Ma'sat al-thaqafa al-ajnabiya filmaghreb.

The first Harry Potter movie is being shown on TV here! Sadly, it's in French, not Arabic. Yet another example of the negative effects of French colonialism.
Incidentally, I tried to buy an Arabic copy of a Harry Potter book. But again, no bookstore carries them in Arabic, only French. What they DO have in Arabic is the entire Twilight series. I worry for the future of Moroccan youth.

That's all for now. Hata al-liqa'.

Bishahal al-tazkara lilfilm?

Lazy lazy Saturday. I got a little sick last night (probably stress related) so I slept in and spent most of the day doing some homework and hanging out indoors to stay out of the sun. I was worried I would have nothing to relate in my blog post (I know, is that what my life has come to? But, seriously, it's a good motivator). So I decided to finally do what I've wanted to do since the day I got here and go to a movie theater in Morocco.
It turns out that the movie theater doesn't open until 8:30 at night, so I stopped by a cafe across the street from the theater and ordered a coffee. I usually hate coffee, but the way Moroccans drink it is great. The waiter serves you an empty coffee cup on a plate and pours in black coffee -- just enough to cover the bottom of the cup. Then he takes a small pitcher of boiling-hot milk and fills the rest of the cup. So it's basically milk with a hint of coffee, which is great for coffeephobes like me.

At the cafe men (and only men) crowd around tables. All the seats face outward to the streets so that people can chat and people-watch. In the US the Starbucks is always full of hipsters working furiously over laptops, but here it's common to see men just sitting, alone or in groups, doing nothing but sip coffee and chain smoke. It stressed me out at first, but once you ease into it, it's a very relaxing experience, even though I still think "don't you guys have jobs or something?" Maalesh habibi, that's the pace of life in Morocco. At least for men.

The pace of life for women is exhausting to watch. My host mom is constantly working. She's the first to wake up, cleans the entire house (even moving furniture), and cooks four or five meals a day, sets the table, and clears the table. This division of the sexes is hard to watch, so I always help my host mom with setting and clearing the table.

An interesting example of how strong the social pressures are here occurred while I was watching TV with my host mom. The news turned to sports (which means Kurat al-Qadm "Soccer"). First the news caster went over the latest scores for the men's teams. Then the clips turned to women's soccer and the announcer announced those scores. My host mom laughed "Women playing soccer," she said, shaking her head in bemusement.

So back to the movie. I met up with some guys from my program and we paid 25 dirhams for a ticket (3 USD). The theater was empty except for us and maybe two other people (the signs outside that pleaded SAVE CINEMA IN MOROCCO don't bode well for theaters). We were a couple minutes early but the movie had already started. I swear I understood every 20th word (the movie was in darija) and it was one of the strangest movies I have ever seen. The basic plot, as I understood it, was that a young man and his buddies are jailed for giving a speech at school about Satanism. In jail, the man becomes involved with extremist Muslims and joins a terrorist training school. But then at the end he changes his mind and blows up the jihadist training camp (awful CGI effects included).

Highlights of the movie: crossdressing male prostitutes, mujahideen singing Nirvana, a dog avenges a rape victim, spelunking for some reason. The title of the movie? "Casablanca Daylight." Don't miss out on the summer movie event of the year!

Smah lee, twaddart filhay al-sinaee.

Dammit, summer school, you're supposed to be easy. Today I had an oral presentation and a two-hour exam. Then I had to film and edit a 15 minute video project. And then I had to start my daily homework.

But I still had time for an adventure yesterday. I met with my language partner and told her I wanted to find the industrial section of the old market, which I had passed by on a previous occasion. She said she'd never heard of it, so I had to explain what they did there, which led me to learn the words for iron (hadeed) and wood (khashab). We made our way through the meandering alleys of the old city until I found the industrial area. It's very cool to see people making beautiful tables, doors, grates, bed frames, and more by hand (and machine, depending). Unfortunately, I also saw small children helping their parents with the work, handling electric saws and blowtorches with skill (but without protection). I took some pictures and talked to a man who was shaping long metal rods into spirals to include in an artistic grate. I didn't understand a word he said but he showed me how he used a hammer and an anvil to shape the rods.

In the industrial section of the city is a little corner with three or four shops that sell traditional instruments, including flutes, various string instruments, and many types of drums. It was mid-afternoon, however, so the store owner (mool al-hanoot) was nowhere to be found, so unfortunately I couldn't talk to him or buy anything.

However, as we were leaving the industrial area, a man called me to look in his shop. I went in and saw that his store was full of objects and jewelry, all made of metal. He led me into the back of his shop and showed me how he makes the pieces by hand. He took a dull metal pot and placed it in a vice in his workshop. Then he took a tool that looked like a blunt knife, and rubbed vigorously at the pot until it took on a polished, blue hue. Then he took a small spool of metal wires, as thin as human hair. He took out one of the wires, placed it on the pot, and began hammering gently at it until it flattened and stuck to the pot. He hammered intricate patterns on the pot, drawing swirls and flower petal designs. It was very cool to watch.

Then of course, he said, "Please, choose anything, I'll give you a very reasonable price." I was very tempted, but my language partner gave me an impatient look, so I said I would come back. I say this to every shopkeeper, but I have a feeling I may keep my word this time.

Today at the language center we hosted a group of traditional musicians who sang, danced, and played a Moroccan version of castanets made of metal. One of the performers played a ganbaree, which I talked about in a previous post. His ganbaree, however, was hooked up to speakers, and the sounds it made were really cool, similar to a bass guitar. I wish I could have learned more but I had to leave early to catch a taxi to my home stay.

Wash kein shee murshed?

Today was a pretty slow day as far as things go in Morocco, so I want to use this post to offer advice to future travelers going to Morocco and talk about some cultural experiences that surprised me. First the advice. This advice is specifically about Morocco, but it probably applies to most Arab countries.

1. Be careful what you wish for (out loud).
Once you become friends with Moroccans they will go to the ends of the earth to make you happy. This is why it's important not to voice any kind of desire unless you know what you're getting into. Even complimenting something is grounds to get you into trouble, as happened to me today.
Me: "This is a beautiful tajyeen (Moroccan cooking pot). How much does one cost at the sooq?"
My host mom: "Oh, just take any of these," she says, trying to hand me various tajyeens.
Me: "Oh, that very kind, no thank you. I can find one at the sooq."
MHM: "No, please take it, as a souvenir from us. I can buy another one any time."
Me: [super awkwarded out] "No, thank you for offering. I'll go to the market, I like to buy things."

2. Don't accept "favors" from people.
Moroccans are experts at exploiting a psychological effect known as reciprocity. People on the street will do all sorts of favors for you...but not because bless-their-hearts-they're-so-kind. They want a tip. And as I've written previously, tipping is expected in Morocco for all kinds of favors, big and small. It even occurs in places you'd never expect.
For instance, I was visiting Hassan al-Tanee (Hassan II), the largest mosque in Morocco. I walked downstairs into the mosque and a member of the cleaning staff led me through a door into a very dark room. It was a beautiful hall filled with low marble fountains that are designed for men entering the mosque to perform ablutions (washing their hands and feet before prayer). A man in an abayya (traditional, light robe) came up to me, and started telling me about the purpose of the room and its history. He saw I saw taking pictures, so he said, "No, you're taking pictures of the wrong things." He grabbed my camera and began taking pictures of art on the walls and Arabic script on the columns. He then told me to pose for a picture, and so, reluctantly, I did so. I thanked him for his help and on the way out the door he held out his hand and said, "Tadweera, tadweera" (tip). This had happened to me before, but in a mosque? I was offended, but I said, "I'm sorry, I don't have money with me" (which was true...that time) and left the building.
I'll give him credit and say that he accepted my refusal to tip gracefully. The previous time this happened, it ended with me yelling "What is your problem? Get the hell away from me!" for the second time since I've been here.
So the lesson is, don't let people do you favors. No "I have a very generous friend who just happens to be a taxi driver..."; "I can show you the way to that restaurant..."; "Do you need a guide of the old city?" No no no.

My story of intercultural experience comes with another lesson: be prepared to be surprised.
I was at a qahwa in Dar al-Bayda with my host dad and his cousin when his cousin asked, "What was your impression of Morocco before you came here?"
I told him, "My friends and family, as well as my host family, made me nervous about coming here at first. Americans really emphasize the potential dangers of the region, such as terrorism, crime, disease, culture shock, political oppression, etc. But when I got here I realized that these fears really apply to the worst case scenarios, whereas most of the risks I run here are no more threatening than in the United States. It didn't help though, that there was a bombing in Marrakesh a month before I arrived. Americans are worried about the influence and potential threats of Islamists and Islamist parties in the Middle East" (sidenote: the term "Islamist" refers to someone who believes public policy should be based on Islamic law and thought. It does not mean the same thing as "Muslim").
My host dad said "No, Islamist parties are no threat. Tell me, who do you think perpetrated the attacks of September 11th, 2001?"
I was taken aback at the question, but I answered, "A group of mostly Saudi young men..."
"Yes, but bin Laden, right?" interrupted my host dad.
"Yeah, bin Laden," I answered.
He gave me a knowing look and said, "No, no, no. Bin Laden didn't do it. It was the American government who did it and blamed Islamists. Have you seen pictures of the Pentagon? That damage was caused by a rocket, not a plane. And who has the rockets to do that? The Americans."
I didn't know what to say at first. It is clearly illogical that the United States government would attack its own citizens, let alone the headquarters of the Department of Defense in order to sow fear of Islamists. But I couldn't really articulate this in Arabic, so I said, "This is a story that some people believe, but most people, including me, find that there is no evidence that 9/11 was perpetrated by someone other that bin Laden, especially not the US government."
"It's the same thing as here," said my host dad. "The bombing in Marrakesh wasn't planted by Islamists, it was planted by the Moroccan government to terrorize people and subjugate them."
My host dad's cousin jumped in and said, "No, no, I don't believe these things. It was the fault of Islamists" and they argued for a bit before changing the subject.

I was, again, taken aback by my host dad's comments, but I have a hypothesis about why he believes these conspiracy theories. My host dad is a very devout Muslim, and when I mentioned the fear that Americans have for Islamists, I think he wanted to defend these parties because he supports them, or feels that they reflect on him. He wanted to defend the reputation of Muslims by distancing himself from the violence that some self-proclaimed Muslims perpetrated. And his comments about the Moroccan government organizing the bombing in Marrakesh made me realize that he, like many Moroccans, has developed a deep distrust for government, and doesn't feel that political leaders in Morocco are defending his interests.

It was a sobering moment, either way.

Kul sena wa antum tayibeen.

It's Independence Day in America and I just finished five hours of homework. Life is cruel in Morocco. The Arabic students threw a big party at the hotel where we cooked halal hotdogs and hamburgers, drank "Hawai" (a soda so addictive it's probably illegal in the States) and carved and distributed watermelon slices.
We also played patriotic songs and sang some wonderful renditions of "America, Fuck Yeah!" We invited our professors (who are all native Arabs) and I think they were highly amused by the celebration.
(Fun fact: Morocco was the first country to formally recognize the United States as an independent nation. The king even gave a speech today blessing President Obama.)

So July 4th marks the middle of my stay in Morocco, and I think the spirit of the day calls for me to list things I miss about the States.

1.  Shower curtains
2. Air conditioning
3. Mexican food
4. Chinese food
5. A good burger
6. Water (that doesn't cause diarrhea)
7. Netflix

Happy 'Merica Day, everybody.

Leila fi Dar al-Bayda

This evening I returned from (surprise!) Casablanca! The one city in Morocco that everybody knows about because of some movie whose name I keep forgetting...
Casablanca is called Dar al-Bayda in Morocco (it's a direct translation) but everyone will know what you mean if you say "Casablanca" or "Casa," which are also widely used.

I'm totally exhausted and I have class in the morning so I will say more about Casablanca in tomorrow's post. However, here are some highlights:

1. Visiting the largest mosque in Morocco, and the third largest in the world (source: some Moroccans).
2. Walking along the Corniche and finding shady nightclubs with names like Club Vice and BOOOOM BOOOOM ROOOOM.
3. Seeing a woman with a hijab wearing a tee shirt that read JUICY IS THE NEW BLACK.
4. My host dad informing me that 9/11 was a conspiracy.

More to come.

Al-mashi fi athar Walili

I was going to post yesterday with news about the excitement of voting day, but to be honest it was very anti-climactic. All the demonstrations took place the day before. I did, however, interview a few Moroccans who were sitting in cafes about their thoughts on the referendum. Most, understandably, didn't want to talk to me, and one man responded to every one of my questions with Kul shay mizian ("everything is good").

I interviewed one man, however, who was very interesting to talk to. I asked him if he was voting and why. He said yes, he would vote that day because voting is a better alternative to violent revolution in enacting reforms. He said he would vote "yes" on the new constitution because it would get the wheels rolling on real reform in the country. It was the first time he had ever voted in his life.

While voting day was uneventful, this may be the calm before the storm. I received an email today from my study abroad office that said this:

Morocco: Demonstrations planned on 3 July over preliminary results of referendum on constitutional reforms
The 20 February Movement has called for demonstrations on 3 July to protest against the preliminary result of a referendum, which was held on 1 July as part of the reforms proposed by King Mohammed VI on 17 June in a bid to create a constitutional monarchy with a democratic parliament. The preliminary result of the plebiscite, which was announced by Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui on 1 July, indicated that more than 98% of the voters approved the proposed reforms; the voting turnout was around 73%. The final results are expected to be announced on 3-4 July. The 20 February Movement has alleged that the proposed reforms do not amount to a true separation of authoritarian powers.
Several protests have been staged in recent weeks to demand democratic reforms and against the use of force by the police during previous demonstrations. Although the 20 February Movement has not yet disclosed details of the planned events, such rallies are likely to take place in the capital Rabat and other major cities. Although the proposed draft announced by the monarch was expected to reduce the risk of rallies gaining momentum and pre-empt any further unrest, the latest call to demonstrate by the protest movement suggests otherwise. Precedents suggest that the security forces may use uncompromising crowd-control measures to disperse unruly protesters, posing indirect risks to bystanders. There is also a high risk of unrest incited by youths from low-income areas in the hours following such gatherings, particularly in northern cities such as Tangier.
Thousands of protesters on 26 June staged marches Rabat and other urban centres across the country as part of demonstrations both for and against the constitutional reforms. In Casablanca, around 100,000 people participated in marches organised by a coalition group known as ‘Matkich Bladi' (Do not touch my country) in support of the 1 July referendum, while 7,000 people demonstrated against the planned reforms in the low-income neighbourhood of Hay Mohammedi, where scuffles between protesters and government supporters injured at least two people. Additionally, at least 2,000 anti-constitution protesters marched the same day in central Rabat in a protest organised by the 20 February Movement.
Mohammed VI claims that the proposed constitutional reforms would provide for an independent judiciary and greater roles for the legislature and political parties. While Morocco shares a number of socio-economic traits with neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt – where protest campaigns in late 2010 and early 2011 led to the ousting of those countries' long-serving presidents, such as the high youth unemployment rate, its political climate differs from these countries and an uprising is unlikely in the near term. However, demonstrations calling for political and constitutional reform should be expected to persist.

But enough about politics. Today I visited Volubilis, or as they call it in Morocco, Walili. This was a day trip organized by our program so I piled into a bus with the other students, all of us sweating in the blazing summer heat. Volubilis is a site of ancient Roman ruins that used to be the southernmost outpost of the Roman Empire. The ruins are very beautiful and surprisingly complete, despite the fact that they allow you to climb all over them (some students even climbed atop old grave markers to pose like roman statues and the tour guide was fine with it).

The tour guide showed us the site where townspeople would sacrifice animals to the Roman gods on sacred days, as well as where they used to make olive oil, some houses, and the baths. The tour concluded with what our tour guide described as "a happy ending." And this was not entirely untrue, as the last stop of the tour was the brothel, which was marked by a large erect penis carved from stone and pointing to the entrance of the brothel (photos not included).

From Walili we went on to a small mountain town called Moulay Idriss, where a famous Muslim holy man is buried on the grounds of a large mosque. A sign confirmed the Moroccan law that non-Muslims are not allowed inside mosques, so we sent a friend who is Muslim in to see the mosque and the tomb inside. She ducked under the wood barrier and came back shortly after with lots of pictures, which I hope to post this week.

A man told us that we could walk up the cliff side through the old city to get a better view of the mosque, so we climbed up what seemed like a never-ending staircase that wound through alleyways in the old city. We were exhausted by the time we reached the summit, but the view was worth it. You could not only look over the mosque, but see the whole city built on a mountain and the valley beyond.

I'll be traveling again today and tomorrow, taking advantage of the weekend. As always, location TBA when I return. The suspense!