Morocco Week 2

Halfway through!  2 weeks into the Arabic Language and Moroccan Culture Experience, I am settling into my new routine.  My daily routine consists of Arabic classes in the morning, and a cultural activity in the afternoon.  We wake up at around 7:30 am, enjoy a traditional breakfast- with Moroccan mint tea.  Usually only our host mother is up, as the daily life in Morocco starts much later, usually around 9 or 10 AM, because Moroccans stay up very late at night. School starts at 9:00, so we leave the house at 8:30.  My roommate and I walk with two other students to the tram station.  We take public transit to school and back everyday.  The first 90 minutes of classes is entirely in Modern Standard Arabic, then we have a break and transition into Darija- the Moroccan dialect of Arabic.  After classes, we get to practice what we learned on strangers.  We ask people on the street for directions, or we just strike up a general conversation in Darija.  It was embarrassing at first, but after the first few times, I’ve learned to love these interactions. For lunch, we frequent cafes and Starbucks, but my roommate and I are starting to cook at the Ciee Study Center.  We went to a Carrefour (a large grocery chain here) and bought some basics to make pasta for a few days.  Most students go to the conveniently located Starbucks across the street from our classroom building.  In the afternoons, we have cultural excursions.  So far, we’ve visited a beach, gone to Mohammedia to watch Morocco play in the World Cup match, and we had a competition in the Medina.  My favorite excursions thus far have been our day trip to Tangier, and my personal cultural excursion to a hammam.  Wherever you go in Morocco, it is an adventure.  Interpreting different cultural norms and the medley of languages that exist here is challenging, but very satisfying.  I am far from fluent in both Arabic and French, but people skills and the ability to adapt to new situations fill in the language gaps.  I can get by with hearing French and speaking the basic Darija I’ve learned.  Knowing “Salam” (hello), Shukran (thank you), and Ana cantilim Darija (I am studying Darija) can take one very far here.  During the weekdays, we usually get home around 5, and then in our free time, we’ll hang out with our host cousins or go out with friends to see the city.  In the evenings at home, we will play with our host cousins or do homework with the help of our host siblings.  We usually have dinner around 10 pm, with tea and cookies.  We usually have chicken with bread and eat from a communal dish.  Our home life is very different here, because many family members live in our apartment.  I live in a townhouse at home, and I’m lucky to have my own room with a connecting bathroom.  I even sleep on my own floor of the house.  Here, I share a room with another CIEE student.  My room is also our host sisters room, so there’s not much privacy.  My family is very small at home, so it’s nice to be able to experience being in a big family in Morocco.  What’s surprised me the most is the relative lack of tourism here.  In Rabat, I’ve only seen about 30 tourists in the 2 weeks I’ve been here.  I assumed that, because it is the capital of Morocco, the tourism industry would be much more developed, but it’s really cool to be in a traditional Moroccan city surrounded by locals.  There’s no crutch here when we can’t communicate in Arabic or French, as most people don’t speak much English because it’s not needed here.  Another interesting cultural facet is the hammam culture here.  Most people would assume that a 99% Muslim country would frown upon public bathhouses, but they’re frequented by both Moroccan men and women.  Little moments of self care and self indulgence are less prevalent in the US, and I hope to incorporate in my life when I go back home.  I also want to incorporate more of the laid back, family-centered values at home.  I’ve enjoyed experiencing the cultural differences here, even if some things are a bit out of my comfort zone.