First week of classes, etc.

Hello again! It’s been about a week since I last posted a blog entry, and there’s a lot to tell about the past few days!

On Monday, I started my darija (dialect) class at the Arabic Language Institute in Fes (ALIF). The class meets in two sessions, from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 10:00 to 12:00 PM Monday through Friday, so no sleeping in for the next few weeks. My host dad, Najib, walks me to the taxi station every morning at 7:30 (though sometimes I end up pushing 7:40) to make sure I get there safely, and though it’s early, it is a lot cooler in the morning so it’s a pleasant walk.

The darija class itself is challenging, but immediately useful and rewarding: while educated Moroccans understand fusha (classical Arabic, which we learn at UNC), darija is what’s spoken daily and immediately understood. Every day, I find myself understanding more of my family’s Arabic dinner conversations, and I can communicate more with my two youngest host sisters, who only speak Arabic.
My two professors, Nozha and Abdenebi, are both excellent teachers, though their teaching styles differ greatly: Nozha’s class is organized and executed following her detailed daily lesson plan, and Abdenebi likes to pepper his instruction with humorous mini-lessons on Moroccan culture.

Our class is small—six students, including myself—which means we get a lot of practice time speaking in class. It’s a pleasant bunch of students, and during the break between the 8:00 and 10:00 class we’ll chat in the garden outside the classrooms.

In Morocco, everything closes from 12:00 to 3:00 PM for lunch, which is family time. On Monday, I came home for lunch after class and there was a surprise waiting: another student is staying with us! Hannah is a rising sophomore from Haverford College in Pennsylvania, and she and I get along very well. She’s well traveled, and speaks fluent French so even though she’s learning Arabic for the first time at ALIF, she’s getting along fine in Morocco.

After lunch, I either stay home and study or return to ALIF for the afternoon to use their library and wireless internet. ALIF has a special research library for Middle East, Islamic, and North African studies, and there are a number of titles that I may use in my summer research. Yesterday, I happened to meet a masters’ student from the local university is specializing in media and cross-cultural studies, and we had an interesting exchange about Western perceptions (and misconceptions) of Moroccan culture.

In the evenings, my family has been going to the World Sacred Music Festival. At this point, I’ve yet to go to a concert I didn’t love. From classical Arabic music and West African chants, and Muslim brotherhoods to Ganga Vibes (there are a surprising number of young Moroccan men sporting dreadlocks, earning them the nickname “Bob Marley” from my host father), each concert has been enjoyable in its own special way.

I’ve had a pretty relaxing Saturday thus far: I slept in (i.e., did not wake up at 6:45AM), and after breakfast, explored more of the medina, first solo and later with my middle host sister, Selma. This evening, I plan on meeting a couple friends and going to another concert (this one is Oulad Bouazzaoui, never heard of them either) and maybe getting some reading done. I hope to post photos soon, so stay tuned and thanks again for reading!