My departure day

Today is the day I depart for my long awaited trip to the American Fondouk in Fez, Morocco. As soon as my alarm went off this morning at 6:30am I had butterflies in my stomach with excitement. I kissed my husband goodbye as he headed off to work and got started on some of the tasks that still needed done today: finish packing, go to the barn and say good bye to my ponies, unlock my phone for overseas SIM card use, figure out how to use Skype, and start this blog! My flight is scheduled to depart at 4:00pm and is first bound to Paris, then Casablanca, Morocco. From Casablanca I will catch the train to Fez and if everything goes as planned I will arrive in Fez at about 10pm Friday Dec 30th where hopefully someone from the Fondouk will be waiting to pick me up. I can't wait to see Fez and hopefully some of the surrounding cities. I have been reading about Morocco, primarily Fez, in several travel guides I received for Christmas. I am excited to get lost in the maze of streets in the Medina, tastes the foods, smell the smells, and hopefully find some amazing souvenirs to bring home! My goals are to be able to see a Fantasia, a display of horsemanship where men aboard barb or Arabian-Barb crossed horses dressed in costumes similar to native Arabian costumes charge forward and fire their guns in unison before coming to a quick halt. I'm not sure where the horsemanship in that comes into play but I'm sure I'll learn. I'd also like to take a camel trek which requires traveling south and East towards the edge of the Sahara desert. These hopeful experiences are all in addition to the great experiences I know I will have at the American Fondouk. The American Fondouk is a charitable animal hospital just outside the town of Fez than now only treats donkeys, mules, and horses. These four legged creatures I have loved for a lifetime are the primary modes of transportation for the Ancient streets of Fez. They say the streets of Fez were only built wide enough for three donkeys to pass, which is why the Medina is such a maze and modern motorized vehicles can not be used. Though the city is modernized, the transportation of goods continues in old tradition with donkeys and mules. It is not uncommon to see donkeys carrying flat screen TVs in addition to everything else you can find in the Medina. I am excited to be able to work with these truly working equines as well as some of the valuable horses brought in from across the countryside. I hope you will continue to follow my blog as I take you trough my adventures in Morocco and at the American Fondouk! I am excited for what is in store for me in the next three weeks!