Le bes

I'm home and I can hear the rain falling quietly on the roof. What's the weather like in Rabat? Presumably hot. At least that's what I'm packed for.

Upon arriving at home my parents immediately made me understand just how guilty I should be feeling for going to North Africa right now. 166 days after Mohamed Bouazizi immolated himself. 110 days since Omar Suleiman announced Hosni Mubarak's resignation as Egypt's president. 30 days since Osama bin Laden was shot to death.
"I haven't been able to sleep since you told us," my dad said.
يا الله.ـ

And of course, studying Egyptian Arabic is no preparation for Morocco. Sure, I can switch from ربنا يخليك to بارك الله فيك. Expressions change from place to place. But seriously, "two" is جوج? And why is that the only number that's different from standard Arabic?

So, the Egyptian Revolution happened. And suddenly I'm going to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. And I want to keep this blog in order to prove to my friends and family that I'm alive and well, even in these chaotic times. And I'm excited. I don't know much of anything about Morocco. But that's the point. I'm here to learn. And this blog is here to pass on that knowledge for anyone interested.

A friend of mine told me as we parted ways for the summer, "Don't get blowed up."

If you don't know Moroccan Arabic, I'm going to teach you a sentence. "Le bes?" means "How are you?" or literally "No harm?"

The response is "Le bes, barik allahu feek."

"I'm fine, thank you." No harm.