I am sitting in my university’s garden, a patch of grass and bushes between a few blocky buildings. I just got out of Modern Standard Arabic, and my brain is fried – it is the end of my first week of classes in Morocco, and the end of my first week speaking only Arabic, all the time. I’m exhausted but the garden is peaceful. My host mom said today would be cold (read – 60s and sunny) but it is only a bit chilly in the shade. I adjusted from the negatives and snow in Ohio faster than I might have liked, but I’m still only wearing a shawl while most Moroccans are bundled up in long coats and gloves. 

The cats are trying to get into my lunch. One, a sleek black cat with green eyes I haven’t seen before, is nervous enough to run away if I move towards her, but the other, our building’s permanent resident, nicknamed meowshkila (mushkila means problem in Arabic) refuses to leave. She is a constant nuisance, climbing on tables in class and stealing any food she can. Cats are everywhere in Rabat, wherever you look, you are likely to find a cat. Probably 20 live outside my apartment where the owners of out corner bakery leave out old bread for them to eat. Small mammals, on the other hand, are non-existent, and birds are much less common than in the Northeast. I hear them occasionally, now there is one in the palm tree across the garden from me, and see them fly by on occasion, mostly pigeons. 

Above me is a huge tree. If I had to guess, I would say it is in the poplar family. It has long, willow-like leaves and peeling grey and white bark. The seeds fall constantly, with the square star shape of cottonwood seeds without the fluff. Every morning, a woman sweeps the seeds off the red concrete patio, and every afternoon, the patio is again covered in a solid layer of seeds. The university buildings are white washed concrete, built to keep the heat out in the summer. This time of year, the rooms on the South side of the building are comfortably warm, while the rooms on the North side are freezing. 

A fat black beetle crawls past, to the interest of the cats. The soil is a deep red, and sparkles a little with sand. Little tufts of green grass, various mustards, and something like oxalis pop up all around. The university is surrounded by tall walls, and on the slope up to the wall grow bright pink flowers with succulent stems. The flowers are happy in the shade, but in the sunniest areas, only hardy grasses grow. Winter in Rabat feels like May in the Northeast. The breeze off the ocean keeps Rabat warm, but up in the mountains, there are meters of snow. 

Rabat is a peaceful city, it’s quiet, with many parks, and trees everywhere. Giant bushes spill out into the street, and most balconies are filled with potted plants. There is a light breeze in the air, and a fresh set of seeds fall over the patio. The cats are lying in the sun, lunch is eaten, and I’m off to take a nap before having henna done, and maybe toss a frisbee by the ocean.