July 4th in Morocco?

Happy July 4^th from Africa! Not that there is any celebration here, but “celebrating” with Arabic class with 15 other Amrikiyas in Africa beats celebration in the U.S, still. Morocco is treating me fabulously!

Our classes have begun, and so far they have been quite easy. Our class is learning the alphabet, and I already know the alphabet, so it’s just a review for me. (Thank you, Rosi!!) Darija is interesting but much harder, because it is a dialect of Arabic with its own grammatical structure – so really, I am learning two languages at the same time. I am able to read slowly and write words at this point, and I don’t actually understand most of the words – but I can sort of make the sounds that are more difficult for non-native speakers to pronounce. I even have a catchy Arabic alphabet song stuck in my head. (I’ll just ignore the fact that I currently know less Arabic than a Moroccan kindergartener!) We have university level speaking partners to practice our Arabic with too, which is super helpful because I need a lot of practice.

               On Monday we visited the Chellah, a beautiful castle-like ancient Roman ruin, and the Mausoleum of King Mohammad V – both so interesting. The architecture is so different from anything that you would see in the United States: It really is an entirely different world. Today we went to a Souk, the Thursday market, in Sale. The idea is similar to a farmers market in the United States, however it was shockingly different – at some points, I was in the panic zone. Cows, sheep, lambs, chickens, and rabbits are dragged around on ropes, blindfolded, have their feet tied together, are shoved in tiny cages, are slaughtered – all in plain view. It is obviously a normal occurrence for the Moroccans who have a rural lifestyle, but for me – it was painful to see, shocking, and nauseating. The thought of it makes me sick. It was definitely different, and not a way of life that I am at all used to, so.. I don’t exactly plan on going back!

               The running situation here for me is totally not ideal. There is a wonderful, forested, running park here called the Hilton. However, its location requires that I take a taxi to and from because I am far too unfamiliar with the city and language to walk there alone. I could run in my area off Rabat, but it is a little sketchy because, as the only American they have possibly ever seen, I get lots of stares, comments, and one time was even followed on a bike. My only opportunity to run is at the Hilton, but because I have to take a taxi, there is a slight problem. Every single time I have been driven in a taxi alone, I was either taken to the wrong location, overcharged, misunderstood, driven in circles, or a mix of them. I hate taxis because it is so hard for me to communicate that even though I can state my location, I always am questioned and even yesterday – taken to the completely wrong location across town where I was charged 40 dirhams for a ride that should have cost 5. It was absolutely terrifying. So, yes, I do have problems running in Rabat, but I am trying my best.

               Moroccan food is terrific! As are the people! And the hospitality! And the tea! There is ton of bread in every meal, and I have been served everything from vegetable tajine, to lentil soup, to couscous, and even the dessert here is better. Phlan and chocolate pudding – SO yummy! My host sister in law is so kind and helpful, (more of a host sister since she lives here), and helps me with my Arabic each night by teaching me words and phrases. She is so welcoming and hilarious. My roomates, Kshama and Tasneem, are really great people too. They are funny and smart and interesting, and each night we have long conversations at the dinner table for hours about random topics (in English, often alone, because we eat dinner alone.. We still aren’t sure why that is, exactly. Maybe that will change during Ramadan?) The mint tea, served with every meal, is deliciously sweet and yummy too. Since we have class during the day, we get about 1-2 hours for lunch somewhere in the city and I have been trying different restaurants every day. My current favorite lunch spot is a Thai restaurant that has amazing sushi and pad Thai! I know Thai food in Morocco. Yes, it’s actually quite delicious.. And though I don’t speak French, Arabic has made me appreciate its simplicity in comparison because all of the menus are in French. It’s almost like I’m learning three languages!

               Our group started community service on Wednesday, which will consist of creating a garden at a park in a South African refugee camp. We picked up trash and cleared a plot, an arduous but rewarding task when we were finished. Next week we will get to begin planting, Insh’Allah. Ramadan starts next week, wow. I might not be able to fast completely simply because I will be running and that would be way too unhealthy, so I will have to eat some, but I will talk to my resident coordinator to work out some kind of plan!

               Also, I have had some questions about whether the removal of President Morsi has caused any kind of chaos here, but I assure you that though the United States media may be over dramatizing its immediate effect, at least in places besides Egypt. There are quite some miles between Morocco and Egypt, and there has not been a visible reaction from the Moroccan citizens (according to what I have seen.. No major protests in Rabat, so far.)

Anyway, love from Morocco!

Marg (PS: I can write my name in Arabic, yay!)

مَرجَريت