’s (one of my roommates) program.

Saturday was just as awfully dull as Friday. I woke up and read for a little bit, worked on some Arabic, and worked on some LSAT prep-stuff- I know, it’s hard not to be jealous at the thrill in my life. I went shopping with Suzanne and Jennifer for a few hours in the afternoon in some of the nicer shops in the nouvelle ville. I still haven’t figured out if I need to buy anything for the “winter” weather. All we’ve had for the fall, so far, is a few bits of rain on occasion. We also made a stop at McDos for a snack and people-watching.

I came home to discover that we had three girls staying with us from a study-abroad program in Granada. The more that I talk to people in other programs, the more I resent my program for never having their shit together and not providing us these opportunities. That night, the 26th of Ramadan, was a little bit of a holiday. All Moroccan families dress up their children in traditional costumes and take them into the streets to parade them around and get their pictures taken at all the photography shops. A ton of people in my program had made plans (without calling me of course) to walk around the medina and the nouvelle ville and people watch. We all ended up meeting up again (me with the three girls from Granada in tow) and going to the hookah bar for a second night in one weekend. One of the guys in my program is working there (under the table) so it was interesting to see him running around with the coals and drinks.

Sunday was another day that I exercised my ability to be independent. I read, worked on homework and readings, and watched a movie on my computer in the morning. In the afternoon, I went and read in the park, ran a few errands, and went to the cyber café to talk to my parents. On the way home from the cyber café, I did run into a man holding a rooster while trying to force my way through the crowds.

I’m sure by now, you’ve picked up on the ton of this entry. I really should just make an LSAT question out of it. I am beyond frustrated with my program and with the group of people that I am here with. The program has failed on so many of the promises that were made to us and lacks the resources and programming that were supposed to be crucial. As for the people in my group, I must have, at some unknown point, done something that made them all unanimously decide that I was not work anyone’s time. They never call and when I do manage to weasel my way into their plans, they tend to spend most of their time ignoring me and acting as if everything I say is the most idiotic thing that they’ve ever heard. I always knew that I needed to be more independent, but I never realized that I was going to be forced to find this independence while in a foreign country. It’s lonely and I wish it was feasible for me to go out and meet new people, but it’s nearly impossible.

On the upside, I have been returning to my old habits and reading incessantly. I can’t possibly explain how much I missed losing myself in a book. I haven’t had the time or means to read (excluding those brief periods that I go home) and it’s comforting to be transported back to the English-speaking world. I also think that I am starting to understand some of the logical and analytical reasoning problems. The LSAT makes the ACT look like those standardized tests they used to make us take in 3rd grade where you got points for solely being able to fill in a dark circle.

Ramadan is over on Wed. or Thur. next week so I have great hopes that things will get better following that. Cafes and restaurants will be open during the day and I won’t have a guilt trip every time that I want to eat during the daylight hours. I’ll be able to go to the gardens and I won’t have to leave because I’m parched and need to drink water, I’ll be able to pull out a water bottle and drink in front of people. It’ll be extraordinary and I’m beyond excited.

Right now, my tentative plan for my fall break is to go to Egypt. Not exactly your stereotypical, American college-student break, but I have a feeling that it’ll be worth it. I can go out and spend a week drunk at home, it’s much more economically and logically sound to take this chance to go to Egypt. Let’s see how that goes.

If not that, I'd love to go up to Spain, but that seems a little bit iffy as well.