A Unique Education

Incredible things I learned or that happened today…

1.  Merriem taught us about Moroccan language. We have heard her speak Arabic, French, and Enlgish in one sentence, and yes, this is not rare at all. The spoken language is djarda, but Arabic is the official state language, then French, Berber in some areas (although it is called Amerzigh by most as “berber” meant “barbarian” as used by the French),Spanish in areas (especially the north),  and increasingly English. Today one sophomore-aged student in a French class asked me what languages I know. I said “un peu francais”, which is “a little French", and he responded, “That’s all?”

2. Kids in classes act the same. Some kids were so excited to see us. The younger, freshmen aged students were giggling and asking us all kinds of questions. I learned one girl likes Justin Timberlake and another likes Lady Gaga music.  They were so cute and excited, just like the freshmen in my classes were last Friday. In the other class, where older students were studying English, some acted disinterested or “cool” in their posture or demeanor. At least one of these same boys perked up when I asked if they knew who Eminem was. Saying I know Eight Mile earned me some cred today.  Thanks Mama…
3. We visited an, excuse me the, elite science and engineering prep school today. Kids from all over Morocco attend this school if they have the grades of course, and there are dorms for those who do not live nearby. There is no wi-fi though, as it is too distracting for their studies. There were no computers in the classes, not even for the teacher. No overhead projectors. Just chalkboards, books, and handouts. One class was working on algorithms, just using their notebook, pencils, and brains. Imagine that! Oh, and the bell rung for the end of classes is totally old school-- picture Ma ringing the bell for Half-pint and Pa in Walnut Grove-- in the courtyard. The principal was so kind and let Hina (Chemistry teacher from Chicago) ring the bell.
4. This early evening a small group of us rocked the Casbagh.  This word means something like castle or walled city. And what treasures lie inside these ancient walls!  The gardens were incredible. I asked Merriem if people ever pray there, and she said no this is not how a Muslim would pray. Quite honestly, it was so calm and yet powerfully strong, I would have loved a quiet time for reflection here. Besides strolling the gardens, along with all of the stray cats, we then explored the labyrinth of narrow streets. Here there are one-of-a-kind doors, some sized right out of Alice and Wonderland. The walls of the homes were bright blue on the bottom, with white-washed walls, and then matching blue door and window frames. It was the island of Mykonos all over again!
5. Thus far the most memorable cultural experience I have had, actually that I have ever had,  was visiting the Hamaam today with my giirrrrllllsss.  Amy, Emilia, Kelly, Hina, and I shed our Puritanical American modesty to participate in this Moroccan ritual. We paid about $2 a piece, stripped down to our underwear, entered three tiled rooms filled with steam and many other women “dressed” similarly. The women who work in the Hamaam walked around with full buckets of warm water and exfoliating brushes. After dumping water all over my body, the lady whom I could not understand proceeded to scrub my entire body vigorously. Very, very vigorously. After lifting this, rubbing there, scrubbing that, smoothing here, more water was poured over me, numerous times, and then she washed my hair. Slowly, smoothly, as a mother gently calms a new-born babe. Of course while this was happening to me, my girrllllsss had the same treatment, all in the same area of the bathing room. We are still reeling from the glow of this evening, and are reminded of it every time we touch our silky skin. Here’s to another communal experience in Morocco!
6. After shedding our skin, we headed to the Medina (old city)  to visit a classic Moroccan restaurant. This place was right out of Casablanca. Really, I expected Humphrey Bogart to stroll in any minute. As it turns out, we were the only patrons. We had a private room with candles lit and our lovely host Bahrain (yes, her name sounded like the name of the country) treated us like family. She spoke to me in French, while Emilia and I translated to the rest of the giiirrrlllllsss.  Actually our fellow teacher Mike had made the reservations and he and the “boys” of our teacher-crew were supposed to meet us, but they never showed. As we all still had the glow of the Hamaam upon our faces, we were relaxed and excited to share more girl time. We drank Moroccan wine, ate pastilla for the second night (chicken seasoned with ginger, saffron in a pot pie that has a slightly sweet flakey crust), tangine (vegetables cooked in a clay pot), chicken legs, eggplant puree, potatoes with cumin, creme pastilla with almondine for dessert, followed by baked oranges for a second dessert, and of course, ending the meal with Moroccan mint tea.  Oh and lets not forget the fresh baked bread that was right out of the oven. Actually, when we first arrived Bahrain was concerned when we had more people than the reservation indicated because they had just went to the marche (market) to buy the ingredients for the meal. Local and fresh.  Homemade. A private room. Intricately carved woodwork. Colorful, Moroccan mosaic tiles. C’est incroyable!  C’est magnifique!