Culture Shock

Well, let me tell you, this place is something else. I've kind of just been thrown into the fire of sorts. Since I arrived late the people at IES essentially just took me to my host family and said "goodbye." I have a host mother, Aziza, who visits often, a host sister, Hesna, a senile host grandmother who I have nicknamed "Rose" from the Lebanese movie Caramel, and a quasi-host brother Rashid who is a little sketchy. Only Hesna and the grandmother live with me all the time though Aziza visits quite often. This is their first time hosting a student in their home.

Rashid is the only one who knows English, mainly because he is a surfing instructor and tour guide. So, I've used more Arabic so far in Morocco than I ever have! It's really cool but frustrating too. I've been speaking a combination of Modern Standard Arabic (formal), Egyptian, and Moroccan. Moroccan has been fairly easy to pick up on so far. However, the Moroccan I learn in class is not the Moroccan Arabic Hesna speaks. Hesna speaks a mixture between Moroccan Arabic and Berber (the language of the small mountain villages and towns) but she understands formal Arabic and pure Moroccan Arabic so we have been communicating well. Also, unlike Egypt where the 2nd language is English, the 2nd language here is French. I know a few basic phrases in French but that is it. Even if you speak to someone in Arabic, because you are white, they respond in French. It's frustrating but useful. People have to talk to me in Arabic because I know more Arabic than French.

There's been quite a bit of culture shock as well. My host family is not well off. In fact they are rather impoverished. However, they are very nice and feed me the best food ever, even if it is pretty meager. In our home there really isn't an "inside." Everything is kind of outside. So, when it rains, it rains "in" our house as well. I walk out of my room and it's raining. Our clothes are washed in the sink and hung out to dry on the terrace. Aziza and Hesna essentially wear the same clothes everyday because they don't have any others. Which made me feel really bad when Hesna was helping me unpack my suitcases full of clothes. The bathroom was a bit of a surprise as well. The toilet is a crouch toilet which means it is simply a drain in the bathroom. The shower is the same drain as the toilet and consists of two buckets to pour water over yourself. I do live in the Old Medina which is just winding narrow streets of markets and homes. I get lost all the time. I still don't know exactly where I live on a map but it is definitely the place to be.
Other notes: The other American students here immediately compared me to Daniel Craig, which is becoming quite common wherever I go. However, all of the Muslims and host families I have met have assumed I'm Jewish. Makes for interesting first impressions and even some discrimination when walking around the streets of the Old City. My host family was actually trying to find me a synagogue before I was able to tell them I'm Christian. Speaking of which, there are several Catholic churches to go to and my host family is more than happy to help me go on Sundays. I have also observed that Morocco is much more liberal than Egypt. There are lots of bars and nightclubs as well as prevalent drug and prostitute industries for tourists. Also, they don't use forks here, just fingers. Anyway, more to come.