Here at last

I can't believe that after a year of anticipation I am finally here. The plane ride was so long, and we hit a thunderstorm causing everyone's dinners to end up all over the floor and eachother, and the lady sitting behind me fainted because of the turbulance. Once I got to London, I was less than thrilled to get on another plane, but the second flight was much better, alhamdu Allah. I sat with an older British gent, who was very talkative but a little hard to understand through his thick York accent. When we got to Morocco, the first thing I noticed was HEAT. Air conditioning is an extreme luxury here, and isn't wasted cooling off huge buildings like an airport. I got through customes with no problem, as I immediatly began speaking with the officer in classical arabic. He seemed very amused and hardly even looked at my pastport. Then I got on the train to Casablanca ("caza") I switched trains there, and a nice man who I thought was moroccan helped me with my bags. but then I found out that he was from uae and almost as lost as me. Just as the bustling crowd at the station surrounded us, I saw the face of a man wh had been on the plane with us from London. He shouted at the man in arabic to follow him up the stairs, and then to my suprise smiled at me and said in an english accent "trust me, it's this way". so I found out that the british man, Imad, is moroccan but hasn't been home in 7 years. I met his aunt who had been waiting for him to arrive there for almost 12 hours! they were traveling to meknes on the same train that was going to fez (my destination) and told me to sit with them...i would be safer this way. so we sat and talked and shared our water and airplane food until the train came. imad was really worried that I was traveling alone, and critical that no one was there to pick me up. he and his aunt tried to convince me to stay with them in meknes that night and they would take me to fez in the morning. i must have declined 20 times or more! if there is one thing to say about moroccans it is that they are extremely persistent. so we say together on the train, and talked and laughed, and by the end of the ride i felt like they were my good friends. his aunt was hugging me and kissing me when they left, telling me to come to meknes and stay with them. imad was also telling me to come, and was so happy to meet a friend that speaks english and gave me their number so he can visit us in rabat and go to the beach. I really dont know what i would have done had i not met them that night, i owe them so much. but this is how i feel with everyone here! i owe everyone so much and i dont know how to repay their kindness or express it in words. saying "shukran" doesn't cut it all the time.

Hanane's family is so sweet to me and very accomadating and treat me like family. I am so lucky to be staying with them. Her sister speaks english very well and it is very helpful in situations where I have no idea what is going on. since i got here, me not knowing what it going on is pretty much the theme. My first day here was insane! We got after jessie and i has stayed up until 7 am catching up, and went to Hanane's mom Faitma's friend Leila's house. she is married to an american man who has lived her for 6 years. we ate so much food...and i ate chicken, which was so weird! jessie asked me what it tasted like...and I said...chicken. It is hard on my stomach though, eating meat after not for so long. anyway, we met the friends of the family ahmad and his wife fatiha and their children. after delicious tea and pancakes their son Roshd (who i had heard a lot about from Islaam and Hanane) took faisal and jessie and I to concert in the old city. It is part of the world music festival going on, and it was sufi musicians playing. It was crazy...there were people spread out on rugs everywhere, and when the musicians played...everyone stood and clapped and danced and the four of us joined in too. It was a wonderful experience. I wish i could type more but there is just too much to say. sorry for any typos, i am too lazy to re-read this. MISS YOU ALL.