Life Is But A Dream 10.20.13

I am nudged awake by a flight attendant offering lunch. Hugh Masekala's lively trumpet in "Johannesburg" is playing. Still full from my eggplant parmesan and tomato tart, carrot, olive and hummus salad and fresh pressed carrot juice, I give the lunch back and look outside instead. A view of the Moroccan coast greets me and I am reminded that I will finally be able to swim in the ocean that I see. I am overwhelmed with how happy this revelation makes me. In my mind, I am already swimming. The sky is relatively clear, the sun blaring at me for the first time in 6 days. It was the most sunlight that I'd seen since I left my beloved California summer. Might I add that I am experiencing an endless summer, which is all I ever want in life. I get my first glimpses of Morocco and I love it. Square buildings are spaced out among trees, farmland, rivers and dirt. I can see minuscule cars and donkey-pulled carts. Tiny container ships are moving in all directions on the Atlantic and the beach is so much like a painting that it cant be real. But it is. Dang I missed the coast. We see slums in some parts and huge identical developments in other areas. All of a sudden the city comes into view. Just a sea of browns, reds, golds with sprinklings of green provided by the palm trees and other foliage. Such a nice color palette. Passport control is a breeze. Somehow I end up talking with my teacher, Paddy about how large my family is. He says its very Irish in its size, fervor for the holidays and the pride we have for our home. We wait for a long time in the baggage claim because several bags are missing-not mine though #blessed. I am further reminded of home when we finally step outside. Everyone is loving the dry heat, the manicured foliage and the white facade of the airport. The hotel (and the city) are surprisingly close to the airport. Our hotel is beautiful. Tiled patterns line the walls and the floor giving it an extremely comfortable feel. Didn't care for the cigarette smell but nothing is perfect. We quickly set our belongings in our cramped, four person room and head downstairs for lunch. Lunch is at the Center for Cross Cultural Learning. To get there, we walk no more than five minutes through the Medina-a 17th century gated neighborhood where we will all be home staying!! It's a giant maze, quiet and full of secrets. The CCCL is GORGEOUS. There are two floors, tiled patterns lining the floors and walls. The building is very open. There is a sun roof that lights the indoor courtyard in the middle of the building. The courtyard is surrounded by two floors of offices and classrooms, also tiled. There are columns at each corner and archways shaped like the top of mosques. Blues, greens, yellows, whites. Comfy chairs, lots of windows, natural lighting. HOW CAN THIS BE OUR SCHOOL!?!? We are all exclaiming, our breath taken away by the beauty of this place that we will call home for the next 28 days. It doesn't seem to be long enough. One girl is crying she is so happy. Most of us are close to tears or something. Maybe the two days of travel is getting to us. Maybe this is just culture shock. Maybe this is what true gratitude looks like when exercised in tandem by 30 people. Whatever it is, the energy is palpable, smiles all around. So much love. We walk upstairs and we smell lunch before we see it. The most tender beef ever, perfectly seasoned rice, Greek tomato and cucumber salad, banana, eggplant heaven, and the absolute best most tender and well seasoned zucchini ever encountered by man/woman/android/etc. I ate it all, profusely expressing my thanks and approval. I then downed four glasses of water, #parched. So satisfied, I wandered to the roof and my day got even better. There was an indoor glass lounge, an outdoor tented seating area and a deck overlooking the city. What seeing? Buildings on all sides, beach views, river views, boats, cats, roosters, surf boards, mosques, hanging laundry, palm trees, cemeteries. One of five daily prayers is blaring from mosques all around. Every few minutes we all stop to look at each other, smile and say wow one more time. We go back to the hotel to rest and prepare for the beach. 6 of us set out to swim, the closest beach a mere 5 minute walk. The whole time I am wondering how I ended up in such a beautiful place with such good friends, studying something that I love. I really could not imagine doing anything better. The Atlantic Ocean is fierce. Waves crash with a vengeance. There is a rock outcropping that considerably settles the waves down in one area. We chose this spot, Leah and I slightly nervous about being the only females on the beach. Can we wear bikinis? Can we even swim here? There is no one setting an example. We go for it, Matt joins us. The water seems cold at first touch but once you're in, it's perfect. There is some litter in the water but besides that it's great. The current is strong and pulls us closer and closer to the rocks. I am back in my element, in the water, sandy soil beneath my toes.   Surfing on my left, volleyball in front of me, fishing on my right. I want to be a part of this world. We play for a while and then get dressed to watch the sunset. We are literally standing in a postcard. We are situated on the rock outcropping. The beach is on our left, a lighthouse right on the coast. Big, powerful waves crash menacingly on the beach, seagulls fly, locals fish, the sun sets right in the middle of the scene and the biggest waves break right next to the lighthouse, spouting tall jets of water every few minutes. We walk home, musing at the crowded cemetery with coffins all pointing towards Mecca, overlooking the water. Shower and dinner follow to round off the night. The evening was a bit rough as I was essentially walking dead by then. So very tired. We walk through the market, clothes, shoes and accessories laid out on tarps on the ground. Some guys were pushing a motorcycle attached to a cart and they pushed it right into me as I tried to dodge it. I then was hit in the head by a volleyball further down the street. No day is perfect. I was too tired to eat much of the food, still full from lunch. I fell asleep at the table in between courses as did everyone else. We turned in around 10, wanting to be ready for our first day of classes in this wonderland. So grateful so thankful so happy so blessed so good