WHOOPS! Am I accidentally re-publishing old blog posts?

May 24, 2024

Hi there, I’m so sorry about that. I was just doing a little blog organization back through the archives and it looks like I moved things around in a way that it re-published them and you got the emails that there are new posts, but they are not new; they’re from 11 years ago. Sorry about that, I’ll do my best not to make that mistake again.

(But I do have some posts to make up from present day, so when you see those, those aren’t re-publishes, they are just late)

Okay, sorry, thanks, bye!

I Strongly Support A Ceasefire

October 26, 2023

I don’t know exactly the right words to say, but I know some need to be said.

I think it’s pretty apparent that genocide is happening in Palestine, and the attacks that Israel is inflicting are not at all proportional to the attack from Hamas on October 7. There’s no excuse for the extreme number of casualties of Palestinian civilians, and it’s reprehensible that they continue bombing Gaza with no end sight.

I don’t know what else to say, except for the fact that I wanted to say something. Now is not the time for silence. See you at the protests, and don’t forget to call your representatives! xoxo

John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight Being In Scripted Variety Series Now

August 23, 2023

John Oliver has won in the Best Talk Series category for the last 7 years. He’s only lost one time. Know when that was?

His first year. When he was up against Jon Stewart’s last year on The Daily Show. Jon Stewart has won 11 times.

This year, Jon is back!

And Last Week Tonight is now moving to Scripted Variety Series. I wonder if they moved categories specifically because Jon is back. I also wondered who noticed and moved them. Scripted variety is way less crowded and it feels like if they’re eligible for Variety – which clearly they are – they could’ve done this years ago and made more room for Sam Bee, Colbert, Meyers, etc.

But I dunno. I mean, clearly they know what they’re doing because they have like a gajillion golden statues.

Anyway, just an interesting thing about this year’s ballot!

If You Want to Picket, You Can Come!

August 20, 2023

Not tomorrow (Monday), because picketing – just on Monday(!) – has been cancelled due to the hurricane. But Tuesday and beyond, you can come picket!

WGA lists locations here. And SAG-AFTRA locations are listed here. For the most part, they overlap, but WGA is at a few more locations than SAG for various reasons.

[For instance, at TV City, the soap actors are still officially allowed to work because they’re on a slightly different contract. And SAG doesn’t want to make them cross a picket to work in a non-struck way.]

Pick any location, and come on down! Signs and snacks and water and everything are provided. You don’t have to bring anything – just yourself. (It is smart to wear sunscreen though, and a big hat and sunglasses if you have it – stay safe in the sun!)

People are SO kind and SO open and HAPPY you’re there! You don’t have to worry if you’re not a member of the unions. So far at every picket I’ve been to, someone has been there who doesn’t even work in the industry and we LOVE the support.

So, come on out and if you have any questions at all, let me know and I’ll see if I can help you get it answered.

Hope to see you out there!

Thoughts From The Picket Line

August 19, 2023

As I was walking around the other day, the thought crossed my mind that I really need to make sure I get my votes in for the Emmys – which just made me think about how lucky I am.

My whole life, as far as I can remember, I dreamt of working in the entertainment industry, and in many ways, I’ve successfully done it. I do have a lot more dreams to accomplish still, but I was just thinking about how I get to vote for the Emmys!

I take that a serious responsibility (and honor). And I was just thinking about how since I get all the perks of fancy parties, and free stuff, and access to famous people, and protections from unions and such; I really do just have such a responsibility to be out here.

Many of my dreams came true. I get to work in the industry I always dreamt of, and I have a responsibility to fight for the future of this industry.

I’ve, of course, always known the strike was important, and I’ve been deeply in favor of it and supportive in the ways I could. But getting out of New York for a bit, and having life slow down between semesters of school, and getting the time to really actively walk the lines – it’s just all driving home the point to me of how important it is to get out there, and to make time for it, no matter what else is going on in my life.

Fight on! Solidarity! xoxoxo

Picketing at Netflix!

August 17, 2023

Another incredibly fun day. Netflix is a good place if you want to keep walking momentum going. At Paramount, you have to stop over and over for the light (which is fine). But at Netflix, you get to walk around the whole corner.

Snacks and drinks again. Everyone is so supportive. Lots of horn honks, which was great.

It was “Strike Up A Romance” themed day. Had I realized that, I probably wouldn’t have gone. Because you know, I’m like weird about ‘singles’ events, and apps, and just anything along those lines. So, I’m glad I didn’t know, because I had fun.

As always, really fun captains keeping the lines lively. And everyone is so charming because it’s Los Angeles. Love it here. Love the solidarity.

And one fun thing that happened was that someone was there who wasn’t involved in the industry at all who was like “I’m just here ’cause I want to watch Abbott Elementary.” I love that people are that passionate about the art they consume!

While of course I want the strike to end, in the mean time, I’m looking forward to more picketing!

Picketing at Netflix!

August 17, 2023

Another incredibly fun day. Netflix is a good place if you want to keep walking momentum going. At Paramount, you have to stop over and over for the light (which is fine). But at Netflix, you get to walk around the whole corner.

Snacks and drinks again. Everyone is so supportive. Lots of horn honks, which was great.

It was “Strike Up A Romance” themed day. Had I realized that, I probably wouldn’t have gone. Because you know, I’m like weird about ‘singles’ events, and apps, and just anything along those lines. So, I’m glad I didn’t know, because I had fun.

As always, really fun captains keeping the lines lively. And everyone is so charming because it’s Los Angeles. Love it here. Love the solidarity.

While of course I want the strike to end, in the mean time, I’m looking forward to more picketing!

Picketing at Paramount!

August 15, 2023

All riiiiiiight, baby! Here we go in California!!!!

Between semesters and I’m able to work remotely in Cali. And I am just sooooo happy to be here. So LET’S GO picketing!

Paramount has a pretty relaxed vibe. The people are super nice (of course). Tons of snacks and drinks if you need them. I even saw an old friend from The Groundlings!

Oh, and we love Craig’s ice cream because they came by and gave free ice cream to everyone 🙂

A great time. And I’m so looking forward to picketing at more locations!

Picketing at CBS Broadcast Center (in NYC)

July 20, 2023

I had so much fun out there picketing!

The music rocked. The people were nice. The dancing was fun. They even gave me a tambourine to enhance my dancing haha. Being out there is amazing, and I was happy to be part of it!

We (SAG-AFTRA) Are Striking Too Now, Baby!

July 14, 2023

It’s official. SAG-AFTRA is on strike as well, which I think will hopefully only make the strike stronger.

I am super supportive of the strike. I don’t have anything new to add from when WGA started striking. But here we go!

The WGA’s on Strike!

May 2, 2023

[I am trying to catch up on my blog – isn’t that the story of my life haha. So, this is a bit old, I know you already know this. But here’s what I meant to post a little bit ago.]

As I’m sure you’ve probably heard by now, The WGA is officially on strike. I’m not in the WGA, but I am a big supporter of my friends.

So, don’t look to me as a good resource, because I’m still learning too.

If you want to picket, the times and locations are listed here; if you can’t give time, but you can give money, you can do that here.

If you want to stay updated, lots of people are doing great updates. For instance, Sasha Stewart, who I used to work with, is a WGA captain and great communicator with her updates!

Edited to add: A bunch of late night writers (some are my friends) started a YouTube channel with updates and explanations about the strike.

Check it out, subscribe, let’s all stay updated and supportive! 🙂

Test

April 23, 2023

Hello. I’m testing a feature of if I publish something privately, to then make it public, if everyone still gets an alert about it. Test, test, test.

DISNEY PARIS!!! (Goes Hard) (June, 2022)

October 5, 2022

Obsessed.

Absolutely obsessed.

I had a 16-hour layover in Paris. And I’d already done the sort of general overview of Paris. (I mean, there’s always much more to explore, but I did get an overview.)

So, when someone was talking about Disney Paris on twitter, I thought, “yep. That’s what I’m gonna do.”

Disney Paris goes SO HARD.

The rides are faster. And longer. And more intense.

Space Mountain (or, I guess Hyperspace Mountain now) has a section that basically goes a little upside down!!!

Ob.sessed.

Tower of Terror seemed to last for about a million minutes. Terrifying in the absolute best way.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad takes you underwater and then you emerge for the ride on this like island thing.

Obseeeeeeeeessed!

Also, it wasn’t even very crowded! I went on Father’s Day. And I never waited more than like 15 minutes for a ride.

The ‘cast members’ were super nice, but I guess that’s what one would expect from Disney.

The Cars ride was super cute because it was two cars talking to each other, and they managed to basically just translate into having French and English, but they did their best into making it sound like a conversation. [So silly and cute, like “[French].” “Oh, did you say [translation of French].” “Oui. [More French].” “So you’re telling me [translation]?”

I’m sure it would’ve felt doubly funny if you actually spoke both languages to hear the cars repeating each other in different languages.

The food is different!

Crepes galore. Jalapeño Peppers.

Not a churro in sight, as far as I saw. Not a turkey leg anywhere. [I wouldn’t have eaten a turkey leg anyway, but I feel like they’re a Disney staple?]

The only mistake I made was I didn’t walk through the castle FIRST. I was gonna do it at the end of the night, on my way out of the park. But they close it down well before the fireworks show. I did not know this.

So, I didn’t get to see the inside of the castle – which is supposed to be quite cool.

But I saw, and absolutely loved, everything else.

I think Disney Paris may just be my favorite Disney yet. Love it, love it, love. Highly recommend.

If I Were To Visit Morocco Again –

October 4, 2022

If you’re reading this, and you’ve never been, things I did do that I loved that I would highly recommend are:

  • Ourzazate
  • Ouzoud Waterfall
  • Sahara Desert
  • have Mohammed be my tour guide.

I would call those the “can’t miss” (specifically the waterfall, because it really is a breathtaking natural wonder, whereas movie sets you could see in other places). And obviously the Sahara Desert is wildly famous. And it’s crazy seeing sand as far as the eye can see. [And if you don’t do it all with Mohammed, you’re nuts, because he’s the bees’ knees.]

Those would be the ‘can’t miss’.

But other things I would definitely do, if time

  • hang out in Tangier (love the city, maybe stop by Central Perk)
  • have a ‘taco’, because it’s unlike the tacos we know in the U.S.
  • see the colorful rocks in Tafroute. (It’s a pretty far drive, but it’s cool)
  • maybe even go down to Laayoune, stopping at the national park a bit before it. That was fun and serene and Laayoune seemed like a fairly bustling town.

But if you are me! –

If you’re me from the future reading this, looking for ideas on what you didn’t do last time that you wanted to do, I’d like to go around the whole north coast, including the Spanish enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla.

And I’d love to take the helicopter from Ceuta into Spain and go diving in Spain and take the ferry back into Tangier.

I’d like to continue all the way to Oujda, and maybe even see Figuig, so I can really try to get to every nook and cranny of Morocco.

Obviously I’d have to see Marrakech finally.

I’d kind of like to stop by Meknes if possible, as I didn’t really spend much time there the first time. We kind of just drove through it on one of our legs.

I’d maaaaaaybe like to try camel, because I usually make exceptions for what I’d normally eat when it comes to foreign delicacies. But animals are our friends, so I don’t know if I’d feel too bad to do that.

And then I’d also like to go to Dakhla, as it would show me the country further south. It’s supposed to be a lovely beach town.

And it might be fun to go even as super far south as you can to La Guera, just to reeeeeally get to as far south as possible for funsies.

I really do hope to go back to Morocco. I had the best time. It’s lovely!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Just One Last Photo Dump/Post

October 3, 2022

I’m having issues uploading media. But this is where I’m just gonna put any more pictures not already in the other posts. And I’m just leaving this space in case I think of any more random things I think of. What a fun time overall.

Also, random thought to anyone who noticed and was curious, I did not indeed go to Marrakech, which I thought was funny. It’s one of the main cities everyone goes to, but alas, I just ended up having other plans. And I find it slightly hilarious that I did not see Marrakech – which is the place everyone would assume I would go.

Next time!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Saying Goodbye To Mohammed

October 2, 2022

Oh man.

It was so sad to say goodbye to my best friend Mohammed.

As he dropped me at my hotel for my last day, he said, “it was a pleasure to k-now you,” pronouncing the k in know, which was so endearing because it was just a little thing specific to him.

[Obviously no judgement on that. I don’t speak any other languages. It was purely endearing.]

And then we’ve stayed pals on WhatsApp. But it was just really special to me that he was sad that I leave. I was sad to leave!

We talked about how special it was that he went ziplining for the first time, and rode in a boat for the first time! And I had experienced new places and people and foods and everything!

It was a fun new/growing experience for everyone. He even talked to my dad during one of our adventures, when my dad called me. (Mohammed tried to convince my dad to come to Morocco, but the jury’s out. We’ll see. [When I was younger, we’ll see meant no almost all of the time, but you never know!])

It was just a really, really special trip. And I was so happy to be with someone who made me feel so safe. Didn’t try to oversell me, or come on to me, or anything. We just had a really good, fun, affordable, safe, friendly time.

AND he was so nice. He knew I loved lemons. And in Morocco, I was obsessed with sprite. It was just so cold and felt so good. I almost never drink soda at home, but in the hot, hot Moroccan sun (where I still believe different bottled water brands taste wildly different), Sprite was always there.

So, he had a cooler full of Sprite everyday. And he had lemons. And the car was always so clean when he picked me up. Just literal best tour guide. I already miss him. It was so emotional saying goodbye. I thought we both were almost ready to cry!

If you go to Morocco and do a tour with anyone other than my best friend Mohammed, you’re doing it wrong! haha

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Central Perk!

October 1, 2022

So, while I was staying in Tangier for quite a while, one day, while I was looking for places to eat – I found Central Perk.

Yes, the exact kind of Central Perk you’re thinking of!

It was totally Friends themed, and it was SO CUTE.

In the bathrooms, they had posters. One was “my eyes! My eyes!” by Phoebe, which was funny.

When you ask for the wi-fi password, they give it to you in trivia form. (It’s what Ross says when they’re moving the couch.)

They have drinks themed after the characters. The waiter says “I’ll be right back, ’cause I’ll be there for you!”

The people who work there LOVE friends. They have the giant orange couch and everything.

And they have stickers that say, “the place where Friends meet.” The whole thing was super cute.

It was a pretty long walk as it’s fairly deep in the city, but it was worth it!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Back to Tangier

September 30, 2022

So, we went back up from Rabat to Tangier.

We made a quick stop in Asilah, which was a cute teeny little town. The coolest thing about Asilah was the fun sculpture I played in.

We also stopped at the Hercules caves once we got to Tangier, and tbh, it seemed like a tourist trap. Like, the stuff in there looked very silly like a cheap theme park or something. No hate to Tangier. I love Tangier. But I’m just telling you, in my opinion, it’s safe to skip the Hercules cave, but feel free to go see for yourself.

One thing that was cool was a beautiful fountain by Scubamar’s office. It did like a little water dance, moving a lot and being in all different colors!

It just so happened to correspond with gay pride month in the states – although there was definitely no gay pride in Morocco, as it was illegal to do anything homosexual there.

But we did have a rainbow fountain.

And that pretty much covers the the trip – except I have just a couple more things to say in the upcoming days!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Rabat Zoo!

September 29, 2022

On our way from Casablanca up to Tangier, we stopped at the Rabat zoo.

I mean, yes, overall, it was ‘just a zoo,’ like any zoo.

But it was nice! Spacious, relaxed. One thing that was super cool was there were all these informational signs and it would say where the animals were from. The vast majority of them were from Africa.

That’s where I was! It was cool to think I was seeing animals where they were ‘supposed’ to be. [You could argue that they’re not ‘supposed’ to be in a zoo.] But I liked that they weren’t taken so far from home. I came to them, they didn’t come to me.

The food at the zoo was delicious and plentiful.

I loved the zoo. Would recommend, if you have extra time in Rabat!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Casablanca

September 28, 2022

All right, let’s get back into & finish up this Morocco trip!

I was in Casablanca a few different times during this trip, but mainly just for layovers (long or short).

I feel like lots of people paint Marrakesh as the main hub, but it seemed to me that Casablanca was where everything flew in/out of – especially on domestic-Morocco flights.

But as far as my one day actually truly visiting it, I did stop by the outside of the famous Mosque. I guess it’s one of the few in the world you’re allowed in as a non-Muslim woman.

But, it was closed for the day when I got there. (Plus, you have to have specific attire I’m not sure I had.) But that was fine. I hadn’t really planned on visiting the inside anyway.

Then I passed the fanciest KFC I’ve ever seen – with a whole fancy lawn set-up and everything!

And then… the mall!

I’d heard you have to stop by the mall. And it’s like “well, how special can it be? It’s just a mall.” But it was a really cool mall.

There was a giant aquarium-like thing in the middle that was beautiful. There were tons of stores in this huge mall. Also, a large fountain was outside that did like water-dancing that was pretty.

I would definitely head to the mall for a little walk, if possible.

And if I’d had time, I probably would’ve seen a movie at the IMAX just to see how different it was from America, but from looking around the lobby, it looked like it would probably be very similar.

And that was Casablanca. Then we were heading north again!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Essaouira vs El Jadida

September 27, 2022

All right, let’s get back into & finish up this Morocco trip!

On our way up from Agadir to Casablanca, we spent a night in Essaouira, and then drove through Safi and El Jadida. 

This was a nice drive, by the water and everything.

We stopped for a night in Essaouira, and it was fine.

It was a little more crowded than some other places, I think because it’s the ‘famous beach town’ of Morocco.

I did enjoy walking around the medina – which was a little more open and spacious, and less crowded than some other medinas.

There were some really delicious crepes there, so that was very cool. And I met a couple of nice people – the guy making the crepes, and the guy selling a painting. 

The vibe was relaxed. And the people were very nice (as they were through most of Morocco).

So, Essaouira was fine and cool, and I would never discourage someone from going there.

But! I dunno, I think because of how it was presented to me as like the beach town, I was expecting something so special.

..Though in my opinion, I really thought El Jadida was a better beach town!

Clean. Not too crowded. Laid back. Beautiful. Walkable. That’d be my pick. Well… my pick actually is Tangier. But we’ll get more into that later haha.

We ended this little portion of the drive in Casablanca.

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow!

Voting for the Emmys! – (A Lil’ Bonus Part – Conan’s Last Episode)

August 26, 2022

I am such a sucker for ‘final shows’, the ends of the things, new chapters, all that stuff.

Really, it’s so easy to make me feel a lil’ emotional and heartstringy with bittersweet goodbyes.

Conan, rightfully so, submitted their finale episode to the Television Academy for voting purposes. And I really hope he wins. [I know that Last Week Tonight practically always has the Emmys on lock. But this episode of Conan is really special! And Conan is really funny, and brilliant, in general! It’s not just about the fact that this is the last one.

I don’t know if you all saw his last show… But it starts with a cold open of him being interviewed by Homer Simpson!!! While I was watching, I was thinking about how it must’ve been such an incredibly special experience (since obviously, he came from The Simpsons).

Sure enough, he started his show talking about what a special experience it was, which was great to hear.

The cold open ended with [spoiler alert] a joke with Cartoon-Conan taking off his hair and being bald. And of course a sort of stereotypically bald joke people would expect would be about baldness being sort of disgusting etc., but Conan is not usually super stereotypical. He’s too smart for that, always subverting our expectations. And Homer, being bald himself, not surprisingly said it was beautiful.

Anyway, it ends with Homer and Conan hugging. Conan says, “Thank you, Homer. You mean the world to me.” And I thought thought that had such a real meaning underneath it all, because The Simpsons started this whole amazing long-running career. So, I’m sure The Simpsons really does mean the world to him. And it just felt so sweet to hear, even wrapped in a joke, inside a sketch (probably the best way to hear it, in this case).

I wondered if Will Ferrell was gonna be there – he WAS! They made a huge running joke about how Will is always there for the last shows of Conan’s, and wondering how many more were to come.

They did a whole compilation of Conan Without Borders.

Also, he even thanked Lisa Kudrow! I’d heard the story many times of them being friends, and her encouraging him to take the job. But for him to tell that even on his final show – for it to be something that mattered to him that much, that it was one of the last words spoken in his farewell, was just so sweet.

It was just really special. Conan is so special and funny. I look forward to see what happens next!

Voting for the Emmys! – Part 6 (Conclusion)

August 25, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

So, as you can tell, I ultimately voted for Seth Meyers in that category. And I actually think that’s very cool, the idea that no one has to absolutely own the category.

I think most people think of it currently as a category between Oliver (whom I think most people expect to win) and Colbert. But other people can make great shows! I don’t know if anyone can win, but I like the idea that they could!

(It would be nice Sam Bee were in the mix, but alas.)

I took voting pretty seriously and made sure to watch every single category – just like we attest to in our affidavit when we vote.

And I see why they do that! I was surprised a few times of things I really thought like ‘oh, I love this or that, I bet that’s what’s gonna get my vote’ to ‘huh! Wow, this was amazing’ and voted for something else.

[And like I said there were gems I missed. I didn’t even know Late Night had a whole 40th anniversary special. I gotta get my head back in the industry]

Also, side note, y’all feel free to keep me accountable about starting earlier next year. ‘Cause this was a LOT of TV to watch in a short period of time. But I sure do love TV, so I suppose it was okay! haha

Anyway, I suppose, in conclusion, I absolutely love TV. And because I love it, I need to expand my horizons! …I did a post just like 6 ish weeks ago(?), about finally catching up on The Good Place. (But it had ended like a million years ago.)

(I guess that means I also need to get better at working out! ‘Cause that’s when I watch most of my TV! So, treadmill and television, here I come, baby! (I hope! haha) And thanks for the Television Academy for pushing my in the right direction, by putting this all in one place for me!)

What are some of your favorite recent shows you’re loving? 🙂

Voting for the Emmys! – Part 5 (Some Cute Gems)

August 24, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

It was also sort of funny to me how much things seemed intertwined. I saw David Letterman so many times – on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, as a guest on Seth Meyers, as a panelist on Norm’s special. Maybe even more places I’m forgetting. And not just him. Conan. Jason Sudeikis. Lots of people were everywhere.

It’s nice to see some people we like working so much!

I also wonder how much people rely on what’s on our viewing platform – what the shows specifically submitted versus what we just know of them. For instance, I thought Outstanding Variety Talk Series was VERY hard to choose. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert are all SO GOOD.

[Jimmy Kimmel is also very good, just in a different way.]

For me personally/my tastes, I was choosing between those 3. And I found it very hard to choose! I’ve seen all these shows, so I didn’t necessarily have to rely on the viewing platform, but in this case, I was like, “well, let me see specifically what episode they submitted, to see if that helps tip the scales…”

Seth Meyers submitted this basically perfect episode – the 40th anniversary of Late Show where he had David Letterman on to celebrate!

He did one of my very favorite bits. “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell.” And it was very funny.

Also, they had Hayley Brownell sitting in the band. She works with “Hit Like a Girl” to encourage more female drummers.

The interview with David Letterman was so very cute and sweet. He mentioned how wonderful it was to be in such close proximity to live music. It seemed like in that moment even Seth kinda realized ‘huh, I don’t really always take that in, do I’.

It was HILARIOUS when they started talking about all of Jack Hanna’s visits on The Late Show, and David Letterman was like, “Do you have an animal guy?” And Seth said “We don’t have an animal guy.” And David moved forward in his chair like ‘what?! You don’t have an animal guy?!’

We also got to see some little gem clips from long ago on The Late Show. It was lovely, and this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow!

Voting for the Emmys! – Part 4 (Some Other Things I Noticed)

August 23, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

The 2 multicam sitcoms on the ballot were How I Met Your Father, and Call Me Kat. How I Met Your Father has the older version talking *to* the camera, instead of watching the kids’ reactions (never being seen).

I wondered if the reason they did that was because How I Met Your Mother struggled with the kids getting older, having to pre-tape stuff, being pushed into corners, and all that. But it was great to see Kim Cattrall on screen. Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) even made an appearance on the episode they submitted! So, that was a cool little throwback to the show they based that off of.

Another thing that was interesting to me was how OLD everything feels. I mean, these are TV shows just from this past season. So yes, technically this stuff can be from a year ago, but the world keeps changing so much, so fast.

I’m the first person to say we are absolutely still in a pandemic. But the way we were talking about Covid even a year ago feels so different than how we do it now. I guess i can sort of see why so many people ‘over’ this pandemic, because seeing some of this stuff back-to-back-to-back really can feel a little suffocating.

One thing that was so very sweet was Norm Macdonald’s last special. He just spoke to a camera. They said in the special that he was going to be having a procedure the next day. So, they taped it as a ‘backup’ in case things went south… and sadly, they did. He got an infection and never left the hospital. At least they taped what they could when they had the chance. And the end were his famous comedian friends talking about.

And he just felt so… almost, comforting, I suppose. He seemed to have such a… calmness(?) about him. It was a very unexpected special, and I enjoyed watching it!

This is where I’ll pick up tomorrow!

Voting for the Emmys! – Part 3 (Saw Some Stuff I Didn’t Even Realize Was Out There)

August 22, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

Of course, I knew I was behind on Squid Game – that if was something the world had seen and I hadn’t yet, but there are shows in here – shows nominated for Emmys – I hadn’t even heard of!

So, either places aren’t doing good marketing, or I’m under a rock, or the market is too saturated, or who even knows what. But have you guys heard of this show “The Garcias”? I hadn’t until today.

Okay, but I realized after typing (and watching) that, that it wasn’t even nominated haha. There’s a ton of stuff in our viewing platform that isn’t actually nominated. I’m not sure what all is in there. And it is pretty clearly labeled what is versus what isn’t nominated… for people paying attention… which wasn’t me.

But I was kinda glad, because then I also accidentally watched Aly Raisman’s show about being an advocate. And it was so very well done. She’s so impressive. I was so happy I got to see that.

Though, I was kind of bummed because it was SO SO SO good that I was starting to get stressed about how I was ever gonna pick what was best [which was a moot point anyway, since every nominated show in that category you either vote yes or no, this deserves it or it doesn’t; you don’t pick one best one].

Then I learned it wasn’t even nominated. What the heck?!

Another sort of funny thing was after oh I dunno, a billion single cam shows, there were two multi-cam shows. I’ve never seen either of them before. The vibe so severely changed, like I was transported back to the ’90s watching single cams.

I loooove some good ol’ ’90s multicams – Will & Grace, Friends, Seinfeld etc. [That might be more 2000s, but you get the gist.] (Funnily enough, on Call me Kat, they made Blossom jokes (speaking of ’90s sitcoms).

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow!

Voting for the Emmys! – Part 2 (…But Learning Context As I Go Is Fun!)

August 21, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

So, the episode of Hacks they put up for us started with a VERY nervous assistant(?) on a plane with her boss(?). And she’s shaking and SO nervous and she’s internally FREAKING out when they land and they start getting service again.

So, something’s up.

And because I’m not familiar with the show, I’m on the edge of my seat to know what happened. (Also, there are so many cool actors I recognize as this episode goes on! Have y’all been watching Hacks? How has this show been going on right underneath my nose this whole time? It’s really good! I’ve been missing out on so much of the world! (Or at least the TV world… which is… part of the world, I suppose.)

So, in some ways, it’s been cool to catch up on everything.

But also, I clearly just need to catch up on the TV landscape in general. One of the things that’s awesome about being in the Television Academy, is if you wanna vote, you pretty much have to get on top of what’s going on, because you have to have a sense of what you’re voting for.

The landscape is just always changing, and being a voting member (if you’re gonna vote), basically forces you to get back on top of things!

Speaking of some other things I missed, Squid Game is INCREDIBLE. Incredible. Like, beyond words. Amazing. Wild. While I LOVE TV shows, and love to take them in, I think a number of shows you can still get, if you’re doing some other things – if you’re not giving your full attention. But I couldn’t imagine watching Squid Game anything other than COMPLETELY enrapt, barely breathing. (The Marbles episode was the one they submitted, in case you’re familiar.)

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow!

Voting for the Emmys! – Part 1 (I’m a Bit Behind On The TV Landscape (Eep))

August 20, 2022

I thought I’d take a quick break from the Morocco story to just talk about voting for the Emmys tonight (as tomorrow is the last day)!

I love to think I’m a responsible citizen who always votes… And I’ve been waiting so long to become a member of the academy who gets the opportunity to vote, that I need to always be voting.

But the pandemic has been such a blur that I don’t actually remember voting? Did I skip two years? I’m not 100% sure. I guess I’ve been blacked out for two years, in some ways. BUT here I am now!!!

And I have been watching TV like a madwoman, just show, after show, after show. Let’s go, baby!

Ted Lasso truly is great. I get it. People love it. I understand. I really need to go back and watch the whole thing now, as opposed to just a little taste.

Barry is insane. Insane. Like, what is that show about?! The episode they put in our viewing platform starts with like death, destruction, bribery, wildness all the way around. Like, for some reason, I thought it was a show about the industry. I was stupid. It’s not. It’s about a hitman, and I’ve missed a million chapters!

I’ve said this before, and I’m not completely sure if it’s true, but I always kind of think they should put the pilot episodes of everything in our viewing platforms as well, so we can get just some sense of each show if we haven’t seen it. [I know we’re not judging the pilots. We’re voting based on what they’ve submitted for this year. And I guess if the show has grown a lot, maybe they don’t want us taking that into account. But, I dunno. For context, it might be nice, maybe… I dunno. I mean, TV is plentiful. I’m sure we could find the pilots out there in the world pretty easily, usually.

[Note: In some of the overall categories, for newer shows, they did put their pilots. I love them for that, and it truly did make a difference. (Adam Scott is AMAZING in Severance, by the way!]

Anyway…

In *some ways* it’s actually *nice* to be dropped in not knowing what’s going on.

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow –

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Crocoparc (Agadir)

August 19, 2022

Mohammed and I had a sort of general gist of what we were doing/where we were going, because I was just trying to see as much of Morocco as possible.

And once we got to Agadir, I saw all these signs for Crocoparc. So, why not?!

It’s exactly like what it sounds – a giant park of Crocodiles.

Crocodiles don’t move a ton (or at least, they didn’t as I first walked through the park). There were SO many, I wondered if some were statues, and/or real ones that weren’t alive.

Though slowly but surely, I started to see them move. And so many had their mouth open… Just sitting there with their mouth open. Turns out, it’s a way to regulate their temperature!

We got to see them feeding crocodiles. And we got to take a little journey through the kind of adult playplace type thing they had going on, with a bridge of rope and stuff.

There was an area where you could go underground and pop up in glass to see the crocodile. We really had a lot of trust in that glass!

A really fun time was had by all. I loved Crocoparc. Now Mohammed and I have matching hats in different colors to commemorate the time there!

And I’ll pick up with more next time (after we talk about the Emmys for a lil’ bit!)

My 43 Days In Morocco! – A Stop By Atlas Mountains

August 18, 2022

I spent a night in Dar Assarou Toubkal National Park Lodge.

I had a little balcony on my room with a gorgeous view of the mountains. And the air just felt so very fresh.

It rained a lot in the morning, so I didn’t go out and do any hiking, but the view was spectacular.

If you really wanted to hike the Atlas Mountains, my understanding is that it takes multiple days. If I was gonna do that, I would be happy to do it through the lodge where I stayed. They seemed nice and knowledgable!

So, after a night and morning of taking in the majestic views of the Atlas Mountains (talked about so much on the internet, and in guide books, so we just had to stop by), it was time to keep going!

 

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Ouzoud Waterfalls! – Part 6 (The Overview Of The Waterfall Itself))

August 17, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

So, I told this insane saga of the way the day worked out. But, I didn’t give the overview of the waterfall – which is just to say:

Ouzoud Falls is truly gorgeous. It’s definitely worth going. I would say it was one of the top sights in Morocco, for me.

It’s huge and sprawling, and lovely, and peaceful.

And I liked taking the long hike down, and the little boat. I’d do everything you could there.

(I accidentally forgot to change into real shoes, so I wore flip flops for the whole thing. I don’t recommend that, but I definitely recommend going!)

It’s beautiful from all angles, super serene. And I just loved it! Put it on a Morocco must-do list!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Ouzoud Waterfalls! – Part 5 (The End Of The Saga)

August 16, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

So, then I hear Mohammed above me! And I have to like not show that I can hear him to other people. But if I don’t acknowledge him, he’s gonna keep yelling my name.

So, I take back my phone from the guy who was taking photos and wildly WhatsApp as fast as my fingers will allow, explaining what’s going on and worried he’s not gonna see or blow my cover.

I give the guy who’d followed as a guide some money and try to tell him seriously to go on, I’m done. I just want him out of there as fast as possible, before Mohammed gets down to us.

I do get the guide to go ahead of me. He takes his money and goes.

Mohammed reads my text and doesn’t talk to me out loud. He sees I’m following up behind me, so he just stays ahead of me.

There are what feels like a million stairs.

And somehow I climbed out of there, and we made it back to the car.

In a perfect world, I would’ve spent a little more time at the top, and tried to hold a monkey. But I’d already pressed my luck about a million times and Mohammed was ready to get back to the car.

So, we did.

And then I saw he’d bought me this super sweet souvenir with my name on it and everything. (We love Mohammed.)

And then off we went.

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow [with one more post about the waterfall].

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Ouzoud Waterfalls! – Part 4 (Almost Out Of There)

August 15, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

So, there’s this man on the shore who greets me, clearly very fluent in sign language.

And I’m sure he could probably tell the absolute shock and fear in my eyes. How is there someone way out in the middle-of-nowhere-Morocco who speaks American Sign Language so fluently?

Obviously if I actually were deaf, I would be SO happy to see someone with whom I could communicate. So, the fact I didn’t react with glee I feel like really was alarm bells for them, probably. But then again, what are they gonna to me? Send me to jail for just trying not to talk to people?

I didn’t scam anyone or anything. And I over-tipped the boat guy, ’cause I felt bad.

I guess they could’ve drowned me in the waterfall, if they felt like it. But it feels like that would’ve been far too big of a punishment for the crime.

I quickly tell the ASL guy, as best as I can, that I’m in a hurry and have to go.

Then, on the way up, the guide guy who’s been following me this whole time tries to get me to pose for a pic, now that I’m all the way down at the bottom of the waterfall.

I know I have to get back up to Mohammed at this point, because he’s worried about the timing and stuff.

But I also know that plans can always be changed if we can’t drive as far, and he’s getting paid. Like, I want to be respectful of his time and everything, but I figure we’ll be fine overall.

So, I pose for a couple of quick pics, because if you’re gonna be going all the way out to this waterfall, might as well memorialize the main place to post.

And THEN –

I hear Mohammed yelling for me!

He’s gotten impatient, and started coming down (the way I’d be going up – so backwards) to find me.

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Ouzoud Waterfalls! – Part 3 (Getting Deep In The Canyon)

August 14, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

I ended up taking the long way down. We kept going and going through more and more nature.

And then I’m getting a little stressed, because Mohammed only wanted me to spend an hour there. At first, I’m like, “how long can it possible take to see a waterfall?” But then I get there, and it’s like… oh. It could actually take a long time.”

So, we take the long way down. And then there’s this little place snack place where I grab a sprite from the NICEST man.

And then I feel even worse that I’m pretending to be deaf, because I don’t want to be lying to these nice strangers.

So, we keep on going forward and forward toward the waterfall.

And by this point, I’m starting to get WhatsApp messages from Mohammed. And I’m trying to tell him on my way. He’s surprised I’m still down there. And it’s like “aaaaaaaaagh, sorry. I’m gonna get back. Don’t worry about it!”

So, then, we keep going and we get to these very cute boats with little chairs.

And I get on one of the little boats that’ll take you around the waterfall.

The guy on the boat speaks very basic ASL!

And while I do speak basic ASL, I was kinda rusty. And I didn’t know the sign he was doing. And at this point, I can’t be like “uh, what does that mean?”

So, I look confused, but if I’m deaf, you’d think I’d know it! Aye, aye, aye.

Then he says out loud “shower.” Like he’s asking if I’m ready to get soaked by the waterfall. And I have to somehow try to play it off like I’m answering him without his spoken English tipping me off.

So, then we get close to the waterfall. It is cool. There’s picture-taking (of the other couple first, and then a few of me).

It was so hard to communicate when I don’t have speaking at my disposal. What a mess I’d gotten myself into deep far down into a (canyon?) literally and figuratively.

So, then we get off the boat, and there is a man who speaks sign language there to greet me!

And this is where we’ll pick up tomorrow.

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Ouzoud Waterfalls! – Part 2 (Starting To Go Down Toward The Water)

August 13, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

So, this guide starts following me around. And then I try to stop and give him space, so he’ll go ahead or leave.

But whenever he does go ahead, he waits.

And then I start to feel bad, because it’s like “is he doing the normal ‘guide who won’t leave me alone’ thing? Or is he doing it because he thinks I’m deaf, and he feels bad?

He doesn’t speak sign language. So, I try to just do general signals that like, “No help, thanks. No help.” And he just keeps giving me the “come on, come this way,” signal.

Then I’m trying to communicate with him in the notes app, but he says he can’t totally read English.

I try to communicate no money, no money. I actually do have some money on the trail with me. But I really just wanted to be left alone for a hot second.

I just wanted to hike, and enjoy it, and not have another dude in Morocco coming on to me. [I mean, no offense, and I’m not saying I’m like the greatest thing since sliced bread. I was just exhausted from a number of encounters.]

So, he just kept coming along with me. And finally, I just let him walk with me.

But, because he thought I couldn’t hear, he didn’t actually say anything out loud to me. And no one was around, so it was really quiet, and beautiful. I loved just hearing the sounds of nature, and not having to fill the void with talking.

I heart little bugs and the wind and everything. It was so peaceful to just take it all in.

I also thought about what it really would be like to be deaf. Sounds helped me to know where I was, and where water was. It seemed I could hear insects in certain places (maybe?), and would avoid stepping or putting my hand in any place sounding too hissy.

I hadn’t really thought about how much I use sound even when I don’t realize I am.

And! I could hear dogs barking down toward the river. Terrifying.

But I’m not supposed to be able to hear! So, I have to like not really react to the dogs – which is fine, because they’re far away. But what happens if they get closer?

[Spoiler, I’m gonna be fine.] But I’ll pick up here tomorrow!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Ouzoud Waterfalls! – Part 1 (I Got Myself In A Slight Predicament)

August 12, 2022

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.

Well, I hardly even know where to start here, because this is slightly embarrassing, but it’s a story I feel like I just gotta share with y’all.

As I mentioned yesterday, the catcalling was like out of control in Morocco. And then, not only the catcalling, but tour guides who just would NOT leave me alone no matter how many times I said no, or I didn’t need a guide.

Mohammed wasn’t allowed to go with me, because drivers aren’t allowed to go as guides. It’s like rules of Morocco with how people are licensed or whatever.

So…

Oh boy.

I just – I felt really desperately in need of having some alone time and not being hassled this whole time. So… I pretended to be deaf.

Obviously, in general, I think it’s not really a great (nor super ethical) thing to pretend you have a disability!

But I just thought hopefully it would get people to leave me alone if I made it harder for them to communicate with me. I didn’t want any special treatment. And I wasn’t going to pretend outside of trying to be left alone on a hike, like when I got back to the car, obviously I was gonna drop it.)

(I wanted to pretend I spoke another language, but I don’t speak any other language nearly enough to get by even a little – especially because many people in Morocco speak Spanish, French, and Arabic. There are fluent languages galore in Morocco!)

So, I pretended to be deaf, hoping no one really knew American sign language. And knowing even if they did, I’d hopefully remember enough to get by enough to get out of the situation.

[I feel like this is the plot to a Seinfeld episode, as it seems like a ridiculous thing I could see one them getting caught up in. Aye, aye, aye. Anyway -]

So, I walk from the parking lot out to the area where the waterfall is. And when people pressure me to be my guide, I just act like I can’t hear.

Try to go on my merry way. And most people let me!

For the most part, this is working fine. People are indeed leaving me alone.

I think I’ve cracked the code….

Until a guide comes along who won’t take no for an answer.

And this is where I’ll pick up tomrorow!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – The Only Thing I Don’t Like About Morocco (The Catcalling!)

August 11, 2022

This is gonna end up being pretty relevant to tomorrow’s story, so I wanted to go ahead and give you this context!

Okay, so I loved Morocco so much. Truly. One of my favorite places I visited – in large part to the amazing driver I had for a fair part of the time, Mohammed, who was so very hospitable, and just the nicest man.

So, I don’t have a lot of complaints. BUT, the one thing I feel like I have to address, just because it will become pretty relevant in a future story in Morocco is that the catcalling was out of control – and I mean out of CONTROL.

Like, if you say no, or ask someone to please leave you alone, they just keep following you and trying to talk to you. Not one single man every laid his hand on me, but they would not stop following.

And catcalling is really bad in America too, and absolutely people in America have followed me too.

But in Morocco – MULTIPLE times, this was not a lone incident, or even one that happened just a few times – I would say it’s fairly regular actually, if you’re a woman walking by yourself, men would GET OUT OF CARS. Like, if a friend was driving, the car would pull over and the passenger would jump out to walk with you/follow you around.

Like, if you’re an American woman alone in Morocco, you will not be left alone if you are walking anywhere. For the most part, I actually didn’t walk anywhere alone, because of this.

But, I was in Tangier for 2-ish of the weeks by myself (because I had to hunker down and basically finish my thesis, and I had class, and Mohammed had other guests, and I didn’t have unlimited money haha). And as much as I was sort of ‘hunkering down,’ I didn’t want to never leave the hotel. After all, I was in Morocco!

But if you’re a woman in Morocco, as much as you possibly can, I would not walk by myself. Again, no one actually touched me. So, you’ll probably be safe in that sense. But it’s just disconcerting to have guys never giving you space.

This became such a problem that I may or may not have tried to pretend I was deaf one day, to see if that helped anything… aye aye aye aye aye aye, so buckle up for that adventure. but yeah… just settin’ the scene!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Tangier to Beni-Mellal (and Aurora Always Asks ‘Linada’)

August 10, 2022

I never finished the Morocco story, so why don’t we finish that out? 🙂

So, we’re back in business, baby!

After hanging out in Tangier for a pretty long time, it was time to explore a little more. And I met up with our best friend Mohammed!

The main reason we went to Beni-Mellal is just because we were trying to get closer to the Atlas Mountains and Ouzoud Falls. It wasn’t like we were specifically seeking out Beni-Mellal.

But it was actually this cute laid back city. I felt you coulda hung out there for a day or two if you wanted.

The people were incredibly nice (but that was a through line in Morocco).

On the way there, it felt like every diner had a neon sign. (I’m exaggerating. It wasn’t ever one. But lots of places had neon signs!)

So, I don’t know if neon is more popular in that region, and why. But that was a little interesting thing going on there.

One of the ongoing things Mohammed and I used to laugh about was how “Aurora is always asking why – why, why, why Mohammed? Linada, linada [‘why’ in Arabic (I don’t know how you spell it)].”

Because I did always feel like I had a million questions. [e.g. Why is there more neon here than somewhere else?] And most of the why questions, he wasn’t sure. But then he’d turn it around to me, and ask me why certain things were the way they were in America – and so many things, I do not know the reason off the top of my head.

One of the things that stuck with me are the marriage traditions in Morocco. He said that a girl would have to bleed the first time she had sex with her husband. And people would wait for them to bring a veil or something with some of the blood on it, so everyone could celebrate.

And that just felt so invasive. And not *everyone* always bleeds. And if she didn’t, the husband might divorce her. So, I dunno. It seemed a little stressful as a woman in Morocco.

But, hey, I don’t live there!

Anyway, we’ll continue on tomorrow!

Future Ideas for 52 in 52 or Other Projects

July 18, 2022

Sometimes I just like to sit around and dream. I don’t know if anyone wants to sit around and dream with me, but if you want to comment or anything, I’d totally take it and love it!

One I’ve been thinking about recently… but I don’t think it’s super plausible is “52 Things I Keep Saying I’m Gonna Do” in 52 weeks, to kind of tie up those loose ends of “things you always say you’re gonna do,” but… you haven’t yet.

But the main this is, I don’t know how actually feasible this is. Because the main thing I know of that I “keep saying I’m gonna do” is really learn how to ride a bike.

I won a bike in a raffle years ago now, and I really wanted to learn, so I could participate in the AIDS LifeCycle ride. (It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and one of their events is where I won the bike, so it feels like I should pay it back forward or whichever way to the organization.)

But I still don’t know how to ride a bike.

I did take it down to Griffith Park and ride around a little and get a feel for the bike. But there is no way I’d be surviving okay outside of the parking lot where I was riding around. I need to have much better control on how to stop and start, and also just better control of keeping in a line. When I have a whole parking lot, I’m fine, but if I had to stay on a little strip of road, I maybe wouldn’t be as fine.

Now, I think I could do it. I remember being stressed learning how to drive, and not being good at it at all (failing my first driver’s test). But I can drive now (pretty much ;)).

So, I think I could do it. And I’ve never put a big ‘due date’ on my bike riding or anything (hence, probably one of the reasons I haven’t learned yet).

BUT… it’s not something you can necessarily learn how to do in just a week. (Maybe you can, but I had a rough time on the bike, so even if I fully dedicated myself for a whole week, I don’t think I’d learn well enough to be biking from San Francisco to Los Angeles.)

And I feel like that’s the case for many of the things I keep ‘saying I’m gonna do.’

Some other things that come to mind if I really think about it (tbh, a lot of them have to do with biking, because once I learn, I’d like to do a century bike ride, and I’d like to do an Ironman…), but yeah, I always say I’d like to get to inbox zero. This is never something I actually stick with.

I keep meaning to finish my UCLA extension certificate in television writing… I haven’t yet.

I haven’t yet taken writing lab at The Groundlings (though in the case of that, we’ve been in a pandemic, so this is one I couldn’t have done for a long time).

I DID finish my college degree and get a master’s degree! And the college degree was on the “oh, I maybe probably will get around to finishing this someday” list for a LONG time.

So… anyway,
1) I don’t know if there are actually 52 whole things I can find that I always said I’d do and haven’t yet, but even if I think reeeeeally hard, and expand it out to things I thought would be cool, or even thought of doing and I come up with 52 full on things…
2) I don’t think that probably any of them could be accomplished in just one week. And if they could, it would take a LOT of time within that week. And you could argue that I could be doing a little for multiple projects for a whole year, but I think it would still take a tremendous amount of time and planning to make everything merge in a way that I could get them all done in one year.

I mean… it is possible… But… I dunno. I don’t have to start my next project until December of 2023 (I can start earlier if I want, but that’s when I ‘have’ to, to keep the consistency goals going.).

And maybe I just need to decide that I’m gonna be done with a bunch of these things by then, and then the point will be moot. Who knows. But I am up for ideas, if anyone happens to be reading this and has any!

I Got a 4.0 In Grad School!

July 12, 2022

It’s official!

I’ve been working hard through all of grad school to try to get a 4.0.

I don’t know if it truly matters, really, in grad school. But I have small dreams of potentially getting more master’s degrees after this.

And in undergrad, between all the various issues (multiple semesters in the hospital, etc. etc.) [and also just who I am as a person, what I chose to prioritize, and what I was good at vs. not], I got in the vicinity of like 3.2-3.3.

And so I thought having 3 semesters in a row, and a whole grad degree in which I got a 4.0 would *hopefully* set me up better for applying to things in the future.

For the most part in grad school, this wasn’t hard. We were learning about things I’d learned about before. I didn’t really struggle with any of the material. But it’s artsy stuff, so it is very subjective.

And there were some tiny close calls – like how in my business class, I very specifically asked a question about something for my final project, and took their advice, but they didn’t like the *way* I presented the advice they gave, so I still got an A- on my final project. But because I had an A in the class, ultimately I still got an A in the class.

And for the summer semester, basically all we had to do was our final performance and our thesis. And I didn’t really know how those things would be received.

I mean, I definitely thought I incorporated the notes I got and everything. But I still wasn’t sure if I incorporated them as well as I thought, or what they ultimately were thinking overall about my project. So, fingers were crossed.

And today I found out, officially, I got a 4.0 in grad school!

Yay!

When You Finish Late, You Still Finish

July 11, 2022

I know the sheen is wearing off, and you might be wondering “how long is she gonna talk about grad school?” And not that much longer, I think!

[Though I think the rule should be that I get to talk about it at least until the day I get my diploma in the mail, and that has not been received yet. So, I can still do what I want!]

Of course I still have so many dreams, and I know there are many more possible degrees, and an M.A. is maybe one of the ‘least impressive’ grad degrees (as I think of it as kind of the least specific).

So, I’m not trying to be like “oooooh la la la la look at me!” – like it’s the absolute biggest deal.

But, as I always have, ever since I’ve been like 17, I’m in a constant midlife crisis, wondering what’s next.

And while there are so many things that could be next. And I’m putting some things in motion and wondering about other things, I’m so happy that one thing is done!

As you may have seen hinted at in this very blog over the years, I always flirted with the idea of going back to school. And it always just felt like so much – so much left, gonna be so old when I finish, whatever.

And I never let that in and of itself stop me, because that would’ve been a silly reason by itself.

It was always more of a location/time/money thing, and everything kind of aligned in the pandemic.

But many times I’ve seen people who’ve done things [and I guess specifically for this post, school] ‘late’ (e.g. people who went into med school in their 30s or 40s (or even one woman on Tik Tok in her 50s!), or any schooling – bachelor’s, law, whatever), in general when people who are in the same boat and scared to go back comment for advice, people are like “the time is going by anyway. Yeah, you might not be 22 when you finish. But would you rather be [32, 42, etc. – whatever age they’d be when complete] and still have it as a dream, or would you rather be that age and be done?

And while I do feel older every single year (funny how that works), and I want to do a lot more things, I’m glad these things are actually done.

Bachelor’s degree, done. Master of Arts, done. I don’t have to worry about going another year and adding more math to how old I’d be when I’m graduated, because I am graduated! It’s done!

…Now I gotta start looking into MMs, DMAs, PhDs, and/or MFAs, and heck maybe a JD, MPH, MBA, MD even – the world is my oyster! 😉

Medical Care in Morocco

July 10, 2022

I didn’t need much medical care in Morocco, but the little I did need was stellar.

Really just 2 small things.

1 is kinda gross. So, if you don’t wanna hear about a little rash, just navigate away and come back tomorrow.

But my boobs have gotten WAY too big in the pandemic. I’ve gained some weight, and that’s a spot I seem to have gained a lot. And I ended up having enough weird underboob sweat or whatever that the way my boobs rubbed against my bra or my clothes or something, I got this super red rash that looked really bad. (And it hurt.)

While I was in Tangier, I went looking for a pharmacy to see if they would know a cream I could use.

There was a doctor ON SIGHT in the pharmacy – who was FREE to see. And she was a WOMAN! I always say there aren’t enough girls in Morocco. But thankfully, when I needed one most, there she was.

She pointed out ointment and a spray, and instructed me how to use them together. Rash cleared up within a few days.

The second thing that happened was I accidentally ran out of allergy meds while there.

And the people in my hotel said I could go to the allergist if I wanted. They had somebody ready and willing. They’d even go with me if I wanted help to make sure if there were any language barriers, I’d be okay.

But also, he was able to just prescribe things he thought would help, without even seeing me.

So, I don’t know the full extent of Morocco’s medical care, and how things would be in a true emergency. But I got prescriptions (that cost a negligible amount) from 2 different doctors (who cost me absolutely nothing to see, or to just communicate with through someone at the hotel).

I am grateful for aspects of medical care in the US. But it’s always hilarious to me how cheap and easy it is in other countries.

What’s a “Riad” & A “Medina”? (From My Morocco Trip)

July 6, 2022

Okay, so many of you may already know this, but since I didn’t, I’ll just do a little post on this.

So, first, a “riad” is basically just a Moroccan hotel.

The internet has definitions that differ slightly. Sometimes it says it has to used to have been a fancy home for just one rich person. Sometimes it says it *has* to be in a medina, but while I was there, I stayed in some places labeled riads that weren’t in medinas.

So, I just think of it as a cute Moroccan homey hotel, basically.

(Every one I’ve seen provides breakfast. They basically all have restaurants where you can get dinner and such as well. So, they’re just this fancy, gorgeous, homey, hotel-like place.)

And medinas!

So, whenever I read about medinas online, I was like, “oh yeah, so like a hub where’s there’s shopping and such.” I thought it was gonna be like a chill city center (like The Grove in LA).

But no. It’s like a place where everything is super close to everything else, and you have to snake your way through a maze of people… It’s definitely more like New York than LA. But I can’t even think of a place that crowded in New York. So, maybe I can’t compare it to the states? I dunno.

So, yeah, a crowded place where people live, where there are stands selling food and things, where there are hotels, etc.

Personally, I actually like staying outside of the medinas. It’s nice to have everything at your fingertips, but in my opinion, it’s nicer to be able to walk around in a chill, expansive area outside of a medina.

But to each their own!

But yeah Riad = hotel. Medina = crowded place that’s the tiny inner city of any city/suburb area. (Or at least that’s my understanding of those places!)

It’s Just So Very Nice To Be Home, And To Be Done (With Grad School)

July 5, 2022

It feels so wild and so excited to be… done.

For anyone who hasn’t been around, I’ve now been in school for 7 straight semesters [starting summer 2020, then fall (2020) spring/summer/fall (2021), and then spring/summer (2022)].

I went back to undergrad after years away because of the pandemic. And then I rolled straight into graduate school. And in many ways, that’s been very cool. But grad school especially has felt a little exhausting.

It’s not that grad school was incredibly hard, per se. I think it was actually easier than undergrad.

[Undergrad was out of my usual wheelhouse – engineering/math/all that. Grad school, was stuff I knew well (musical theater)… But it was time consuming.]

And even though I had some weeks off between semesters, it felt like there was always something. Like, in undergrad, I had to complete saxophone proficiencies I had to study for between semesters. And I had to work on thesis projects for my majors and minors. And in grad school, it was all geared toward our final thesis.

So, this is the first time in 7 semesters (a bit over 2 years) that I get a real and true complete break. No homework. No projects. No nothing.

And while i don’t like to have nothing to do for too long, there is something that’s always so nice about a liiiiittle bit of time to decompress after a big project. And it’s been really nice to just… watch TV. I’m gonna catch up on a lot I’ve missed, and I dunno. It just feels so good in this moment to relax and do whatever I want… including nothing for a second.

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Spain Is Closed?!

July 4, 2022

I didn’t know they could do that?! haha That they can just like… close Spain. But apparently… they can?!

At that point, I’ve been in Tangier for like… forever. And I kept thinking I’d get around to taking the ferry for funsies. So, toward the end of my time there, I’m like, “yeah, let’s ride that ferry, baby!”

I got over there. And it’s just… closed! If the wind is too bad, they’ll straight up close the ferry.

[I’ve been told that if you wanted to stay in Morocco after 90 days, the easiest way would be to go to Spain on day 89 and come back and your time resets. So, if you’d really needed to go to Spain, you’d think it COULD be stressful. But if Spain’s closed, you could actually just get in a car and drive to one of the Spanish cities that are technically on the continent. You don’t have to cross water. And you’d cross there.

But I was nowhere near my 90 days, so nothing to worry about… except I just wanted to see what the ferry’s deal was. But alas! haha]

My 43 Days In Morocco! – A Random Horse On The Beach?!

July 3, 2022

Morocco can be so random haha, and it’s pretty awesome!

I was just walking along the beach at night, because why not? I love the feeling of sand under my feet. And I like the crisp night air.

So, I’m out on the beach on the phone, talking to my aunt.

And all of a sudden, this dude comes up to me and asks if I want to ride his horse.

I say thanks, but I didn’t bring out any money with me. So, I’m good. And he’s like “no, no, it’s free!” And I go, “I’m sorry. I literally brought no money out with me tonight. I was just walking along the beach. I don’t even have enough to tip, even if you give the ride for free. I got nothin’ on me.”

And he was like, “ride anyway! I’m just here for fun!”

So, then I told me aunt, “I guess I’m riding a horse, then!”

And then I rode a random horse around the beach!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – The Little American Comforts In Tangier

July 2, 2022

I know it’s always so silly to do American stuff in a foreign country.
But I was in Tangier for a while, and I have the palatte of a 5-year old, and fast food is cheap!

While walking around the city, I did check out a few of the American places.

I stopped at the fanciest McDonald’s I’ve ever seen! It was so clean and gorgeous with an outdoor patio. And they had various things we didn’t have – including jalapeño poppers (or as they call it, croquettes au fromage relevees au poivron).

KFC doesn’t have tons of stuff they normally do (like macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes, etc.). [In America, I think of KFC as super vegetarian friendly because they have a bunch of things like that. At KFC in Morocco, practically everything has meat.]

I had some delicious Starbucks (yummy, yummy). [It was multiple miles each way, so I think I walked off any Starbucks calories I had.]

And I think that pretty much wraps up the silly American things I did while in Tangier. [There was a Pizza Hut within walking distance. And I always meant to go there, but I’m assuming it’s a lot like the Pizza Hut in America. Maybe next time!]

Oh! Actually, one last silly thing.

The hotel manager guy I told you who was going above and beyond?

One day I was talking to him about grilled cheese sandwiches. He had never heard of the concept. They don’t have them at all in Morocco, but then they made me some! [I wasn’t like being so American asking for some, but just when he was asking me about food I liked, he clocked that and sent me a grilled cheese.]

Wild. The hospitality in Morocco is unmatched.

I Have Completed Grad School!

July 1, 2022

As of 4pm today, I uploaded all of my final deliverables (which were due at 5 haha).

It’s wild. It’s been weird and kind of silly. I would say grad school was about 8 billion times easier than undergrad. (And it was about 8 billion times shorter as well, since it didn’t take me over a decade to finish grad school.)

So, in those senses, it feels anti-climactic. But, it actually is kind of cool!

I was already starting to apply for more things today, in the hours after 4pm, because I sure do love to always dream about what’s next! And it was cool when asked about what level of education I’d completed to pull down “master’s degree.” 

Yep, that’s me!

(Finally catching up to my younger sister hahaha.)

I always said I either wanted to dropout of get a crap ton of education, so I guess doctorate here I come. 😉 

I’m sure there will be more to come later, but yeah… I finished! (I hope haha. I mean, I know I did, but I will feel a lot better when summer grades publish. ;))

A Lil’ Bonus Sailing

June 30, 2022

As I’d been looking for places to go sailing, one place was SO nice to me and was bummed they couldn’t accommodate me on my birthday. And they offered me a free sail!

Now, at this point, I’d already gone sailing haha. But I appreciated the offer, and I’m not gonna turn down a free sail. So, I went out to City Island in the Bronx (my first time there), and went sailing again.

I knew my way around a boat a little better this time. We practiced navigating around these little mini-islands.

Steve was so nice. He even brought a piece of birthday cake!

And basically, for some reason, before I ever went sailing, I thought it was a thing – like a thing you really had to pay attention to, like it would be exercise or something.

And I’m sure in competitive sailing, it probably is. But here [on both this sail and the other one]? We were just chillin’. Sailing can be really chill. You just sit back and let the wind take you!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Tangier – Exploring The City

June 29, 2022

I really enjoyed Tangier!

It was one of my top cities in Morocco. It’s got it all.

I took one of those little city buses around to see everything, which was cool.

I also just walked a lot, which was fun. Hanging out on the marina a fair amount. If there’s one thing I love… it’s a marina haha.

Went to the castle-like place and posed around all the cannons.

Took a day trip to Tetouan, which was a fine city, but nothing I found intrinsically different than a lot of the rest.

Hung out at the mall! Even tried laser hair removal to for the first time. (You don’t get a lot of results after just one go of it, but it wasn’t too scary. The woman was nice.) Got some sunglasses, since I constantly lose mine.

And yeah, just had a grand ol’ little time in Tangier.

The wind was wild while I was there. I asked if I could go scuba diving multiple times, but alas… not this time around. (I also couldn’t find a female instructor to save my life.)

Next time, I hope!

Moroccan Tacos

June 28, 2022

So, basically, if you’ve never been to Morocco, I find it necessary to tell you about Moroccan tacos.

Imagine this with me – start with a burrito… But there are no beans in it, but it can be everything else – your protein, toppings, cheese if you want, some special sauce they have here (Algerian sauce – I’ve never had it before and it’s so good!). Add french fries inside the burrito. And then flatten it as though it were a panini.

And there you have it. Your Moroccan taco.

I have the SIMPLEST palate. Everybody makes fun of me for eating like a 5-year-old – my friends in the states, and now my new friend in Morocco.

And Morocco doesn’t have a ton of familiar foods, which is cool, because I want to be experiencing the culture and everything. But I also have such a limited palate… BUT I’ve found a food I like. Tacos are my jam. And they seem like a Moroccan staple, as they are available everywhere!

So, welcome to my temporary favorite food!

My Final Grad School Presentation

June 27, 2022

Well, here we are.

It’s been pretty cool actually rehearsing for the presentation!

It’s funny because for so much of the program, it’s easy to lose sight of what we’re even doing, but you get in the room and there’s nothing like it.

I really especially loved our music director. She’s just so smart and asks all kinds of awesome questions, and makes great observations.

I’ve had great actors. And even though someone did have to drop out after getting Covid, so we couldn’t get away unscathed by the pandemic that rages on, we are still making it through to the presentation.

It’s been nice nice after such an isolated pandemic to get in an actual room with people acting and singing, in person, in real-time together, on a real stage.

The one thing I particularly loved about this – I wrote a very silly, kind of on-again, off-again love story where the audience gets to choose the ending. And the audience actually chose both endings!

In the afternoon, they chose having the couple stay together. And at night, they chose them being apart!

I was so happy to see both play out on stage. And the actors were giddy with me.

Also, this was so sweet. They got me an ice cream cake for my birthday!!! Isn’t that so sweet and adorable?

So, we did it. Presentation in the books. Then yesterday, I did the table read of the full-length. Now, I just give my final deliverables, and I’m outta here, baby!

Sailing! (June 25th, 2022’s Something New)

June 26, 2022

I randomly got assigned to presenting my 20-minute thesis presentation on my birthday! So, I had to do something in New York, and in the morning.

So, I landed on sailing!

I showed up and called the office to make sure I was in the correct spot, and when I met up with Jonathan, my instructor, he said the office had warned him that I sounded really cool and fun, so I loved that.

We laughed a lot and had a great time throughout the day. Basically, we started a picnic table. He drew some pictures of how wind works and how boats turn. And then he told me about the Windex – a thing at the top of the boat that we look to, to know the shape of the wind.

Once I had a small intro, we got in a small boat which took us out to the sailboat, and we sailed on out to the Hudson River!

We could see the Statue of Liberty, which was cool. And there was Jersey across the way!

I got to be the helmslady, and move the tiller to steer. You steer backwards from how you want the boat to go. (So if you want it to turn away from you, you turn the tiller toward you.)

He told me about luffing – which is watching the sail itself kind of getting all weak and wonky and not fully and beautiful if you’re not using the wind correctly.

We did this thing called “tacking” where you change the direction of the sail. And then we laughed when I was trying to just keep up with the call and response and said I was ready when I wasn’t really, but he waited until I actually had a rope in my hand for us to tack.

We rode around for a while, and had a relaxed time. We came back to the dock, and that was that.

A nice little overview of how to sail. A beautiful day on the water. And then it was off to my mini thesis presentation (which went fine, thanks)!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Arrival In Tangier!

June 24, 2022

Well, another round of the tour comes to an end!

Mohammed had new people to hang out with. And I needed to work on my thesis.

I ended up loving Tangier. Tangier, in many ways, felt like California. There were some big hills like San Francisco. There was a cool marina/beach, like I was in Santa Monica (or another LA area place). There was even a Starbucks!

[I know, I know, for someone who loves adventure and travel, I sure do love things that remind me of home. But one of the reasons I love home is because it’s so varied and there’s always something to do!]

Overall, Tangier was probably my favorite city in Morocco, though I liked many cities.

When I got to the hotel, it was crazy because when I checked in, the front desk said the manager wanted to talk to me.

So, I thought “oh no. What could the problem be? Was there something wrong with my credit card?”

But no. He just wanted to welcome me and say if I needed anything at all during my stay to let him know. He was like a very hands-on manager who wanted to make his guests feel like a princess. And he was lovely, and very worldly, having traveled all over.

He was a super nice man. And I was happy to feel like I sort of had a friend, or someone looking after me, even though he was really just a stranger.

The hotel was great, and he even sent me from free service to welcome me! (They had these cute Oreo tiramisus which were delicious!).

And since this was a good stopping point in my trip, I’ll also stop the story here, as we’ll spend the next few days talking about my birthday! And then we’ll jump back into Morocco!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Ziplining!!!

June 22, 2022

Okay, this was maybe my favorite day in Morocco!

So, basically, Mohammed and I were going to Akchour to hike, and on the way there, we saw this cool looking place with this big bridge, and a zipline and everything.

And as we were passing it, he was kinda like “do you think you could do that?” And I was like “I think I could. I think we should. Do you think we should?”

And he turned around and we decided to go ziplining!

You could go on 3 ziplines, and go on the rickety bridge and stuff for only $10 [US].

We ended up going with this big group of guys, who were going at the same time.

So we all successfully went on the first zipline. And going into the second one (the longest one), I was next up and the zipline guy was talking in Arabic. I asked Mohammed what he was saying, and he was translating basically like “well, since she’s just a little girl, she might be scared because the wind is really bad, so if she waits until the end, I can go down with her, so she doesn’t have to go alone.”

And I’d learned a teeny tiny little bit of Arabic from hanging with Mohammed.

And so I whipped my head around to the zipline guy and was like “Ana las tu Heiffa!” [Again, no idea how to spell that, but that was the gist of how it sounded.] But anyway, it means, “I am not afraid!” in Arabic.

And I was so proud of myself for knowing just the correct phrase at the exact right time. He was a little taken aback that I could say that in Arabic, and he let me go next!

We successfully finished the rickety bridge and the other zipline.

And it was fun little silly morning! Yay!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Fes

June 20, 2022

I think I may have mentioned this before, but because of the regulations of guides vs drivers in Morocco made it so Mohammed wasn’t allowed to do certain things with me. He’d have to get me a guide instead.

And I’d say so many times that I just didn’t think there were ever enough girls in Morocco. So… he found me a female guide! Khadijah, who was very cool.

Kadijah took me around, and my favorite thing was she told me about being a woman in Morocco, and how there were protests for rights, and their current King was the one who granted them. So, we love this current King. He’s like the “King for the Women,” as some think of him.

She told me she’d been working for practically the whole time that women had been allowed to do the same jobs as the men. And when I was talking about the lack of women I’d seen, she said it was probably because so many of the places I’d been thus far were fairly small cities, but in the bigger cities, more women are doing more things.

She took me around to some shops, and showed me various customs and things, like places that had special containers for wedding gifts, and how that works.

And then she took me all around. We went to see the gates of the Royal Palace (beautiful). The Fes Tanneries. The Medersa el-Attarine (where I got to go look at the very rooms students used who used to study there). In general, we went all around the medina to little shops and things. And I learned that people buy their grocery really just a couple of days worth at a time, really, usually, since fresh fish and meat are brought everyday.

We had a really love time in Fes, and then we keep it rolling tomorrow!

The Grocery Store in Morocco!

June 19, 2022

One thing I love in other countries is going to the grocery story and seeing what’s up!

So get this! If you’re American, think about what battery brand you think of as synonymous with a Rabbit mascot, or a bunny, some might say.

Energizer, right? The Energizer bunny?

Not in Morocco! There’s a DURACELL bunny!

Also, Morocco is SO about hospitality and stuff, there’s a guy at the front of the hotel to have tea with you! Not to sell it to you. Not to have you sample it to buy it. Just to have a little drink with you, if you feel like it.

And this isn’t a tiny mom & pop grocery store. This is a chain, a major store, like a Ralph’s.

I didn’t see any microwavable meals! Microwaves aren’t used in a lot of places in Morocco!

The did have Ben & Jerry’s. I got some for Mohammed, as he’d never tried it before. He thought it was good (because of course it was; it’s Ben & Jerry’s).

Hot sauce is not a big thing in Morocco. There didn’t seem to be a lot of spicy stuff – a big change from Barbados just a couple months prior.

Mohammed showed me the various baby products his daughter had used as a baby, like the local diaper brand and everything they used.

And it was just fun to see the differences and similarities in the grocery store!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Rabat! (The Part With New Bff Mohammed)

June 18, 2022

Okay, so after we part ways with the random guide, Mohammed – in the nicest sort of brotherly way he could, kind of scolded me like I was a kid. (I really do feel like a toddler in foreign countries, learning about whole new cultures and experiences!)

He was kinda like “uuuh, Aurora! You can’t just go with strangers! I’m here for you! If you need something, you let me know! You got in a cab with a stranger. They could’ve taken you anywhere! You’re not allowed to have anything happen to you while you’re here in Morocco with me!

(I’ve never been good at not going with strangers. My parents were always trying to teach me that as a little kids, and I’d always just tell them ‘look, a new friend!’.)

Then, Mohammed and I drove by Parliament. Some things about Morocco are so intense. Apparently you’re not even necessarily allowed to take pictures outside of Parliament, a safe distance away from it. But there was a security guard around there who asked if we could take pictures there, and he said sure. So we snapped a couple of quick ones.

Then we passed a pretty park that I asked if I could stop in to walk around in. And as long as I didn’t get taken by any strangers, then yes hahahaha.

So, I did a little park walk, and that was my day in Rabat. Next up, Fes!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Rabat! (General Tour)

June 17, 2022

So, my bff Mohammed wasn’t allowed to do a lot of stuff with me, because Morocco makes VERY definitive lines between “guides” vs “drivers.” And there are licenses and things you have to have to be an official guide.

So, in some of the more touristy areas, he’d have to kind of drop me off.

So, he did drop me off at Kasbah des Oudayas, and told me to walk around a bit and then he’d meet up with me again.

And then, when you get in there, it’s a little weird, because guides will just start following you. And one was following me, and I kept saying “no thanks, no thanks, no thanks, I can walk around on my own.”

And THEN another guide chases him off. So, then I try to walk away, but THAT guide was like “he’s not even certified. He’s my guide license.” And I’m like “it’s okay! I don’t need a guide. I’ll just walk around.” And he was like “no, I’m a real guide! Here’s my license!” And I’m like “I believe you! I just don’t need one.”

But then he kept following me around and not giving up, so since guides weren’t that expensive in American dollars, I relented. And he walked me around, and showed me some things – including his own home! He was an older man and had a picture of himself from back in the day, which was very cute.

And he took me down to this little place of the castle that was closed off, but apparently he knew the official people, as he talked to them as we went right past them to the door it didn’t seem like we were supposed to go in, so I guess that was cool that I got to go down and see that.

And then after we went all around that, I thought Mohammed was still eating lunch, and a cab was literally $2 [US]. So, we hailed a cab and went to the Hassan Tower/Mausoleum of Mohamed V, and saw the guards who sit on the white horses outside.

There was a school group there, and they were so cute and excitable, so that was adorable.

And then that area was closing, and so we wanted to run by by the Royal Palace of Rabat, so we called Mohammed to get him to come meet us and grab us.

And then we went to the Palace. But you weren’t able to really get anywhere near it. You had to stand pretty far away and just get your pic with the palace pretty way in the background. So, that was that.

And that was it with the new rando tour guide, and then Mohammed and I went on our way.

Michael Jackson’s Fame Transcended Everything In Morocco

June 16, 2022

Okay, so one more thing that was really funny to be about the music conversation/music stuff is I was asking him if any of these people were also famous in Morocco.

Many of our artists are international and do world tours and everything, so I thought some of them might be. And I was asking about some of our very biggest names – Taylor Swift, Rihanna [not American, but famous there], Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, and on and on. I tried different eras from the 50s to present day.

And with every single artist, he’d never heard of them.

Until.

I was like “What about Michael Jackson?” And he was like “Michael Jackson?! Yes, Michael Jackson is famous here!”

And I thought it was so wild that almost 13 years after his death, Michael Jackson is the only American artist known to my driver in Morocco.

He transcends everything – time, language, space, death even. Michael Jackson. Still maybe the most famous man, over 13 years after his death.

(And then obviously we rocked out to much of MJ’s catalogue.

Music In Morocco

June 15, 2022

Okay, so this was pretty fun!

As we were driving around, Mohammed was playing some Arabic music, and basically all of it was instrumental. And he would just kind of throw in little vocal ornamentation here and there.

So, I asked if there were ‘rules’ to that, or if you just do it when you feel it, and also if the general vibe there was instrumental music, or if there are a number of songs/artists with lyrics as well.

[He mainly listens to instrumental music, but not always. And there are no real ‘rules’ to inserting your vocal ornamentations. You just do what you do when you feel it.]

And then he asked if he could listen to some American music. So, we did. And I found it so funny just riding down the roads of Morocco blasting Lizzo and more. He LOVED the American music. He asked if I could leave some for him on a USB drive or something.

(I feel so very Western… Instead of acclimating, he’s the one learning to acclimate to my music – while I’m in his country! Aye, aye, aye. But there is something nice to sharing cultures! Maybe bringing *some* America stuff is okay… And if I’m bringing anything American somewhere else then bringing Stevie Wonder, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, and more – American music is probably one of the best things to bring.)

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Laayoune

June 14, 2022

So, we headed down through Tarfaya and into Laayoune!

Laayoune was the first true “city” I saw in awhile. There were signs for McDonald’s everywhere. There was what seemed to be a major stadium. We were back to kind of my comfort zone. (Not that I hadn’t been in a comfort zone in the other places, but there’s something nice to feeling more freedom – like things are closer to other things, and easier to navigate, etc.)

One of the reasons I was excited to go to Laayoune was because it officially crosses the ‘border’ (recognized by some and not others) between Morocco and Western Sahara.

Now, as far as Mohammed [and from what he told me, Moroccans in general] was concerned, the border is meaningless, and it’s all Morocco.

Although, I will say, there was police presence close to the “border” that did check my passport, but there wasn’t a passport stamping. It wasn’t an ‘official border crossing’ or anything. But there was a higher level of security there.

We drove around Laayoune for a hot second. And then, I basically just went to the airport.

(Laayoune seems very chill and relaxed and would be a nice place to go if you want to just sort of reflect, and walk through a beautiful park area, and just truly relax.)

I’d known I’d wanted to see a good chunk of Morocco if I could, so I’d agreed to this little tour thing before I’d gotten there. But I had no idea what to expect. So, I only agreed to a handful of days. And then it seemed easier to just fly from Laayoune back up north, and figure out the rest on my own.

But, I was having so much fun with Mohammed. And he had a little bit of time before he his next group was coming. So, we agreed to meet back up in Casablanca in a few days!

I’d keep my normal flight. And I’d spend those days doing laundry, and catching up on homework and school stuff. And then we’d meet up and explore a little more!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Khnifiss National Park!

June 13, 2022

We arrived at the National Park, and walked around a little, and then we found these steps that went down to a boat in the water.

There was a man in a little boat, who seemed to have just let some people off.

So, I asked Mohammed if he thought this man was giving boat rides to random people, and if he did think that would he mind asking if we could be some of the random people he would give a ride to!

So, we ended up asking this stranger who gave us a low price to ride around on his boat.

And get this, Mohammed had NEVER BEEN ON A BOAT BEFORE!

So we took his first boat ride. And he was a little ‘hieff’ [I don’t know how you spell that, but that’s how it sounds (“scared” in Arabic).] He never learned to swim, but the boat driver and I were gonna make sure he was fine if anything went wrong.

And he was like “Are you SURE you know how to swim?” And I’m like “I passed a swim test for scuba diving! I can swim!”

(It’s funny how my confidence changes on the situation, because sometimes I’m like, “oooooh, I’m not a great swimmer.” But somebody had to be confident here, and I know that in real life, I can swim enough!)

So, we went out in the boat and got take around this little area where there’s land that stretches out on the other side of the water.

So we were in this cool little inner area, seeing land most places you looked.

And Mohammed was having the time of his life – slightly hieff, but mostly excited!

Once we got back to land, he raced up the steps, happy to be as on land as on land someone could be, but he said he was happy he went on a boat. And then I sent him a bunch of pictures that he was excited to share with his family.

His brother would check up with me on WhatsApp sometimes to see how the trip was going. I asked Mohammed if I could tell his brother he went on a boat, and he said yes. And it was so funny, because his brother was like “He WHAT?! Mohammed? You must have the wrong guy.”

And we all had a little laugh about how he finally faced his fear in his 40s, and I felt so special I got to be a part of that!

And tomorrow I’ll finish out this leg of the trip.

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Sidi Ifni

June 12, 2022

So, then we went down to Sidi Ifni, and I think it’s a pretty slept on gem!

It was cute and relaxed, and a nice little beach town!

A lot of people recommend Essaouira as “the beach town” of Morocco. But I would almost rather go to Sidi Ifni!

We found a delicious cafe, and ate some pizza with the beach wind blowing through my hair.

It was lovely. And the inner town felt quaint. And the people at the riad were really nice.

Then we went through Tan-Tan, and then!

We went to Khnifiss National Park – which I’m excited to talk about tomorrow!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Tafroute!

June 11, 2022

Aurora De Lucia, standing on colorful rocks in Tafroute Morocco

So in Tafroute, there are these super colorful rocks.

It was cool in person, but it is kind of funny blogging about this, because I’m like “guys, guys, I went to see rocks today!” Like, it sounds silly.

But yeah, we drove into this place with all these colorful rocks. It’s giant and sprawling. And we just walked around and took pictures with the rocks.

I guess it was done by a non-Moroccan artist many years ago, who was there to do this art project.

Imagine just being like “I want to go to a foreign country and paint some rocks.” But whatever made that person want to do that, it’s now become a tourist destination! So, hey, maybe it was worthwhile/everything they wanted!

We also drove by “La Tete Du Lion,” which is another landmark. (It’s what looks like a lion’s face in the side of a mountain.) I thought it was really hard to see the lion. It’s something you really have to use your imagination for. But I think I pretty much kinda sorta get it.

And then it was time to keep on going along!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Taznakht, Taliouine, Taroudante

June 10, 2022

So, now we’re up to May 15th, and this was a driving day, more than anything else, trying to get through a bunch of the country.

Taliouine is Saffron Capital, so we tried some Safran (which is shockingly expensive in comparison to the weight it is).

Un-shockingly, because I have the palate of a 5-year-old, I didn’t love saffron, but what I did love was the man who owned the shop we went to, who took pictures with everybody who came in, and gave envelopes to people so they could send cards. And he had walls covered in notes and cards and photos and things, and I loved how he just had so much of the world in there. That was cool.

And then I stayed in a cute little riad in the medina, and called it a night. And then I’ll pick up with the next day tomorrow!

The Stars Are So Pretty Out In Remote Areas

June 9, 2022

the moon as seen from the Sahara Desert

I remember when I was out camping on an island in Mexico that one of the things I loooooved was looking up at the stars at night.

There was no light pollution on the island. There were hardly any people on the island. It was a protected place. You had to get a special permit to camp there.

And being out there, you could just really, fully see the whole night sky, and it was so lovely.

And so when I was in the Sahara desert, I was in my cabin and thought, “wait a minute. I’m pretty far out from civilization right now. I wonder if the sky is pretty.”

And I went outside and the sand felt so great on my feet. And I just looked up at the stars and tried to take it all in.

(I know the moon never translates to photos – especially iPhone photos as nice as it was in person. But I took the little picture in this post anyway :-))

So, that’s another night in the desert, and I’ll get to more Morocco tomorrow!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Erg Chegaga

June 8, 2022

Aurora on an ATV in Erg Chebbi in Morocco

So, the internet told me that it might be worth visiting both major sand dunes of the Sahara desert in Morocco, because the sand was different, or tit was a different vibe between Erg Chegaga and Erg Chebbi.

And some people disagreed and were like “once you’ve seen the Sahara desert, you’ve seen it.”

I thought “how often are you in Morocco? If I’m making my way around the country, trying to see as much as possible, I should try to see as much as possible. Why not stop off and see this other dune?

And I stand by that decision, because why not. But also, after having done it, I’m in the camp of the Sahara desert is the Sahara desert. To me, there’s no humongous difference between the dunes. If anything, I would pick Chebbi over Chegaga, because it’s easier to get to (and also Chebbi is the one where Mohammed’s family owns the camp, and we’re already bffs).

But! Since I did get to also try Erg Chebbi, I’ll tell you about it.

Basically, we passed a little oasis on the way there, which was pretty cool.

And then as far as the dunes themselves, they are SPRAWLING. I saw nothing but sand for as far as the eye could see.

I had been driven over an hour away from civilization to get to these dunes, and then a man took me out on the ATVs, and I just had to trust I was gonna be able to follow him and get back (and he was fast!).

But I was able to. And it was cool to ride around in the Sahara desert. The guys asked if I was okay when I got back though, because my face was reeeeeed. So, it’s always hotter than you think it is. Be safe out there!

It was pretty cool just riding around in this sprawling-sprawlingness.

And that was really it. Then the driver I was with that day drove me to the camp at Mhamid. And I spent the night.

(I was with other drivers because Mohammed dropped me off at this Sahara camp to see what this one was like. But I was back with him the next day!)

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Ait Ben Haddou

June 7, 2022

Aurora posing at Ait Ben Haddou

I got to walk all around Ait-Ben-Haddou – another place where movies are shot.

The guide just kind of told me about some movies there, and how a big Game of Thrones scene was shot there!

(I know this is a short post, but I don’t have anything groundbreaking to say about Ait Ben Haddou. You just walk across a little bridge over there, walk all around this things, going up, up, up ’til you see the whole thing, then come down and call it a day. And I’ll talk about a new part of Morocco tomorrow!)

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Ouarzazate

June 6, 2022

Now, this is the place!

“The Moroccan Hollywood,” sometimes referred to as “Ouarzawood.”

There was a display I saw that had 3 clocks, so you could see the time in Hollywood, Ourzawood, and Bollywood – the 3 worldly movie ‘woods’.

So, basically, we went to Atlast Film Studios, and it felt like home!

It felt like I was at Sony pictures or something!

Basically, they take you around from set to set. And they explained how SO many countries are represented there, telling us that since so many countries in Asia and Africa either have high tax rates for movie studios, or they have hoops to get permits (for historical or other reasons), or they have political unrest, etc. – whatever the reasons, Morocco is one of the easiest places to film if you need it to look like Jordan, Egypt, China – whatever you need it to look like.

They told us various movies that were filmed there, and each of us got a turn pretending to be Cleopatra, while the other people in the group would help hype up the Cleopatra (by opening doors and stuff for videos, while ‘Cleopatra’ would be hanging out in a chariot-type-thing)!

I also went to the Cinema muse, which I just explored on my own a bit.

It was a very cool, chill day, and I loved Ourrzazate. (It’s possible I mainly loved it because it felt like home. But why ever I loved it, I loved it!)

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Dades Valley (Rose Valley)

June 5, 2022

I don’t think this will read as funny in words as it seemed, or as it is visually in my head.

But everyone talks about how I was going during the right season. The roses should be blooming, and rose valley would be gorgeous.

There were like… no roses (or at least very few), which was kind of hilarious to me.

But! It was still fun. I went to a store that made all sorts of oils and hair stuff and face stuff with roses, and the woman who worked there was super nice.

And I got to see their back room. And they had a HUGE pile of roses, so maybe that’s where all the roses went.

They also had a pink wall outside, which I thought was funny, because even in Morocco, they’re setting up instagram opportunities haha.

And that was the valley of roses, and we’ll continue on tomorrow!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Todra Gorges

June 4, 2022

Todra Gorges was gorgeous!

It’s such a lovely place where the air feels so fresh. There’s this water that’s bubbling through, and there are areas where you can sit and have lunch on the water.

It’s long and you can just walk down the whole thing.

I’m sorry ’cause I feel like I should be filling a whole post. But I don’t know that i have a lot to say. But I would say definitely stop by and visit the Todra Gorges when you’re in the area!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Sandboarding in the Sahara Desert (And Stopping in Erfoud)

June 3, 2022

Mohammed took me sandboarding, and man was I not good at it haha.

It surprised me that just walking on the sand dunes in and of itself was hard. But then again, I think everyone knows walking on sand is harder than a flat surface, so I don’t know why I’m surprised by that.

And then, basically, you just strap into the board at the edge of the sand dune, and go down. The dune was steep!

So, yeah, I just went down, successfully didn’t die, and called it a day.

We also stopped by Erfoud where we got to hear about fossils, fossils galore, as that’s kind of Erfoud’s whole thing.

We also got to see this really cool oasis that had this whole system of how places shared water – a simple system of people sharing, and moving rocks around so they could split the water between areas of things people are growing. It was lovely.

And then we’ll keep on going in Morocco tomorrow!

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Meeting Some Nomads

June 2, 2022

While I was in the Sahara Desert (off the city of Merzouga in the dunes of Erg Chebbi), we did a few small adventures.

We went to hang out with some nomads, so I could get a sense of what their life was like.

I didn’t take pictures, or take my phone into their tent, because I didn’t think it was respectful to treat them like a spectacle or anything.

The Nomads are basically people who just live wherever they can find, and just move from place to place when need be. They don’t have traditional jobs, and make money how they can with milk from their animals, or crafts the women make.

It felt a little weird. I didn’t even know if it was okay to go, but I was told we were invited, and they liked meeting people and sharing their lives, and it’s a way for them to make money, as we give them a little money, just for stopping by.

They’d made us homemade bread, which was delicious. And there were three children. And we learn that, because they’re so far from society, the children don’t go to school.

It was so sad for me to learn that the plan is that Fatimah never gets an education, never learns to read, and is married off to someone else around 18 years old.

And again, I always feel conflicted about judging people’s futures because it’s like, “Am I just bringing in some Western ideal?” But also like, what kind of life is that for her?

Maybe in some ways it could be simple and nice to just hang with your family for life. Maybe if you don’t have access to lots of things, or lots of education, you’re able to just be content.

But also like… we only get one shot at life. Is Fatimah gonna spend it cooking and cleaning for other people all day, and never even learning to read?

(Mohammed said if I send him some Arabic children’s books on learning to read, he’ll give them to Fatimah.)

And then as we were leaving, Mohammed said I could give the money to the man in the house. But then I asked if I could give it to the woman instead.

And he was like “well, it just usually goes to the man.” And I’m like “But I CAN give it to the woman, yeah?”

He thought it was a little out of tradition, but I did it! I know it’s not really my place to challenge norms in Morocco, but I just wanted to make sure that woman felt really seen (even though I’m reasonably sure she just handed the money to the man in the house after I left).

My 43 Days In Morocco! – Arriving in the Sahara Desert

June 1, 2022

I got there May 8th, flying back June 16th.

So, first up – the Sahara Desert. I got into Casablanca. I ate and sort of re-situated myself. And then I flew on out to Errachidia, where I met Mohammed.

Mohammed is my bff now.

He picked me up from the airport and drove me out to Sahara Sky Luxury Camp, that he and his brother own.

I think I was the only person there, because I didn’t see anyone else the whole time I was there.

The one embarrassing thing that happened was once we started driving in sand, so it was a fairly bumpy ride, I was catching up with some emails and stuff on my phone. (I am still in grad school, so I do have to still do some responsibilities at home.)

Anyway, between starting at the tiny blue screen in my hand and having this big ol’ bumpy ride, I had to ask him to stop the car so I could puke in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

It was gross, but also the Sahara Desert was lit up by brake lights, and that part looked kinda cool. (I took a picture of it, after puking so we can all enjoy it together!)

The Sahara Desert lit by brake lights from a car, at night. Red sand sprawls everywhere, under the moon.
(Not a single filter on this photo)

He offered to hold my hair. And we might be best friends now, but at the time, he was just some practical stranger. So, I’m okay on that.

And yeah, then I hopped back in the car. We went to the camp. I went to sleep. And I’ll pick up here tomorrow!

A Little Layover In Paris (on the way to Morocco)!

May 31, 2022

On the way to Morocco, I had a little layover in Paris, and it was so peaceful!

The last time I had had a layover in Paris, since I had to fully switch airports, I had to bring all my bags with me and everything. So, it was kind of just a ride through Paris. I didn’t get to get out and explore much.

So, this time around, free of bags, I went to a row of cafes by the Eiffel tower, and got some Parisian deliciousness! Everything was very chocolatey and smooth.

And then I took a little stroll by the Eiffel tower. And it was hella in the morning, so I was one of the first people out for the day. And it was just so calm and beautiful to be basically watching the sunrise in Paris by the Eiffel Tower.

And then I had to head back to the airport, because my layover was only so long. But it was nice to enjoy while I was there!

The Semi-Silly, But Semi-Super-Serious Reason I’m Taking A Trip To Morocco!

May 30, 2022

Welp. Here we are again.

I explained in my blog about my trip to Egypt that I went there because I wanted the safest way to get across America after the mask mandates had been dropped, since I had to get to the east coast for a mandatory in-person final for grad school, and finally my graduation ceremony for undergrad.

And now we’re back in a similar boat!

So, I have approximately six weeks, give or take, to kill before I have to be in New York again for the actual full-on end to my graduate degree.

And I didn’t really know what to do with them.

I gave up my stable apartment in New York (in large part, because I was like never using it anymore).

So, I didn’t have that to just hang out in.

I could’ve sublet an apartment on the east coast. And I thought about doing that. But with so much not seeming super safe because Covid rates are rising, like, what am I gonna do? (And also I’ve already spent a good deal of time on the east coast.)

I could go BACK home, but if I’m trying to avoid flying domestically, I’d have to go through another country (or risk flying home without the mask mandate).

So, then I was like “what if I did half of that? What if I went to Morocco instead, and then just turned around and came back?”

…And that’s what I did!

So, we’ll start the Morocco adventure tomorrow!

Small Layover In Paris (From One Pyramid To Another)

May 29, 2022

(The Louvre)

My layover back to the states was in Paris!

And weirdly, I had to switch airports! (There was a big warning when I bought my ticket that I’ve to switch from Charles de Gaulle to Orly. So, I knew what I was in for.)

I asked the cab driver if he’d be up for lengthening my ride and showing me some sights. So, between airports we drove around a little, and I got to see some Parisian sights in person, which was pretty cool!

There’s not a ton to write here, as it was basically just a little overview of Paris, but it was lovely. And the driver had an interesting story and told me all about immigrating to France decades prior.

Great driver. Great sites. Great city.

And before you knew it, it was time to fly out again, back to New York, as I had to get back in time for my final and graduation [which you’ve already heard about, and now I’m already in Morocco! So, I guess we’ll get to that tomorrow!]

Apparently I Wanted To Go To Egypt When I Was A Little Girl?

May 28, 2022

The funny and sort of sad thing is every time someone in my family heard I went to Egypt, they were like “you finally made it there?!”

Apparently when I was a little girl, I talked about the pyramids and wanting to go to Egypt ALL THE TIME. It was my big, grand dream of a trip.

So, little girl me, congratulations that I finally took you. I’m sorry the running line in my family now every time anyone mentions Egypt is “well, Egypt blows.”

The “Scammy” Vibe In Egypt

May 27, 2022

So, I’d been warned before going to Egypt that everyone’s gonna try and scam you, and that it’s dangerous for solo-traveling women and everything.

But I always take warnings like that with a grain of salt, because sometimes those things are tinged with racism. So, I’m like “oh, I don’t want to have some Western version of Africa where I act like it’s so dangerous, but it’s awesome.

And I was even hesitant to write about Egypt, because I didn’t want to be a white person hating on Egypt.

But I was convinced after my trip that people are right. It is a very scammy place. Someone said “people see $$$$ in the eyes of Americans,” and it definitely felt that way.

I’ve been harassed, and people have tried to scam me in America before. So, I just thought “I can handle whatever.” But after going to Egypt, I would NEVER ‘let down my guard’ there.

If I ever go again, I’m absolutely doing my very best to get a SUPER reputable guide who will take me everywhere and handle everything for me, so I don’t have to be constantly standing up for myself and bartering for everything, etc. etc.

So, Egypt’s reputation, you win. Even the little faith I had was too much faith.

If I Were To Visit Egypt Again –

May 26, 2022

I said before that when I take international trips, I’m probably gonna write posts about if I were to go back, so I have a place to look to see what I missed last time, and what I’d like to do, should I find myself back there.

In Egypt, I didn’t actually do all that much, really. So, rather than be able to write a post on what more I’d add, it’s more like I’d basically do it all.

I’d maybe even like to go back to the pyramids, since apparently you’re allowed to go inside them, and I didn’t know that.

I would just be way more stern, way more hypervigilant, and maybe book with a luxury service? Or at least one that seemed super trustworthy?

I’d like to do the safari park thing between Giza and Cairo. I’d like to visit the library in Alexandria. I’d like to visit Dakab. Maybe someday I’ll make my way back to Egypt and give it another go, but probably not someday soon.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 4 – (Post Script)

May 25, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

So, the hotel guy asked me to let him know when I got back safely, and I probably should’ve known to never talk to him again. But I’m naive! Too trusting. And also I was kind of hoping he’d clear things up with booking, because I really wanted my frequent flier points.

So, I messaged him when I made it to France to let him know I’d safely left Egypt, and to ask if he would work things out with Booking.com.

THEN he told me that he fought with me so much because he “LIKED ME SO MUCH” [all caps], and now that we weren’t doing ‘official business’ anymore, he could be honest about his feelings, because he was “hiding his care.” And he’s like “I don’t mind to let you become my girl.” What does that even mind? He doesn’t mind? As if I’d ever be interested in being with someone so controlling and annoying.

And I basically said as much, like what are you talking about. I’m still mad you never admitted, truly, that I paid that $20. Then he said “I forgive you.” He. Forgives ME?!

So, then I’m like “I’m the mad one. I don’t need forgiving.” Then he sends me a gif of a very sexualized kiss.

I said I didn’t want any sexual gifts from someone who has no respect for me. He said it was a kiss for me.

I said I do not want a kiss. He sends another gif of kissing. I ask him to please stop.

He says “With all respect, kiss every piece of you.” I write back “Please stop.”

He says, “It’s not work now, so I am free to express my feeling to you as much as I can.”

I say if someone expresses they don’t want something sexual toward them, it’s not respectful to continue whether or not you’re interacting with a customer.

He sense another kissing gif and says “kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss” over and over and then says “from head to….”

I say, “I have asked many times. Please stop speaking to me in this manner. I am not interested in this.”

He then asks why I’m hiding my interest. I’m utterly disgusted, and never speak to him again.

What I WANT to do is say the name of the hotel here, and write bad reviews on every website. But I’m too weirded out by him. And he has a copy of my passport. And I have no idea what he could do with that. But since he has personal information, and since I just never want to hear from him again and don’t want any trouble, I’m just telling this story in a more anonymous fashion.

I am just so happy to be done with my Egypt trip.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 4 – (Finally Leaving)

May 24, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

So, then the hotel guy is like “what was the deal today? You’re treating $20 like it’s $20,000.”

And I was like “I’m just so tired of people nickel-and-diming me! It feels like everybody here just wants every last dollar they can get! And I like to be generous. And I like to tip. And I like to help people! But I DON’T like to feel taken advantage of – whether it’s $20, 20 cents, or $20,000. It’s not about the amount! It’s about how small and taken advantage of and just really stupid I feel in Egypt for all much I’m falling for it all.”

And then he tells me he’s a stand up guy, and would never take advantage of anyone, and how can I say he’s lying about this when he’s so good to me and made sure I had dinner on the first night (which I did still pay for in real time at the restaurant, by the way – yes, it was a favor to have them make food that late, but it wasn’t completely a gift. There was someone on duty at that time, who also got tipped, and they made whatever money they make from food. I mean, it was super nice, but that one thing can be held over me as like a ‘see I’m perfect’ type of thing.)

Then we somehow end up fighting a little more, and as I’m about to go back to my room, he tells me that even though I did not pay for the car, he’ll send one anyway and it will meet me at 9.

And I’m like, “No thanks. I don’t want a pity car. If you’re standing firm that I didn’t pay for it, I do not want it. I need to pack and get out of here.”

So, I go back to my room. And he messages me and says a driver will be at reception at 9.

And I say, “I am going to pay for my own Uber. i don’t need any “favors” when it’s something I am absolutely POSITIVE I paid for.”

And he says “Then it’s not a favor.”

And I say I know I paid. He reiterates the car will be at reception at 9.

I say “If you truly believe I did not pay you, then I do not want your charity.”

And he says “The driver will be waiting for you at reception at 9pm.”

THEN he “cancels” my reservation on Booking.com and I get an automated message about being a no-show.

And I don’t want any extra no-show charges or whatever – AND I specifically went through Booking to get Frequent Flier points. And I’m so annoyed that he did this. And he’s like, “It’s Booking. It’s not Congress.” like ‘you’re fine.’

THEN like an hour later, I get a knock on the door. He’s brought me KFC (like a little American olive branch gift).

And even though I’m so over everything at this point, because he’s sorta kinda been nice, I literally don’t know what to think at this point, if he sucks, or if it’s all just been weird, but who cares, as I’m almost out of there.

So, then I do take the car at 9. And then of course it drops me off at the wrong terminal and drives away.

So, I wrote him to let him know to see if the driver was still around or whatever. And it didn’t matter because I found a shuttle between terminals.

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 4 – (Okay, At Least I Successfully Got My Covid Test To Go Home)

May 23, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

So, I went over to the Ritz Carlton and they told me that if they wanted, while I wanted for the doctor, I could hang out and get food or whatever.

They don’t technically serve food outside, but they’ll allow you to carry your food outside if you want.

So, I finally just relaxed for a hot second. It felt like so much of the trip had just been fighting, or feeling bad, or feeling solicited, or exhausted. And it was nice to hang out and eat some good food.

The doctor took my Covid test (and was able to use my passport photo that the hotel guy was like ‘give me another one’ – I knew it was clear enough!)

So, yeah, I get my test. I get some food.

And then, I take an Uber back to the hotel.

And I think at this point, like “All right. It’s Uber. This is an ‘official’ app. I’m going straight from one point to another. I can’t run in to any more problems.

But no. Even the uber driver stops along the way to guys who are just kind of loitering around to let them, through the window, be like, “Do you want to see the pyramids? I can guide you around?”

And then I just feel ready to scream. I just say over and over “no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I’ve seen the pyramids.”

Finally, I get back to the hotel.

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 4 – (A Ridiculous Fight With The Hotel Guy)

May 22, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

So, then I figure I’ll do the Covid thing myself, as I saw a Ritz Carlton by the museum, and I knew they’d know how to help me.

So, when I told the hotel dude I’d take care of it myself and he was like ‘great idea!’ Then I asked to confirm that a car would be there around like 9pm. And he’s gets all passive-aggressive like ‘oooooh I thought you were such an independent person who can do all this on her own, so you don’t need a car, right?’

And it’s like “WHAT?!” Like what is even HAPPENING here?!

And THEN he tries to argue that I didn’t pay for the car to the airport.

And then we’re arguing back and forth about it. And then he shows me a random stack of cash on the table and he’s like “this is what you gave me and it only covers the nights the tour and the ride TO the airport.”

And I’m basically like “what are you even talking about?! It’s SO unlikely that you kept my money SEPARATE from all the other money in your drawer!”

And then he’s arguing you did. And I’m like “then how much is in the stack then?!”

And he’s like refusing to answer for a while. And then he’s taking time – time I’m assuming he’s doing to do the math.

And THEN he’s like ‘are you dong playing yet, so I can order the Covid test for you?’ (?!!??!!?)

And I’m all “Are you KIDDING me?!” And he’s like “so you need a covid test?” And I’m like, “You’re trying to get an extra $20 from me, interrupting all my sightseeing, and you’re asking me if I want to spend MORE money?! The Covid thing is figured out. NO test.”

Then we argue a little more about whether I paid or not. And he’s like “no, you refused.”

And I was like “WHY WOULD I HAVE REFUSED?! You wanted cash. I don’t have a debit card that works here. I wanted to be SURE I had the NECESSITIES (like getting to the airport) covered before I did anything else. Your story doesn’t even make SENSE.”

THEN he’s like ‘okay, let’s stop this now and take care of the covid thing. I’m a partner with the local hospital which will send a doctor for your test.’

And I say I’m getting really furious and I can’t play games all day as I’m trying to see Egypt.

And THEN he’s like “hey, if you need my help to pay for you for the airport ride, I can do it.”

And I just feel crazy at that point. Don’t act like you’re a hero and offering me something to “help” me, when I already PAID for it. Then he says I’m hurting him. And he “knows what I’m doing.”

It’s all just getting to be way too much.

And it’s just this long drawn out stupid argument. And I’m like so over it. And the guy at the museum is basically like “it doesn’t matter what this dude is saying. You can’t let him ruin your last day here.”

And I’m in full agreement on that. So, I tell hotel guy I’m not gonna be answering anymore.

And ultimately, I did kind of squander my time at the museum, because I was distracted and then I had to call the Ritz Carlton to see if I could get a Covid test there.

And then I finally had to leave to go get said Covid test. So, anyway, nice man from the Egyptian museum I’m sorry for being a wreck that day.

And off to get my Covid test I went, which is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 4 – My Last Day In Egypt (Everything’s a Fight)

May 21, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

Okay, so the night before, I’d asked the hotel guy about getting a Covid test to go home. He said they were hard to get in Egypt. (Other people had said this too, so I didn’t think this was just him messing with me.)

And he said we’d work it out in the morning.

So, the other tour guide guy came in the morning, gave me a little money back, and took me to Cairo, and dropped me off at a major intersection, and I walked to the Egyptian museum, where I met a cool Australian tourist who walked around with me. And he kinda thought it was hilarious when I regaled him with my stories of what a mark I’d been these past few days, basically in a very nice way being like “you are awful at this/navigating Egypt hahahaha.”

He was super, super nice about it though, and always putting a positive spin on it, and basically being like, “hey, you learned a lot in this trip. And that hopefully helps you in the future.”

But, while i was in the museum, I felt a little bad, because I spent a fair amount of the time distracted by other stuff going on – which was mainly the Covid stuff.

So, I felt slightly at the mercy of the hotel guy because I didn’t know local places to get Covid tested, and I had to have a negative test to get on the plane/back into America.

So, we were messaging back and forth. And I’m telling him I just need a Rapid test, as that’s what’s required. And he keeps telling me to get a PCR.

(He has made it very clear at this point he barely even believes in Covid, so the PCR is not an extra step for my health. It’s to make more commission off of the money I’d be paying the doctor.)

I reiterate I only want a Rapid.

Then he tries to tell me a “Rapid is part of a PCR.” And I’m like, no it’s not? They’re separate tests?

He asks for a copy of my passport. I give him a photo that’s on my phone (as I left my actual passport at the hotel). And he’s like “the photo isn’t clear enough.” Even though it was clear, as anything else I’d used it for (including registering with the scuba diving people) was fine.

So, then I finally ask like “Can I truly not just get one at a pharmacy? Does it have to be this whole thing with you bringing a doctor in?”

And he’s like “Are you joking?”

And I’m like “I’m not joking. I just don’t understand why everything is always so hard?” So then I say forget it. I’ll figure it out.

And he’s like, “do you honestly think a pharmacy is gonna do a PCR? hahahaha”

And I’m all “I don’t need a PCR! I need a rapid!”

So he’s like “Fine. Do figure it out on your own. Good idea”

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 4 – All The Red Flags Of The Hotel Guy

May 20, 2022

Okay, so since the story is gonna end with some annoyances from the hotel owner guy, let me just go ahead and start with like some of the first red flags.

So, we’d been communicating a little with booking.com and WhatsApp and whatever before the trip. And after I initially booked my stay, he asked what my plans were. I said I was still figuring it out.

I didn’t ask him to book anything for me. I just said I didn’t have plans. And when he picked me up from the airport, he was like “I booked you a guide for tomorrow.” And I was like “wait, what? I already booked a guide for tomorrow.”

And then he sort of 1/4-joking, but also a little seriously was upset that I’d booked something else, and started to try to guilt me for not using his person when I’d never written him to say I’d gotten something else.

But it’s like… well, also, I never asked you to do anything. But whatever. He didn’t make it too big of a deal. But he was kind of “joking” about how he always knew better… which like, he did live in Egypt, but it didn’t just feel like an Egypt thing, it also felt like a misogyny thing. But whatever, I didn’t want to be too sensitive at the beginning.

And then he did the thing where he opened the rooftop restaurant just for me, and that was really nice. So, that looked promising.

But then when he gave me a room, I had paid for a room with a view of the pyramids, but he put me in a room that had no view of anything. And it really wasn’t much extra money at all. It was the difference of like a couple American dollars, maybe but still, it is what I booked.

So when I tried to nicely mention like “hey, my reservation says a room with a view of the pyramids,” he got upset at me. And he was like “you ruined my surprise! You said you’re going to Alexandria tomorrow night, so I was going to surprise you when you got back and move you to a room with the pyramids! Way to ruin the surprise.”

But like… It’s not really a surprise when it’s what you’ve literally paid for (even if the price is negligible in American dollars). But whatever.

Then, in Alexandria, I messaged him to let him know maybe I should’ve used his guide because it had been such a mess.

So, I said I was looking into options and wondering if his person was still available. And he said yes. Then I said I’d asked the hotel where I was and they actually had someone, so I’d be fine.

Then he was telling me how I made a mistake the first time and I have to listen to him. So, I asked how much it would be and he wouldn’t tell me.

And I was like ‘don’t worry about it. I trust this hotel. And the price is better than the last price you quoted me. So, I’m just going with this, but thank you.’

And he’s like “Not going to let you have the same situation again” I said “hahaha” And he said “Can you listen.”

Then we go back and forth a few times where he says “send me your location.” And I ask how much. And he says “location.” And I say I’m fine. And he says “location.”

Then we just keep going back and forth, until finally I agree, because he says they’ll take me around Alexandria a bit, and one of them will be a woman, and they’ll speak English. So, because I want to have an experience rather than just a straight drive with someone I won’t be able to communicate with, I agree.

It’s slightly disconcerting that he just is like so firm about it all, but I figured that’s just his personality.

Then, there’s the fight in the reception/”lobby” area about whether our media is controlled by our government. And he just doesn’t respect my thoughts on it at ALL – even though I work in American media.

But whatever. Lots of people believe in mini-conspiracy-theories. And at the end of the day, who really cares if a stranger in Egypt thinks our media is run by our government.

So THEN, I have to get a Covid test in order to get back to the states. All I need is a Rapid test. (It just has to be an official doctor/pharmacist person. One of the at-home ones I take in my room doesn’t count.)

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 3 – The End of the Day (Aye, Aye, Aye)

May 19, 2022

So, I get back to the hotel, and in the lobby, I meet a cool couple from Portugal, and the owner is there too.

And first off, I find that I’ve been WAY overcharged for riding the camel – like way so. They’re all saying it should’ve only been like $30[US]. So, I feel super stupid because I’ve paid like 3x as much.

And then everyone’s cracking jokes and having fun, and the owner of the hotel is telling us crazy stories of past guests. So, overall, it’s a good time.

But THEN, we end up getting into this discussion of like America and American media and whatever.

And then he starts arguing that our media is government run.

And I’m like “dude, there are so many things you could say is wrong with America. We need a better healthcare system. We’re bad with gun laws. Etc. etc. Like, I’m not someone who’s big on American exceptionalism and I’m fine to talk about the places we falter, but our media is not run by the government.”

And he just keeps arguing that yes it is. And he’s talking about how we can’t talk poorly about the President. And it’s like… yes? We absolutely can? I’ve worked on late night comedy shows where we HAVE. There are shows that straight up win Emmys that make fun of the President.

And THEN he starts saying I must have no idea what I’m talking about, or I’m just not high up enough in the industry to know, or blah blah blah all these things about how I’m stupid about THE INDUSTRY I LITERALLY WORK IN.

And we kinda get into it. And I’m already on edge from everything else that’s been happening. And it’s super annoying.

And anyway, eventually I get back to my room, and I start WhatsApping with the driver, and was asking why he’d overcharge me so deeply for the camel ride, instead of just telling me he wanted to pay money for the day he offered for “free” (which I did tip him on, by the way!), and he was like “this was the price you agreed to!”

And I was like “you presented it to me as a set price, and you knew it was super high, and you knew I was kind of trusting you. Yes, I should’ve looked more into this, but you shouldn’t be trying to gouge me.”

So THEN he does this whole thing about how he’s absolutely not gonna admit any fault, nor blame, but since he ‘feels bad’ for me that I can’t get a new debit card ’til I get back to the states, so I’m on a specific amount of cash, he’ll bring me a partial refund in the morning. He’s going to do it ‘out of the goodness of your heart’.

And then I was all annoyed because it’s like – I’m not actually mad about the money itself? I’m a liiiiittle mad about the money itself. But I’m MORE upset about just like the principle of it, and feeling like a mark.

In general, one thing I wish guides in Egypt would understand is I would SO much rather someone just charge a higher price for the day and let us have a good relaxed time than be always trying to find more things for me to buy to get commission off of.

Like, just say how much you want to make for the day, and then let’s have fun, than all this secretive overcharging, or getting me to go in perfume stores, or whatever.

But I agree to take some money back in the morning, because I guess why not. And he tells me he’s going to Cairo, so he’ll even drop me off in Cairo, so like, fine. I will make this my last interaction with this man, as I know obviously I don’t like the way he does business, and don’t find him very trustworthy. But I might as well get a free trip to Cairo, and get some money back, out of it.

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 3 – The Other Guide Stuff (Carpet Making Place, etc.)

May 18, 2022

Okay, so just two other things I did on this mini-tour – like at the beginning of the day, when things seemed so much more promising.

We started at this place that makes carpets – which was actually interesting. They showed me around to different looms to show me how to make various types of carpet.

But one thing that was sad was that they talked about how many of the people who work there are kids, and they do it until they turn like 25, and then that’s it. They become teachers or how to do it, or something else, because their fingers get ‘too big’ and also their bodies just tire of it.

And that feels like not ethical labor?

But the few kids I saw in there seemed happy? And the guy who was walking me around said the families generally liked it because it was good for their families to earn the money.

And then I wondered if my western view of the world is just what I’m used to and that it could be humane in other parts of the world to have kids work, in some cultures… Or if I should be worried about the kids in Egypt. And I do not know the answer to that.

Also in the morning, my guide asked me if I wanted a little necklace that had my name in hieroglyphics. And it wasn’t too expensive, and I thought that might be a cute souvenir.

He kind of made it sound like I’d get to go in and see it be made. So, I was like “yeah, sure, that sounds cool.”

And then later in the day, we stopped and he told me to hang tight in the car. Since he didn’t explain where we were, or what he was doing, I thought he was just running in to use the bathroom or something.

No.

He was going in the store to get my hieroglyphics necklace. I guess he’d called it in when I was doing carpet stuff or whatever. So, of course that was a disappointment, that I didn’t get to see the process at all.

I threw the necklace out before I even left Egypt, because what’s the use in keeping anything from this trip?

Anyway, sorry I went a little out of order. But that was the beginning of the day. And then after all the rest of the stuff, I finally got dropped back off at my hotel.

And I’ll pick up with that tomorrow.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 3 – Stopped In a Papyrus Shop

May 17, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

So, then the guide is telling me he wanted me to see this guy’s papyrus shop. And I was like “wasn’t there some famous papyrus place you were gonna take me, where they show you how to make papyrus paper?”

And he’s like “Oh, this local place is better. And it’s cheaper. And it’s right here.”

But then he’s describing it as a store. And I was like “am I gonna be able to see how it’s made or what?” And he was like “no, but the quality is so great. And the process isn’t that special.”

And it’s like “are you KIDDING me?! I don’t like to shop! I like to have experiences. You’re trying to get me to buy stuff from your friend instead of taking me to the main papyrus place – where I only want to go so I can see it be done, and you don’t even want to recreate that part?”

And he’s like “you might like it; just go in.”

And at this point in Egypt, I KNOW not to “just go in” anywhere.

So, finally he talks to the guy, and they agree he’ll show me how to make papyrus if I go there instead of the main papyrus place. So, I do.

They give me a little demonstration. then they show me the papyrus art.

And it is nice. But I don’t have anywhere to put it in my home, so I offer money just as a thanks for the fact that he showed me how it’s made and he’s like “oh, I can’t just accept this money, you have to buy something.”

And then he’s trying to ‘make deals’ or whatever with his artwork.

And finally, as I’m learning to just insanely put your foot down in Egypt, I’m like, “I would love to give you money for you time. I am not buying art today. You can accept this money as a thank you for your time, or I am going to leave not giving you any money at all.”

And he took my money, and then the guide took me back home.

But I did skip a thing in the morning about taking me to a carpet-making place, so I’ll go ahead and do that tomorrow.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 3 – The End of the Pyramids

May 16, 2022

So, after the Sphinx, the camel guide told me he was going to drop me off with my guide. And he started to walk me out of the general pyramid area.

So, then as we get to the parking lot, I’m like “okay, where’s my guide?” And he’s like “just keep following me, we’re going to him.” And the farther we walk, the more I’m kinda like “where’s my guide?”

And he tells me to just keep following him.

And finally, he WALKS INTO A PERFUME STORE. And I stand FIRM outside the store, NOT going in. (We are not about to have a repeat of the old perfume story from the previous day.)

And he comes back out when he realizes I’m not following him. And I’m like WHERE. IS. MY. GUIDE?!

And he was like “oh, here. He’s in here. So, I just peek my head in and see my guide. And I was like “pyramids are OVER. Let’s GO”

And then he’s just trying to act like he was trying to ‘show me something cool’. And I’m sure some people think perfume is cool. I’m just SO TIRED of people trying to sell me stuff. I don’t like stuff, generally. I like experiences. And if I AM gonna buy stuff, it’s so remember the cool experiences. So, like… aye aye aye.

Anyway, any time you show any frustration, even a little, guides and stuff kind of freak out. I think because they don’t want bad reviews online. But also, this is some guy with a tiny ‘company’ that I just booked through WhatsApp off of a guide book. I don’t know if he has a website. I don’t know the name of his ‘company.’ Like, who am I gonna tell that this sucks?

(I guess I could tell you all. And specifically I haven’t mentioned anyone’s name in Egypt, ’cause I don’t want to mention the names of people I didn’t enjoy.) But like… I’m not Kylie Jenner. I don’t think enough people read this blog to affect him in any meaningful way, even if I did specifically put him on blast.)

Anyway, then he wants to convince me to stay to watch papyrus be made.

And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 3 – The Sphinx

May 15, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

So, then we make it to the area where the Sphinx is, and the camel guide I had told me to go just walk around, and that if anyone offers to take my picture, that they’re not offering out of niceness, but they’re doing it just to get money.

[I feel like I was always being warned from people in in Egypt about other people in Egypt, and that everyone always telling me everyone else was always out for money.]

Also, I was slightly annoyed(?), because the camel guide said he’d wait for me. So, it wasn’t like he was taking another person, but I’d paid over $100 for this camel ride! Like, if he’s just chilling, why can’t he come in and take the pics for me? (I asked and he said no.) [He actually encouraged me not to go to the Sphinx. I think he was just trying to see how fast he could cycle through me to try to get to the next person, but I dunno.]

So, anyway, I was just walking around, seeing if maybe I could find a tourist to take a couple photos for me.

And then I met an Egyptian man who was super nice! (But I later learned he just wanted to sleep with me, so like the only person I found who wasn’t motivated by money was motivated by sex. I didn’t sleep with him, so let’s just enjoy the kindness in this little moment where we have it.)

So, he offered to take some pics of me, and I was like “no thank you, no thank you, no thank you.” And he was like “no, let me,” and I was like “I’ve already been warned that I can’t have someone take pictures of me or I’ll have to keep paying money.” (And even if I did want to pay for pictures from someone, I didn’t actually have any cash on me, and I’d left it in my purse in the car – which, who knows if that was smart, but oh well!) And he was like “no, I promise. It’s free.”

So, then I let him start taking pictures. And at that point my camel guide ran over and was like “she said her money’s in the car! She has no cash on her!” And the new Egyptian guy was like “it’s okay. I don’t want money.”

So, my camel guide went back to the side, and then I was walking around the area with this new guide. And he was actually super nice. And he was like “yeah, people are so obsessed with money, and I just want to connect with people.”

And I thought that was cool.

He took me around, and took my pictures, and as I was walking out, I saw he had one of the tables set up of tchotchkes. And then he gave me a tiny little blue pyramid. And I was like “oh, no, thank you, but no.” And he was like, “seriously, I’m happy to gift it, no money expected.”

So, I felt like I had one, nice genuine interaction with someone in Egypt, which was great.

Then I did give him my WhatsApp number, because I was just happy to have someone who seemed genuine and trustworthy in Egypt.

But then he sent me an un-asked for picture in his underwear, and tried to guilt me when I didn’t react favorably. So, alas… Still no luck of any new friends in Egypt (except I did meet someone on the plane who was very nice! So maybe he counts.)

And then I’ll finish up about the pyramids tomorrow.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 3 – Great Pyramids Of Giza

May 14, 2022

Going to the pyramids is kinda funny ’cause you just drive on like a normal road, and you park in a parking lot.

Like, it really is such a touristy destination.

I feel like in so many of the pictures people post, it looks so deep in the desert that it seems hard to get there, like you’d have to take special vehicles or camels or whatever. But no. it’s pretty simple.

Then, once you get there, my guide just took me to the guy who was gonna take me around on the camel. So, I don’t know how you find the camel person if your guide doesn’t work it out, but I’m sure you could probably(?) figure it out.

Although area of the pyramids is WILD. I saw a video once of someone showing all the things you might fall prey to at the pyramids. And it showed this guy looking so ‘official’ and blowing a whistle trying to tell people they couldn’t go somewhere, trying to instead lead him to his area to sell them a mini-tour of the pyramids and on and on and on.

And it’s hard! If you’re alone and having trouble communicating because not everyone speaks English, and you’re trying to be respectful of rules and other cultures, it’s easy to be like “oh yeah, I better listen to the whistle guy.”

So, just always be aware, I guess.

But anyway, yeah, my guide drops me with the camel guide. And it feels crazy getting on a camel on the ground, and having it stand up beneath you. It’s just a strange sensation that’s like “whoa, this animal has tall legs.”

So, the camel takes me around, and even though Egypt was hot and crazy and exhausting with always trying to navigate what was going on, I tried to just totally take in that moment and look at the pyramids around me, which was cool.

I did ask if you could go inside the pyramids, and the guy said no, but I’ve heard later that you CAN!

So, I don’t know if people just want to try to keep it quick and not make the tour last too long or what. But I dunno. I guess maybe I’m too trusting because I did not do enough research (obviously) before going.

But the dude did take all the silly pictures of me you see everywhere where they have you pose in ways that make the pyramids look silly in the background (like looking like you’re touching the top tip of it, due to forced perspective).

And then once we got to the end of the ride around the area, looking at the pyramids, I got to go look at the Sphinx.

And that’s where I’ll pick up tomorrow.

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 3 – My Guide For The Day (The Intro of My Naiveness)

May 13, 2022

Oh boy, here we go again.

I feel like I have so much to say about Egypt, I never even know where to start. I was gonna do the pyramids next, but let you give you some ol’ context.

So, I had complained on WhatApp to the guy I booked the original driver with – the drive who ultimately didn’t speak English.

And at first the guy was kind of defensive like ‘you can’t expect drivers to speak English or whatever’. And I sent him screenshots from when I’d very specifically verified that the price included a driver who spoke English. And then he was all, “well, at the last minute, the driver I was supposed to have cancelled and I didn’t want to leave you high and dry, so I sent someone.”

And I was like, “uh, well, did you think to TELL me that [if it’s even true]? Because if you TELL me, I might have other options. The guy at the hotel was trying to sell me a guide service, etc. If you don’t tell me someone doesn’t speak English, and I don’t realize it until I’m an hour into a car ride with them when I wake up from my nap, like that’s an unfair situation to put me in!”

And finally he was like “I’ll tell you what. I’ll take you around myself tomorrow for free.”

And I was annoyed and on principle didn’t really want to let him, but I also liked the idea of a free day. So, I took him up on it.

So, he’s the one who took me around on the day of the pyramids, etc.

And like… I was a mark YET AGAIN.

Why am I stupid, you ask? Good question. I’m not sure.

Could be I’m too trusting. Could be lack of enough international experiences. Could be lots of things. But I can’t think of toooo many times I have felt as stupid as I have on my trip to Egypt.

So, he says he’ll take me around, and I’m like okay. But then he’s very weirdly like ‘in charge’ the whole day. And I guess what I mean by that is that he’s doing all the exchanges with people for me.

Like, on the first day in Alexandria, the driver would just park the car and point to where I’d go. And then I’d go up to the counter and see the sign of entrance fees and pay myself.

But here, this guide was like “the Saqqara costs this much. Hand it to me. And I’ll give it to them.”

And so I would just do that. And I don’t remember exactly how much the Saqqara cost. I know it wasn’t a lot. But “not a lot” in American dollars and “not a lot” in the Egyptian equivalent can be two different things. I think each of the things I went to on the first day cost like under $5 [US], some even just a couple of dollars.

And so, say this guy tells me something costs the equivalent of $15 [US], that’s not a crazy amount of money, but it’s like 3x what you’d normally pay.

So, I have no idea if the prices he was asking me for were even correct. And one of the main reasons I’m guessing they weren’t (other than all the other millions of context clues) is that like at Saqqara he said some dollar amount and then proudly gave me back like 50 Egyptian pounds or so (so like $2.50 US), like “look what I was able to save you!”

So, I think really what happened is he probably took over the normal rate and then gave me a little back to ‘convince’ me I was getting a deal.

And the most egregious thing was the pyramids.

Because he told me it cost a little over $100[US!]. And I knew that seemed steep, but riding the camels in Cabo was in that price range. And you only live once. And how often are you in Egypt.

So, it was presented to me as though it was just the price – like it would be in the same vein an entry price to a museum or something, not something you were supposed to barter [but spoiler alert: you were like definitely absolutely supposed to barter it]. And he’s saying it’s a 90-minute privately-guided camel ride.

And so in my head that kinda tracks, that for that it could be that much.

So, I pay it. Like a doofus!

Anyway, we’ll get back into more issues of me being the perfect mark, or whatever you want to call me for my guide later! And let’s get into the pyramids tomorrow!

My 1st Egypt Trip – Day 3 – Saqqara

May 12, 2022

Picking up from last time –

First, I went to Saqqara, which has a pyramid older than “the pyramids” we usually know.

There’s also a tomb you can go in, and it’s wild because, as you can see below, the wall looks unassuming, but if you hold your flashlight on it the right way (as the guide did for me), it makes a special picture!

(I do not understand how that works.)

I was warned at this place that people would be trying to take pictures with you. Don’t do it, because they want money.

Now, I was prepared to go in and just say “no.” That didn’t seem too hard, but when they say people are going to try to get you to take pictures with them, what they mean is not that people will call you over… They mean that if you are standing for your own picture, all of a sudden, you will feel the hand of a man on your shoulder, and they will be taking a picture with you.

And I tried to basically politely be like “oh no, thanks,” but they wouldn’t really take no for an answer. And then they act sweet like “no, no, don’t worry about it. I just want to share Egypt with you. This is just for fun,” as they literally start to like put a scarf on your head and hand you cane.

And if you let your guard down a little and allow them to put something on your head, boom. That’s it. They’re expecting money.

Like, you have to be on GUARD in Egypt.

Like, for REAL. All the time, if you try to say no to something, they’ll try to convince you that you’re not really agreeing. You’re ‘just seeing’ or someone’s ‘just being nice’ or whatever. But NO. If you give people a millimeter, they will take a foot.

So, when people say don’t take pictures with people here, they don’t mean just say no. They mean like *immediately* physically move far away when someone touches your shoulder – unless you want to be paying to take pictures with strangers.

(And if you do, you are gonna have a field day here!) But if you don’t, it’s less of a “say no if someone asks,” and it’s more of an “actively avoid, because they won’t ask [and will just start].”

My Undergrad Graduation Ceremony – Part 5 (Fenway Park/”Oooooh, Baseball”)

May 11, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

One of my small regrets of college was not going to Fenway Park enough – in fact, not at all while I was in college, though I have gone since.

It’s such a Boston thing to do. It’s so fun. It was within walking distance of where I lived. So, I just wish I would’ve gone more. So, I was very happy to go to celebrate graduation!

My sister took about 8 gazillion pictures of me wearing my cap, throwing my cap, all that outside of Fenway park (some before and some after the game).

And while we were in Fenway Park, we got some amazing vegetarian hot dogs. And I kept asking my sister questions about baseball. And then she started taking a few more pics for me.

In one of them where I’m looking out on the field, I said, “ooooh, baseball” in kind of a silly way. And then she lovingly made fun of me forever after that, because she started to piece together ‘wait a second, do you even like baseball, or do you just like Fenway Park and aesthetic graduation photos?’

(My sister actually DOES like baseball. She played softball in college on a scholarship.)

But I did have fun at the baseball game! We rocked out to Sweet Caroline, which was awesome. My dad seemed to have a great time, which was also awesome. (So glad we got to fulfill one of his bucket list items, even if I didn’t know it was on his bucket list before we went.)

Sadly, we lost in overtime!

Then we walked back to the hotel, and on the way stopped for some good ol’ J.P. Licks (another Boston staple), and walked by the Berklee buildings, where we snapped even a couple more pictures still!

And that concludes graduation and the Boston trip.

And the next day, it was off to Morocco!

My Undergrad Graduation Ceremony – Part 4 (Post-Ceremony Meetup)

May 10, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

One fun thing I forgot to mention is that I didn’t realize until this ceremony that there are specific colors based on your type of degree!

And since my degree is in music, that means I get pink! Isn’t that cool?! It was awesome when I got my cap and gown and saw pink on the tassel!

So, after the ceremony, we started just walking away from the venue. The main immediate goal was to get out of the crowd. And then we’d figure out if we wanted to uber or what.

We stopped at a Starbucks. The professor that I hugged texted me while we were there. He asked if we were still around because he wanted to meet my parents. And he ended up swinging by the Starbucks!

So, that was very cool. And it was so funny to hear this amazing Grammy-winning man, who was also an artist in his own right, who’d been signed with Virgin Records (for 3 albums), and toured, and did all this amazing stuff, just like relating to my parents and talking about what it’s like to have kids in school. I mean, I know of course he is a person, but I just found that kinda funny.

After they chatted, and he left, we checked and ubers pretty wildly expensive. And we lucked out, since the T was right there. So we took the T into Boston.

And THEN! We went to see the Red Sox play.

This was really nice because I found out after the fact that going to Fenway Park was on my dad’s bucket list! If I would’ve known that, we wouldn’t have wasted time even throwing out any other ideas. But luckily, it didn’t matter since Fenway was what we landed on.

I wanted to go in the cute little white skirt I was wearing, but my parents convinced me to change into one of my long skirts from Egypt as it was cold. I wish I put a little more thought/look into the fit (and probably worn the white skirt instead of the red one, although if I really cared that much, I’m sure there’s an editing program that can change the color for me).

Anyway… I know this is a short post, but I’ll stop here, so I have a good starting point to talk about the Red Sox game tomorrow!

My Undergrad Graduation Ceremony – Part 3 (Excited To See People I Knew!)

May 9, 2022

Picking up from yesterday –

Okay, so here’s the real stuff we care about!

The first small thing is when I was in my seat, I remembered that one of my tutors who, I think, became my friend as we’d sometimes do zooms outside of tutoring and text and things – she was graduating! I was like “wait a second, she was gonna finish this year, right? I checked and her name was in the program. I texted her. We texted pics back and forth from where we were sitting. We were silly and happy and it was good!

And then as I was waiting to walk, I saw my professor who’d encouraged me to go back to school, and has really been a positive force in my life (getting me to try new things like vegetarianism, giving sage advice and things; he’s a cool person). So, that was a fun surprise of excitement.

Then I walked. I reeeeeeally want to walk with my gown wide open, since gowns are shapeless, so people could see I’m cute and my waist goes in. But, I thought I’d get in trouble or something, so I didn’t.

After I walked, I went and sat down and I asked one of my favorite MP&E (Music Production and Engineering) Professors if he was there. He WAS and he was like “yeah, I’m in the front row. You walked by us!” And I was like “I WHAT?!”

I was about to be real sad if I didn’t get to see him. He thought there might be a procession out and I’d be led out without getting to see him, but luckily that didn’t happen. So, right after the ceremony, I ran up to the front row and gave him the biggest hug! It was really lovely to see him, as he was my professor WAY back in the day and then also on zoom in current day! [I mean, he’s not a secret haha. It was Prince Charles (grammy winner).]

So, that was lovely.

The one semi-embarrassing part was when we got to the point where people could throw their hats, and I was really bad at it. I didn’t want to lose my hat. I didn’t want to accidentally take someone’s eye out. The hat throwing was more stressful than I thought haha. I guess for future reference, if you don’t decorate your hat, you should probably put your name on the inside so you can be sure you don’t actually lose it.

(Although, it would probably be pretty hard to lose a hat completely – if there were no markings, you just might get someone else.)

So, I did a few little tiny throws instead of one big good one. I was in a big group, so you’d think no one would notice… except my sister who totally made fun of me later! (But all in good and loving fun, not in a mean way.)

And that was it.

The ceremony was over. My family had a slightly hard time finding each other, but we did. Then we all bought Berklee gear, which I think is funny that everyone is so willing to drop such an exorbitant amount of money just because it’s graduation day, so everyone wants all this expensive gear. (But that was my parents who were doing that, so thanks for my hat! Every person in my family got something. We were a big Berklee squad.)

And that concludes graduation. And I’ll talk about what else we did on graduation day tomorrow!