Salam Aalykom Family and Friends!
While you enjoy pumpkin pie, football, and changing leaves at home, October on TIME has been a month of feasting on tangine and couscous, exploring the narrow, winding roads of the 9 th century Medina (avoiding donkeys along the way), and living out beloved childhood fantasies inspired by the Disney movie Aladdin. Our three and a half weeks in Fez, Morocco satiated our senses with novelty: Smells of mint tea and donkey poo. Sounds of the Call to Prayer and the expressive language Darija. Tastes of sweet couscous (with cinnamon, caramelized onions, and raisins) and ripe pomegranates. Sights of veiled women and ancient architecture. The initial culture shock upon our arrival in Fez subsided as we fell in love with this magical place extraordinarily different from home.
An ancient, enchanting city celebrating its 1200 th anniversary this year, Fez exemplifies a world of dichotomies. The medina (the oldest part of city, which remains completely surrounded by castle-like walls) remains in its original condition, thus insisting the way of life within its walls remain the same. The streets are too narrow for vehicles, so donkeys and carts are used to transport goods within. Just outside the medina, however, exists the Ville Nouvelle. The “new city” illustrates the impact of French occupation during the 20 th century. Here, one finds European-style cafes, wide boulevards packed with cars and bright red Petit Taxis, and green pavilions lined with palm trees. Old juxtaposes new. Fessi people live balancing the two; the view from my rooftop, for example, revealed satellites on top of the thousands of homes crammed within the mountain valley.
We enjoyed the best of both worlds. Our academic base, the American Language Institute in Fez, was located in the Ville Nouvelle. In the mornings, we studied Colloquial Moroccan Arabic, also known as Darija. The language incorporates French and Spanish words into traditional Arabic; Darija reflects the melting pot that defines Moroccan culture as a whole. Afternoons were dedicated to a sociology course, “Gender, Islam and Modernization in Morocco,” taught by a spirited, progressive professor—a woman with three pillars that serve as the foundation for both her lectures and her life:
1. Modernization and development cannot occur without emancipation and education of women; the decline of the Islamic Empire began when women were removed from the public sphere of society.
2. Oppression of women, terrorism, and other modern stereotypes associated with Islam are in fact contradictory to the central teachings of the religion; Islam is defined as “submission to God” and comes from the word “salam” which means peace.
3. Fez is the cultural and intellectual center of Morocco, and should be adored by the rest of the country.
Staying in the homes of local families enriched the course and helped us to understand Moroccan social values and culture. We were showered with infamous Moroccan hospitality, warmly welcomed as members of our families. All living inside the medina or just outside its gates, we passed meat markets with live chickens and received greetings in various languages—attempts to figure out where we come from—on our way to and from school. Needless to say, getting to class was much more of an adventure than walking across campus on the Hill.
We arrived in Morocco on the tail end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, which immediately served as an example of the overwhelming differences between Turkey and Morocco. Religion is much more visible here, from the covering of women in the headscarf and jellaba to the frequent observations of store clerks praying in their shops. During Ramadan, Muslims rise before the sun to eat and drink so that they can fast during daylight hours. As the sun sets, the Call to Prayer once again echoes throughout the Medina, and families eagerly break the fast with soup and other traditional holiday treats, such as dates, nuts, and sweet breads. The entire Arab world watches an Egyptian mini-series every night during the breaking of the fast, with a segment played each night of the month. This year's production told the tale of an Egyptian singer and her involvement with the mafia (at least, that was what I gathered…) The Ramadan schedule challenges the normality of everyone's daily life. They stay awake well through the night to eat another meal, and spend the days admittedly crabby as the long, hungry days wear on. Our families anxiously watched the news and the moon (for Ramadan lasts through a lunar cycle) our first nights at home, waiting for the announcement that Ramadan is over and the two-day celebration, the Eid, could commence. We celebrated with our families; the holiday reminded me of Christmas with much food, family, and fellowship.
The highlight of the homestay for many of us was eating with our families. Sitting on low couches that lined the family room, people crowded around a circular table as a large tangine pot and baskets of bread were carried in from the kitchen. Lifting the tangine top revealed a mound of colorful steamed vegetables and meat. Without silverware or plates of our own, we used small pieces of bread to scoop chunks of the center dish into our mouths. Meal time exemplified the strong value of family and community in Moroccan culture. The aggressive hospitality helped us overcome the language barrier; the first two phrases in Moroccan Arabic I learned were “coule, coule!” (which means, “eat, eat!”), to which I would respond, “Shabat, l Houm dellah” (I am full, thanks be to God”). The table was on wheels, and often shoved in our direction if we failed to eat as much as our host mother thought we should. The meal schedule was also quite different than we are used to; the largest meal of the day is eaten in the middle of the day. In the early afternoon, the city practically shuts down as everyone returns home to share a meal with family.
We are not simply learning about water scarcity in the Middle East in Dave's course, but also living with its consequences. The accommodations of our homestays greatly varied, and many of us lived without a western-style toilet or hot, running water in showers for over three weeks. We must buy all of our drinking water; the store clerk near my home soon recognized me and appreciated my evolving Darija skills as our conversation improved with each shopping trip. In our second week, Fez flooded after two days of intense rain. The city had to shut off the water in order to purify the water supply. Living without any running water for three days was quite the foreign experience, and made us aware of how much we take water for granted at home.
We have now embarked upon our two week excursion around Morocco. While it was hard to say goodbye to our families, we have all been looking forward to spending more time with one another once again. Heading south, we spent our first night “camping” in the Saharan Desert. The accommodations were far more lavish than expected, with intricate tapestry walls and real beds! After a Berber dinner (the native peoples of this region), we danced around a campfire with traditional musicians. The clear night sky revealed a blanket of twinkling stars, bright and breathtaking. Awakened by a clapping just outside our tent door at 5:00 a.m. the next morning, we stumbled in the dark to prepare for our morning venture. Lines of sleeping camels waited just outside the campsite. We climbed on, and as we held on tight, the local guides—camel whisperers—coaxed the massive beasts to rise. After riding for thirty or so minutes in the dark through sand dunes, we dismounted our “vehicles” at a summit. Sitting in awe, we watched the sun race away from the horizon line, filling the sky with streaks of purple, red, and orange.
Our excursion includes an extended stay in Marrakech, where we will spend a few days doing service work. Before we leave, we tour both Rabat (the nation's capital) and Casablanca, which includes lunch at Rick's Café. We then fly to Egypt and begin the third and final leg of our journey. It is hard to believe the program is already over half over! We think about all of you at home often and look forward to sharing more stories and pictures in the future.
Love,
TIME ‘08
