Cultural Experiences

Today is my 22nd birthday. While it is weird not to be celebrating it with my family and friends in America, I am excited to be celebrating with my Moroccan family. They are such great people and I love them already.

Until today, I was the same age for all of 2007 and because of this, I feel like I should reflect on the past year but I don’t really want to do that. Where I am now is very different from where I was a year ago. I think this just represents my growth as a human being. I have been in my town for over a month down and have one more month of homestay (lhumdullah) and each day is a different experience. And I wanted to share some of them. So here y’all go:

-How about the time the chicken crossed the road and got hit by a car…no this is not a joke. I tell this to people and they are like “where’s the joke” and I am like it is not a joke. It really happened.

-Saw a 3-legged dog the other day. It was rather interesting-looking.

-Almost got in a fight at the hammam. The hammam is how most people bathe here. I am not very good at explaining what it is so I will paraphrase the guidebook. “The hammam is a steam bath and is a Moroccan version of the spa.” (Rough Guide Morocco) I enjoy going and generally feel clean for a few days after my experience. Most people spend hours and hours there but I can only stay for a max of 2 hours. Besides, most of the women are not used to seeing a white girl so there is a lot of staring.

And just to put it out there because I have been asked this question, I don’t shower often. I usually only go to the hammam when there is enough grease in my hair to fry bacon and/or I am tired of looking like I have a bad hangover. And 2 days ago, I said something that I never thought I would say in my life: “I showered 3 days ago. I am still clean!” Obviously as soon as I said it, I wanted to take it back. Oh well…

-One of the things that I enjoy is when people will talk about me to other people in front of my face. They don’t realize (or don’t care) that I can speak (or attempt to speak) their language. When I say something to them, the expressions on their faces are priceless. But this can also work the other way. On more than one occasion I have said something in English that I would prefer not to be translated. And occasionally, there are people around who have decent English skills. They will look at me; laugh; and I have to do this whole “please do not translate” thing. It is a little embarrassing.

-One of the cultural things that always makes volunteers laugh is the so-called Berber rules for living. We hear them all of the time and most make a lot of sense but some are just off base. You can’t help but laugh. Here is a few:
--The reason you get a cold is because your headscarf is not wrapped tightly enough when leaving the hammam.
--My stomach issues are due to the cold weather not the food.
--The inferno is what is causing you to sneeze.
--Standing in the sun is what caused you to start itching.

-And I will end on this one: Meat is everything here. Because providing a good source of protein, it is a sign of wealth. My family is one of the better off in town and we always have meat. ALWAYS. Well, after Leid and a week’s worth of elaborate meals, I just haven’t been able to eat any more meat. I told my family that my stomach needs a break from all of the meat. So here is what they answered with: “That’s okay. We will make chicken.” It is like that scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.