New Beginning

So my last post was the end of something incredible and now I am embarking on a new beginning.  I am on my way to teach English (ESL) in Rabat, Morocco.  I will be at the AMIDEAST office in Rabat from September 27th to the end of the school year; June or July.

I left New York yesterday, Tuesday September 21st, amid incredibly difficult and teary goodbyes.  I was able to see most of my family and some friends the Saturday night before which was amazing.  The outpouring of love and support was extraordinary.

So I departed Tuesday night and arrived Wednesday morning to Brussels.  My friend Gus who is studying in Holland for the year, met me at the airport.  After navigating ourselves out of what you'd think would be an organized airport (Brussels = head of EU activity), we made our way to the train station were we RAN for the train to Maastricht.  Two hours later we arrived to a perfectly sunny, breezy day in Maastricht, Netherlands.  It was the most quaint, picturesque, lively, European college city I've ever seen.  After a shower and a nap, we headed out to explore.  Gus introduced me to his roommates from Azerbaijan, Turkish Cryrus and Ukraine.  The Ukrainian roommate led us on a tour of "hidden Maastricht".  400 year old wheat mill that still works next to a modern day bakery.  We wandered the beautiful squares and grassly grounds outside the old castle walls.  Finally, we stopped for a drink.  Everyone here is very friendly and very international.  The university Gus attends has a very large international population where he studies European law.

While taking in the beautiful sights over a glass of Leffe Blonde, a friend of Gus' passed by on his bicycle and joined us for another.  After a very lively discussion on European tax law and American Greek diners, we continued on to meet more friends.  We bounced from cafe to cafe with two Greek transplants and had a wonderful time discussing the interesting nature of language acquisition when you have 4 native languages.

I might not be making much sense, and thought this all might not sound like everyones cup of tea, it definitely was for me.  Just incredible.  Except for the smoking.  Everyone smokes here and rides bicycles.

And it's beautiful.  And on that note, off to bed on the couch.