The End of My Long Blog Hiatus!

Hello again--I've not posted in awhile, in part because I haven't really traveled anywhere as of late! This post is full of some random observations over the past two weeks, from culture to politics to academics to just plain fun. Its also rather long...get reading already!

To begin, my routine interactions with Moroccan students are full of things that you just won't find in the United States. To begin, Moroccan hospitality is very apparent, especially when it comes to offering food. My roommate is particularly noteworthy in this respect. Marouane always offers me food (even if I've literally just come from dinner); most of the time I accept, but if I decline he will continue offering food until I either cave and accept (the majority of these interactions end this way), or convince him that I'm really not hungry/don't need food. And when people say "no thank you" here, they really mean it--they put their hands to their hearts and graciously decline, even if it's only a single Chips Ahoy Cookie that they've just passed up (I see this basically every day). And on the times that I do accept and thank the person, they almost inevitably reply بالصحة (literally, 'with health'). There is a further response that one is supposed to give to this phrase, but I have yet to master it (in one ear, out the other sometimes...). I have yet to visit a Moroccan family, but I know that when I do, I am going to be bombarded with food/attention. I'll be sure to skip lunch that day! Also, my Colloquial Moroccan Arabic class is proving exceptionally useful with regard to Moroccan culture--we spend 30 minutes each class period discussing some new aspect of life in Morocco, from family life, to the organization of male and female space, to common superstitions (don't pour hot water down the toilet, or a jin will come out!!). I'm learning about Moroccan tea next week (which is unbelievably good, mind you)--we'll be having tea in class after our quiz!

As for the academic side of things, I am beginning to notice improvements in my Arabic comprehension and speaking skills (الحمد اللة). First, whenever a professor references an Arabic concept or an Arabic word, I find myself increasingly unable to transliterate the word into English script because I keep impulsively writing the Arabic characters. While this doesn't mean I'm necessarily any better at Arabic, it does mean that I'm beginning to think in that reference frame more often--definitely a good sign! Also, for all of those taking Arabic; the roots are beginning to make sense now! At first I thought that the Arabic three-letter root system was kind of silly; however,  knowing the roots is paying off. I am beginning to guess new vocabulary words correctly by quickly analyzing the root, and its helping me make connections between Darija and MSA Arabic that I wouldn't have understood otherwise. Now I just need to start making the connections between words and their patterns, and I'll be in business.

I've also had the chance to participate in two interesting academic lectures. The first was a discussion about the 'new' model for Islamic schooling here in Morocco (which is now mandatory). It was interesting to hear the man's perspective on Islamic teachings (he had gone through the system, and is now an Islamic scholar himself). The presentation and questions also highlighted gender issues with Islamic teachings--women are permitted to attend schools and become scholars, but they A) sit separately from the men (one woman mentioned that there used to be a physical wall separating men and women, though that no longer holds true), and B) they cannot become Imams (prayer leaders), as that role is reserved exclusively for men. So while female scholars could teach upcoming students and potential Imams (in fact, the renowned head of faculty at Egypt's Al-Azhar mosque is female, and considered one of the premier scholars of her era), they could not ever lead prayer themselves. The second event I watched was a guest speaker named Tariq Ramadan, who came to campus this week. He spoke about 'the perceived clash of civilizations' as per Huntington, and what we ought to do to combat that notion. Dr. Ramadan is a major figure in the Arab world, and some of his positions tend to irk more conservative Islamic factions of Middle Eastern society (in fact, Al-Akhawayn had prevented him from coming multiple years previous to this appearance); hearing him speak and watching the student's reactions was thus a really interesting experience!

Last but not least: I spent this weekend playing paintball. In Morocco. That's right. It was awesome. And my team won! Mainly because everyone on my team besides me was in one of the three U.S. military academies--but really, it was all me. Go Haverpoint Springs Quarrelsome Sheep! There are some pictures on facebook if you're interested...if not...well ok fine. While this sounds like a purely American activity (apparently, the American exchange students always win), we actually witnessed two aspects of Moroccan culture. First, the event started over 2 hours behind time...punctuality does not exist here in the way that it does in the States. People take their time, make small talk, engage in pleasantries, and generally show up whenever they feel like it. They aren't being rude--its just how things work here outside of classes (and I showed up early...Oops). Second, after one of the rounds an argument boiled over into a fist fight. This is not to say that Moroccans are inherently combative or violent (that would be absurd), but arguments and 'confrontations' (in the Haverfordian sense) are extremely common here. The vast majority of these end peacefully, with some kind of mutual understanding reached, but every once and awhile that fails. We don't really know everything that was said between the two parties, because they were speaking in Darija, and I am extremely curious as to what exactly happened. I suppose that this isn't entirely different from the States (Americans clearly have their fights too), but the context surrounding confrontations here is somehow different, and I haven't quite put my finger on it yet.

Hopefully I'll be traveling to some cool places in the next couple weeks, and I'll be able to post some more exciting pictures! Until then, happy readings!