Monday, January 6th, was the first day of class at ESCA. I only had one class, scheduled from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM, with a 15-minute break in the middle. Since it’s syllabus week, we were done after just 45 minutes, leaving the rest of the day free to get ready for our integration trip.
In the afternoon, all the international students boarded a bus and headed about 30 minutes outside Casablanca. The city streets quickly gave way to dirt roads, and eventually, we arrived at a ranch-like location that had a basketball court, soccer field, and even a paintball arena.
As soon as we stepped off the bus, we were welcomed by six men dressed in traditional Moroccan clothing, singing and playing music. Everyone clapped and danced along. It was a great introduction to the day and added a special touch to the experience.
Lunch followed shortly after. We sat down to a giant bowl of couscous topped with vegetables and, hidden underneath, a slow-cooked beef shank that was incredibly tender. The flavors were amazing, and it was probably one of the best meals I’ve had so far in Morocco.
After lunch, we split into teams for relay races, team-building games, and other activities. It was a good way to meet people, and I ended up connecting with students from Italy, France, and Russia. The day wrapped up with a round of paintball, where I joined Paulo from Italy and Nassim from France. It is safe to say that we held our own and easily took care of the competition.
Before leaving, we enjoyed desserts and mint tea while talking about life at our home universities. I told them about South Carolina tailgating and the fraternity lots, showing them a few videos. They were fascinated and joked that they might need to visit in the fall.
Casablanca continues to impress, and it’s hard to believe we’re only four days in. I’m looking forward to seeing what else is in store.
Goodbye for now.
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