a mad tea party

Learning Darija.

I have finished my first week of my five-week intensive Darija (Moroccan Arabic) course.  The first two days I honestly felt like a fish out of water; I had absolutely no idea what was going on.  I was placed in the accelerated beginner course because of my background in Moroccan Standard Arabic, and the majority of the course (and by majority, I mean all by about 2 sentences) was conducted in Darija or Modern Standard Arabic.  Having not studied Modern Standard Arabic for over year, I spent the first two days with the same smile I use during dinner with my home stay family (the smile that's a polite way of communicating that I have no idea what's going on).  On the third day, the clouds began to clear and I began to form my first basic sentences. My mind seemed to catch up to the rest of the class and by the end of the week I did not need my I-don't-understand-anything-that-you're-saying smile.  It was no longer like a mad tea party to me, I actually understood.

In addition to Darija class, we also have bi-weekly lectures on Moroccan culture. We had a very interesting one on feminist perspectives on the Medina in Fez.  When visiting the Medina in Fez, it is almost impossible to tell what the houses look like on the inside based on the outside appearance.  In fact, it is important to be humble in Morocco and so having a modest and almost shabby exterior is an extension of this belief.  On the interior however, the homes can be beautifully designed and decorated, a reflection on the introverted way of thinking.  The other lecture we had was on the challenges to doing research in Morocco.  Like any country, it is always important to know certain topics to avoid when dealing with acquaintances and for Morocco its: God, King and Country. 

With regards to my research, I am still not sure the Moroccan mentality surrounding Sub-Saharan migrants.  Here is a good link to an article about a Moroccan who is working with the migrants and has a video to show what the migrant camps are like.  This is based in Oujda, a city along the Algerian border, which I hope to visit.  However, the majority of my work will be with migrants in Rabat or Tangier.

Sub-Saharan Immigrants

On a future note: this week I will also be attending a Moroccan cooking class as well as visiting the city of Meknes and the Roman ruins in Volubilis.