Last night in Ifrane

The time has come to bid Morocco and Al-Akhawayn goodbye. I had a very successful stay here, and I am glad I came. Alas, one last stop awaits me, then home...

Here are some of my last pictures from Ifrane and school...


Graduation night, with my professors, Prof. El-Youbi on the left, and Prof. Louati on the right.



Campus this evening, empty as I am one of the last to leave.


Where to now? A sign I pass each time I walk into town from campus.

Yawm al-Istiqlal

Or Independence Day, in English. Some of the students pushed for a 4th of July BBQ here. They found great watermelons, but kebabs, rice, and Halal hot-dogs are not your typical tastes of America.

As I was walking back to my room to start my night of studying, I walked past the mosque on campus, and the minaret in the setting sun was so pretty, I thought I would put up the picture.

24 Hours in Ifrane

Some pictures from Ifrane, Morocco...


I have settled in, taken my placement test, and am getting ready for classes to start tomorrow. I will be jumping in to an advanced Arabic course with only 2 other students, so I will be challenged and rewarded (Insha'allah) by my efforts.


I was in the town, about 20 minutes walking from campus, for dinner last night. There is a Syrian, named Hassan, in town who cooks some great falafel, shwarma, and hummus, all washed down with hot, sweet mint tea.

I am expecting an interesting few weeks here, so more to follow....

Arrival in Morocco

After 12 hours in London, and a quick flight down, I arrived in Morocco at Fez airport. I was met, along with some other students on the flight, by one of the student assistants from Al-Akhawayn University.

A drive took us out of Fez, and up into the middle Atlas mountains. It is very beautiful here, and campus is very nice. The picture is the window in my dorm room, which I will say is a bit more modern than my Turkish dorm last year.

More pictures to follow! It is warm, but nothing like the heat of Istanbul. The terrain looks a lot like southern Spain. On the route down this morning, we flew right over Sevilla, and there are elements here that are very Andalusian in style.

More to come....