Costa Rica!!!

Port number 10. Our final country before we head home to the states. There are a lot of mixed emotions right now and also some pressure to make our last port the greatest.
Now, I know I told you that Brazil was my favorite, but Costa Rica might just have passed it up. We’ll see.
We ported on a pier in the city of Puntarenas. Our lone ship on the pier stood bravely against the rain it had to endure in the country.
The first day, I wandered around the port city and got all my shopping done. This included my secret santa and white elephant on the ship as well as gifts for family and friends back home. The humidity was quite terrible in Puntarenas and I was happy to leave for Monteverde the next morning. At 9am the next day, the gang piled into a minivan with our incredibly nice driver. He continued to tell us what he knew about the city and what the best things to do were. Our drive there took about two hours; the first hour being normal highways, but the second, a bumpy winding rode up a steep mountain. We hopped along a narrow dirt rode that rested on the side of a mountain where each turn made me feel like we might just fall off. Not to mention the fact that our driver whipped as fast as he could around these corners despite the fact it was steep and it was raining. Even so, I enjoyed it because the views on our ride were absolutely incredible. We finally made it alive to our hotel, Don Taco which was an incredibly cute family owned hotel with about five dogs running around all the time. The style of the hotel reminded me of a log cabin and gave it a sort of homey feel. The weather in Monteverde was also PERFECT. There was absolutely no humidity, some rain, but after the rain, the sun creeped out of the clouds and a nice wind cooled us. Not to mention the amount of rainbows I saw was astounding, but we’ll talk more about that later. This city is more like a mountain village with lots of steep hills and cute restaurants that you could always walk to. The same day we got there, we had some lunch, then went on the Cloud Forest Walk, which included a easy hike through the many suspension bridges the Costa Rica forest had to offer. It was still raining so we all bought nice rain jackets from the souvenir store and trudged through the mud and over the misty bridges of the Cloud Forest. You could say our first day in Monteverde was a perfect, relaxing day. Our second day, was the absolute opposite.
So a few weeks ago, I signed up with my group of friends to participate in an Extreme Sport Adventure in Costa Rica that included zip lining, tarzan swinging, bungee jumping, and sky swinging. And I gotta say, that was one of the best decisions I made on this trip. Day two began with zip lining over the hills and valleys in Monteverde where we were able to zip past two rainbows that were results of the previous rain storm. We swung through the trees before it was time to jump off the cable car that was suspended from a cable that stretched across the mountains. I wasn’t really scared to jump off, I was more anxious and excited. The only time I got scared was right after my feet left the cable car and I was face down, plummeting into trees. Once I felt the cord tug me up I couldn't help but smile. It was one of the most fun and exhilarating experiences of my life. The same goes for sky swinging, where I sat on the edge of the cable car and they move the car backwards causing you to fall straight down until the rope tugs and you swing under the cable car. My guide who dropped me decided it would be fun to tell me my helmet was loose (when it wasn’t) right before I dropped off the edge. Listen closely in the video and you can hear it. The amount of adrenaline in my body that day was insane, and now I’m craving more (anyone care to join me in sky diving?).
The next day we went repelling (or canyoning) down six waterfalls. Four guides took us down these beautiful waterfalls where we had to push against the walls with our feet and lower ourselves to the bottom. It was a lot harder than I had anticipated, and I definitely hit the wall a few times and got soaked by the waterfall. But it was so fun and our guides were hilarious.
The rest of our trip included lots of burritos, coffee milkshakes (so good), and quesadillas. It really was the perfect country to end in.
Next destination, home.

Trinidad and Tobago!!!

Port 8 of 10. I can’t believe how fast this trip went by. It’s already December! My friends and I are happy that there's only 25 days till Christmas. But at the same time sad because it means only 20 days till our adventure would come to an end.  Still not ready to leave. 

Anyhow, we ported in Trinidad, which is an island about the size of Connecticut located in the Caribbean. As we sailed here we noticed the change of the water from a deep blue to a green blue. We were welcomed off the ship with a steel pan performance (which is their trademark instrument and also my favorite instrument). 

Unfortunately, we only had two days and one night here, when you really need at least a week.  But my friends and I made the most of it. On our first day we decided to go to their most popular beach called Maracas. We hired a taxi driver to drive us around for the day and she took us through some incredibly steep and narrow roads that led to the beach. Our car ride there was absolutely beautiful. The mountains and hills are covered in trees and greenery and each turn of the road gave you a different view of the island. We stopped and ate some mango chow, which is just cut up mango in a bag with a bunch of different spices. We also had sugar-cake which is literally a cake made of only sugar. Both tasted amazing and I wish I could’ve taken some home. 

At the beach we just laid out (of course I got sun burned), listened to some music, and swam in the water. While we were there, it started to rain.  It wasn’t just a light rain, instead it was a downpour. So we decided that it was the perfect time to jump back into the sea. It reminded me of when I was in Maui with my family it rained while we were in the ocean. It was so much fun, and it was such a great memory with my friends and probably the highlight of this trip. 

For lunch we ate “bake and shark” which is a shark sandwich. I never thought I would be able to eat shark, but I did!  I highly recommend that you try it if ever in the Caribbean. It’s a lot better than you’d imagine.  

That night, there was a field program event which included a festival with steel pan music and a chance to meet college students from the University of Trinidad. Allie and I did not have tickets however, so we waited in line for about 45 minutes hoping to be allowed in… and we were! The music was amazing and great to dance to and I was also able to meet a few locals. I met Jacob and Fes and it was so nice to talk to them because it was the first country where there was no language barrier! After the festival, our other Trinidadian friend Samuel, showed us around which included the night-life scene. 

The next day, I went shopping with my friends Allie, Cam, Nico, Matt, and Addison. We just explored the port area and visited some small shops. As we were walking back, it started pouring rain again. But this time, it didn't stop. We took a break for a few minutes, then eventually had to go back to the ship. So of course my hair and clothes were soaked by the time we got back to the ship.  Despite the fact that we only have one port left, we have several fun events still to come, on the ship. To name a few, there’s a talent show, the Panama Canal, Costa Rica, the ball, and sadly... finals :/

That’s all for now, folks! 

Sea Olympics

Eight seas. Three Prizes. One day. During our nine-day stretch to Trinidad from Brazil, we participated in a "Sea Olympics". The students were divided into one of the seven seas and within those groups we competed against each other in a variety of different contests (by the way the eighth sea included the staff and independent kids, so that’s the reason for the extra sea). I was in the Adriatic Sea and our color was purple. So we were decked out in all of our purple gear, complete with purple face paint, eyeliner, lipstick, and ribbon. It was sort of a flashback to my days at OCSA when we painted our faces for every spirit day (shout out to my OCSA homies). So anyways, we went pretty full out. 

The day began with a spirit competition to see which sea team could create the best chants. Of course, my sea team won this competition with an intense stomp routine that matched our chants.  Other competitions included a relay race, tug of war, a pull up contest, and many more. I participated in the relay race, but sadly we lost even with me and Liv's killer wheelbarrow team. I competed in the water balloon toss (which we also lost), however in my defense, throwing a water balloon all the way across a ship's deck is a lot harder than it seems. And finally, I played the card game "spoons" against seven other people, each from a different sea...AND YES, I DID WIN!!  Luckily, all those years of playing "Spoons" at family parties, had finally paid off. 

Later that day, my dear friend Allie and I were given the task of choreographing a synchronized swimming routine for our sea team.  It ended up being a crowd favorite. Five guys from our sea team volunteered to participate, so we basically had them swimming around and dancing to “Dancing Queen”, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, and Selena Gomez’s “When You’re Ready Come and Get It”. I think we ended up getting fourth or fifth place.  Either way, I think we deserved better, because they were definitely the funniest team out there. 

At the end of the day, after the points were computed the winner was announced. The Yellow Sea beat us by 10 points! Although we didn’t win, I was happy getting second place especially since our prize included a movie of our choice and free popcorn. Who doesn't like free popcorn? 

Time to see what the Caribbean has in store for us! 

A-A-ADRIATIC! 

Brazil!!

Ciao friends!  For those of you who haven't yet tired of my long-winded posts, and the fact that I overuse the word "amazing", thanks for tuning in for another post. I just left the port of Salvador, Brazil, and I gotta say, Brazil might be my favorite port thus far (however that’s a loaded statement and I will not fully commit to it yet). 

My friends and I just spent the first half of the day exploring and shopping in Salvador. The people here are extremely welcoming. I completed all of my shopping that day since I had to leave for the Amazon!

 

So, on day two, my friends Liv and Morgan and myself got on our first flight to Manaus, then boarded the connecting flight to the Amazon. There’s actually a two hour difference between the Amazon and Salvador, so we arrived at the riverboat around 11pm completely exhausted. However we were still welcomed with food and some Brazilian dancing! Our sleeping arrangement consisted of almost 40 people on the top deck of a riverboat,with hammocks as beds.   We were packed together like sardines. But I didn't really mind it and we all definitely bonded. There’s nothing more relaxing than reading a book in a hammock with a slight breeze gently swinging you while you cruise down the Rio Negro. That was what I did about every morning we were out there.  Because we were sleeping outside, the sunrise woke us up every morning. If you know me well enough, you know I’m not a morning person. But I woke up at about 5:30am every day, and I was never grumpy (I also got some great sunrise pictures). 

Our first day on the Amazon we saw the “meeting of the waters”. This is where the two rivers of the Amazon meet. One side was a light brown, muddy color while the other was a reddish black. We docked and took a jungle walk through the “Flooded Forest”. They call it this because when its high tide, the water reaches up about 8 or 9 feet above the actual sea level. You can see the water marks on the trees showing how high up the water rises. During this jungle walk, I saw three sloths, one monkey, and a few water lilies that can actually support the weight of a small child. Throughout our adventure, I was completely covered in sweat and dirt. The heat here was a lot worse than Senegal, but you get used to it after a while. 

 

For the next part of the day, we went out on canoes and attempted to piranha fish. A very petite 11 year old Amazonian girl accompanied us on our canoe trip and gave us bamboo sticks with fishing lines with bait.  She taught us (without speaking) how to fish. You have to stick the pole in the water and splash around a bit to make it seem like there’s a fish swimming near the surface, to entice a piranha. I caught three fish, but none of them were piranhas. One was a sardine and the other two were catfish. A few other people in our group were able to catch piranhas, but I was just glad to catch any fish at all. I mean, that was the first time I actually went fishing, so needless to say I was proud of myself.

 

Afterwards, we headed back to the boat for dinner and boated back down the river to get ready for the next day. Turns out we were headed in the direction of a storm, but not close enough to affect us. From the boat we were able to see an amazing lightening storm that lit up the entire sky and the full trail of the lightning bolts. It was an absolutely incredible ending to our first night. 

Day two started off with a lot of pineapple for breakfast and another jungle walk. This jungle walk was more like a climb and it was a lot longer. We were covered in even more sweat than the day before, but it still didn't bother me. Our guide carried his machete and taught us how to survive in the jungle with only that weapon. I tasted the bark from a tree that contains preventative medicine for malaria, I drank water from a water vine that was wrapped around a tree, and also tasted the milk from a tree that people in the jungle survive on. We also learned how to communicate with people in the jungle by knocking on massive, hollow trees (like morse code) to communicate. I had many close encounters with the insects in the jungle and discovered ants that were half the size of your finger. If you don’t like insects back in the United States, then you might not want to see the ones in Brazil. They’re bigger, more harmful, and more abundant. Our guide started rubbing ants on his hands because it is also a natural mosquito repellent.

 

After making our a loop through the jungle, we headed back to the boat to take a “shower” before we swam with the pink dolphins. I use quotations since our shower consisted of just rinsing off dirt, sweat, deet, and sunscreen using only one water spout. Pink dolphins are a lot uglier than you would imagine, and a lot fatter. We were able to pet them as we stood in the water and they swam all around us. A man who was in the water with us held fish above the water and the dolphins would jump up and try to grab it. A few of them did but the majority just flopped around and ended up hitting us. We also saw the largest fresh water fish in the world. We were allowed to “fish” for them— aka using a bamboo stick with bait on it to lure them above water level so we could see their full size. A girl dropped her go pro in that tank and unfortunately wasn't able to get it back because that last man who went in that tank was in the hospital for a week. 

After our fish adventure, we moved down the river to a nearby village where we met and played with children. A group played soccer with the older kids while the rest of us (including me) played with the kids aged 10 and under. We blew bubbles, jumped rope, made bracelets, and gave them piggy back rides. A beautiful little girl named Melina stayed by my side the majority of the time and I think we really connected. It was really humbling to be able to give all these kids toys and toothbrushes and see how so little made them so happy. 

 

By the time we left, the sun was beginning to set and we took our canoes to our next destination. On this canoe ride, we looked for caiman, which are another type of alligator except that they have a slightly different shaped nose. Our guide found a small one on a beach where we stopped and took pictures with it.  I have to say, someone did get a great picture of me and Liv holding the little guy. During this canoe ride, we were went straight into darkness so I’m not sure how we didn't run into anything. The sky was lit up with stars and they reflected almost perfectly against the water and it felt as if we were sailing through the galaxy. Despite my slight fear of crashing into another boat, it was the most peaceful canoe ride I had ever been on.

 

Later, we were greeted on a beach with fireworks, torches, music, and a giant feast for all of us. After stuffing my face with meat, rice, and lots of pineapple, I fell asleep in my hammock. The next morning was our last day, and once we finished off the pineapple, we packed up and headed to the airport for a few long plane flights. 

 Writing this blog post reminded me of how much I love this country and now I’m already missing it. This country is my favorite by far, but we’ll see what Trinidad and Costa Rica have to offer. 

Talk to you soon my friends! 

The Stretch- Part 1

Hola amigos. This blog is going to be slightly different than my previous posts (mainly because I’m not in a different country this time). But also, I’d like to share a little more about life at sea and right now we are crossing the Atlantic; from Africa to Brazil. Now I titled this blog “The Stretch” because we are spending seven straight days at sea. Which also means seven straight days of school (actually we have one day off because of Neptune Day but I’ll talk about that in a bit). Anyways, it’s not our longest time at sea because we have another stretch at sea that will be a lot longer. But still, I thought this week would be a good one to talk about.
We were in Senegal on Halloween, so we never really got to celebrate anything for it. But when we got back to the ship after Senegal, we had a Halloween dance party. It sounds pretty lame but it turned out to be really fun. There was also a costume contest that my friends actually won! My friends Allie and Melonie dressed up as a mosquito carrying malaria and Malerone (the prescription medication against malaria). We’ve all been taking our malaria meds every day and we get CONSTANT reminders to take them, so their costume was pretty hilarious.  My friends Liv and Kelsey and I dressed up as the waiters that serve us in the dining hall. They’re super funny and nice, and we didn’t have any other ideas for a last minute costume. We made name tags out of paper and just wore white shirts and black pants. I wasn’t really thinking about Halloween when I was packing for this trip. Anyways, we basically just danced until midnight and it was so much fun. Not exactly a normal halloween, but it was a good one nonetheless. The next day consisted of me writing essays and studying for midterms, so I’ll just skip that part. The day after was Neptune Day! For those of you who don’t know what day that is, that’s when we crossed the equator. It’s tradition to have a bunch of festivities and you get fish juice poured on you along with other things. It’s also tradition to shave your head the first time you cross the equator— don’t worry, I didn’t shave my head… well not all of it. I shaved about an inch above my ear for a sort of half shave but it can still be covered by my hair. Not too drastic, but I’m still kinda able to say I participated in the tradition! So I got fish juice poured on me, jumped in the pool, kissed a fish, then shaved part of my head. It was such a fun day and a really nice break from school. The rest of the week was pretty normal and consisted of my friend’s and I trying to catch up on Grey’s Anatomy. Also, we got pooped on by a seagull while we were lounging on deck 7. It was really strange because we don’t see many birds when we’re at sea, usually just dolphins. Despite how disgusting it was, it was so hilarious because basically the whole ship heard about it (nothing really interesting happens on the ship so that’s how we stay entertained).
The week went by a lot faster than I expected, and I was actually sad about it. This trip has been so eye-opening and I have loved every minute of it. Especially our long stretches at sea. Ship days just mean more time to talk to people and have good conversation and just get to know everyone more. I’m looking forward to our future ports, but that also means the voyage is almost over. I miss everyone back home, but I’m not ready to leave the ship. Not yet at least.

Senegal!!!

I can’t believe we’re already on our sixth port! And we just passed our halfway mark which I believe was on November 1st. So our first day in Senegal was actually on Halloween. They don't celebrate it so it doesn't matter much, but I wasn't too bummed out about it. And when we come back from Senegal we have a Halloween dance. BUT I will write another post about “the stretch” for the next post (you’ll see what it’s about).
ANYWAYS, Dakar was our last stop in Africa and I’m so happy we were able to go there. A lot of people on the ship didn’t enjoy Senegal at all and I find that extremely insane. People were complaining about the heat, and the amount of Senegalese people trying to sell us things. It was very overwhelming at times, but not once did I get angry at any of the local people. The locals were also extremely nice to us and welcomed us to their country with open arms. Men and women would call me their sister and tell me how they are people of love and peace. Throughout the day the people were very considerate. However, theft is still very common so I never stayed outside after dark for too long.
The first day, my friends Hanna, Alanna, Kathleen, Steph, Shannon and I just explored the markets in the city of Dakar. Because of the heat and humidity, we didn't stay out too long. Also, it was very chaotic in the stores because the people really try to pressure you into buying things. It was most definitely a culture shock but in the best way possible. I bought A LOT of clothing and gifts and I can't wait to come back home and distribute them!
The next day we went to the Bandia Reserve and went on a safari! We got in these safari trucks and our guide’s name was Mommadu. Mommadu however didn't speak much English so he would just point at an animal and say “okay gazelle, okay”. We saw ostriches, warthogs, giraffes, hyenas, gazelles, buffalo, and crocodiles! The trees were also amazing to look at because of how insanely giant they were. I’m so glad I went because now I can say I stood 5 feet away from a giraffe in Africa. After our safari, we went to a resort to grab lunch and then waked over to a handmade craft market. All these ladies would hold my hand and pull me into their shop and say “good price, buy here, good price I promise”. Sometimes they would ask me my name but they couldn't pronounce it very well. So every time they tried to say “Rachel”, it came out sounding like “Rita”. I bought LOTS of stuff there too. I got myself quite a few dresses and I bought some gifts for other people as well, so I won’t mention what they were.
Day three we went to this monument that was bigger than the statue of liberty. I’m not really sure why it was built or what the symbolic meaning was because I couldn't read French, but we got to see a really nice view of the city. After, we headed out on a ferry to Goree Island, which was formerly one of the biggest slave trade islands in Africa. We toured through a slave house and it was extremely powerful. We were able to see the cells they were kept in and learned about how awful and intense the slave’s lives were. I could not take any pictures because it is considered disrespectful, but it was such a powerful sight to see. We walked around the markets on the island and talked to some locals. We even kicked around a ball with some of the children. Then we just sat on the beach which was so relaxing compared to the rest of Senegal. And the water was very warm. I swear it was at least 80 degrees. If the water wasn’t so polluted I would’ve put more than my feet in.
On our last day in Senegal, we went on a Pink Lake field program through SAS. And that was probably my favorite day by far. We first went to the pink lake, which wasn’t really pink, but beautiful nonetheless. Our guide then took us on these dune buggies where we drove through up and down these giant sand dunes. Have you ever been on the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland? If so, I want you to imagine that, but ten times faster, no seatbelt, and in the hills of Africa. Even the car looks just like the one at Disneyland! We drove through the dunes, then onto this beautiful beach and drove right by the water. It was so much fun, I already miss it. After our near-death dune buggy adventure, we headed back to a small town to have lunch and did some more shopping. Then we hopped back in the bus and drove to a small village where the locals put on a music, dance, and wrestling show for us! A group of men (and boys) were drumming while these ladies in layers and layers of clothing did their traditional dance for us. It was so much fun, and they even pulled us up there to dance with them. These two boys had a small wrestling match and by that time, the whole village surrounded us and was watching and cheering. That entire day was really amazing. I definitely fell in love with the people and the children and their culture. Senegal was such an eye-opening experience and I’m really grateful we went there. Now were back on the ship for quite a while, but then we’ll be in Brazil! Talk to you soon, friends! 

Morocco!!!

Salam!! I am currently writing to you from Africa! Today is our last day, and right now I'm on a train ride back to our ship.
So we ported in Casablanca, Morocco three days ago. Day one we spent exploring Casablanca and all the markets and streets. This was a really huge culture shock for all of us. So far on the trip we've only been in European countries and we had gotten used to the similar cultures in those places. Africa however... It's slightly different. Walking through the bazaar was absolutely insane. The first day my friends and I got lost in them because the alleys are narrow and it's difficult to remember which shop is which and they eventually all look the same. But I think getting lost in there was a fun experience. They sold everything you could imagine; clothes, pots and pans, selfie sticks, they had them all. Oh and you had to negotiate. All the SAS kids stick out like a sore thumb, so everyone knows we're tourists and tries to sell things for more money than they're worth. But I'm pretty sure I've mastered the strategy. You look at something you like and you ask the price and if it's too much you give them the price you want for it and if they don't go for it, you set it back down and walk away. Pretty soon they'll be running back to you saying that price is okay. Works [almost] every time. You even have to negotiate for cab rides. (But just letting you know the dirham is very weak compared to the dollar so everything was relatively cheap here). After, we went to the Hassan II Mosque and had a guided tour inside. The mosque was absolutely breathtaking. I've seen lots of Cathedrals and Basilicas but no mosques. And I was amazed. Everything was hand carved into the wood and everything had a certain purpose and meaning behind it. It was definitely one of my favorite parts about Morocco. Day one I didn't really buy anything because I wanted to see everything before I made my final purchases. It was a great day to start to get comfortably in Morocco.
Day two we also spent in Casablanca and we again went through the twisty maze of the bazaar and through a residential area that led to a light house. It was truly shocking to see the difference of lifestyles compared to Moroccan people and myself. The area my friend Hanna and I walked through was filled with tiny shacks right next to each other for such a large community. We walked through the neighborhood to get to this lighthouse we had seen earlier. An old man who couldn't speak any English led us up to the top and posed us for pictures. And when I say he posed us, I mean it literally. He would stop us every now and then and say "picture" and made us stand and look a certain way. It was slightly strange but really funny looking back on it. And we got a great view of the city. After we decided to head to Rick's cafe, which is the famous cafe from the movie "Casablanca". Great atmosphere, and even better food. Also, Morocco has a trademark for having amazing mint tea, and they really do. I had tea with almost all of my meals and I actually already miss it. After our late lunch, we walked around the bazaar again and then had an early night because I had a train to catch in the morning!
Day three at 8:50 we hopped on a train to Marrakech. It's a four hour train ride and I slept for most of it (maybe I should've wrote my essay, oh well). Once we arrived, we went straight to the hotel we stayed in and dropped our stuff off. Our hotel was a four star resort with a huge pool area and huge rooms. And it was so cheap!! I stayed with Brian, Justin, and Harrison and we loved it. We went out into the bazaar in Marrakech after and it was even more confusing than the markets in Casablanca. We were trying to find our friend's hotel but we eventually gave up and just got lost in the maze of stores (which was so much fun).
Day four we began at the Majorelle gardens which were absolutely breathtaking. We walked around all kinds of plants and bamboo and the most beautiful flowers. And of course, we sat down in their cafe and had more mint tea.  After, we went back into the old town with all the markets and spent a few hours there. Being blonde(ish), you really stand out in these kind of places so my friends and I were catcalled quite a bit. Im pretty sure some of them said to me “hey nice white chicken”. I’m not really sure what that means and I’m confused as to why they find “white chickens” appealing, but to each his own. Oh and also, I was cussed out (in English) by a five year old little boy because I wouldn't give him any money. Talk about an authentic experience. After our time in the markets, we went back to our friends hotel where we got ready to go ride camels! They picked us up at 5:00pm and drove us out to this desert area with camels lined up for us. They gave us all these traditional moroccan dresses to wear and wrapped scarves around our heads. Camels are definitely a lot of fun to ride, but slightly difficult to get on and off of. Once you climb on, they have to stand back up, which is a lot of rocking and holding on for dear life. But once you're on, IT'S SO FUN. And it was extremely beautiful because we were able to watch the sunset while we rode the camels. This experience really made me appreciate morocco and their culture and also how beautiful the world is. If you told me a year ago that I would be riding a camel in Africa, I wouldn't believe you. Anyways, we got all our pictures taken and we headed back to the hotel for a homemade traditional five course (and three hour long) Moroccan dinner. The food was INSANE. I had never eaten so much good food at once in my life. I would try to list the specific names of the foods but: One, I don’t know how to spell it, two, I could barely understand our server because she didn’t speak any English. But, wow I will be dreaming about that dinner for days!
The next day we had to head back to the ship, which meant an early morning four hour train ride back. During the train ride, these two ladies got into a fight (not sure what it was about) but they were yelling extremely loud at each other and then other people joined in and it got pretty hectic. It lasted for about ten minutes and my friends and I just sat in silence. That was definitely a time I wish I knew the language.
It was sad leaving Morocco because I loved it so much, but I’m still extremely excited for Senegal! Thanks for reading, and I’ll talk to you again in Senegal!