أنا لا أعرف ماذا أكتب هنا: A Play-By-Play of Everything Merzougan

I have been meaning to write a post about my trip to Merzouga (the desert) for a while now - it's been two weeks. Now that I've done my laundry from that trip, I think it's finally time to write about it. :)

We hopped on an Al Akhawayn University coach bus (fully equipped with footrests and comfy chairs but no toilet or WiFi) at approximately 2:24pm which was surprisingly early considering we were supposed to leave at 2:15pm.

Drove through rural Moroccan landscape and occasionally saw men randomly sitting by the side of the road or on a rock nearby.

There were small huts every once in a while surrounded by the rocky terrain.

Most of the time there were several huts in a clump.

Even though the huts were small and mainly made from carpets and/or wood, there was often a brightly painted white (with various other colors) mosque.

We stopped at a "reststop" which consisted of a small cafe-like place and gas pumps.

We were allowed one "free" drink (paid for by the program - mum and dad this is your money being spent well!).

I ordered a Moroccan mint tea.

It was time to go and my drink still hadn't come out...

Told me it was ready and they would bring it out to-go.

They hand it to me in a plastic cup with no lid.

I knew it wasn't going to last long on the bus with the bumpy roads...

Had two sips, burnt my tongue and threw it away (okay, so maybe your money wasn't well spent, but don't worry I got a drink on the way back and played it safe with a trustworthy coca-cola).

Learned all about ROTC and army programs from the guy sitting next to me.

Also learned the difference between shooting and hunting.

Probably took a nap.

Six hours later we arrived at our hotel in Erfoud.

Some people fled to the bar as if they were having alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

We ate dinner and hung out.

My room was a double with two beds and a bathroom.

I think the layout of this hotel was sort of like a resort but I don't know because I've never been to one (literally just googled "resort blueprint").

All the rooms were accessed from outside (like a strip mall) so it was basically like we had our own little house.

There was a nice pool and pretty flowers everywhere.

Oh, and a bar. Did I mention that already?!

The next morning, we ventured out to the town and bought some things at the souk.

There are traditional desert scarfs that the Berbers in the Sahara tie around their heads to shield off the sand.

I bought one as well as flowy pants.

From there, we traveled to Rissani, got a tour of the old medina/city and got information about various types of carpets made throughout Morocco.

They brought out jewelry too but I really had to stop spending money so I didn't buy anything.

From there we visited a tomb/mosque of Moulay Ali Cherif and there was a nice courtyard and beautiful mosaics.

We came out and there were 4x4's waiting for us and they brought us out to the desert.

They were driving on the road and then all of a sudden turned onto the sand/rough ground.

Who knows how they knew where they were going!

Some people were daring and sat out the window.

I was comfortably enjoying the breeze in the very back.

We arrived to our "hotel" called Kasbah Hotel Sahara Garden.

Just tried googling it and finally found it.

Apparently we (the students) stayed in "bivouacs" which is described on the website as "a determined encampment made with tents or improvised shelters. It is also commonly used to describe a variety of improvised camp sites such as those used by nomads in Sahara Desert. Nomad tents are specifically prepared to be able to be dismounted and taken from place to place during camel caravans."

There ya go.

Also, "[their] tents are made from traditional materials and create unique atmosphere around the dunes where our bivouac complex is located. Tents are made of camel wool, the perfect material for Sahara Desert tents as their thickness protects the sun and the heat from coming in, plus, its dark color creates shade. While it rains, the wool itself gets bigger, producing a water-proof material."

"Standard tents offer you the regular decorated nomad tent, where you'll spend the night inside a true Sahara ambiance." I guess that's what my friends got with all the ants in their beds.

Now you know more than you ever thought you would about Saharan tents!

Or at least the ones that tourists sleep in.

We then went on a camel ride into the sand dunes.

I named mine Majid.

He had a really big hump so he was a little uncomfortable to sit on.

We watched the sunset and it was beautiful.

When it got dark, we ate dinner and danced with a traditional musical group.

I got a lot of steps on my fitbit this day.

I choose to sleep in the tent so I could actually sleep.

A guy told me the sun would rise at 6am.

I woke up then, saw that it was already bright outside and went back to sleep.

We ate breakfast and left.

At this stage, we were all worn out and just wanted to get back to Ifrane.

To our own beds and to the coolness (the desert was HOT).

We stopped at the souk in Rissani on the way back and all forty of us walked together.

We didn't stand out at all...

We were brought to various shops and people bought a few things.

I bought a cold drink.

And another at the rest stop (remember the coke?).

After a nap, we got back to campus.

I don't think all the sugar was good for me...

Plus there were very windy roads through the mountains.

I didn't feel great but luckily I had finished all my homework.

I went to bed super early.

This was such a cool trip and I'm so glad we got this experience even though it may have been a bit touristy.

Since then, I have bombarded my brain with more Arabic, broken my headphones, bought new headphones, taken another trip to Fez, written an Arabic essay, drank way too much soda on a daily basis, given in and bought scissors and tape, started watching Grace and Frankie on Netflix, made ghetto flashcards out of notebook paper, celebrated my 21st birthday without a drop of alcohol, burned slightly and reiterated lovely tan lines, gone to the gym once, decorated my room, still haven't experienced a non-western toilet, and made lots of memories with friends!

Fun fact: The Moroccan national language is the Moroccan Arabic dialect, Darija, but the languages used on a daily basis are Moroccan Arabic, Berber, some Standard Arabic, some French, and some Spanish (and Darija is largely a combination of them all!).

Disclaimer: pictures are not necessarily in order chronologically.