Notes on My Moroccan Life, part 2.

My host mom said that I look like the girl from Little House on the Prairie because I have big cheeks, blue eyes, and fair skin.

Bread is sacred so when we have bread pieces that we can’t finish, we put them in a separate bag from the normal trash.

Soup and bread are the most common breakfast in Morocco. And tea, of course.

Omi (my mom… host mom Sameera) waited for a taxi with us once, and then another lady came to the street a few minutes later and got in the first taxi that came by. Omi told us to get in anyways so we did, and then the lady and Omi started arguing about who was waiting longer. The taxi driver believed the lady and not Omi, even though Omi was telling the truth. But, we didn’t get out of the taxi so he drove us to the police, which were nearby, and started talking to them. Omi jumped out and started explaining herself, and nothing serious happened because she simultaneously hailed another taxi and got us to Amideast.

At first, Omi called me Mandarin because she forgot my name/couldn’t say it. My lunch host family in Sale like my name because it’s easy to say since they are familiar with the tea cake Madeleine.

Moroccans are very touchy and huggy, which is sweet. When I was studying with my language partner and got some words right, she squished my cheeks and kissed me. This is entirely normal.

My host mom wears a hijab outside the house and in front of males that aren’t in her family, but she says that religion is in the heart and she doesn’t care if we are Christians, Jews, Atheists, anything. Of course this isn’t what everyone believes, but Maman Sameera is the best. Truly. In all ways. Anyways, the prayer goes off 5 times a day, including at around 4:45 in the morning which usually wakes me up, but is super soothing to listen to. For the most part, I’ve been living and studying close to the Mosques, so I’ve heard the microphone/speaker of the man doing the call to prayer inside, but if you’re too far, the radio and TV also play the call to prayer. Most of the people I’m with continue what they’re doing when the prayer goes off, but pray later. For instance, I’ll be looking for my host mom and find her wearing her hijab inside the house, praying in the salon. Or I’ll be doing homework in the kitchen and hear my host dad praying out loud in the salon. I eat lunch with a different host family for these first 3 weeks because I go to school in a different city, so sometimes I’ll be eating in Sale and talking with my host family and their guests (their neighbors and friends always join us!!) there, and my host mom will excuse herself to go pray. It’s all about preference, I believe.

My host family speaks in French and Darija (they only use French when talking to us because Darija is their first language, like everyone else in Morocco except the Amazirgh), and during meals they help us practice our Darija.

We were sitting on the beach today and some guy walked a camel past us. No biggie.

27% of Moroccans speak Amazirgh, which is the native Moroccan language. Many Amazirgh have tattooed lines on their faces, either from their mouths down to their chin, or somewhere on their forehead. Other people say that tattoos are haram (against Muslim law) and are therefore against such designs.

There is a small war (not literally) over who invented couscous, but it was first made by the Amazirgh people, who have always been in North Africa. They were Jews, then Christians, and then Muslims.

Quote from an anonymous Muslim Moroccan: "Saudis are forcing their own type of Islam on everyone." I have heard this same sentiment from multiple people since my arrival here, without even asking. Even so, when I explained to my language partner (who is a university student in Rabat and who will meet with me once a week all year to practice Darija) that the average American fears Islam because of 9/11, etc. she was surprised. The same with one of my host sisters in Sale. She was aware of discrimination against Muslim people, but unaware of the lack of Muslims in the US.