Turns out jet lag is a real thing. I slept 13 hours last night and it was still a struggle to stay awake today. We took our first visit to the American Language Institute of Fez (ALIF), which is where I’ll be taking classes. ALIF has programs with a number of American universities whose student come here to learn Arabic, but it also functions as an English school for Moroccan students and facilitates interactions between the two groups. Also, they have a very nice library.
After ALIF, we toured the Medina (the city of Fes has three parts. The Ville Nouveau is the newest, built by the French in the 1900’s, where ALIF is located; the Medina al-Jadid [the new city], built in the 1200’s; and the Medina, the original city, built around 800 c.e., where I’ll be living). The Medina is unlike anywhere I’ve ever been. Picture an area with a population density higher than Manhattan, except instead of streets, the entire city is made up of unmarked, nameless alleyways. I get lost in Milwaukee all the time; Milwaukee is a playground compared to Fes. I literally think the best way to navigate through the city might be with a compass. This will be interesting. On a side note, most of the first stories of buildings have storefronts or market stalls, and if you’re looking for some cheap designer knockoffs, this is your city. I saw a ten-year-old riding a mule in a Luis Vuitton X Supreme tracksuit today. Also, there are cats everywhere. They’re like squirrels here.
Everyone here speaks Darija, which is a blend of Arabic, French, and Berber. This means that when I attempt to communicate in Modern Standard Arabic (which is what I have been taught), very few people can understand me. I’m now teaching myself French numbers so I can negotiate prices better. Cab drivers raise fares on people who look foreign, and today we overpaid for the cab because I didn’t know how to propose a lower price (it still only cost $2).
At night, my roommate, Fan, and I went searching for food; all we could find was a Pizza Hut. We then go lost on the way back. Fan is from China by way of Iowa University, and he’s pretty quiet because his English isn’t great, but I hope to get to know him better over the next nine weeks.
I haven’t been able to read the news in a couple days now, I hope the US hasn’t started a war or anything.
AdamFendos.blog 
Weird, this is exactly what I said to Mom today as we were walking through the new Ikea, “This is almost an area with a population density higher than Mayfair, except instead of aisles, the entire friggin’ store is made up of unmarked, nameless alleyways. I get lost in Mayfair all the time; Mayfair is a playground compared to Ikea. I literally think the best way to navigate through that store might be with a compass. This will be interesting.”
Glad your first day was an adventure. May all of them follow the Fez path.
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Weird, this is exactly what I said to Mom today as we were walking through the new Ikea, “This is almost an area with a population density higher than Mayfair, except instead of aisles, the entire friggin’ store is made up of unmarked, nameless alleyways. I get lost in Mayfair all the time; Mayfair is a playground compared to Ikea. I literally think the best way to navigate through that store might be with a compass. This will be interesting.”
Glad your first day was an adventure. May all of them follow the Fez path.
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Thank you for doing this blog Adam! What a brave and amazing journey you are on. World news: Kilauea continues to erupt, Trump continues to tweet, the Obamas just signed with Netflix, and Wilderness Resort is getting ready to open the outdoor water parks in just a few day!
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