I could feel the culture shock setting in last night as soon as I stepped off the plane in Casablanca. My first mission was to exchange some money to dirhams to pay the train fare, and then board the correct train to my destination. All of this went okay with the "help" of a local, who then requested a rather generous payment for his efforts! No matter, I was on my way to Fez as planned. The train pulled out of the station into a world I had never imagined. Run-down shacks, some inhabited, some abandoned. Trash piles and debris. Some places looked like war zones, with some decent-looking neighborhoods and apartments scattered throughout.

Jeremy’s new "home away from home."

After three planes, a train, and almost 30 hours, I finally arrived in Fez completely exhausted. Dr. Frappier welcomed me, and I soon found myself eating a much-needed meal in a beautiful Moroccan hotel/restaurant. The horse speak began immediately–a client wanted Dr. Frappier to examine two of his Arabians before an upcoming race. After some conversation over a bottle of wine, we headed to the American Fondouk, where I will be working for the next month. As we drove past the high white walls and through the wooden gates of the Fondouk, I felt immediate excitement and a surge of new energy. Several concrete stalls housing open right into the main courtyard, which is also surrounded by the treatment area, farrier station, and apartments. I went to sleep feeling that this is truly going to be an amazing experience