I should start by thanking everyone for checking in on me and leaving me such great comments!  It really means a lot to me that everyone is interested in my travels and enjoying my posts!

Next, I have to say that I love Casablanca.  It has been 6 days and I must admit that my pre-departure anxieties, thank G-d, have been relatively unfounded.  I have not actually been “alone” all that often; someone from the community is always calling me to make sure I am OK, or asking to come have dinner at their house or go to the beach etc.  The perfect example of this is that I have only paid for 2 meals in the 6 days I have been here- that is absurd haha.  Another, is that when I went to synagogue on Saturday morning for services, I met a very nice woman who spoke English and asked me where I was living.  When I told her I was in a hotel, she insisted I move in with her, so that is where I have been staying;  So many of them have welcomed and embraced me so much and I am very very grateful. 

I have also met many Jewish Moroccans my age, which is unusual in Casablanca because most of them, if not all, move abroad to attend Universities after high school.  Many of them are home this month visiting their families, so I have made some friends my age.  It sucks that they all leave soon, but I have also found a few that live here year-round, so I am set.  I have yet to check out the nightlife here, but I have seen the bars and clubs and will hopefully have details soon (after the Jewish holiday of 9 of Av- a time of mourning).

A normal day here for me so far consists of meetings and appointments with various knowledgeable people holding Jewish positions in Casablanca, taking long walks, and visiting people in their homes.  Its pretty sweet.  I have to admit that the language issue is becoming frustrating; my Arabic is relatively unuseful for understanding Moroccan, no matter how hard I try, and after finally conceding that it is urgent for me to learn French, I cannot find a class, institute or tutor that is open during the summer.  So my language difficulties continue and I am trying to deal with these frustrations.

OK I think that is all for now.  I love all of the comments, so keep them coming!  And if you send me a message, I will try my best to return it.  Miss you all.