Summary of Events

Hey everyone, long time no see. Sorry about that … we’ve been traveling around the country for a week and WiFi (pronounced wee-fee) has been scarce. That said: I’m in Morocco! When I last updated you I was in the states, in the nation’s capital. Since then, I’ve flown D.C. to Paris, Paris to Casablanca. I’ve bused Casablanca to Marrakech, Marrakech to Fez, Fez to Tangier. I’ve been laughed at by a ten-year-old kid after suggesting I pay 80 dirhams for the Arabic-English Qur’an he was trying to sell me for 150. I’ve bought said Qur’an from said ten-year-old kid for 125 dirhams (exchange rate ~8:1). I’ve taken two placement tests and made a surprising group of friends. I’ve realized time and again how obnoxious Americans are. I’ve realized time and again how obnoxious groups of forty-five people traveling by bright turquoise omnibus are. I’ve realized that the state department takes really good care of the students it funds. I’ve realized that I never want to work for the state department. Etc., etc., etc., and then there’s Morocco.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.

Maybe I was looking for India. Where else have I walked through open-air markets that sell spices, clothing, fruit? Where else have I observed the lingering effects of colonialism? Where else have I almost been trampled by mopeds and donkeys? Where else is Shahrukh Khan a cultural phenomenon? Where else have I made the wrenching decision to not use the bathroom rather than attempt the complicated maneuvers associated with squat toilets? The list goes on, but there are striking differences.

(1)  Cleanliness. There are roads in Morocco. There are also sidewalks. These roads and sidewalks meet at 90-degree angles, creating gutters of sorts. The astonishing thing? These gutters are visible. They do not contain dust. They do not contain trash. They are simply there.

(2)  Poverty. Where is it? Yes, there are a handful of beggars in the markets, but that seems to be about it. I have yet to see homes made of corrugated metal, yet to see sheets of blue plastic that serve as walls, yet to see any real destitution. I am not sure whether it is masked or located elsewhere or really not there. The last of those choices is more wishful thinking than anything, I guess, but regardless I’d like an answer.

(3)  Overpopulation is apparently a nonissue here.

(4)  Traffic. There are traffic lights. People use them. It’s utterly confusing.

(5)  Government. Walking around, large square billboards line all the major streets. Plastered across them are various photographs of the king. Also on the money. Yep, it’s a monarchy all right…

So yeah, those are my impressions so far. I’ve taken lots of photos and written up some snippets about the past week or so traveling the country, but I’ll space them out a bit so as not to overwhelm you, my ever-faithful readers. We’re in Tangier now, at the American School in Tangier, and classes start Monday… soon things will become routine, I assume. We’ll see how that goes.