As I strolled through the medina of Rabat today after class, there were signs everywhere reminding me that tomorrow is the Eid al-Adha (or the festival of sacrifice and one of the biggest holidays in Islam). Men were sharpening knifes on every street corner, pastry shops were packed with women buying boxes of cookies and the sounds of sheep could be heard in every direction. I will be spending Eid in a small city outside of Rabat as my roommate was kind enough to invite me to spend Eid with his Moroccan friend and family.
The holiday is in honor of the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his only son to God. In Morocco, it is an important time for family to get together (as the holiday starts Wednesday and goes through Friday). Already I have noticed restaurants and shops shutting down, but the major aspect of this holiday is the slaughtering of the ram. Most families purchase a ram, slaughter it (which happens tomorrow, Wednesday) and then spend the rest of the holiday eating the meat. Tomorrow I am preparing myself for the reality that I will probably witness the slaughtering of a ram, followed by learning how to clean, cook and eat every part of it. A longer blog post to follow...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
A Walk in the Woods
While I have been settling nicely into life in Rabat, I have definitely been neglecting the blog. When I first arrived it was so easy to write as everything was so new and exciting, and now I feel so comfortable in my life in Rabat that nothing seems worthy to blog about. However, anytime I log into Facebook or talk to a friend on skype, I am reminded of how different my life is from the one I left behind. Since it has been quite sometime since I have written, I will start with my adventures last week in the city of Azrou.
All (or most) of the students in the Fulbright program in Morocco got together to spend two days in the city of Azrou. Azrou means 'Great Rock' in the Berber language and is located in the center of Morocco in what is known as the Middle Atlas. It is a small Berber town, but is surrounded by beautiful pine and cedar forests. I started my adventure for Azrou at 4:30AM on Thursday, leaving my apartment and heading to the train station. I grabbed the earliest train to Fes and arrived in time to grab a quick breakfast of Moroccan bread that resembles a pancake. From Fes, all of the Fulbrighters boarded a bus and headed off to Azrou (around an hour and a half drive). The ride was absolutely beautiful, and at times, I forgot I was in Morocco. Most people (including myself) think of Morocco as a sprawling desert, however we drove through vasts cedar forests and breathtaking green and lush scenery. Upon arriving to the hotel, we had a relaxing lunch of chicken Tagine (which was delicious) and got back into the bus to travel into the forests and take a little hike.
The forest seemed to me like something out of a fairy tale, and of course the first thing that greeted us as we got off the bus was a small group of monkeys. They were used to visitors (and more used to visitors providing them with food). Of course all of us were immediately infatuated with the monkeys and immediately started taking pictures. Our excitement grew even further when our guide pulled out apples and we each were given a couple to feed the books. One student even throw the apple into the tree and the monkey, as if it was no big deal, caught it. There were of course baby monkeys, which attracted the majority of the girls attention. They were absolutely adorable to be fair.
After our great monkey adventure, we headed off on our 'hike' (and by hike, I mean walk) through the cedar forests. It was really relaxing and a great opportunity to catch up with the other Fulbrighters who still live in Fes. The fresh air and beautiful cedar forests made it so easy to forget about my life in Rabat, about the congestion, the traffic and all the people. At the same time, sometimes all of a sudden we would arrive at a major road, cross it, and within ten minutes it would be gone, you couldn't even hear the sound of traffic.
After our hike (which lasted around 3 hours) we returned to the hotel, ate some more Tagine, and I preceded to sleep like a rock. I was grateful to have a bed again, as my current bed is a Moroccan sofa that's about the size of a twin bed and about as soft as the piece of wood its built out of.
The next morning we all had a nice breakfast and then the majority of the group headed back to Fes. I decided to stay, along with two other girls, in the city of Azrou. I was eager to spend some time in a Berber city, as I have never heard one of the Berber dialects before and know very little about the culture. We checked into a resonable hotel (around 70 Dirhams or around $8.75 a night) and explored the town. My two friends were interested in buying rugs, as the region was known for their high quality wool rugs. We stumbled upon a nice shop owner who after a couple minutes of banter in Darija, begin speaking perfect English and invited us to go and see where the rugs were made. We of course agreed and followed him down a small ally and into the shop. My two friends were interested in buying rugs and I was just along for the ride (I am doing my best to keep my purchasing to a minimum as I am here until October...) The owner was extremely friendly and explained how the rugs were made, their history and even showed us pictures of his baby girl. In the end, my two friends each walked away with two beautiful and unique wool rugs for a good price. It was a very hasselle free exchange, and was another example of how friendly and welcoming Moroccans can be. We concluded our evening with a nice dinner of pizza, pasta and fish before heading back to the hotel for another good nights rest.
I awoke the next morning early to catch the bus back to Rabat. As we left the city there were only three people in the entire bus and I stroke up a conversation in Arabic with the man next to me. I was surprised at how easy the words started to come (at least with introductions and basic conversation). However, the conversation progressed further than basic introductions and I was stuck pulling words from Modern Standard Arabic and French just to be understood. He was very nice and worked with me to find the right word in Darija, but it just proved to be I have a long way to go before I can actually say I "speak" Arabic. Like all Moroccans, he of course told me that if I ever want a nice meal he was welcome to come to his house and meet his wife and daughter. This is still a custom I am getting used to, as in America if a man you met on a bus invited you over for dinner it would be very odd.
Upon arriving back in my apartment I did some work, went out to dinner and had a relaxing evening. It was only when I awoke Sunday morning and saw that it was the 31st that I realized it was Halloween, and that my normal routine in the United States would have consisted of some sort of costume, friends and a night out. As it was only one year ago that I was dressed up like a Zebra and taking part in the festivities of Baltimore.
Living in Rabat is sort of like being in the cedar forest sometime, at least with regard to American culture and connection. After only a month, it has become so easy to fall into a routine. I'm beginning to know my way around the city, use the bus system and even make sure I don't overpay anymore at the fruits and vegetable markets. It's only when I use my computer, log into Facebook, read CNN or chat with a friend on Skype that I am reminded of what my life was like only two months ago. Halloween came and went with no planning or stressing over costumes, I look forward to my vacation from class during Eid al-Adha versus Thanksgiving break (which doesn't happen here for obvious reasons). This struggle, of maintaining a healthy balance between embracing the culture without completely disregarding your own, is sort of like walking through a forest. Even when surrounded by the new and beautiful scenery its important to stay true to yourself and not get lost in the excitement. And sometimes even, when necessary, take a break and walk awhile on the paved road.
All (or most) of the students in the Fulbright program in Morocco got together to spend two days in the city of Azrou. Azrou means 'Great Rock' in the Berber language and is located in the center of Morocco in what is known as the Middle Atlas. It is a small Berber town, but is surrounded by beautiful pine and cedar forests. I started my adventure for Azrou at 4:30AM on Thursday, leaving my apartment and heading to the train station. I grabbed the earliest train to Fes and arrived in time to grab a quick breakfast of Moroccan bread that resembles a pancake. From Fes, all of the Fulbrighters boarded a bus and headed off to Azrou (around an hour and a half drive). The ride was absolutely beautiful, and at times, I forgot I was in Morocco. Most people (including myself) think of Morocco as a sprawling desert, however we drove through vasts cedar forests and breathtaking green and lush scenery. Upon arriving to the hotel, we had a relaxing lunch of chicken Tagine (which was delicious) and got back into the bus to travel into the forests and take a little hike.
The forest seemed to me like something out of a fairy tale, and of course the first thing that greeted us as we got off the bus was a small group of monkeys. They were used to visitors (and more used to visitors providing them with food). Of course all of us were immediately infatuated with the monkeys and immediately started taking pictures. Our excitement grew even further when our guide pulled out apples and we each were given a couple to feed the books. One student even throw the apple into the tree and the monkey, as if it was no big deal, caught it. There were of course baby monkeys, which attracted the majority of the girls attention. They were absolutely adorable to be fair.
After our great monkey adventure, we headed off on our 'hike' (and by hike, I mean walk) through the cedar forests. It was really relaxing and a great opportunity to catch up with the other Fulbrighters who still live in Fes. The fresh air and beautiful cedar forests made it so easy to forget about my life in Rabat, about the congestion, the traffic and all the people. At the same time, sometimes all of a sudden we would arrive at a major road, cross it, and within ten minutes it would be gone, you couldn't even hear the sound of traffic.
After our hike (which lasted around 3 hours) we returned to the hotel, ate some more Tagine, and I preceded to sleep like a rock. I was grateful to have a bed again, as my current bed is a Moroccan sofa that's about the size of a twin bed and about as soft as the piece of wood its built out of.
The next morning we all had a nice breakfast and then the majority of the group headed back to Fes. I decided to stay, along with two other girls, in the city of Azrou. I was eager to spend some time in a Berber city, as I have never heard one of the Berber dialects before and know very little about the culture. We checked into a resonable hotel (around 70 Dirhams or around $8.75 a night) and explored the town. My two friends were interested in buying rugs, as the region was known for their high quality wool rugs. We stumbled upon a nice shop owner who after a couple minutes of banter in Darija, begin speaking perfect English and invited us to go and see where the rugs were made. We of course agreed and followed him down a small ally and into the shop. My two friends were interested in buying rugs and I was just along for the ride (I am doing my best to keep my purchasing to a minimum as I am here until October...) The owner was extremely friendly and explained how the rugs were made, their history and even showed us pictures of his baby girl. In the end, my two friends each walked away with two beautiful and unique wool rugs for a good price. It was a very hasselle free exchange, and was another example of how friendly and welcoming Moroccans can be. We concluded our evening with a nice dinner of pizza, pasta and fish before heading back to the hotel for another good nights rest.
I awoke the next morning early to catch the bus back to Rabat. As we left the city there were only three people in the entire bus and I stroke up a conversation in Arabic with the man next to me. I was surprised at how easy the words started to come (at least with introductions and basic conversation). However, the conversation progressed further than basic introductions and I was stuck pulling words from Modern Standard Arabic and French just to be understood. He was very nice and worked with me to find the right word in Darija, but it just proved to be I have a long way to go before I can actually say I "speak" Arabic. Like all Moroccans, he of course told me that if I ever want a nice meal he was welcome to come to his house and meet his wife and daughter. This is still a custom I am getting used to, as in America if a man you met on a bus invited you over for dinner it would be very odd.
Upon arriving back in my apartment I did some work, went out to dinner and had a relaxing evening. It was only when I awoke Sunday morning and saw that it was the 31st that I realized it was Halloween, and that my normal routine in the United States would have consisted of some sort of costume, friends and a night out. As it was only one year ago that I was dressed up like a Zebra and taking part in the festivities of Baltimore.
Living in Rabat is sort of like being in the cedar forest sometime, at least with regard to American culture and connection. After only a month, it has become so easy to fall into a routine. I'm beginning to know my way around the city, use the bus system and even make sure I don't overpay anymore at the fruits and vegetable markets. It's only when I use my computer, log into Facebook, read CNN or chat with a friend on Skype that I am reminded of what my life was like only two months ago. Halloween came and went with no planning or stressing over costumes, I look forward to my vacation from class during Eid al-Adha versus Thanksgiving break (which doesn't happen here for obvious reasons). This struggle, of maintaining a healthy balance between embracing the culture without completely disregarding your own, is sort of like walking through a forest. Even when surrounded by the new and beautiful scenery its important to stay true to yourself and not get lost in the excitement. And sometimes even, when necessary, take a break and walk awhile on the paved road.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
a good beach read
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| View from my balcony in my new apartment in Rabat. |
To summarize this last weekend in a few paragraphs would be impossible, it feels as though I crammed about a years worth of experiences, emotions and events into one weekend. To begin, I no longer live in Fes. Friday was more last day living in my home stay, and parting early Saturday morning was a lot more difficult than I had expected it to be. Living with a family was a truly invaluable experience; I learned so much about Moroccan culture and got a jump start on my Darija. However, after six weeks I was definitely ready to return to a life of independence, and left Saturday morning to finish the rest of my language study in Rabat.
Early Saturday morning I said goodbye to my home stay Mom, but not before she gave me a really kind parting gift of a keychain with the symbol of Khamsa on it (supposed to keep away the Evil Eye). I left my old apartment in Fes and arrived at the train station and rode the three hour ride to Rabat. On the train ride I met a lot of foreigners traveling, some from Australia, others from Canada. Near the end of my ride a Moroccan woman sat down next to me and we started to converse. It was in a sort of Darija-French language, where I spoke French and inserted the few Darija words I knew in. We began talking about the upcoming holiday, Aid el -Kabir, and she of course asked me if I had a place to celebrate. I am not Muslim, and she knew this, and when I told her I didn't have any plans, she insisted that I come over and spend it with her and her family. She was so insisted that she wrote down her number and address and took my phone number as well. Aid el-Kabir is one of the biggest holidays in the Muslim faith, in a way it could be compared to Christmas for Christians in the sense that it is a very important time for family. The history of the holidays dates back to the story of Abrahams willingness to sacrifice his son for God. Typically in Morocco, each family slaughters a sheep and eats it for about three days. The woman was describing to me how for breakfast the second day, you eat all parts of the animals head. This encounter is a great example of how generous and welcoming the Moroccan people can be. I could never imagine riding a train from Baltimore to New York and having someone invite me over for dinner, let alone a major holiday.
Upon arriving in Rabat, I immediately hoped in a taxi and headed off to my new apartment and to meet my new roommate. My new roommate is a Fulbrighter from last year who is staying here till February to finish his research. The apartment is located in l'Ocean, and as you can guess by the name, it is right on the water. In fact my room has a balcony that overlooks the ocean. The view alone makes the apartment worth it. After I got settled in, I ran all around Rabat picking up the rest of my belongings. I had four boxes at the Fulbright office and a bag at another Fulbrighters apartment. This was excellent practice with speaking Darija as cab drivers are often shocked that not only am I speaking Arabic, but I am speaking Darija. After gathering all my belongings together, I had only a small amount of time to unpack as this weekend was the first annual Pot Luck at our directors house and there were around six other Fulbrighters coming in from Fez to attend and stay in my apartment. The Pot Luck was a welcome break from adjusting to life in Morocco. Everyone brought a dish so there was bean dip, pasta, all kinds of salad, banana bread and even gluten-free chocolate (I made guacamole). The night was a great opportunity to catch up with all the Fulbrighters and hear how everything was going. Sunday morning we all slept in and then went out to a great brunch at a French restaurant about a thirty minute walk from my apartment.
Monday morning however, it was back to Darija class. I am now enrolled at a new language school in Rabat that is unfortunately, a thirty minute bus commute from my apartment. Currently, I have class from 2-6 every day and private tutoring for an hour Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The class from 2-6 however, only has three people in it (including myself) from 2-4 and two people in it from 4-6. This is such a great exposure to Darija, as I am always participating in class, but it is only Tuesday and I am exhausted. Between the commute and the class time, its a lot. However, this is the time during my grant where my sole focus is on learning the language so it makes it easier to manage my time. Plus, the school has free, unlimited Moroccan tea throughout the day which helps keep me going.
Between starting at a new school, learning my way around a new city and cooking on my own a lot of changes have been going on. There is also the matter of trying to shop and cook meals. Morocco is set up, where there are groceries stores, but there are also stores that only sell eggs, little shops that sell all kinds of packaged foods and of course fresh bread, and then there is an incredible fruits and vegetables market right next to my house. You can also always find fresh fish on the street. As great as this sounds, and it is great, it can be very overwhelming as well. Trying to learn what the right prices are and how many kilos you need can be hard in English, let alone in Arabic. Tonight, I settled for the easy option of buying two eggs and bread (as I had a lot of left over vegetables from making the guacamole). In total, my two eggs costs 2 Dirham and my bread costs around 1 Dirham for a total of 3 Dirham or around 36 cents. Needless to say, a very cheap dinner. This is easily contrastable with my Sunday brunch at the cute French restaurant which cost around 110 Dirham (for a salad and tea) which is around $13.50. The key point is that in a city like Rabat, there can be such huge differences in prices and it becomes a manner of finding a good balance. I am attempting to do this, while moving into my apartment, learning Darija and of course learning my way around Rabat. My mind constantly feels at a loss and I think I've gone through every single emotion in the past five days.
In the end, my move to Rabat has been great so far. I am just happy to feel settled (at least until January) in one place, and I can't complain that the place is located on the ocean. Waking up every morning and looking out on the water has been a great motivator and kept me calm throughout the moving process.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Desert Solitaire
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| My first encounter with some camels. |
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| Caravan into the desert. |
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| The camp where we spent the night. |
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| Quality bonding time with my camel, who I somehow forgot to name... |
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| Sahara! |
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| Sahara! |
Now, all this aside, the hotel had great rooms and two amazing swimming pools. After four weeks in the heat and congestion of Fez, a swimming pool was a welcome relief. We were so eager to swim, we immidiately changed into swim suits, ate dinner and headed straight for the pool before collapsing into our comfortable beds around 11.
Saturday morning we woke up with quite a bit of free time, so once again I went swimming. Afterwards we boarded back on the bus, and immediately the same mix CD began to play, leaving Celine Dion songs I had never heard stuck in my head for the next two hours. We arrived at another hotel, where we dropped off our stuff and prepared for our excursion into the Sahara. I have never road a camel before in my life and I was expecting at least same kind of instruction before we left. Instead, one of the guides pointed at me, pointed at a camel, and said 'get on'. So, putting on my bravest face I climbed onto the camel. It was sitting down, and really did not look that big. Immediately after I got on, the camel began to rock and I clenched the small, metal handle, and held on for dear life as the camel first lurched forward, lifting up his back legs, then sharply threw me backwards as the front legs followed. A little warning might have been nice, but I was up and I was staying up there for the next two hours. Everyone warned me that camels were mean and smelled bad, I experienced neither of those, however they are extremely uncomfortable to ride. After the first five minutes, the excitement of riding a camel began to wear off, and my legs and butt began to fell the pain. The other thing about camels is they don't move fast and the Sahara although beautiful, is just sand after sand after sand...Truth be told, I was extremely happy to arrive at the camp and get off the camel.
The camp where we were staying is at an oasis, so there is a well for drinking water. There was no electricity and the bathroom (which did have actual toilets, just no means to flush them) was located outside the camp and slightly difficult (actually impossible) to find without a flash light. We all immediately settled in and took in the beauty of the night sky. I have never seen so many stars in all my life. The rest of the night consisted of table discussions over tea, a nice dinner, and music performed by the guides. We then pulled out our little mattresses from the 'tents' and spent the night sleeping under the stars.
The next morning we awoke around 5:30 to watch the sunrise. Conversations were pretty much at a minimum, as we were all without breakfast and it was 5:30 in the morning...After the beautiful sunrise, I realized it was time to get back on the camel for another two hour ride back to the hotel. It somehow seemed to go faster, and it was fun hearing all of the names of the camels (from Barack Obama to Michael Jackson). We got back to the hotel around 8:30 and had a buffet breakfast waiting for us (which included cereal, a welcomed change from my usual bread, butter and jam that I have every morning). After breakfast was a quick shower (to get all the sand and camel stench out) and we boarded the bus for the ten hour bus ride back to Fez.
This bus ride too seemed to go by quicker than the ride out. There were a lot of different trivia games played, ranging from twenty questions to naming capital cities. It became apparent that the bus was full of nerds when the answers to the 20 question game consisted of Rangoon,Venus Flytrap and Stephen Hawking...
As soon as the bus arrived in Fez, I went straight home and went straight to bed. I don't think I have ever been so exhausted in my entire life. The experience though, was truly once in a lifetime, and was well worth the lack of air conditioning, Celine Dion play lists and the fact that I am still sore (3 days later). It was also a good reminder that my time in Fez here is ticking away, as I will be moving to Rabat in two weeks to finish the rest of my language study. Oddly enough, Fez has started to feel like home. I am finally getting to know my way around, speak enough of Darija to communicate at the most basic level, and even now believe that no meal is complete without bread and coffee must have at least two sugar cubes and be 3/4 milk. Although I am ready to start the next chapter of this adventure in Fez (and hopefully start working with some immigrants) there is still a lot I need to see and do in Fez and will use my next two weeks wisely.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Cooking Class
Cooking class begins! Learning how to make couscous.
Step one: Add all the vegetables
Step three: Wait around 3 hours while everything boils...
Step 4: Enjoy!
Now, to be fair, this is not as simple and easy as the process went. There were a few steps in between that I skipped...
Step two: Add spicessssss.
Step three: Wait around 3 hours while everything boils...
Now, to be fair, this is not as simple and easy as the process went. There were a few steps in between that I skipped...
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Pride and Prejudice
As part of the language program here in Fez, we have lectures every week on different aspects of Moroccan life. Today we had a fabulous lecture on Islam in Morocco, which for me was a real education. Like most Americans, my knowledge of Islam has been fairly limited. I do my best to read and be knowledgeable, but when it comes down to it, I can name which celebrity is in rehab this week and who won last weeks Project Runway, but I couldn't tell you more than few sentences on the major religion of the country I'm living in...
In an attempt to pass on what I took from the lecture, I will do my best to summarize, but know all intelligent points belong to the lecturer (Niaz Ahmad).
A good starting point of understanding Islam in Fez is to start with a little history. The oldest university in the world, Al-Qarawiyyin, is in Fez and is still a leading spiritual center for the Muslim world. The mosque associated with it is one of the largest in Fez and was built by a Tunisian Princess Fatimah Firiyyah. Upon arriving in Fez, sh actively scrutinized her funds, fearful of money that may have been obtained in a tainted manner. Instead of spending her money on a palace or personal pleasure, she invested all her savings in the construction of the mosque that still exists today in Fez. In the five pillars of Islam, one of the pillars is known as Zakat and it is the belief in giving alms. This means, that each year Muslims should give 2.5% of their savings to the poor. This money can also be distributed to travelers and those who have lost their high standing in society (like a doctor). They belief behind this is that they have played an important part of society and should not be abandoned in a time of need.
In current day Morocco, this notion of generiosity is still very present. For example, if you are on a train or bus and eating food in public, it is the norm to offer some food to those around you.
Another pillar of Islam is the daily prayers. The times of these prayers are timed with the sun, forcing people to be aware of the sun and the sky in their daily lives. You must also perform ablution before prayer, making prayer time an opportunity reconnect with water, acknowledging waters purity and ability to maintain life on earth. The fourth pillar is fasting during the month of Ramadan from dawn to sunset. This is a way to practice self restraint, as well as staying in touch with the moon, as Ramadan begins and ends with the cycles of the moon.
As most current day discussion on modern Islam, our lecture did discuss a little about violence. In taking into account violent acts today, it is important to always keep things in perspective. Although violence has been a constant throughout the history of mankind, the 20th century saw violence and death in unparelled levels. Between the Holocaust, Stalin, Mao and the dropping of the Atomic bomb over Japan, mass killings and genocide have become feasible. Technology, globalisation and imperialism have created a world where organized violence can occur on a massive scale. Mass killings have occurred under the guise of many different beliefs and ideas in the past, and it is important to hold accountable the man and not the belief, for a belief cannotthe trigger of a gun.
This lecture left me in a state of reflection, forcing me to set aside my own pride and accept the fact that I too have fallen prey to generalizations, and in turn prejudice. At the beginning of the lecture he asked us all to describe our experience with Islam. As I reflected on the question, I realized my knowledge was limited to a few personal interactions, the classroom and of course what I hear on the news. Like any religion, there is a great complexity and beauty that extends beyond the doctrine and expresses itself in the people, history and culture. Throughout the rest of my time here I hope to observe without prejudice and without pride, comfortable with the fact that I have just begun to learn and that I have a long way to go.
In an attempt to pass on what I took from the lecture, I will do my best to summarize, but know all intelligent points belong to the lecturer (Niaz Ahmad).
A good starting point of understanding Islam in Fez is to start with a little history. The oldest university in the world, Al-Qarawiyyin, is in Fez and is still a leading spiritual center for the Muslim world. The mosque associated with it is one of the largest in Fez and was built by a Tunisian Princess Fatimah Firiyyah. Upon arriving in Fez, sh actively scrutinized her funds, fearful of money that may have been obtained in a tainted manner. Instead of spending her money on a palace or personal pleasure, she invested all her savings in the construction of the mosque that still exists today in Fez. In the five pillars of Islam, one of the pillars is known as Zakat and it is the belief in giving alms. This means, that each year Muslims should give 2.5% of their savings to the poor. This money can also be distributed to travelers and those who have lost their high standing in society (like a doctor). They belief behind this is that they have played an important part of society and should not be abandoned in a time of need.
In current day Morocco, this notion of generiosity is still very present. For example, if you are on a train or bus and eating food in public, it is the norm to offer some food to those around you.
Another pillar of Islam is the daily prayers. The times of these prayers are timed with the sun, forcing people to be aware of the sun and the sky in their daily lives. You must also perform ablution before prayer, making prayer time an opportunity reconnect with water, acknowledging waters purity and ability to maintain life on earth. The fourth pillar is fasting during the month of Ramadan from dawn to sunset. This is a way to practice self restraint, as well as staying in touch with the moon, as Ramadan begins and ends with the cycles of the moon.
As most current day discussion on modern Islam, our lecture did discuss a little about violence. In taking into account violent acts today, it is important to always keep things in perspective. Although violence has been a constant throughout the history of mankind, the 20th century saw violence and death in unparelled levels. Between the Holocaust, Stalin, Mao and the dropping of the Atomic bomb over Japan, mass killings and genocide have become feasible. Technology, globalisation and imperialism have created a world where organized violence can occur on a massive scale. Mass killings have occurred under the guise of many different beliefs and ideas in the past, and it is important to hold accountable the man and not the belief, for a belief cannotthe trigger of a gun.
This lecture left me in a state of reflection, forcing me to set aside my own pride and accept the fact that I too have fallen prey to generalizations, and in turn prejudice. At the beginning of the lecture he asked us all to describe our experience with Islam. As I reflected on the question, I realized my knowledge was limited to a few personal interactions, the classroom and of course what I hear on the news. Like any religion, there is a great complexity and beauty that extends beyond the doctrine and expresses itself in the people, history and culture. Throughout the rest of my time here I hope to observe without prejudice and without pride, comfortable with the fact that I have just begun to learn and that I have a long way to go.
Monday, September 20, 2010
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.
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.
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