We have arrived! After 17 hours, 1 missed flight, and many frustrated waits in line, my dad and I have safely arrived in Morocco! We had quite the adventure.
We took the 11pm flight from Boston out to Paris, and that wasn't so bad. On the flight, there were lots of movies available to watch, including Harry Potter 7, so I figured, why not. So I watched it! Not bad, I must say. I was more than confused most of the time, but it was still fun.
In the morning, Paris welcomed us with a beautiful sunny day, but our excitement was soon diminished when we found out how big the Paris airport was, and conversely, how slow people were. Note: we only had 1 hour between this flight and our connecting flight to Rabat. It first takes us about 30 minutes to taxi because the airport is just so big. We just kept driving and driving...when we finally got off, we got on a shuttle bus that took us to the terminal. As soon as we get in the terminal, we see that our flight is currently boarding, so we quickly search the screen for our next terminal. We get on another shuttle bus, and after what felt like 10 slow laps around airport grounds, we finally reach Terminal F. We hurry in, pass through a very very slow security checkpoint, and rush upstairs to our gate, where the lady is just closing the system. Sadface.
But no worries! We then proceed to the counter to get new boarding passes for the next flight, but so is another group. And this sneaky group has just one person stand at the counter...but as soon as that one person is done, another person from the group swoops in and takes the spot from us. We stand by, and let person after person slide in front of us, until finally, an hour later, we get the boarding passes we need. The next flight to Rabat is 6 hours later. So for the next six hours, my dad and I eat lunch, battle with the silly phone machine that kept eating up our money, and sleep on the most uncomfortable airport chairs I have ever experienced.
Then finally! We get on our plane to Rabat, and at 7:30pm local time, we finally make it. But we were in for more adventures! The Rabat airport was a very small, single building. There were no ATM machines around, which is what we needed to get moroccan money and get around! But lucky for me, my dad bargains with a taxi driver to accept euros, and we safely arrive at our hotel. The rest of the evening, we walk around the city, and eat a light meal on the rooftop of our hotel. Now it's time for bed!
Tomorrow, I am meeting with the homestay coordinator of the CCCL, and we will be having an orientation. After, my dad and I will hopefully get to walk around the Medina a bit and get to know the area better. I'll try to update more as the adventures continue!
