From mid June to mid August, however, I will be. This is thanks entirely to the State Department's Critical Language Scholarship, through which I will be studying Arabic in Tangier, a city in northwest Morocco that is separated from southern Spain by only the narrowest part of the Strait of Gibraltar.
And as I will be there for nine weeks, undoubtedly experiencing exciting and life-changing things, I will naturally need a place where I can remind my friends and family on a daily basis of how much more awesome my life is than theirs. This is that place.
Some of you may remember my similarly-titled blog from last summer with mixed emotions. Rest assured, I promise this year to not spend an excessive amount of time obsessing over any of my teachers. (*cough*.) This will not happen.
That said, I hope you all tune in. It's going to be a lot of fun, and you can live vicariously through me! The journey begins June eleventh. I will see you then.
P.S. Comments are lovely, and if you leave them consistently, I may just spend extra on your souvenir...
P.P.S. This is not an official Department of State website, and the views and information presented are my own and do not represent the CLS Program or the Department of State. [/disclaimer]
See you next month!
Shruti
6 comments:
Three things. First, I have a user name and it comes from my gmail account? Why was I not told about this? Second, I now associate you and Tangiers with that episode of 30 Rock where Tracy gets a tattoo of his wife and Jack coins the phrase "the one". Third, why do you have to constantly remind me that your life is better than mine? You have traveled out of the country for the past three summers. I was jealous of you enough before you started this blog.
1) I am exceptionally envious of your skill at posting links!!! how is this possible
2) I enjoyed your allusion to your obsession with Diego (who you mentioned 16 times in last summer's blog, Just FYI)
3) Your summer will be much more exciting than mine and I fully intend to use it to live vicariously through your globe-trotting (ish) life.
4) I like Souvenirs! :D If I were allowed to, I would totally bring you some daub or pottery... but that's research material that goes back to btown and It would be illegal.
I am a third one also jealous of your life. This summer is spent in B-town finishing an Incomplete from fall '08 preceding intensive Russian for 8 weeks worth 1 regular year.
On the bright side, my roommate is fracking awesome, from Chengdu and I've invited him to Texas for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In response, he wants me to go to China with him next summer (but after this archaeological field school in Kyrgyzstan).
So- I know we're not terribly "close" friends and perhaps I was not considered "souvenir material" or more accurately "person worthy of souvenir", but I don't know where next summer will take me, yet I can count on Beijing, Bishkek, Great Wall and some formidable mountain passes. Chengdu is a strong possibility as is Almaty, Kazakhstan (bus connection), Hong Kong, Xian (Terracotta Warriors), and who knows where else.
Bottom line- something Kyrgyz and/or Chinese would be an implied given the giving of something Moroccan with the expectation of reciprocation from somewhere else (most likely something Kyrgyz as most undoubtedly she who is getting something from Morocco already has plenty of merchandise from Chung Guo.
I just noticed that I didn't use my real name here- our mutual friend had unruly hair on the scalp AND the face. I took him to Orthodox service after he cut it off. Funny though because he showed his student ID at fellowship hall and there was lamenting over how he would have fit right in.
I don't know why I'm speaking in clues- I'm Aaron. Rincon. I just wanted a cool screename- yeah I'm a nerd.
Hey Shruti,
How exciting!
Yes, I plan to live vicariously through you ...
Have a great summer ... and I'll be reading about it all, right here.
Uma
im not yet jealous youre in morocco (sic) because as of now im further away from america than you. Although the frequency of mcdonalds and english would suggest otherwise.... hope you have fun. also, why 4 45 in the morning?
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