Motivational Speaker

Having heard my fair share of success stories, motivational speeches, and "take a look at yourself" talks through my time, I didn't think the pairing of a few together could be such a ground-shaking experience. A "coaching" session with a professor, a slightly inebriated "discussion" with a friend, and reading an article by a favorite musician/writer/producer of mine all about plans and paths to success and becoming one's self carried me to an internal precipice upon which I found myself saying these words to myself: "It's clear that I'm going somewhere, but how I'll get there and just where isn't so important right now" I've come across the cherished motivation that had, until recently, been missing in an otherwise enviable life-situation.
Each and every one of my interests surely has roots in a basic need that I have. I'll examine them here with the purpose of categorizing a daily agenda of sorts.
Get lost once each day: My affection for foreign-ness, whether in the form of a language or the physical terrain I inhabit, designates for me a willingness to go outside of my comfort zone. This becomes the foremost task of every day. Take a walk or have a talk in unfamiliar territory.

Learn something new each day: Reading and writing are the oldest of academic interests. These have always been included in my facebook and myspace "Interests" sections so it's safe to say I enjoy expanding my cognitive capacity so often as possible.

Get found once each day: The undying, yet intriguingly sharp, curiosity I hold for maps and geography in the more general sense has outlasted the test of time. It signifies a longing for belonging somewhere. May be accomplished by yoga, meditation, or exercise.

Make a statement: Love for music, art, cinema, and poetry wakens my sense of self-expression and opinions ought to be stated, not withheld. Whether through creation of something that wasn't previously in existence or modifying something that does certainly exist, I'll make a statement wherever I can.

Be selfish: It's true, I'm human. Never before having had to take care of my actual basic needs before, living here in Morocco on my own has taught me how doing so can be fun. Under that constant state of care, it is easy to put others' moral opinion first and then to mold your own standing. But I'm learning that I can continue to have fun and be respectful of others while searching for an option in my daily choices that suits my needs rather than compromises my welfare.

It is to be noted that I definitely had motivation during my first five months in Morocco, but the motivation was moving me to be more and more dislocated and floated in a solution of uncertain circumstances. My internship in Turkey is to be credited with sparking me to take myself more seriously. Again, thank you for reading and stop by again.

Tatlı rüyalar

In other words: sweet dreams. Six weeks later and I'm back in Istanbul. It feels like so much longer, in truth. Istiklal Caddesi is one of the livliest places you can visit on a Saturday night and finding yourself alone there is alright, just as long as you really know how to people watch. Musicians will play, and wanderers will gather to listen! Dogs will be walked and couples will stroll as late an hour as 2 o'clock in the morning! Party-goers will shout and fashionistas will strut!
I won't say goodbye, because I don't feel like I'm leaving this place. In fact, it has instilled itself in me. Unfortunately, these feelings don't ward off the pit that opens in my stomach when I think on those I've met and that which I've seen here. There seems to me to be no shortage of good times to be had. Shutting off my mind is the problem and I can't be sure how well I'll sleep tonight seeing as my two roommates have managed to occupy all four beds.

Come back again and read my thoughts in a few weeks

Feeling Alive

Seeing your breath for the first time will make you feel alive. Last night in Istanbul, we ran through a rain storm to drink Efes and mojitos and returned in worse rain to go back to the hostel, that's where I first saw my breath in the air for the first time since last winter. World House has cool staff and nice clients, but apparently girls might flip over the cleanliness of the bathrooms or the smell of the beds. I recommend it for its location and price(near the Galata Tower for just $18) When we make our way back to Istanbul next time, we'll see the monuments like Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque and such.

The ferry ride to Bursa passed without event, except that Dounia is deathly afraid of water, or at least moving on it! The cold in Bursa was a different kind. One dry kind that slowly slips into your bones and then takes a good hour to shake off. We waited here in that cold for about an hour enduring the animalistic stares of a gaggle of Turkish boys at the bus station. I'm writing you now from my room in Ersin's house, my host who picked us up. He's an ex-AIESECer who now works for Bosch. A fluent German and Italian speaker, we get along just fine the two of us! He's also a great host and contact to have. He'll loan me his cell to use while I'm here in Turkey! This is gonna be one of the most useful tools here since even on this very first night, I've met close to thirty people at a goodbye party for another intern!

If you wanna play a fun little game, try to name all the empires that started or made their way through Turkey...(hint: the Ottoman capital was BURSA!)

Komsomida Qimchi Brothers

I wanna share a story with you that I found pretty cool.
I'm here in Morocco, studying abroad and what not, and living in this big house the floor below me are two young Korean men, Andy and Jake for comfort's sake. We were in the process of throwing one of them a birthday party, when suddenly I was feeling very thankful. Thanksgiving was indeed approaching and it dawned on me that I could share some tremendous music with these fellows while thanking them simultaneously.
So I jetted upstairs to grab my laptop and jetted back downstairs to play your song Komsomida from The Bruce Lee Band S/T album. They were so inspired by the tune, they actually let their emotions show and burst into laughter and smiles. We then spoke some broken French and English to get the point across that there was more to share!
Andy and Jake have been good brothers to me during my time here. They've let me in on their movie-downloading ring and I've enjoyed several as-yet unrealeased motion pictures. I've even tasted the spicy Kimchi dish! Simply delicious!

Anywho, I hope you won't be working terribly hard through the holiday season and that the time is filled with joy for you and your family. I'm off!

Kabiiiir

Given the long history between me and my stomach, I'm not surprised that I made it through this day. The holiday called Aid al Adha, where the entire Muslim Nation slaughters sheep in sacrifice to God, was certainly a shock to my system.
I thought I had become accustomed to most things around here, but waking up this morning to the two sheep on my roof being prepared was eerie. There was a feeling in all the house of tense excitement. Visiting neighbors and good friends would remark on how it sort of felt like Christmas.
I found myself culturally interested in watching the King of Morocco cut the sheep and also the gutting of the sheep on our terrace. I did help in the clean-up process, sweeping and rinsing off the rooftop.
The iron taste in the meats was still there. We had the lungs, heart, liver, and stomach today. Fat was used to flavor everything but the stomach, which stood well enough on its own merit and texture! Right now, my eyes feel like they are drying and falling out of my head and my stomach is just turning over and over in efforts to pass the tough organs.
Mutton comes tomorrow after cous cous for lunch. I may try to be out for a large portion of the day! ;) It's a fantastic tradition, but all the same, I'm simply not accustomed to so much meat.
My good friend and neighbor Kaamilah was facing honest fear when we began eating the stomach. She had just come from a decent nap on the couch dreaming about her previous 19 years or so of virtual vegetarianism!
I leave you knowing that everything's gonna be alright. Mostapha, formerly Sam or Edna, the fish needs a change of water, but he's going strong too. Til next time.

The Riff

Riffi Berbers are supposed to be some of the toughest people in Morocco, but in my trip to the North of Morocco, I'm pretty sure I didn't run across any of them. Instead we saw people with a lot of peace on their faces. People who had less on their minds or just a more ordered way of keeping those things in stock. Rabati people are hardworking stress machines. Up there near Tangier, mountains and skies and sea all mix for a great melange of landscapes.

Ceuta was a shock of infrastructure and order, the lack of which I had become surprisingly quickly accustomed to. The border control was odd since there was roughly 200 meters of no-man's-land. Also, thanks to our procrastination, the authorities were quite skeptical of our reasons of staying. We never took the ferry up to the mainland, because of the pricing. But we did see great and beautiful things on the bus rides from Tangier-Ceuta and Ceuta-Tetouan. The clouds were trying to claim their spot on the maps and steal a piece of history.

Taxi drivers were always a source of entertainment this weekend, speaking Spanish, English, Arabic, and of course French. Tetouan's beach town, Martil, is one of the best known beaches in all of Morocco and even on that cloudy Sunday, was impressive. We crossed two camels on the beach and their tenant.

Turkey Day is tomorrow. I thought I'd be in Agadir on the beach, but it looks like I will, in fact, celebrate with friends and colleagues in Hay Riad, Rabat. Saturday is the Eid Al Adha, Festival of Sacrifice to honor Abraham's sacrifice of his son. I hadn't made the connection between the two holidays until just yesterday in a conference call with friends back home. The holiday will pass nicely, I hope!

Marrakech aftermath

On a passé le weekend a Marrakech. Fia j3e!
I've never seen such people in such a market! Jemaa El Fna was BA enough to give you dreams. The lighting in that square is phenomenal thanks to the smoke pluming up high into the night's heavens. From one of the many rooftop cafés, one would say the ascension is like an escalator in a mall of wonders! HAHA.
Yeah sure, beware guys following you through the medina. This is becoming as common sensical to me as stepping around a raging fire. You avoid that which makes you uncomfortable. Be sure to go out of your comfort zone though, when you see cats eating the stray heads of chickens or if there is a monkey on your shoulder!
Don't forget the inevitable charm of Marrakesh's rich history and it's oh-so-calm riads(bed & breakfasts). One hidden gem I got wind of was near the Palace Bahia. A half Moroccan-half Italian man named Younness owns this tranquil, well-kept, beautiful and blessed riad and can put all your worries at ease. We simply knocked on his door to see if we could find a guide, but it turns out we made a friend that I personally hope never to lose. He made us the hospitable Moroccan green tea and called a friend of his to give us a guide of the monuments. Younness has been the world over, seemingly; with plans to go to Madagascar in the making.
Simohammed, our new-found guide, had acquired a British accent from time spent in London. He also happened to have a motorbike accident the morning of our proposed meeting. What he did is indicative of the kind of person Younness is and the company he keeps. Simohammed called a friend of his and sent him on forward to our meeting and said only, "I have something important to take care of, I'm so sorry I can't come." He disregarded himself and gave us the help we needed.

I can only say that I am glad to have been in great company during this fantastical weekend and to have known some locals who genuinely care about their fellow man(as can be found so rarely around this Big Blue Marble((earth)))