8/17/07

A few quick notes; I know I just updated a LOT on Thursday, so I’ll keep it brief with a few recent realizations:

I still have to work on my timing of “Salaama aleikum.” I know, it sounds obvious, you just say hi to people, but when walking down the streets or in the alleys, people usually wait until they’ve just passed a group of people to say hi. I, on the other hand, say hi when I get close enough to look them in the eye: a very American thing, I guess. It’s not so bad when I’m alone, but when I’m walking with other people, they say “hello” a good fifteen or twenty seconds after I do and it’s awkward. Small, but an interesting illustration of how many little adjustments I need to make here.

I miss iHndar. I know it sounds strange that I’d get attached to a place after two months, but it just feels like home there.

I keep forgetting how Posh Corps I have it, having electricity and water, and internet once a week or more if I want it… I can go to my souk town, as many as four days a week without getting in trouble with Peace Corps, but once seems like a lot and I don’t see going more than once or occasionally twice.

Though I dislike my souk town because of the heat and the harassment (not a big deal or threatening, just really annoying), I’m beginning to feel like people there are getting to know me. Half a dozen shop owners will call out to me, and even if they don’t remember my name, they’ll ask if I’m getting used to Tamazitinu and see how things are going. One of my internet guys is especially nice. I left my USB reader and 2GB card in the computer on Thursday and didn’t realize it for about two hours later. Lo and behold, it was waiting for me. My tutor has offered to drive me around on his motorcycle if I ever get into problems with transportation (can’t do it! Against PC rules…), and the best café owners ever don’t just let me leave stuff there while I run errands, or sit upstairs and read or do whatever I want, but were even willing to loan me money, a considerable amount of it, when I was talking about buying a fridge and how expensive they were. I turned them down, but they were willing to loan me $50 US. Crazy.
I often forget that I am an American living in an Arab country while we are at war with Iraq. I attest that mainly to the fact that so many Moroccans are able to distinguish between their feelings about American people and the American government. I can count the number of times in one hand where I’ve been given a hard time about the war, and I’ve now been in country almost six months. By contrast, there are days when walking down the street when I have five invitations to tea. I’m not always in love with every element of Moroccan culture or even the culture of Tamazitinu, but the people’s hearts here are incredible. I’ve even heard, twice, that “George Bush isn’t that bad, God loves everyone.” I’m not saying everyone says that, but I was in shock to hear it from two different people in two regions of Morocco.

That said, and please, do not worry about me, I kind of feel a bit strange going to a city this weekend that had a suicide bomber earlier in the week. When we made plans to go, obviously, there hadn’t been one yet, and PC has connections to security information and they keep our safety a number one priority. They don’t think it’s too dangerous, and their attitude is very conservative, safer is better, even if it limits personal freedoms. I’m not afraid. It’s just a reality I’ve never really lived in. They’re targeting tourists, and we don’t travel like tourists, but it probably means I won’t go to McDonalds. No great loss, though I really would like to eat food from home for a day or two. Of course, I crave Thai and Chinese and sushi more than I crave so-called “American” food as it is…

And so it goes. I’m listening to a lot of Carbon Leaf right now. I’m especially loving “Desperation Song” and “Learn to Fly.” I’ve also absolutely devoured Harpers, The New Yorker, and The Economist that a friend of mine sent me. Great magazines, especially Harpers, which I’m ashamed to say I’ve never read before. There was a really disturbing article about lobbyists in Washington (this is in the 7/07 issue) that’s worth taking a look at, if you have the spirit of an activist.