November 30
Hey Readers!
Hope that this Sunday is fantastic for all of you! Time for another update from yours truly:
Last time I blogged, it was the day before Thanksgiving (November 26, for my new and/or international readers), and I was pretty unsure of what the holiday would bring, seeing as I am 4,000 miles away from home.
The day turned out to be very low-key, but wonderful! I spent the majority of my day in bed, spoke with my mom over FaceTime, and just reflected on the wonderful time I’ve had here in Morocco.
In the evening, I ended up having a “traditional” Thanksgiving dinner with friends from my program. We had roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, rice, and cornbread for the meal, and pumpkin pie, apple pie, and pumpkin cake for dessert.
It was nice to catch up with everyone, especially because I had not seen some of them during the past three weeks of the Independent Study period. It was also hilarious to play Cards Against Humanity again. If you don’t know what that is, click HERE.
In the other days leading up to now, I have just been fighting the urge to do absolutely nothing, and finish this project.
It doesn’t help that my computer charger died, so I have to budget time carefully on my laptop. I’m finding I’m doing most of my work on my iPhone in Notes and it automatically syncs to my computer.
Thank God for being a snobby Apple consumer!!
I am confident that I will be able to survive until I can get a replacement back at home. You never know how much you take your electronics for granted, until you are limited in this way!
In other news, today marks the last week in this beautiful house. At the moment, I am awfully frigid because of the ability of Moroccan structures to keep cool at all costs. However, I still appreciate every square inch of this place.
One thing I will miss, for sure, is how much effort goes into a Moroccan-style home! The colors and patterns are really something!
But really, WHY IS IT SO COLD!?! Today’s high is 59 degrees Fahrenheit, which is not too bad, but I’m sure the house is around 40! I guess it is still better than that New England weather in the U.S., right?
A week from today, we move into Hotel Darna, the same hotel where we had orientation week. Next week will be for evaluation and presentation of our projects.
I cannot believe that exactly two weeks from this day, I will be back home! I can’t wait to be spoiled by family and pig out on the “good stuff” (food) I cannot get in Morocco!
Finally, yesterday verified the malcontent that I hold for the United States Postal Service, or USPS. After waiting over two months, I finally called to look for a package that my mom sent September 23. SEPTEMBER.
First of all, USPS assured my mom that it would reach Morocco within two weeks. My program coordinator indicated that because of Moroccan mail systems, expect four to six. As frustrating as that was, I could deal.
Everyday, I have kept an eye out for that package and received nothing. Online tracking could only tell me that it was sent from New York. Eventually, the site was updated, and I was told my package cleared customs in Morocco on November 17. After that, nothing AGAIN.
Yesterday, November 29, was the last straw. I decided that I would call the Post Office. Thanks to Skype, I was able to call for free, all the way from North Africa!
After 24… TWENTY FOUR minutes on hold, I was finally able to explain the situation to a person, not a useless automated system.
The woman was extremely friendly and was able to tell me that according to her system, as of November 26, my package was… BACK IN NEW YORK CITY! The anger pulsing through me was so real, but I calmly was able to explain that I was on my way home soon from Morocco.
She helped me file a “return-to-sender” claim, and hopefully, I will receive an answer in the next 23 days, the amount of time it takes for Morocco to investigate the situation.
Hopefully the package is already on the way back home, but I now have absolutely no faith in the United States Postal System. That was far too much stress over a ten-pound box, right?
Everyday is an adventure!
Stay tuned guys! The blog isn’t over quite yet!!
All my best,
Rae
Morocco, Another Study Abroad Adventure 