Morocco: Week One

     Morocco so far has been a welcoming place, I love the warm weather, the vibrant colors, the feel of being in a maze when you walk through the Medina as well as the busy streets of the Zouks. I have experienced a lot of things here so far in just a few days of my stay here. People are warm, they like to hug and they smile at you. Men and women that do not really know each other do not hug or kiss on the cheek. Men and men do however, as well as women and women. It's so interesting to see how personal space is played out in Morocco in comparison to the States. 

    In New York, people like their personal space. On the train, or on the bus and such you see people in their own world, they like to seat alone and if someone seats next to them they automatically feel uncomfortable as if they invaded their personal space. Especially when someone bumps into you, you feel like the person should have to say “excuse me” because it was rude and they just invaded your personal space so it is offensive. That is not the case in Morocco, they do not have that personal space entitlement that we feel like we need. People bump into you anyhow, they hug and touch and so it's really interesting to see such a big difference in culture. I wouldn't say it was a big or huge culture shock for me, I mean it was to a certain extent, but not too surprising. Only because I grew up in Benin where it's also normal to kiss someone three times in the cheek, and such so it wasn't weird, just something I haven't experienced in a long time.

      I have also fallen in love with the fashion. It's so grandieuse and royal like. The attire that the women put on to got to a formal event such as a wedding, a graduation, the birth of a baby's ceremony and such is so rich and expensive. My host sister was telling me that they get the attire made from a tailor, who puts the whole look together and costs a fortune. The details on the “Keftan” which is what it's called is so impeccable and the entire ensemble includes a well made and embroidered long sleeve dress which has two part. The bottom dress which is equally as sophisticated, and the top dress with a slit in the front that shows the bottom dress. Then there is a belt that is also made by the tailor, it's big and round and goes on top of the dresses, a bit above the waist. Sometimes, there is a crown, depending on the customer's desire. If you are going to a wedding it's best not to wear the crown since the bride will be wearing a crown herself and the bride has to be more dressed up than anyone else. It is considered a "shuma," shame when a woman comes into these events in short dresses.

     My host family has been very warm and welcoming and so far the Moroccan people have been amazing to me as far as I can tell. It's a beautiful place with so many things to experience and I cannot wait to see more and experience it all. I also learned to use the Turkish toilets, which wasn't as terrible as I imagined. I learned that the entire family eats from one big bowl, with either their hands or spoons. Each member seats and eat together, but with respected sections in the bowl. It is considered rude to extend your hand to another person's eating zone. Our host mom always says "kuli" meaning eat! because in Moroccan culture they make sure their guests are well satisfied and comfortable. 

     The CCCL program provided a quick survival Arabic class for us, so we learned few Moroccan Arabic phrases we need to have a quick conversation, such as, how are you, my name is, I am from, counting numbers and such. So far all I can say is that Arabic is a difficult language to grasp. It has a lot of harsh pronunciations, especially with their “h.” It's been a great experience so far, and I am looking forward to the rest of this trip.