The Beginning

Overwhelmed is an understatement.  I stand in the line at TunisAir, surrounded by Arab men. Of course, I don’t make eye contact. A random Arab dude keeps following me around in the Athens airport, trying to get my phone number. Really, in Athens? I yell at him, and he finally goes away. Are they really that delusional about how they can treat women? I speak with a South African woman who has lived in Libya in the airport in Tunisia about my latest encounter, and she points out that it is cultural and gives me suggestions on how to deal with it. I guess I feel a little bit better now. Still a tad bit annoyed as to what life could be like over the next 2 months, I arrive in Casablanca. No tourist desk, no maps, nothing. At least I can easily get a SIM card and head to the taxis. First the guy tries to rip me off and then says he doesn’t know where I am going. After finally figuring it out, he and the taxi driver ahead of him start screaming at each other for a good 15 minutes about who was there first and should get the customer (aka me). I guess this is “Welcome to Casablanca”. It’s unnerving to be surrounded by random taxi dudes all yelling in a Arabic; I just wanted to get out of there. The place reminds me a lot of cities in India, which just so many people and tons of traffic.

Casablanca will be a true test for me as most people speak Arabic, some French, and a little bit of Spanish and English. I have to force myself to speak in French, which will be good practice for me. The first day in the office is great. Everyone is so nice and welcoming, I already feel like I am part of the family at Sister Cities Africa. They all try to each me words in Arabic and are always willing to help me with anything that I need. As I walk the streets of Casablanca, go to restaurants, get in taxis, everyone starts speaking to me in Arabic as they think I am Moroccan. One taxi driver says, we have the same skin, you look just like one of us. It‘s kind of nice to just blend in with the crowd even though I haven’t a clue as to where I am going or what I am doing. If I never opened my mouth, I could be one of them. It is also refreshing to see many women walking around alone in the city, as I didn’t see much of that in some of the other Arab countries I have visited. I have the opportunity to work on some really cool initiatives via my volunteer gig such as improving business, culture, and the flow of ideas across borders in Africa and the US. Just being here the first day has got my head buzzing with the possible impact of my work and potential travel start up ideas.

The night ends with me hearing fireworks in the distance while looking out of the window at the cool Casablanca sky, missing home, family, and friends on the Fourth of July. Probably the only day I ever miss when I am not in the good old US of A.

This will be an unforgettable two months.