Salamu alikum! We (Mom and I) have made it to Morocco! The entire trip took 33 hours, and we were exhausted by the time we finally arrived at my apartment at 4a.m. Sunday morning—Moroccan time. What a blessing it was to finally walk through the airport customs door and see Mark waiting to greet us. But I should probably start from the beginning. . .
We arrived at DTW around 5:30 Friday and were surprised to find so many people standing in line waiting to check their bags! Good thing it was a different airline. After finding the CORRECT line, we were happy to find out home weighing system proved accurate, the four suitcases all falling ½-1 pound under the 50 lb. weight limit. We were provided with an unexpected blessing with no charge for our second checked bags (as we had originally thought it would be $200 for an extra, then heard $70, and finally settled on $50 each. What a blessing to not have to spend an additional $100 for our luggage!). After tearful goodbyes, Dad left, and Mom and I safely made it through security.
All the flights were uneventful. We flew from Detroit to Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany to Casablanca, Morocco. The planes were on-time, but of course were too uncomfortable to provide adequate sleep (at least for me). J Another blessing occurred when we were able to meet up with Cori Kissner and Caroline Echterbroch, Caroline’s mother, and a friend. Living only an hour from Frankfurt, they drove to the airport and we were able to spend a few hours with them, eating lunch, and being distracted from our 8-hour layover. There had been some confusion about where exactly we were meeting, and as Frankfurt’s airport is one of the largest in Europe, we were truly grateful for the miracle that we were able to locate them.
Flying into Casa was a beautiful sight. I could see the coast of both Spain and Morocco with many beautiful, twinkly, amber town lights dotting the countryside. The 3-hour drive from Casa to Fes was filled with laughs, language practice, and long silences in which all of us had glassy, tired stares. What a blessing that Mark was willing to drive all that way to pick up two tired, luggage-laden travelers.
The apartment was all set up by the time we arrived, thanks to the Wiederwohl’s generosity in getting some food staples, setting up the beds, and fixing a few things around the place. Both Mom and I slept well (only a few weird noises during the night that woke me) for 8 hours. Now the unpacking begins—as well as a deliciously described turkey and green bean tagine that Amy is cooking for dinner!
Although I’ve only been here for less than 24 hours, the excitement hasn’t set in yet like I had hoped it would. I’m still anxious, definitely not ready to call this strange place home. It was an unnatural feeling when Mark wished us a “Welcome Home” before he left for his own home. I feel like an intruder in someone else’s apartment but hope the feeling will pass when my two roommates arrive. Pray that I begin to adjust (and adjust quickly), and that the three of us will become fast friends. Thank you in advance for all your warm thoughts. More pictures and info will follow. Much love to you all!
