State of the Union

First and foremost, my access to certain websites and chat programs is limited thanks to Morocco's wonderful state-wide internet filtering system, but fortunately Blogger is ok.

I am two weeks into the Tanger program and have had very little time for extracurricular internet activity. My typical day starts at 8am with breakfast, then I have class from 9am until 1pm, an hour break for lunch, and then class again until 3pm. I typically have a one-on-one session with my teacher at 3pm and it lasts between half an hour to two hours. After dinner, usually around 7pm, I start my homework and work until midnight.

Unfortunately my Arabic class at Georgia State ended almost a semester behind every other program, which resulted in me needing to skip ahead six chapters to catch up with everyone else in my class. Typically we cover one chapter every day or two because technically each day is the equivalent of one week during a normal semester.

Thus is the life of an intensive Arabic student.

As a result of the grueling academic labor, I've seen surprisingly little of Tanger. We typically patronize one of three locales for dinner, Pizza Luxe, an unnamed sandwich shop, and McDonald's. Not surprisingly, McDonald's tastes exactly like it does back home, only the meat is halal and has no preservatives. Although we feel like typical Americans eating at the most typical American location, all the other diners are upper middle class Moroccan high schoolers, who dress up and flirt with each other on Friday nights. McDonald's is located on nothing short of prime real estate, with a big patio that overlooks the port. We typically justify our visit to Mickey D's by referencing the "amazing view" or a desire for "real ice cream" but really it is just nice to have a taste of home.

That's all the update I have time for right now, homework is calling and there is a big exam on Wednesday. Next time things will hopefully be less technical.