Hi blog, I can’t believe I officially made it to Morocco (I’m in Africa!!)! I was exhausted from our second flight from Montreal to Casablanca, but we quickly hit the ground running, immediately taking a bus from the airport to visit the Hassan II Mosque! On our ride over, it was interesting to see all of the billboards with the Moroccan flag on it, very unlike the United States where people (including myself) tend to have a greater affiliation with/pride for the state we live in rather than the country. Upon arriving at the mosque, it was amazing to see how it looked just as (if not more) magnificent as the pictures online had shown.

After walking around the outside on our own for a bit, we were then brought into the mosque to tour the inside. We were asked to take our shoes off, and after a long day of travelling it felt very relaxing! I had toured some of the old mansions in Newport, RI before and I thought it might be similar inside, but the mosque was even larger and grander than I had expected. I was also amazed with how well maintained the mosque was and all the modern technology that had been built into it. Our tour guide was explaining, for example, how the pillars in the lower level of the mosque were made with a particular material to prevent the gold chandelier hanging from the celling from rusting (acting as a sort of dehumidifier) which was very cool.

Once the tour ended, we headed back on the bus to go to a nearby mall for lunch. I decided to try the Plat Crespy from Fayroz and while I wasn’t totally sure what I was buying in the moment, it ended up being really good and a fun way to start spending dirhams! It was weird after eating I realized I couldn’t find a trash can but then learned from watching another group that there was a female worker coming around to collect garbage. I am so used to doing this myself at home that I had started to clean up on my own before the woman came over to stop me and take it. I was surprised but very appreciative of it.

I thought I had a pretty strong, basic understanding of Morocco before coming, but even after my first day being here it makes such a difference. The air is definitely dustier and windier than I had expected (but that makes sense since Casablanca is near the beach). I also definitely feel more of an outsider here than I had thought, especially being a woman. But I am also amazed by all the pride of people here and innovation. While still feeling out of my element, I am also even more excited to continue diving in and see what else is waiting for me in Morocco!

PS: I still need to watch the movie Casablanca, but we did pass by Rick’s Cafe on the way to the mall, which I have heard is a very big part of the movie!