The Beautiful City of Fes

Yesterday, I returned to Rabat from a three-day journey to Fes and Ifrane. I spent about a day and a half in Fes. Fes is the city that people think of when they think of Morocco. Long winding streets, beautiful mosques and aggressive shopkeepers are prevalent. In Fez, I bought two beautiful hands of Fatima’s. The hand of Fatima is a uniquely Moroccan piece of jewelry and decoration. It is supposed to be a ward against the evil eye. The evil eye is similar to bad luck. The hand of Fatima is also known as Khamsa (or five in Arabic). Also, I bought several nice kūfiyyāt. I would really love to find a tagelmust. A tagelmust is a scarf that covers the face and head. It is somewhat similar to a ten-foot long scarf. It is worn by the Tuareg people of the Sahara. Besides this, my friends bought the things that Fez is really known for i.e. pottery and paintings. The hotel we stayed in was absolutely gorgeous. It was a traditional Moroccan villa with a potted plants and a small pool in the center. Around this are the rooms we stayed in. Below are several pictures I took from the top of the villa.

Also, while we were in Fes, we stopped in an old Mosque. It was very beautiful. To me, it was reminiscent of Ibn Tulun in Egypt. Pictures are below.

I think I've really changed as a result of my exposure to Moroccan life and culture. From a person who knew no Arabic when I started, I'm now able to communicate in broken phrases. To an outsider, this may seem like a small step but from the inside, it has been dozens of hours of work. Additionally, I've been able to use a lot of French. I've had to discuss theology, evolution, culture and politics to name but a few. But despite my use of French, I don’t think that it has served as a crutch. Rather, I believe it has rendered me the ability to communicate more effectively and has served as a foil with which to learn Arabic. Without French, I would not be able to communication with my family. Also, I would like to think my French is perfect. However, while I have the accent and know the vocabulary of pure French, I have never been to a country where it was spoken as one of the primary languages. While I’m here, I’m speaking more than I ever have before. I really like the Arabic/ French mix here in Morocco. I think it is interesting what words Darija has taken from French and adopted as its own. I vastly prefer Darija over Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). To me, MSA lacks feeling. When you speak Darija, it feels real and alive.

I would really love to come back to Morocco to learn Darija proper. In fact, I would love to spend the next three or four years in Morocco, Egypt, and Syria (once it quiets down). 

The City of Fes

A pottery shop in Fes.

A mosque in Morocco.

The Road to Chefchaoen and God's Bridge

Again, I have not kept up the blog. This time, I was in the gorgeous Chefchaoen. This area is the most beautiful I've ever seen.

The mountains near Chefchaoen.

The river near Chefchaoen.

The hills near Chefchaoen.

The beautiful Chefchaoen

God's Bridge near Chefchaoen.

Mobasshir jumping off a cliff near God's Bridge.

Food, Animals and Monuments

Morocco never ceases to amaze and astonish me. Today while walking to catch a taxi, I saw a herd of cows grazing in the field near my house. When I returned home later, I found sheep grazing. While I was quite surprised, none of the Moroccan's seemed even remotely surprised.

During each of my previous posts, I tend to mention the great vittles (al makla) Morocco has. See for yourself whether I have been telling the truth. Moroccan's tend to eat out of a single large platter using the hands and bread (khrobes in Moroccan Arabic). Only rarely are plates or silverware associated with these meals. 

A cow grazing outside my house. Remember that I live in a major capital city. This is a sight I would never see in the United States. 

Sheep grazing outside my house.

The five pointed star is prevalent in Moroccan society.  This particular representation appears on bastila, a flaky cake filled with chicken, almonds and onions. 

A slice of bastila.

The fish we had for lunch today.

The fish.

Outside King Mohammed V Tomb

Outside the Hassan Tower. It was supposed to be twice its current height but construction stopped when its sponser died.

A Post Long Delayed

Salaam Alaikum!

This post has been put off far too long. I've been very busy recently. Let me summarize the past couple weeks: first we meet in Washington D.C., then we flew to Madrid, Spain and finally flew on to Casablanca, Morocco. That last step was on Wednesday the 22. That week, we started Darija (Moroccan dialect). By Sunday, I felt like I was finally getting a hold on Darija. On Monday, the 27th, we started Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). From what I understand, this is the language primarily used in books, newspapers and the Qur’an. It is extremely formal. Although many Arabic- users can speak and understand it, they rarely use it in everyday conversation. Instead, they use their local dialect be it Moroccan, Egyptian, or any other. Each Arab country has it's own brand of Arabic. 

From the first day I started classes (the 22nd) to the 24th, I successfully learned the Arabic alphabet. After class for three days, I spent 3 hours learning the alphabet. Now I'm semi- literate in Arabic!

When we started MSA yesterday (Monday), I probably understood about 5% of what was said (the class was all in Arabic). Today, I feel like I understood much more. It probably helped that I was up late reviewing the alphabet and key words and phrases.

Below are several pictures from my adventures.

Dar Al Hadeeth Al Hassania.

An apartment building near my school.

Avenue Annakhil in Rabat.

Avenue Annakhil. 

Avenue Annakhil. 

The view from the top of my apartment complex.

The view from the top of my apartment complex.

The view from the top of my apartment complex.

The view from the top of my apartment complex.

The view from the top of my apartment complex.

The view from the top of my apartment complex. A mosque is directly in the center.

The Muslim calendar is based off the position of the moon .

The Past Couple Days

Whoa is all I can start with. I have been doing activities and learning Arabic ever since I arrived. I have barely had a moments rest. Nevertheless, I feel very grateful to be in Morocco. It's an opportunity of a lifetime. Anyway, yesterday I was introduced to my host brother Rashid as well as his family. Never before have I met people who were so generous and openhearted. From the moment I met them, they have treated me as a son. 

When I arrived in Rabat (about an hour and a half from Casablanca), I met my host family. Before leaving Bridges Academy, my school away from home, I learned that I had been accidently placed in a higher class than I was supposed to be in. The school was operating under the misapprehension that I could read and write in Arabic. I decided to learn the alphabet as well as how to write in a matter of days. Since yester night, I have learned the alphabet moderately well and am working on achieving an elevated writing level. I stayed up until 3AM last night doing that. 7 or 8 hours is a long time to study Arabic. Despite this, I feel like I'm making great strides already. 

Before coming to Morocco, I originally thought that French would become a crutch for me and restrict my Arabic language skills. How wrong I have been! In the house, I speak a motley group of language. I mix French, English and Arabic together in even a single sentence. I could actually go without English but Rashid would like to improve his English. Otherwise, just Arabic and French would be spoken.

It's also worth mentioning the food/ vittles in Morocco. It's all very natural. Everyday I will probably be drinking ashay (Classical Arabic for tea) and some coffee. Both are aziz (delicious). Other common foods are birds tongue (a kind of grain), large flatbreads with comfiture and laughing cow cheese and yogurt.

Below are some pictures of my host family's apartment. Tomorrow I'll put up some pictures of my school and the exterior of the building where the apartment is located.

Beslama

Rashid, my host brother.

The room Rachid and I share.

When entertaining many guests, this room is used.

The Kitchen

Orientation Continued

Today I woke up around 7 after going to sleep late last night. After eating breakfast, myself and the other Arabic tulaab (students) continued our orientation. We learned key words as well as went through cultural training. For example, if one wants to buy something at the market, we could expect to spend some time haggling over time. During this time, we might even sit down with the vendor and discuss the purchase over mint tea. Later in the day, a Foreign Service Officer from the Department of State came to the orientation to talk about the program and other programs we might pursue in the future. Only two days until I'll be in Morocco.

Chosen for a scholarship and the experience of a Lifetime

2100 applications and only 670 students chosen to study their choice of seven languages. The most highly demanded language was Arabic. I am one of 78 students studying Arabic in Morocco this summer through a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship (funded by the Department of State).

Yesterday at 6:30, I left Minnesota for an orientation in Arlington, VA. I will not be returning for 6 weeks, the longest I've ever been out of Minnesota. After a plane ride from Minneapolis to Chicago and finally to Washington Dulles, I got to the orientation around 6. After a few icebreakers and a little orientation, I fell asleep. Imagine, on Sunday, I will be leaving the United States for Madrid then Morocco. I also found out I will be staying in Rabat, the capital (signified by the star on the map)