Berlin, Germany

Five words to describe Berlin, Germany: guilt, hipster, frigid, graffiti, and historic.

My first day in Berlin started off with a free walking tour through New Europe company. If you plan on touring some of Europe's most famous cities I HIGHLY suggest taking the free walking tours through New Europe. The guide's work strictly off of tips so are always on top of their game, are extremely knowledgeable, and always super young. The know the best restaurants or bars to go to as well so it's always nice to have some local advice after the tour. Our first stop on the tour was the Brandenburg Gate which has become the symbol of Berlin. Unfortunately we were met with cold wind and rain for the majority of our time in Berlin, however, the city is filled with history and great donor kebabs so we got through it. At the Brandenburg Gate I ran into Darth Vader... clearly Darth and the Brandenburg Gate go together... like Peanut Butter and Jelly, Pooh and Tigger, Jessie and Adam Levine. But seriously, I get you have to make a living somehow but Star Wars and the gate are two completely unrelated things. This confused me. Before moving on we saw the famous window where Michael Jackson hung his child over the balcony as a creepy publicity stunt.

The next stop on our tour was the Holocaust Memorial which quickly became the most interestingly constructed memorial in the world, in my opinion. The memorial consists of a large maze of grey columns of various sizes. As you walk through you can get easily lost through it's dark passageways. The importance of the memorial is to present an interpretation of how the Jews may have felt during deportation and throughout the entire Holocaust. While walking through the memorial you are unable to hide, there is an extreme tension because you are constantly seeing glimpses of peoples faces which quickly disappear, there is a sense of isolation. These grey "tomb like" structures are also seen as nameless headstones which symbolize the millions of Holocaust victims... they were numbers, not names. 

Afterwards, we stood over the bunker where Hitler was married and later killed himself along with his wife and dog, Blondie. He body was later burned and poured into a hole to avoid a spectacle by the public of his corpse. For over 40 years people were not 100% certain is Hitler had in fact died... there were Tupac like rumors that he was living on some isolated island somewhere. Russians did, however, find his teeth in the hole and publicly declared his demise. The most interesting part about the ground above the bunker is that many Germans take their dogs to that section of the city to poop over it as a sign of their hatred towards Hitler. 

We then walked towards an original section of the Berlin wall and were taught about the death strip which was a few yards of space between the walls of East and West Berlin which acted as a literal "Death Strip" to those who tried to escape. Sharp Shooters would receive a bonus based on how many Germans they could kill in the death strip. The sand in this strip was also lined with metal spikes making it impossible to run on. Because of these difficulties many Berliners resorted to overnight projects such as the construction of hot air balloons or pole vaulting. Our guide told us the story of a couple separated by the construction of the wall which I have included for your enjoyment below:

One morning a man woke up in West Berlin and realized that his life had just completely changed. The love of his life awoke in East Berlin and realized the same thing... a wall had come between their love and there was nothing they could do to see each other. Instead of panicking the man thought long and hard about possible plans, however, it was not until he was walking down the street on a typical German day that he struck gold. This love-struck hombre sees a dime piece who resembles his lost love walking on the other side of the road and he wastes no time... he runs across the street, sweeps her off her feet with his witty humor and dangerously good looks and before we know it, the two are "going steady". One morning this man has a surprise for his new girlfriend... a trip to East Berlin! "Just be sure to bring your visa and passport to get over to the other side", he assured her. This was her opportunity to see old friends and family whom she had not seen in such a long time. His motives, however, were quite different. When the couple arrived in East Berlin he drives down a deserted road towards "the residence in which they will be staying" and without a second thought, he opened the door of the car, pushed his lady friend out, and continues to drive off with her passport and visa. This Einstein that he is has already discussed a time and meeting place for his lost love. He picks her up, and brings her back across the Berlin Wall border with the passport of the "girlfriend" who is left stranded and alone in communist territory. Long story short, the man ends up in prison for this act for 5 years and when he is released his love is waiting for him practically wearing her wedding veil. They, of course, lived happily ever after. I guess you could say they found love in a hopeless place..

Original Piece of the Berlin Wall

We then went to the square where the famous burning of the books took place. 20,000 books were burned in this square during the dark times in Berlin and there is a memorial underground which shows a plethora of empty bookshelves. Perhaps one of the best quotes that describes this event is, "This is just the beginning... for where they start by burning books, they end by burning people". Accurate. 

We also learned that a glorious man by the name of Gunter Schabowski brought about the end of the Berlin Wall... unknowingly. Extremely long story short... the man was completely unprepared for a press conference and out of nervousness he told the entire world that the Berlin Wall would be coming down... that day... at that moment (which was, of course, news to all government officials). The Celebration shortly after consisted of thousands of Germans running to the wall in a frantic excitement unable to be controlled by officials... that is how, my friends, the Berlin wall came down. 

After the tour was over we went to a bar called "The Pub" which they have in many Eastern European capital cities (we went in Prague too!)... in this bar you have a table for your group with four taps. Each person has a number which they punch in before pouring the keeps track of how much beer you have consumed. Your table competes against all other tables in the bar and results are continually displayed on a large projection screen. In addition, you are competing against "The Pubs" in other European cities. The concept is really cool and would make a KILLING in a college city like Boston but because the US government is comprised of a bunch of pansies who fear drinking games or all other activities that encourage binge drinking, it would never fly.

On our way back to PLUS Berlin hostel (the nicest hostel I have ever stayed in), we bought some curry worst (yum!) and a twelve pack of Dunkin Donuts... before getting lost in a station called Alexanderplatz of course. When we finally made it back we enjoyed the sauna and pool. The day was topped off by the best discovery in all of Europe, a chill bar that had MARACUYA JUICE. While in Ecuador I lived for this juice... it is absolutely amazing and the instant touch of it's sweet goodness to my lips brought back memories of yesteryear. 

Curry Wurst

The next day we saw a memorial called "Trains to Life, Trains to Death" showing how some Jewish children were taken in by families around Europe during the Holocaust (Trains to a new life), and how others were forced onto trains towards their inevitable demise (Trains to Death). It was apparent that Berlin is crawling with monuments, statues, museums, etc dedicated to the Holocaust. They carry a heavy sense of guilt regarding their past and the way they are viewed in society and it's completely understandable. When someone says Germany... the first thing that about 95% of the world population probably thinks of is Nazi or Holocaust or Hitler. In truth, they are defined by such a small era in their history and people forget about how much the Germans have contributed to the world in the fields of technology, science, and music. I personally thought of a frightening screaming man who lacks the ability to smile or the Holocaust when I thought of Germany but now... I think of the awesome time I had in Berlin!

The East Side Gallery Berlin Wall

During the afternoon of the second day we checked out the more artsy culture of Berlin from the graffiti to the art houses to the famous East Side Gallery, paintings on the Berlin Wall! That night we returned to the Brandenburg Gate where I experienced, by far, my favorite Berlin moment. We were lucky enough to go while WWF was hosting Earth Day so they were lighting hundreds of candles in the shape of the world. It made for a beautiful scene and the perfect ending to a great trip!

Paris, France: A Reunion After Five Years!

There are many reasons why one would love to travel to Paris, France... I mean it just seems obvious.. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, crepes, the romance in the air maybe. While all of these things were, of course, appealing to me, the number one thing I was looking forward to was a highly anticipated and longly overdue reunion with one my good friends Ryan who I had not seen in five years. Ryan and I met on Broadreach during the summer of 2007. We lived on a catamaran and sailed around the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean while scuba diving and sailing every day. He quickly became one of my best friends on the boat and after efforts on both of our parts of reuniting had failed, we knew Paris was our next opportunity. So, after five years I found myself sipping on wine and eating risotto stuffed peppers in a beautiful apartment in France with Ryan. It was a moment I thought may never come again but now that we have gotten back into better touch I look forward to running into him in other parts of the world in the future haha.

  

     Me and Ryan Circa 2007                                                     Me and Ryan Circa 2012

Our first night in Paris turned out to be my favorite night of the trip. Like I said, risotto stuffed peppers, some cheap wine and deep conversation and debate about the legalization of prostitution among other things with some of Ryan's friends from Germany and Australia. The next morning Ryan, legitimately the best host in the entire world, had croissants and strawberries waiting for us when we awoke. We then made our way to Versailles for the day which was ENORMOUS.

Versailles!

I am fairly certain and by that I mean 100% positive that Melissa and I completely missed entire wings of the chateau during our visit to Versailles... woops. Regardless, we saw the Hall of Mirrors and many other beautiful rooms in the palace before making our way outside to the gardens. While it was still a little cold outside, we lied down in the grass next to the fountains with the swans and felt the sun fall upon our faces. I kept peeping open my eyes to remind myself that I was actually at Versailles!

Gardens of Versailles!

We then walked through the gardens for what seemed like hours (like I said, if you have never been to Versailles, one cannot simply put into words the great expanse of the property, let alone the palace itself). We walked through Marie Antoinette's house and drank the best fresh orange juice in the world. We then made our way back towards Ryan's apartment where we had some Happy Hour drinks and made it to the Eiffel Tower in time to see the sunset. The Eiffel Tower has quickly become my favorite monument in the world (cliché, I know) and Paris, France my favorite large metropolitan city in the world. The Tower is incredible because although there may be taller buildings in the world that are more architecturally appealing, the tower is a giant among the flat Paris skyline. Paris was smart in implementing building codes regarding the high restrictions of buildings. In my opinion, the Eiffel Tower is so spectacular because of its intense presence.

Our last day in Paris was a guided tour by the lovely Ryan to the most famous spots in Paris. We started at the Eiffel Tower because I wanted to see it by day, then went to the Arc de Triomph, Champs- Élysées, and towards the Louvre. I would not say that Melissa and I are art people in the slightest so we skipped the Louvre and got coffee instead. We then visited Notre Dame and the famous love lock bridge. We walked over the bridge and to get to a falafel restaurant and on our way I could have sworn I was walking through the scenes of a movie or in Disney World. The music, the sunshine, the French people lounging and smoking at cafés. The scene was everything that one may expect Paris to be like. I fell in love with Paris for many reasons, that being one of them. When one thinks of Spain they think of bullfights and paella, Italy... pasta and pizza, Ireland... beer and gingers (sorry Bathleen)... but most of my experience has proven to me that these stereotypes don't actually exist... they are solely parts of the countries culture that are commercialized for identity and tourist motives. Paris, however, was everything that I pictured it to be. The atmosphere that surrounds you is full of romance and beauty. It is an ineffable feeling that one can only experience by traveling to Paris.

Me and Melissa at Notre Dame

Luckily, I had the opportunity to re-visit Paris two weeks after this experience and see Ryan one last time before another long stint of separation... This time hopefully not five years!

Bruges, Belgium: Chocolate, Waffles, and Moo Moo

When one thinks of Belgium they most likely think of waffles and… Chocolate! If I said that our trip to Belgium did not consist of these two stereotypical delicacies I would be lying… chocolate upon chocolate upon chocolate, in fact. Melissa and I got into Bruges, Belgium quite early in the morning but were able to check in our hotel early. Our Belgian experience started with a 3 hour power nap, some food, and some showers (three luxuries we had not enjoyed in too long). Already things were looking up. We spent the remainder of the day exploring the beautifully quaint Bruges streets filled with chocolate shops, breweries, little restaurants and horse-drawn carriages. The highlight of the day was definitely the canal boat tour… we saw so many beautiful sights.

Towards the end of the day we sat at a café and enjoyed some Belgian waffles and hot chocolates. Just when I thought that our romantic Belgian date could not get any better, we were asked out by our waiter who sported a greasy pony tail and his friend with the promising name of Moo Moo. Well, clearly we had struck gold with this offer and it still irks me that we passed up this once in a lifetime opportunity. Instead, we went back to the hotel, got into bed, and indulged ourselves in the wonder that is Belgian television… where Nickelodeon shows have teenage characters who enjoy unprotected sex and commercials that would seem like soft-core porn to any American viewer… last time I checked two naked bodies in a shower rubbing each other down was not appropriate for a television commercial… only in Belgium.

The following day we drank tea in the square, went on a search for more delicious chocolate, stole one too many Nutella packets from the hotel, and made our way to Paris, France for the next stop of our journey! 

England (London, Windsor, Stonehenge, and Oxford)

I realize I have not blogged in quite a long time but, have no fear, I shall abridge the last month of my life into a few blog posts... it shouldn't be hard right... I mean I only traveled to 8 new countries in the past month... oh crap. Well, I guess we shall start with my first longer trip to London, Bruges, and Paris. My lovely sister, Melissa, made her way to Europe to embark on this adventure with me. Our first stop was London. The disaster started when Melissa and I were mistakenly at the wrong gates trying to find each other in a foreign country with no cell phones. It continued as we exited the airport and were greeted by the ever so friendly London rain which continued for the entire two hours we were searching for our hostel on a street that didn't exist. The trend of running around and being completely lost continued throughout our entire stint in London and the agony was only negated by the fact that London is home to Europe's only Chipotle Restaurant... so if you were wondering what the first thing we did in London was... well, ate enormous burritos (no regrets).

London in five words: gloomy, bland, confusing, proper and overrated (JJ Vittoria, I apologize extensively for this blog post). Their metro... oh wait, sorry, TUBE stops have names like Picadilly Circus and Jubilee. Whoever created those names was on LSD, I am certain. We did, however, get the chance to visit the Harry Potter monument to Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station which, besides the Chipotle burrito, was the highlight of my sightseeing day in London. We took it upon ourselves to conduct a personal walking, rather, running tour through London to see the main sites including the London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abby, Buckingham Palace, etc... all very, well, like I said, unimpressionable. The day was brightened by some tea and chocolate mouse later in the evening followed by bedtime at 8:30 (not joking, it was glorious). Unfortunately, we did not have time to go to Abbey Road, however, I plan on returning to London later in life (shocker right) to take a picture of my family walking across the famous street... a picture that will hang above my living room fireplace. I plan too much, I know. To wrap up our first day in London I suppose Melissa said it perfectly, "I now understand why Harry left and went to Hogwarts".

The second day was much much better, perhaps because we weren't in London. We visited Windsor Castle which was absolutely beautiful and we really lucked out with sunshine during our time in Windsor. The queen was in the castle that day, noted by a certain flag flying above the castle. Did you know the queen's salary per year is 7 million dollars? Getting free shit and waving your hand all the time is definitely worthy of 7 million. After visiting the many what seemed like billions of rooms in the castle, we ate lunch outside at a cafe where I had my first ever Jacket Potato with cheese and beans. It was absolutely scrumptious.

The tour continued with a trip to Stonehenge, which was the entire reason for our visit to London. It was very cold and dark when we arrived which, in my opinion, added to the mysteriousness and ambiguity of the entire relic. It was in the middle of no where, which gave us a great opportunity to see the English countryside. It was awesome to finally see it in person after seeing it so many times in picture. While it was not the most architecturally astonishing thing I have seen in my life (Machu Picchu still takes the cake), it definitely held an enigmatic air that you can only feel if you see it in person.

Our last stop was Oxford, where Melissa and I separated from the group to find the great hall where scenes from Harry Potter were filmed. While most of the film was shot in London or in studios, there are select scenes that were captured in Oxford and we were determined to find them. Oxford, in general, was a beautifully quaint town with cobblestone passageways home to boutique shops and candy stores.

Our entire stay in England ended with some Fish and Chips and Bangers and Mash, some real british delicacies. I could have done without the Fish and Chips but the Bangers and Mash were absolutely bomb. That night we took an overnight bus from London to Brussels. We did not get any sleep which could be attributed to the fact that their was an obnoxious man behind us who believed he had the right to violently push our chairs back every time we tried to recline them, as well as the fact that we were completely unaware we would be exiting the bus to take a ferry across, as opposed to taking the Chunnel. But, of course, in attempts to make the best of the situation, we bought some Kinder Eggs on the ferry and I spent my last pound on a slot machine. I didn't hit big... this was expected.

The Netherlands: Amsterdam

I can say with confidence that Amsterdam was definitely one of my top 3 European cities on my check-list and I feared I would not be able to go. That all changed when Chuckie Wide Stance (Charlie, for you simpletons) expressed a similar interest and Kevin (SLU) hopped on board. I have a knack for partying before weekend flights which ultimately results in some sort of disaster. This time it was cutting my flight way too close and having to pay for a cab to the airport... thanks for nothing, Cien, Orange, and Pacha. Most people think of weed when they hear the word Amsterdam... that or prostitutes, of course. Well, you're preconceived notions are spot on as the place was absolutely infested with the two. Upon arriving to our hostel we were greeted with an overwhelming stench of weed. "Don't worry", said the desk attendant on duty, "I just finished smoking my joint... Welcome to Amsterdam!" That night we had dinner at the Old Quarter which serves traditional Dutch food... which meant potato dishes... mmmmm.

After dinner we went the the Sexmuseum... why not? It was actually kinda weird... right when you walked through the door there was a mannequin man doing what was supposed to be a moan but sounded more like he was being stabbed with a trident through the heart. There were also strange chastity belts from the old ages, some black man with a 13 inch penis, and an exhibit on people who enjoy being peed on...? Just don't ask questions. Afterwards we visited the Red Light District which is exactly what you would imagine it to be... a lot of girls in red glass doors under red lights poking at the glass at men... wearing nothing but tiny little itty bikinis. I will say though, no homo, the girls (minus the fatties and trannies) are really attractive. Some of them have legit the nicest bodies I have ever seen... but, then again, it's their job to.

That night we returned the coffee shop in our hostel and had legit the best loaded nachos and brownies and ice cream I have ever eaten in my entire life... not a joke. It was heaven in my mouth. First impressions of Amsterdam in five words: weed, sex, friendly, bikes, canals.

On Friday morning we woke up early and went to the Anne Frank house, the house her and her family were hiding in when they were discovered by Dutch Nazi officials during the Holocaust. Having read the book it was a surreal experience to be able to stand in her room and see the details in person of what she described. I can't wait to see the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland in a few weeks.

Anne Frank's Bookshelf

Afterwards we did a three hour walking tour of Amsterdam which, I know, sounds typical Jessie and nerdy but it was super informative and definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Amsterdam is a fascinating city and I learned so much about it. For instance, there are more than 10,000 heroin addicts in Amsterdam alone. The city itself is a huge contradiction. There are churches right next to the red light districts and coffee shops. We visited a restaurant that was once a public autopsy house which stood next to a square where prisoners would have their chest ripped open, their ribs spread apart, their heart taken out of their chest and thrown in their face, and ultimately they would be decapitated after watching the entire process. They would then place the head on poles looking out towards the sea to intimidate all the visitors.

Another interesting fact: during the winter of 1945 there was an untimely climate change and during a huge hunger scare temperatures dropped. Houses and trees were taken down and burned for warmth and supplies were limited due to Nazi control. People resorted to eating tulips and cats. If you look closely, all of the trees in the city are about the same height because they were all replanted at the same time. In addition, the street that Rembrandt lived on was redesigned by a group of college students during the LSG era in Amsterdam so this one street is vibrantly colorful and does not fit in with the architecture around the rest of the city.

Another fun fact: if you do not have a cat in your restaurant or hostel it is not considered a good hostel. This is because Amsterdam was built on swampland and has a mice problem. Places with cats do not have this issue. Another fun fact: smoking weed in Amsterdam is actually completely ILLEGAL. Cops, however, have chosen to overlook any selling or smoking of weed in their attempt to crack down on harder drugs (no pun intended).

Typical Coffee Shop

Another fun fact: When Napoleon's brother was in power in Amsterdam he put put a census to see who he was ruling. People in The Netherlands had never had last names before so they thought it was a joke. To get back at the new ruler they made their last names (translated) things like little-poo, suck-a-lot, and born naked. Well, the names stuck and many residents of Amsterdam have last names that are absolutely absurd. ALSO, most of the houses in Amsterdam are slanted because they are built on swamps. Lastly, 20,000-25,000 bikes are taken out of the canals of Amsterdam each year because drunk people pull pranks on their friends or enemies and throw them in the canals during the night.

After the tour we went to the I amsterdam famous sign for a little photo shoot and then to the Van Gogh Museum. I am not one for art but this museum was magical. There was musical accompaniment with the works and well, it was just a wonderful experience. To top off day 2 we went to a live sex show (sorry family members who are reading). YOLO- you only live once. I won't describe what I saw in that theatre but I will write some keywords and you can use your imagination: banana, candle, cigar, pole...

And lastly, fake boobies are GROSS. I had never seen them before... they look like aliens.

The last day was JAM PACKED ALSO! We went to the Nemo Science Museum in the morning which was interactive and really cool. However, in true Amsterdam style, there was a sex floor and puberty exhibit that showed kids how to french kiss and how to pop their pimples... oh, and who can forget the ejaculation video with the cartoon chick bouncing her boobs up and down. Like really, Amsterdam? This continues to baffle me.

We continued the day with a wonderful lunch and beer sampler in a windmill and then a tour to the Heineken Brewery. Some pictures below...

Heineken Brewery

Other weird things about Amsterdam: there is food in the vending machines, the world's first condom shop, etc. After a Thai dinner we met some Brits and shortly after Charlie got a drink thrown at his face by a fat hispanic prostitute who came out of her window. True Story. Lastly, when leaving the airport we saw this message scrolling on a screen: "Stupid people shouldn't breed. Survival of the fittest. Animals and men included". Typical Amsterdam departure message.

Córdoba y Granada, España

I apologize for I realize that I have not written in a while. I have been super busy with going-out, traveling, and enjoying the beautiful Madrid weather (tough life, I know). Two weekends ago the BC group traveled to the south of Spain to Córdoba and Granada. The night before we thought it would be a lovely idea to go to Joy until 4:00AM. Needless to say, the majority of us did not sleep at all and a good percentage were still inebriated when our alarms went off (myself not included, of course). When the alarms sounded, chaos ensued (I can speak for Covarubias). People had to pack other peoples bags because they couldn't get out of bed, while others inconveniently sat for a full breakfast unaware that we were most likely not making the bus. Words will never be able to accurately portray the scene that Friday morning as the 8 Covarubias Gringos hobbled down the sidewalk in a frenzy to find a taxi. I was feeding people salami (whose porcelin plate ultimately ended up in a bush) during the mad dash. Ultimately we made it to the terminal on time and I am pretty sure that within 5 minutes all of us had fallen asleep on the bus.

Our first stop was Córdoba for the day. We visited a beautiful mosque, walked around the town, and ate awesome tapas. I could have done without the guided tour because with 40 students it's kind of difficult to not only pay attention but also to hear. Córdoba was pretty but it boggles me how it was the center of the Islamic population during their occupancy. It seemed a little... unimpressionable?

El Grupo en Córdoba, España

Córdoba, España

The next stop on our journey where we remained for the rest of the trip was Granada. Granada is known to be one of the most beautiful cities in Madrid and it was easy to understand why. We arrived Friday night and shortly after went for tapas and sangria at Bella y la Bestia. I got to see Natalia both nights I was in Granada which was awesome. The tapas and drinks in Granada were so much cheaper and the city seems more quiet, especially up where Natalia lives. We didn't have a late night because we knew the next day would be super busy.

Saturday we visited La Alhambra, one of the most famous places in Spain. For those who do not know, the Alhambra is a castle/fortress built in the mid 14th century by the Moors. The details within the Alhambra are absolutely beautiful and we were lucky enough to have a sunny day! Walking around the Alhambra with my friends and enjoying the scenery was incredible. Later that day we went to the bath houses... a completely different type of experience than that in Morocco. These looked like they were in a 4 star hotel. The bath house was rented out just for the 40 of us, there were about 8 pools all with different temperatures, tea in a separate room, massages, and to top it all off, it was lit with candlelight. It was absolutely beautiful and relaxing.

Cova-Cis en la Alhambra 

ALHAMBRA!

That night after an exquisite Indian meal everyone went to an Irish bar and then to Cambodio, a club that overlooks the Alhambra as it's lit at night. The club was cool because there was the traditional salsa section and then the hip-hop modern section. There was also an outside patio where you could sit in front of the Alhambra. I got to spend more time with Natalia this night and I am so glad! It's strange to see old friends after such a long time but it's as if no time has passed with those that you care about the most. The Andalucia region of Spain was beautiful and completely different from Madrid. I am excited to hopefully spend some time after finals traveling around Spain more!

Granada, España

Morocco: Rabat, Chefchaouen (Days Three and Four)

Day three started with the same thin pancake crepes that we had been served every day since arriving in Morocco. We said goodbye to our host families and started the drive to Chefchaouen. Along the way we stopped at a giant outdoor Mosque that was unfinished from hundreds of years ago. I would provide you with more information on this awesome site but I can't due to the fact that my guide was a complete moron. Harsh, probably but when I asked her a question about this site she told me she couldn't provide me an answer because it wasn't provided on her notecard. Anyways, along the way we also stopped at a mountain village that reminded me so much of Miraflor, Nicaragua it was absurd. This mountain village was completely isolated and different from what we had seen in Rabat or other parts of Morocco. We learned about the cultural differences between the city and rural families and ate some more couscous. After lunch we went to the mountainside to see an amazingly beautiful view. Of course, my camera died just when we got to the top but the feeling of that quiet serenity was something that a picture would have failed to capture anyway.

I split from the group and walked off to sit on the mountain alone and just think. It was in that moment that I realized that my happiest times are always when I can hear nothing but the distant sounds of wind. My mind imagines the commotion in New York City or Hong Kong in that moment and I can't help but smile. It is no wonder that the village people told us that they had no desire to ever leave the mountain... a concept that seemed silly to me until I sat alone with my thoughts and the sound of silence.

Around 6PM we arrived in Chefchaouen, an amazing city filled with blue buildings, narrow cobblestone uneven streets, and friendly Moroccans. We were able to wander around for about three hours before dinner. Most of the group bought jewelry and other memorabilia from the outside markets. I didn't really feel the need to buy anything, for whatever reason, so just walked around and enjoyed the vibrant aqua scenery. A bunch of us got henna as well which, although was advertised to last 6 weeks, has already almost completely faded... THANK GOD. The henna looked much better under the candlelight but I got black ink instead of brown (rookie mistake). It looked like a blind toddler drew on me (in the picture it looks cool, I know).

After dinner the group got together and had a reflection about all we had learned since being in Morocco. While most commented on the poverty in the mountains or the culture shock I couldn't help but not feel the same reaction. Is it a good or bad thing that the sight of extreme poverty has become normalized for me? When they saw the bathrooms some girls refused to go in and I was thankful that there were no maggots crawling in the hole like there were in Nicaragua. I could only reflect upon how I had to constantly remind myself that I was no longer in South America. It was a constant struggle to keep in mind that I was in Morocco... in Africa. The comfort I feel when I am in those secluded areas makes me think that Peace Corps wouldn't be such a bad idea after college.