Hotlanta

I accidentally lied when I said the next time I posted I'd be on another continent. There were mechanical problems of some sort; mechanical problems that delayed my flight by almost two hours, therefore making a misconnect to my transfer in Paris. At first, I was terrified when I read the message. I stood in front of the self check-in monitor, thinking this was a bad omen, that maybe i was never meant to go to Morocco to learn Arabic, that I am doomed to an eternity of speaking this language like a 3-year-old. The woman behind the check-in counter could see the dismay on my face, and if I didn't believe in such thing as a fairy godmother before today, I do now. Like magic, she was not only able to reschedule my flight, but she got me meal vouchers for lunch, two dinners, and two breakfasts; a hotel voucher for the night I am currently spending in Atlanta; and, and, AND six and half hours in Paris. Originally, I would have had only an hour and a half, but now, thanks to the faultiness of Delta Airlines, I have enough time to have a very brief (but very exciting) sojourn in Paris. It's a little unfortunate I'll be losing a day from my trip, but c'est la vie, n'est-ce pas?

So now I'm sitting in a Red Roof Inn in Atlanta, sipping hotel coffee and half-watching the UltraFine Silver special on QVC, which I'm a little embarrassed to admit. I actually probably shouldn't admit that, since my latest goals in life have been to use less energy and to be classier, both of which I strongly agree home shopping is the complete antithesis. Hmmm....maybe you should pretend I didn't just advertise my lack of class and wastefulness. Instead, I'll advert your attention to my new itinerary:

• 3:40pm: leave Atlanta airport, arrive in Paris 6:15am on 12/31
• 6:16am-11am: steal a poodle, drink coffee, eat a crepe, feed the birds in Paris
• 12:30pm: leave airport, arrive in Rabat 2:30pm
• 3:10pm: leave Rabat airport, take train to Fez, arrive in Fez around 6:30pm
• Find Ben (Meg's bf) at le Centre Americain
  
• Figure out a way to celebrate New Year's Eve

I'm almost hoping to get stuck in France. But really, I'm just happy to have made it safely to Atlanta. It was a bumpy ride for the first half hour, lots of turbulence. So much, I actually grabbed the knee of the young man sitting next to me at one point, and then had to pretend I was asleep for the rest of the flight to avoid any further awkwardness. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a smoother sailing tomorrow.

B'salama,
Danielle

one for the road

One last post before I jet off. Brent and me playing with his fez. We thought it was fitting for the occasion.

Next time I post I'll be on another continent!

B'salama,
Danielle

Delta! Delta!

Tomorrow is the day I'm finally beginning my travels. For those of you who will be frantically checking the DeltaAirlines website for updates, desperately waiting to see that I've landed safely in Morocco, here is my itinerary:

• 5:19 pm: Leave Cleveland Hopkins airport, arrive in Atlanta 7:19pm
• 8:50 pm: Leave Atlanta aiport, arrive in Paris 11:10am on Tuesday 12/30
• 12:35pm: Leave Paris, arrive in Rabat 2:25pm
• 3:20pm: Leave Rabat, take train to Fez, arrive in Fez 6:10pm
• 6:15pm: find the Auberge des Jeunes (Youth Hostel) and get a bed
• 6:16pm: pass out

To put things into perspective of just how much traveling that is for one day, here's a map:

Dang.

Wish me luck!
B'salama,
Danielle

a capital goodbye

Six days until my departure. Aye. I'm getting so nervous thinking about the plane ride, navigating myself to get to the Centre Americain (where my school will be), communicating with the people, and finding somewhere to live. Up until this past weekend, I'd had my living situation figured out. However, on Saturday I got a stomach-twisting email from my friend who I was supposed to be living with, saying that plans had changed, and now it's up to me to find living for the first month. I know ALIF will help me out and housing won't be a problem, in shah Allah, but I'm still a little nervous.

In other news, I've begun the dreadful process of saying my goodbyes. I've never been good at them. I'm still not. I finished saying goodbye to Columbus this afternoon and it broke my heart a little. But at least my goodbye was as exciting as it gets. Yesterday, a TA from the French Department took Romain and me, as well as another student, on a fly over Columbus in his plane. It was a.) the best date I've ever been on and b.) the best view of C-bus I've ever taken.

(I-270 from the sky)


For the next few days, I have to say goodbye to all my family and my friends in Grafton, something I'm also not looking forward to. I am, however, looking forward to the next few days of family reunions, which are sure to promise lots of babinka, leche flan, and hopefully, sans rival (three reasons why I love being half Filipina).

Happy holidays everyone
B'salama,
Danielle

ahlan wa sahlan

Jeeze, my first post. My mom insisted that I blog every moment of my adventures in Morocco, and being the wonderful daughther that I am, The Fez Dispenser was thus created. In two weeks --wow, exactly two weeks-- I will be leaving the comfy nest that I have made of Northeast and Central Ohio and moving to Fez, Morocco. It's crazy to think that six months ago, I was just filling out applications and frantically finding graduate TAs to write letters of recommendation for me so that I could get accepted into this program. Now, it's only fourteen days until I leave and start three months of haggling in the streets, wearing shirts that only come to my elbows, and trying desparately to communicate with the people of Morocco in either French or Arabic. I'm already shaking in my boots with nervousness, but at the same time, I can't wait for it all to come.

B'salama,

Danielle