Less than two weeks left

Its been relatively quiet on my blog. But that's ok. I've decided to start something new....seeing as my grandmother and Italian relatives were very happy to see my vlog in Italian, I thought it would make them happy to also read my blog in Italian. So from now on, I'll be blogging in English but then translating to Italian (since google translator is awful) so they can read it too!

I have 15 days left until we leave for Morocco, but 12 days until I leave for DC. And I still haven't started packing. I've been slowly but surely accumulating the things I need for Morocco, such as host family gifts, clothing and essentials..they just haven't found their way into a suitcase yet. Oops?

Meanwhile, we have news about our host families! We will know who our host families are before we depart for DC, leaving us little time to gather specific gifts, but at least we'll know who they are :)

I guess now that the departure date is nearing, it's begun to hit me that I will be leaving...and not returning for nine whole months, which is a very very long time. I still am as excited as ever, but I am also a bit..cautious. I don't know that much about Morocco..to be honest I haven't made an effort to learn much because I am trying to enjoy my city before I leave. I'm cautious because I want to make sure that I know what I'm getting myself into, and the only way to know that is once I'm there. But I will let nature take her course, and hope for the best.

(I sincerely do hope that people other than my parents are interested in my journey.. )

È da un po che non scrivo su questo blog, però va bene. Ho deciso di iniziare qualcosa di nuovo...perché ho visto che quando ho fatto il vlog in italiano, un sacco di parenti erano molto grati. Allora ho pensato, perché non scrivo il mio blog anche in Italiano?

Ho ancora 15 giorni finché partiamo per il Marocco, però solo 12 giorni finché parto per DC. E non ho ancora iniziato a fare la valigia....Voglio dire, ho iniziato ha preparare la roba...solo che non è ancora nella valigia.

Nel frattempo, abbiamo avuto delle notizie sulla famiglia con cui starò! Noi sapremo chi sono le nostre famiglie un paio di giorni prima che partiamo per DC, lasciandoci poco tempo per comprare regali specifici, però va bene!

Penso che adesso, visto che il giorno di partenza sta arrivando, sto pensando di più al viaggio che sto per fare. Partirò...e non tornerò per nove mesi. È un sacco di tempo! Nonostante questo, son ancora felice di partire. Però sono un po' cauta perché non conosco tanto riguardo il Marocco...e a dir la verità, non ci ho messo tanto sforzo ad imparare tanto perché sto provando a esplorare la mia città prima di partire. Sono cauta perché voglio sapere esattamente quello che sto facendo, e non ce modo per saperlo finche non arrivo in Marocco. Per adesso, lascio che la vita va per la sua strada, e spero per il meglio!
Ciao!

Until next time

22 days.

That is all.



(And I haven't even begun to pack...oops)

The anxiety of being

As my departure date nears, I think of all the times I have told myself "I am ready". I think of all the times I have mentally willed myself into doing something well beyond my comfort zone. Take driving, for instance (I still dont have my license because I am scared of driving). What ultimately allowed me to get on the drivers side of the car and drive the car around was going into the activity without overthinking it. So I could simply not overthink this whole Morocco thing. And it's not that I'm having cold feet, its the fact my leaving is only now beginning to set in.

All of my closest (aside from one) friends leave this week. People who have helped me come to the decision to apply for the scholarship, people who have had my back all throughout high school, and people I love dearly are leaving for college. It's hard to stomach the fact that I won't be seeing them for nine full months, but this is why Skype exists. I know, people who have gone through the "friends all leaving" experience will tell me that I will make new friends and what not, but its still sad to see everyone go. I guess this post has kind of turned into a goodbye post to my friends as well, so be it. I know that each and everyone of my friends will have a wonderful time in college, and enjoy their experience. I am excited to hear about their experiences and live vicariously through them for some time, until I get to Tufts.

Anywho done with the sad part of this post. There is more information on my trip! I got my flight itinerary (a bit late, because there were mistypes in the email address, but I got it nonetheless). I'll be flying NONSTOP (this is very exciting) to DC. Then a few days later we ship out to Paris, and then Casablanca. I do not know why we aren't going to Marrakesh, but everyone else in the group received the same email, so I'm assuming the state department knows what it's doing. Now that I actually have information, the trip has gotten much more real for me.

I'll leave this blog post (as I must get to packing at some point..you know...since I'm leaving for 9 months and all) with a sliver of wisdom: if you don't step outside of your comfort zone, you'll never discover that what you thought may be uncomfortable, actually feels like the most right thing to do. 

Vlog Italiano!

So my grandmother asked me to make occasional vlogs/posts in Italian, so the other day I did. I hope you enjoy it (if you understand Italian) if not...you should learn Italian :D

Information galore

Today I got my first real legit email about Morocco. And one of the first things mentioned is that our departure dates have changed! No longer are they September 14th in DC and September 16th in Morocco, but they now are September 11th in DC, and September 15th in Morocco. But it was stated very clearly that these days are not set in stone..so I guess I won't know when I leave until I leave! Exciting :D

This wonderful Pre Departure handbook also outlined a general itinerary of what we will be doing. NSLIY sends students abroad to not only learn the language, but also to volunteer. So we will be volunteering by helping out NGOs, orphanages, foundations for the blind or specific community projects around Marrakesh. Last summer while I was in Oman, we volunteered at an English Language camp, so I think it's safe to assume that we will be doing the same in Morocco.

Also, since we are staying in Morocco for 9 months, we will be travelling with the program quite a bit. In the handbook it says we will be travelling on 'extended trips" about once a month for three or four days each to different places. Some examples are The Sahara Desert, Rabat-Sale-Casablanca, Tangier-Tetuan, Agadir-Taraoudant-Wad mass, Fes-Meknes-Ifrane, The Atlas Mountains and Essaouira. This looks like quite a bit to be travelling, but I am not complaining. I am very ready to explore Morocco and what it has to offer. The thing that intrigues me about Morocco is its vast and interesting history. It has been colonized by many so it has many influences, including French, Spanish and Portuguese. Because of these colonizations, Morocco also has a very interesting language makeup. Obviously Arabic is spoken, but another very widely spoken language in Morocco is Darija. Apparently Darija in Morocco is laced (lack of good word to use here) with French and Spanish words to substitute Arabic words. From what I've heard, it is near impossible to understand Darija if you only speak Arabic. This brings me to another very central aspect of the program, language classes, the sole reason I applied to NSLIY...ok not really, but a very large part of my decision was based upon this. We will probably have class from 9 until 12.50 (this is only Arabic class) on Mondays through Thursdays, and on fridays we end at 11.15 so we can get back to eat lunch with our host families. Morocco is also interesting because they-unlike other Middle Eastern/North African countries-have the weekend on Saturday and Sunday.

I think thats all I know for now, the other information isn't that interesting, and is mostly about culture shock and what not. I am excited to finally know more about my program, it just makes it all the more real.

Until next time!

Introductions

So I'm figuring that some people may not have been following my travels since the beginning, so I've decided to make an introduction post. Think of it as an "Ariel: the basics" post.

I am currently 18 years of age. I will be taking a gap year with NSLI-Y; more specifically I will be travelling to Morocco, living with a host family for 9 months and studying Arabic (MSA) in a school there. Last summer (summer of 2012) I participated in another NSLI-Y program. I went to Oman (Muscat) for just under two months, lived with a host family, and attended a school to learn Arabic. I will be going to Tufts University (go Jumbos!) in the fall of 2014.
I don't think I had ever thought of taking a gap year when I was younger. I had always envisioned myself as a person who would go straight from high school to college, almost impatient to start a new life and learn what I was truly interested in. However, during high school the "study abroad bug" bit me. I went to a Chinese Immersion K-8 school, and as our eighth grade trip, my class went to China for a month. This was my first study abroad experience. I don't know what prompted me to apply to NSLI-Y again this year-- maybe it was my love for Arabic, my subconscious need for an adventure, or simply because I was ready to do something as a completely independent person--whatever it may be, I am very glad that I did apply.
As of right now, I want to study Political Science and International Relations when I get to Tufts. Politics has been an enormous part of my high school career and life as a teenager. I know what you're thinking.."oh she's just another naive college student thinking she can change the world and become the next president". Perhaps I am that naive girl, but even if I am, I know that our country needs more of these, so I do not take your judgement as offensive, in fact, I embrace it with open arms :) I am, however, open to changing my mind. Maybe in these 9 months abroad I'll fall in love with another major and decide to pursue that. Whatever I may choose to study, you can rest assured that I will devote my body and soul into studying it and making something of the knowledge I will acquire.


So I think that concludes my "Ariel: the basics" post. I have given you a short run down of my life so far..and I promise to keep you updated.

Until next time!

Its been a while

*53 days left*

Hello dear readers! It's been a while. I am going to try and post one thing every other week now, just to get back in the habit of blogging.

In short, I'm beyond ready to leave. I can't wait to get out of here and be somewhere new. Be somewhere I don't have to worry about the incessant fog, homework due dates (well I will but thankfully not for seven subjects) and other school related things.
I'm ready to be submerged in a country of different people, in a place with no memories and in a place where I can start new, so to speak. Not that I necessarily need to, I just want to. I want to be somewhere new, living with new people. I am beyond excited. I have left all my fear and trepidation at the door.

But, I still have fifty three days left. So I have some time. In the meantime I am working at my old preschool and I was learning kickboxing, but low and behold I sprained my ankle this weekend whilst running so thats on a standstill.

I should probably learn more about Morocco, as for now I don't know much at all. In fact, I know nothing about the family I will be staying with, or anything else about the program. I want to know more so I'm better prepared when I get there. Hopefully they'll tell us more in the coming weeks. For now, I'll leave you guys with a picture of where I went camping and hiking this past weekend. It made me realize how beautiful California is, but I'm sure that I will be equally satisfied in Marrakesh.

Until next time