Differences

So, in my last post, I remarked on some of the similiarities...granted the not-so-happy similiarities between Morocco and home...or I suppose Morocco and everywhere. Anyway, I thought since its before spring break and techinically a little over halfway through my time here that maybe I should tell you all about some of the differences between Morocco and home, yes?

Yes. So here goes...

Differences (both small and large, ridiculous and important):

• Paper size...A4 rather than 8.5 x 11. I keep cutting off the bottom of all my papers to shove them into my folders. And the notebook paper is 4 hole punched.
• Electricity...light switches are like little squares with an edge at the bottom. At many places in Morocco, in the hallways the lights don't automatically stay on, they have little glow like circles and you have to hit them as you go past. This saves electricity which is cool. But if you end up sitting in the hallway for awhile you have to keep hitting the switch, and I don't even want to tell you how careful you have to be going down stairs sometimes.
• "looks"... i'm not sure exactly how to put this, but as a foreigner in Morocco (the Middle East/North Africa whatever) you have to get used to sticking out very much. Even with light brown hair, I stick out because everyone has really dark hair, usually dark eyes, a darker or olive complexion. I realize this is probably obvious, but it takes on a whole new meaning when you're walking around everyday and stick out. And this is not just at the university of course, in fact when we're going traveling or "being tourists" we stick out even more, especially as women. We end up getting interesting comments like "It's been a long time since angels visited our city" "I like your shape" "Bonjour, Welcome, Helllooo"...
• Food seasonings...they have ketchup, but use mustard and mayonnaise a lot more. They also have different seasonings, which I don't know the names of, but for example there is one dark greenish powdery substance that they put on eggs and such. I can definitely taste a difference in their seasonings just on the meats or in soup, much less in couscous!
• Cost of food...very very cheap. Breakfast consisting of freshly squeezed orange juice (Morocco has big orange crops...), harsha (my favorite breakfast food which is sort of like an english muffin shaped compact piece of corn bread), and cheese is like 6 dirhams (around 80 cents or so). In fact, any sort of bread is really cheap because its very heavily subsidized here by the government because of the poverty throughout Morocco. The US and the EU have been pressuring Morocco to lift the subsidies, but if the government did this right now many people would probably starve.
• Bathrooms. A few notes here. 1) sex relativity...even if there are girl/guy signs on the doors, it doesn't seem to really matter. Bathrooms are bathrooms here and seem to be much more public space than private space, so people go in interchangeably 2) In public places, like restaurants there's usually only one bathroom and unless you're in a really modern place you're looking at a hole in the floor with two places for your feet...which feels correct if you are of the male gender, but is really just awkward if you are female. 3) Toilet paper...optional in these "bathrooms."
• The Media. So, for those of you have not been abroad, or have not been abroad recently...the exporting of American culture is huge when it comes to TV, music and the internet here. HUGE. My Moroccan classmates have seen more of the MTV-esque movies and tv shows here than I have...there are television stations that show American television shows all the time with Arabic subtitles, usually a couple seasons back. Alias is still real big here. Plus, stations that show a really random mix of American movies...Galaxy Quest, Harry Potter, etc. All of the students here listen to American music interchangeably with Arab music and sing along, sometimes asking what a certain phrase here or there means...of course its a little more disturbing when they're singing along to Tupac or Eminem and cussing up a storm without knowing what they're saying. It's really funny to ride in taxis here and hear the random mix of music on the radio...on the way to Rabat one weekend we went from Britney Spears "Crazy" to Beyonce's "To the Left" to an Arab singer singing about her "habibee" (my love) back to Fergie with "Fergilicious. I write all of this to say...how weird would it be to grow up in a culture listening to music that I couldn't understand, watching tv shows that exported cultural ideas different from my own (not to say that I always agree with the American cultural ideals in teen movies), and not really seeing myself or my family reflected in that. Much less, to say what they think about Americans...America = Friends, Will & Grace, American Pie, Austin Powers....oy vey.
• Ceilings and Tiling: Lots and lots of mosaics and ornately done tile especially on walkways and ceilings. Even the water fountains are tiled with mosaics exquisitely! Although this does pose some problems sometimes. The tiling on all the walkways around AUI is beautiful, with this like inset star pattern...but its all so slippery that when it rain its a disaster zone.
• Coding/Laws...so, coming here makes me realize that America has a lot of codes and laws, especially in terms of health and safety. Which sometimes may same a bit ridiculous, until they're absent. I ride in grande taxis every week with 4 people shoved in the back and 2 people up front + the driver. Seatbelts? Ha. Speed limits...okay I guess there are some, but they don't really apply that much. Especially when the police can be bribed. (apparently). Fire codes and mandatory fire detectors...not so much. Health codes about what can be refridgerated, served, taken back, etc...nope. Oh yeah and the airport didn't take my liquides from me either, though Spain did when I came back which made me very unhappy.
• Things that are assumed (I'll try not to make this sound negative): I think in every culture there are assumptions of common courtesy that are developed and that when you're from a foreign culture you kind of miss or just don't know. I'm sure my American friends and I do taboo things and don't realize it. But some things seem very taboo to us...like our classmates (many of them) not standing in line, or blatantly cutting in the cafe and the salesperson just taking the person's order who's loudest and most annoying; not walking on any particular side of the walkway/doorway/street,etc and very often just running into you; picking up a piece of bread, fruit, food item and then deciding you don't want it and putting it back...or sorting through food to find the best one, leaving behind fingerprints on everything...
• Greetings: When you meet a friend or anyone here for the first time or just the first time that week, day, hour, whatever...most do the "kiss kiss" on either cheek and do a lot of shaking hands.
• Language: Moroccans mix languages all the time. (Which is very confusing for little old me attempting to understand Arabic). And speak very fast. French-Arabic-French. Arabic-French-Arabic. Here at AUI, add in English into the mix and sometimes Spanish if the students are from the north-eastern coast where the Spanish came into Morocco for a time. They change languages mid-sentence. The change languages depending on who they're talking to. You just never know!

Okay that's enough! Time for bed. Tomorrow I'm headed for England for the beginning of my spring break to see my dear friends Claire and Libbi in Cambridge. Then off to Cairo and Paris and then back to AUI for the rest of my semester! Craziness!

I'll try to keep you updated! Hope you are all well!