My Moroccan adventures has been all over the place this week. I was supposed to be doing an internship with a women rights organization, but they cancelled last minute. Literally, two days before I was upposed to start. So, On Monday, when everyone started their internships, I wasn't really sure where I was going to be placed yet. In the morning I went with another group to their organization to see what is was about. I really enjoyed it actually! It was interesting teaching adults, and also working with two other people rather than it being just me teaching. In the afternoon, I went to the CCCL to see what the social media internship had to offer, but I wasn't too interested because there was nothing for me to do since it was a last minute decision thing. All and all I decided to stay with the teaching, even though I did not select any teaching. I figured it'll give me more of a push and i'll have something to do everyday.
Although I did not get to intern for a women rights organization like I wanted to, I was glad to be working with the Moroccan youths just because I feel like I will get the full Moroccan experience by teaching. The fact that my students are older, gave me the chance to really see firsthand the way women behave around men and to observe the issues that women deal with daily. My students are much older than I am for the most part. The youngest is 12 years old, and the oldest is 34 years old. The organization I work for is in Sale, which is considered a bad area, full of street kids who do not want to be in school. My organization is not really a school, but more open to people who rather have an unconventional way of learning. So they have a lot of classes available to them, and they come by choice, they are not forced to stay but have to behave a certain way once they are in the institution.
Around my second day of teaching, I notice that the men where more outspoken than the women in the classroom. They raise their hands quickly, are more open to come up and answer. The women on te other hand are much more quiet. Even though they know the answer, they do not say anything, and when they do answer they are soft spoken, you can barely hear them. We decided to do some exercises to make them shake of the morning laziness, so they are upbeat. In my acting class, we did fun things like make crazy noises and weird dance moves, which always seemed to wake up the class. When we decided to do the same with them, no one wanted to participate. The men where less reluctant than the women, however no one wanted to do it. I was really surprised, I mean there was nothing bizarre about the exercise we wanted to do with them, but they are so afraid of being embarrassed that they rather not participate. A girl in the classroom later told me that women are not supposed to dance in front of men, that it's Shuma, in other words a shame.
I started to wonder, why should women not feel confortable dancing around men? This question led me to many other questions such as, why is is that women are barely seen in cafes? Why are women objected to cover their hair/head and not men? Why is it that women have to do everything that their husband require of them? My host sister who is married, was telling me that she doesn't work because her husband doesn't want her to, even though she would like to. So, if her husband never allows her to work, she will spend her days at home all day and just cook, clean ad watch TV. Also, she mentioned that it is written in the Quran that women have to cover their hair, they have to obey their husbands and such. So then I start to wonder, do they follow these ways because it is a religious thing? If it is then, are all the women in other Islamic countries also feel like they have to behave a certain way and dress a certain way? Do all islamic countries have a patriarchal society? So many questions I feel like I cannot get the full answer to, with the short time that I have here. However, I am willing to explore as much as I can.
Can't wait to see what next week has to offer! :)
xoxo
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