The longer I spend in Morocco the more comfortable I become. The stares and calls don’t bother me as much. The begging for money is more of an annoyance than an inconvenience.  I don’t feel nervous or scared walking around. The language barrier remains but the more we try to speak to people the nicer and more receptive to us. People laugh at our Darija but I know they appreciate the effort. 

One of the things in Morocco that could use some effort is the buses. Public transit in general is usually not prime however the buses in Rabat are especially horrendous. They look as though they shouldn’t be running. Like the engines might fall out at any given minute. The windows, if you can even call them that, are shattered like someone threw boulders through them. I have seen one or two buses that actually have duct tape keeping them together. Some look like they don’t have doors. A few look like they’ve actually been set on fire. I wonder why the buses haven’t been fixed. Not fixed so much as thrown away. They could be put on display in a museum. The trams are beautiful and new and don’t even have the stench of stale urine that public transit is characterized by. They are efficient and smooth, so it confuses me that people choose to take the bus when it looks like it could give out at any minute. Unless they are really that cheap to ride I don’t see an upside. 

I think I have officially started to be homesick but not for the reasons I thought I would be. I miss the comfort of my own bed and my own room sure I knew I would miss that, but I miss the convenience of having a full-size fridge, a shower I don’t have to wear shoes in, a car, speaking the same language as everyone else around. The easiness of living in your own home and not being a resident for two months. And of course, I miss people at home too it’s so weird living in the age of social media where you can see everyone doing everything and almost feel like you’re there until you realize you aren’t, you’re 3000 miles away. I would never trade this opportunity for the world it’s been some of the days of my life, but I does sting a little to see everyone having fun without you no matter how much fun you’re having. And I can’t say it’s been all fun and games in Morocco it can be really hard here. No matter how safe and easy you feel you always need to remember you aren’t really familiar with your surroundings. If something were to happen to one of us we wouldn’t even really be able to communicate with the police and we aren’t sure they would even try to do something because they simply might not care. It’s a scary thought. Not that the police in America are flawless people but for the most part they will help you if you call. Here you can’t be so sure of that.

With such little time left in Morocco I’m determined to make the absolute most out of this country that’s been my home for the past month.