Wednesday, July 19, 2017

One Month Later

So as some of you can probably recall, my first blog post was charged with a lot of feelings about Morocco, my experiences after one week, and basically everything. Now that I've been here for a month, I have even more thoughts! 

For starters, I no longer feel utterly inadequate in my Arabic skills!!! I feel comfortable handling nearly every situation I'm in on a regular basis, whether that be buying something from a hanut (I'll do a post about the different kinds of shops here eventually), taking a taxi by myself (day or night!), asking/giving directions (yes, believe it or not, Moroccans have asked ME for directions), buying medicine at the pharmacy, ordering in a cafe, describing medical issues to doctors, and I think I can say I have just about mastered the art of the Moroccan greeting (will also do a post on this). The only times I still feel anxious over my language abilities are when doing my FusHa (Modern Standard Arabic/MSA) homework, but that's because there is still so much to learn. I feel pretty good about my writing skills, shout-out to Ustaaz Peter for all of the expressions and writing practice. 

People often still default to French with me, but I now have the confidence to insist on Arabic (it also helps that I don't speak French!) and not shy away from the interaction. I stand by what I said about packing a LOT less, though. Everything here is incredibly cheap in comparison to the US. I could have saved roughly $100 by packing just one large suitcase and a good-sized carry-on, as opposed to two large suitcases and a carry-on.... 

About the clean feet... My feet still never feel clean, but I wash them every day! It doesn't bother me as much as it did the first week, there's just a lot of dust everywhere and I mainly wear my Birkenstocks (which I highly recommend). Birks are great because they are really sturdy and can withstand the amount of walking I do in Meknes. For Capstone students planning on getting Birks, definitely worth the investment, but be sure to buy the cork sealant so that if they get wet they don't crack. Also, buy a moisturizer once you get in country and moisturize your feet every night to avoid them drying out from the heat/dust.  

I also stand by what I said about smells, tissues, and poverty. There is a lot of poverty here and it is really heartbreaking, but in the fall I have an opportunity to volunteer with an organization and work with some of the disadvantaged groups in Meknes and to feel like I can make a bit of a difference. Even just being able to give away a few dirhams (the currency here) here and there in my taxi rides to/from school is one way to positively react to the poverty around me. As for the smells, eh, just gotta get used to them! There are a lot of interesting smells, both good and bad, and they hit you very suddenly. I promise after your Capstone year your nose will be able to withstand any scent that assaults it! And last, but most certainly not least, the tissues. Tissues are one of the most important items you can carry with you every day in Morocco. Seriously. You never know when that is7al (diarrhea) is going to hit or when your favorite cafe that is usually stocked with TP is going to run out mid-use of the bathroom. Tissue packets will be your life. Cherish them. Bring them with you everywhere. Never leave them behind. Some people say chicken nuggets are like family to them, but to the American in Morocco, tissues will be your family. Laugh now, but if you forget your tissues later, you won't be laughing....

Yes, no one instagrams the difficult aspects of living in Morocco and I doubt that many people ever will, but talking about the poverty, homelessness, unemployment, health care, and what have you is really important. I hope to do specific blog posts for all of these things in the months to come, but in the meantime, I hope that those of you who follow me on instagram have been enjoying some of my photos. Morocco is rich with history and there is a lot to learn about the culture, people, customs, and traditions, not to mention the language! 


P.S. @my family and friends, I miss you all so much! 

Eid El-Fitr Celebration

Me chillin' in front of an indoor window. 
Monday, June 26th was Eid El-Fitr, the end of Ramadan celebration. My host parents weren't doing anything in particular to celebrate, so me and my roommate went to our friends' house to celebrate with their family. It was a lot of fun, but I was overcome with how many sweets and breads covered the tables! I'm still trying to learn the names of the various sweets, but there are so many and it is hard to keep them all straight since I really don't eat any. My host parents have been great about my gluten issues, but for Eid I let myself loose a bit and had a few sweets. My favorite had this kind of almond-fig-chocolatey taste to it. 

My roommate, Tasnim, and I started the day by "getting dressed up," which I use lightly because we didn't have any traditional Moroccan clothes to wear, so we just whipped out some skirts and nice blouses. We ate breakfast with our host parents for the first time since they could actually eat with us! It was really nice all eating together first thing in the morning and reminded me of Sunday breakfasts at home with my family. 
From left to right: Leena (Brooke and Marian's youngest
 host sister, Marian, me, Tasnim, and Brooke)

After breakfast, we grabbed a taxi to the old part of the city and met up with our friends Brooke and Marian. Many families, like Brooke and Marian's host family, usually visit relatives and friends throughout the day on Eid El-Fitr. So, as is customary, we visited some of their family's relatives, ate some sweets, drank some even sweeter tea, and relaxed with the family. It was a really lovely and relaxing day and it was really cool getting to see how close Moroccan families are with one another. 

A side note - You may have noticed I haven't been posting very often... I was hoping to be able to post more often, but my laptop has been overheating easily in the heat (but thankfully today it is much cooler!). Normally I would just post from the center where I study since there is AC there, but I usually opt to get as much homework done as possible in the AC instead. Hoping to post very soon about the trip we took several weeks ago up north, some lessons learned, how I feel after being here for a month, and healthcare experiences!