Saturday, May 14, 2011

One adventure ends, another one begins


My program ended today at noon. It was really sad to see everyone leave. We said most of our goodbyes last night. Morocco is such a beautiful country and will always have a spot in my heart for many reasons: the landscape, the people, and the food.

All my classes ended on May 10 (on a Wednesday) at 7:00. My boyfriend (at the time) and I decided to do a date night on the rooftop. We picked up pizza at V.I.P. (Very Italian Pizza) and Matt picked up a couple bottles of wine from Label Vie and we headed to the roof. The weather was beautiful all day until around 7:00 (of course, always happens like that). It looked like it was going to downpour any second but we still went to the roof. We had a romantic night watching the storm, eating pizza, and drinking Moroccan wine. Matt then got on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes!! :D We decided to finish our pizza and head downstairs to show all my friends. Everyone was super excited!! There was a lot of screaming, jumping up and down, and crying going on. And to answer the question that everyone has been asking me: no, I did not know he was going to propose to me. He did a great job at keeping it secret (usually I figure out all the secrets he has for me - especially my birthday presents). The ring is so beautiful!! He did a great job at picking out the perfect ring for me. It has three diamonds in the middle and on each side of the ring there are three little diamonds. What a story to tell - I got engaged in Africa!!

I am going to miss everyone but the people I lived with had the most impact in my life - we ate together, went to school together, and all lived together. We really didn't have a break from each other.  Let me start with the Chi-O sorority girl - the loudest but proudest girl in our apartment. One night, MK and I had story night with her and hours later we were still talking (the stories could go on more and more but it was about 1 in morning). I got a better understanding of sorority life. Then there was the Alabama sweetheart - the sweetest person I have ever met. She and I made up two-thirds of our French class (yup there were only three people in the class). She had so many friends come through that we told her that she got the most-friends-coming-to-Morocco-to-see-her award. My favorite expression from her is "Shut the front door!" Then there is the princess, germophobe diva. Being a germophobe in Morocco is not the best thing, but she did it. I don't know how, but she did. She's very independent and does what she wants when she wants. Then there is the U.P. talent (U.P. as in upper pennisula) from Michigan! She was the most talented out of the group. She is basically a yoga master, plays the violin very well, sings marvelously, and picked up bellydance the quickest. I'm proud to say she's from Michigan :).  My last roommate, if she would write this year in a book, I would suggest this title: Drink, Write, Save the rainforest. Just like Eat Pray Love but instead she went to Morocco (Drink: Moroccan whisky), is going to Italy (Write: learning how to travel write), and then shes going to India (Save the rainforest: well, she's going to save the rainforest). Oh, I'm going to miss living with them but I am ready to have a one bedroom apartment with my fiance.

On our last day (Friday) with the group, we had a closing ceremony where we recieved our grades, speeches were made, there was more crying, pictures were taken, and the Dean blessed our engagement. After the closing ceremony, we (Matt and I) went to the medina to pick up a suitcase and say goodbye to a couple shop owners. After buying the suitcase, we went back home, filled our stomaches with cous-cous for the last time with my roommates (the ones who didn't leave early), and then filled our suitcase with our rugs and other goodies we collected in the medina that day. After packing and dropping our luggage at the ISA office, I went to the hammam for the last time with a couple of the girls here and I'm so glad that I did because it was so relaxing and a great closure to the trip. As one of the girls mentioned it was a like a we made a complete circle and feel we have made the most out of this experience. We felt complete after the hammam.

So here I am, just completed one circle in my life, and now starting a very large circle with my fiance. A week in England, a week in Ireland, a week in Italy, and then back to Morocco for the final week. Then, it's time to go back to the real life of going to school, working, and now wedding planning :D

1 comment:

  1. Oh sweet sweet girl. What a blessing to read through this entry and re-live some funny funny times in AZ5. I'm so excited for you and Matt and so glad that I was able to share in your first moments as an engaged couple. I'm so happy that we were able to share this semester together. Good luck with the travels and keep us all updated with where life takes you :)

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