Playing my guitar.. because it's too cold to go outside!
And also.. This funny story. Remember when I was worried about making some serious cultural faux pas? Well, I worry no more, because my two of my friends (names will be omitted) committed the ultimate faux pas.. No way I could ever top this one!
In the train station in Fez, there are bathrooms. In those bathrooms there are long, trough-like sinks sitting on the ground. These sinks are used by Muslims to preform ablutions before prayer. However, when placed in a Men's bathroom, and to the full bladder, they also resemble... Urinals. My friends were yelled at for this, but of course didn't understand until after the deed was done. Opps. Happy Monday Everyone!
Five Habits I've picked up since being in Morocco.
I eat cumin on everything. I may only have salt and cumin shakers in my house from now on.
I am comfortable kissing people I've just met on the cheek as a greeting. I will probably need to drop this habit when I get home, to keep from making people feel awkward.
I never look men in the eye while I'm in public... I started doing this again in Ireland towards the end of the trip, but I am still much less friendly to strangers now.
I'm much more ok with enormous/expensive places of worship. Although I still do not think religious institutions should build fancy centers of worship exclusively for their own use, I've started to accept it an an unavoidable fact.
I am much more interested and understand more Middle Eastern politics than before. I can now recite a fairly unbiased history of Israel/Palestine, as well as keep up with current politics and issues with the Arab Spring.
Five things in America that I no longer take for granted:
My family and friends. Being here, I've learned who really matters to me, and who cares about how I'm doing. I appreciate those people so much more now. I have also found those kind of people here, a few of which I want to maintain friendship with.
The ability to drive. For almost four years, I had the ability to just get in my car and drive pretty much where ever I wanted. After nine months of buses, trains, and grand taxis, it will be really strange to leave when ever I want, in the comfort and style of my trusty Dodge.
Understanding and communicating with people. When traveling, and even in school, I live in a constant state of no-quite-knowing what is going on. It's better now that I can communicate my basic needs, but still frustrating. When interacting with Moroccan Students, they don't get my jokes or references, which can make me feel left out.
Rocky Mountain College and all the freedoms that come with it: No curfew, walking on the grass, drinking water in the library, knowing who to talk to for help with classes. I am excited to go back to professors that know me, and to finish my two degrees at RMC.
Mexican Food, Peanut Butter, Bacon, and Ranch Dressing. “Nuf said.
Around the middle of Febuary, a conversation went something like this
“Hey, wanna run a half marathon?”
Me: “That sounds hard.”
“No, it'll be fine.”
Me: “Ok.”
Following that conversation, I downloaded a training plan, followed it (sorta), and ran 21km in Rabat on Sunday. Here's the list of awesome things that happened:
-It was well organized. AND it started on time. Those two things rarely happen in this country, and so I was pleasantly surprised.
-People cheered you on through the whole course. The best was a group of kids standing outside their school with their hands our for high-fives. Second best was the yells of “Good Job Mademoiselle”
-There was a disproportionate number of men to women- Probably about 80%-85% men.
-It was GREAT to run outside, in shorts, with all the other competitors. There were over 2,000 people there from all over the world, all united by a common goal.
-Rabat is a beautiful city. Right on the beach, and we ran past what was literally a castle with botanical gardens inside. You really get to see a lot of a city running 13.1 miles through it.
AND THE BEST PART....
-I, formerly know as “weannie D'Jeannie”, finished in 2 hours and 16 minutes, only 6 minutes slower than I hoped for. I had never perviously run that far, nor had I trained for any sort of time-trial. And it felt good.
Number and Residency Card- Since I'm a resident it only cost me 30 Dirhams to Register!
My first semester of Arabic I learned... Alif, Baa, Ta, Tha... But I don't want to bore you with all that. So, here is my Morocco alphabet!
A is for... Arabs. The second most common ethnic group here, these are descendants from the the dynasties that spread Islam into North Africa in the late 7th century AD.
B is for... Berber. The “natives” of North Africa, these are descendants of the people who lived in North Africa before the spread of Islam. The Berber language is still spoken by about 25% of the Moroccan population, mainly in rural areas.
C is for... Casablanca. The largest city in Morocco, and the home of the Hassan II Mosque.
D is for... Dirham, the currency in Morocco. The current exchange rate is about 8.2 dirhams to 1 US dollar.
E is for... Equality. Although things here are changing, they are changing slowly. Approximately 10% of people here live below the poverty line, though some figures show it may be as high as 20%. In contrast, about 2% of people in the US live below the poverty line.
F is for... French. Morocco was a French protectorate from 1912 until 1952. This influence is seen in the language (French is an official language, and the language of business in Morocco), as well as in the school systems and city architecture.
G is for... Geography. Morocco has everything: mountains, beaches, desert, big cities and rural villages. The geography of this country is so diverse.
H is for... “Hamdullala”, literally meaning “Praise God”, it is a commonly used expression of thankfulness. A greeting commonly goes, “Are you well?” “I am well, Hamdullala”
I is for... “Inshalallah” Another commonly used expression, this one means “God willing”, and is tacked onto almost every phrase about the future. “I will meet you tomorrow, Inshalallah.”
J is for... Jellaba. The Morccan national costume, this is a long robe with a pointed hood worn by both men and women.
K is for... King. Morocco is ruled by a monarchy, and the current king is Mohamed VI.
L is for... Lions. The last Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1922. The stone lion in Ifrane commemorates this species. An attempt bring back the species is being made in zoos.
M is for... Music. Traditional Moroccan music involves a lot of drums, a small guitar, and chanting.
N is for... National Football (aka soccer) team. The super bowl pales in comparison to the support roused when a Moroccan football team plays. It is great fun to sit in a cafe and drink tea and watch the games.
O is for... Official Language. The official languages in Morocco are Arabic and French. Berber was recently added as an official language as well.
P is for.. Population. The population of Morocco is about 31,900,000, and population density is about 185 people per square mile.
Q is for... Queen. The queen of Morocco is Lalla (princess) Salma, the first wife of a Moroccan rule to be given a royal title.
R is for... Rabat, the capital of Morocco.
S is for... Sahara. An area of about 103,000 square miles in the South of Morocco is disputed territory with Mauritania. Referring to this area as disputed territory is an EXTREMELY touchy issue however. According to Moroccans, the Sahara belongs to Morocco, unconditionally.
T is for... Tajine, (rhymes with D'Jeane). The name of a clay pot used to cook a variety of delicious dished. Tubkal, the highest Mountain in North Africa, located in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.
U is for... University. The worlds oldest continually-operating university is located in Fes. The Karaouine was founded in the 9th century by a woman named Fatima.
V is for... Video protests. On the 20th of February 2011, several young Moroccans posted videos on YouTube demanding, “equality, social justice, employment, housing, study grants and higher salaries”. The king, aware of the results of similar protests across the region, addressed the issues almost immediately. This prevented the protests from escalating.
W is for... “Wuzen” or the “root” of an Arabic word, usually composed of three letters. For instance the word love is “hib” but to say I love is “Uh-Hib”. In order to look up a word in the dictionary, you must know it's “Wuzen” or root.
X is for... eXtra wives. A man here is allowed to marry up to four women here, but only upon their consent.
Y is for... “Yalla!” An Arabic word meaning “Let's go” or “Hurry up”.
Z is for... Zip Code. Ask me what it is and send me something! (Kidding. I just didn't know what else to put for Z).
DISCLAIMER: Ok, I really do not want this to be "I spent my spring break in a beautiful country and life was SOOO hard, woe is me". I don't like to complain about travel, partly because I love and partly because no one wants to hear someone whine about their fabulous experiences.
However.... Let is be noted that Ireland is a country with a tragic history: famine, oppression, civil war, economic depression, an entire county that thinks they're better off with Great Britain. Irish news, music, even the people themselves have this sort of cynical: "yes, that WOULD happen to us" type attitude. "Luck of the Irish" is said there with great sarcasm. This was my luck of the Irish.
-We had to stand in the immigration line for two hours in London, making us miss our hostel booking (the place had closed for the night- Who does that!). Since our next flight wasn't until the next afternoon, we got another, much more expensive place. Unbeknownst to me, I was still charged for the first booking. Opps.
-We were supposed to meet up with friends for St. Patricks Day so they could stay with us. We never found them, and they ended up taking a four hour bus ride to Cork to find a place to stay. I hope they are still our friends.
-I got a little water on my computer, and it wasn't working. So I took it to the apple store to see what the problem was. Turns out the water ruined my computer, which isn't covered by my warranty. I had to buy a new computer, which blew my budget for the rest of the semester.
-I had my wallet stolen while in a pub. I only lost ten euros, but my drivers license and debit cards need to be replaced, which will take an indefinite amount of time to get them shipped here.
-I missed my flight at 6:30am this morning. Apparently daylight savings time is on the 25th of March in Ireland. I go to check into my flight at 5:22, and was informed that it was actually 6:25, and my plane had just left. I had to borrow money I don't have to rebook the flight. Bugger.
On the PLUS side.. I spent Saint Patricks Day in Dublin. I got to eat Irish Breakfast, with extra bacon. I saw the coast, which is beautiful and rugged and wild-feeling. People were so polite and and friendly. The beer was tasty, the music fun and the pubs exciting. I felt at home in the countryside with the farm-smells and green, open countryside. And now I have great stories of being lost, broke, and I'll admit, occasionally a little bit dumb. Live and learn. It's the luck of the Irish!
I feel in the course of my blogging I’ve left out a few essential elements of this experience, or only mentioned them briefly when they really deserve a full entry. Therefore, I’m going to make the effort today to talk about the Arabic Language and why I choose to study it. Here are a few fun facts about the Arabic Language:
- There are several “types” of Arabic: Classical Arabic, the language of the Q’ran (the holy book of Islam), Modern Standard Arabic, which is the official language of 22 counties- This is what I am learning, and what most Arabic newspapers and books are written in. Additionally, there are Arabic dialects that differ vastly from region to region. Moroccan Arabic is nearly incomprehensible to someone who speaks Iraqi Arabic. In Morocco, classical Arabic is known as “Fus-ha” and everyday Arabic is known as “Da-ree-ja”
- There are 28 letters and various symbols in the Arabic alphabet, some of which have no English equivalent. A chart of the alphabet is below. As you can see, one single dot can make a big difference!
-Arabic is written right to left, and the letters connect to one another depending on the letter that precedes them. There is no “cursive” or “print” script, since letters are connected basically the same way weather they are typed or handwritten.
-Arabic calligraphy is some of the most beautiful writing in the world. Since most Muslims believe that icons (images of animals or people) should not be in places of worship, holy sites are decorated with passages from the Q’ran written in beautiful script.
-When Arabic words are pronounced, they include short vowel sounds such as “a, e and o”. These vowels care called the “fat-ha” “Damma” and “Kasra”. When words are written, these vowels are usually left out. To use an English example that is like printing the word “cat” without the “a”- it could be pronounced cat, cut, or cet. Part of learning Arabic is learning to read the words in the context to understand the meaning.
As this is now my third semester of language class, I’ve started to grasp most basic words and grammatical structures. I can communicate simple concepts and talk about myself and my family. Studying the language is both fun and frustrating, and an accomplishment that I am quite proud of. My time here has encouraged me to continue studying this beautiful language.
