"All good things come to he who waits"..... Ancient proverb, right? Well I think that the wise man who is quoted daily for this piece of wisdom must have lived in Morocco. As Americans we tend to live a very fast pace life and we rarely slow down unless it's for a vacation. Therefore one of the hardest parts of living in Morocco is learning the art of patience. There is a word in Arabic that is probably the most common word to hear, even above hello. ENSHALA. Probably not spelled correctly as it should be in Arabic, but that is exactly what it sounds like. The translation loosely means "God willing" or "if God wants it to happen". But Moroccans tend to use it as their own get out of jail free card. And that means we have already picked it up after being in the country for 5 days.
As we get settled into our apartments and classrooms there is much patience required. Things are happening at a slow rate (1) because it's Ramadan, (2) just because. For example I just received the keys for my apartment. Today. Which means I have had to plague my roommate and call her constantly to see if she is home to let me in. For someone who is as independent as me that is sooo frustrating because I like to come and go without worrying that the hall will become my residence until my roomie comes to the rescue.
But I am here to experience the culture, and Enshala is right up there. I need to learn the art of patience because if not I think you would fly home in a straight jacket. But Enshala is a hilarious concept simply because there is not a single subject it doesn't work for. You get in a taxi and ask to go to the market and the driver simply replies Enshala. Does that mean if God wants us to (A) arrive (B) arrive safely which considering the driving here is a miracle (C) if the driver actually wants to drive all the way to the destination or (D) because the driver then can't be held responsible for anything. Women say enshala for pregnancies. Teachers say enshala when trying to find alcohol during Ramadan. Same thing.
Which brings me to the most awesome adventure we have had lately. Yesterday we set out on a mission to find some beer to stock our fridges with. In the States, no problem. In a Muslim culture during Ramadan, well let's just say your more likely to be on time somewhere and thats saying something. There is a large Walmartesque store named Marjane, and they have a liquor section. We had heard a story that if you flash your American passport they will lift a black curtain and allow you to stuff your contraband into black bags for a walk of shame home. Morocco is one of the most contemporary and lax Muslim communities. Technically Muslims aren't supposed to drink period. But like most things here that is a guideline. So Muslims just refrain from drinking for Ramadan. But Americans still need to drink especially when their power gets cut off right? So we went and found a guy willing to "Lift the curtain". Our new friend Irina who is married to a Moroccan helped with the French and we were able to ascertain some wine. But waiting for her to ask man after man if they could allow us was worse than being an underage kid thinking they are going to get caught buying with a fake id. Not that I ever did that.
We are now getting used to the schedule of Ramadan as well as the hectic pace we have going at the school. We have lots of meetings, bus rides that take forever, and trips to cultural places. We went to the Grand Mosque, the third largest in the world and it was amazing. It was built in 6 years by men who worked 7 days a week 24 hours a day. But you can definitely tell its new because you will never guess.... the 100 ton ceiling retracts like a sports arena Thunderdome. No joke.
We also experienced the Hobous which is a local market where you can buy lots of local products. The most amazing section: the olives. Although I'm not a fan of the little guys personally, when you see hundreds of thousands of them in barrel after barrel, in every color and taste you have to admire the asthetic beauty. And the stomachs of Moroccons.
We have been slowly exploring and setting up our life. And as I delve further into this country I continue to love new parts. The mix of languages, cultures, religion, beauty. And I continue to make personal goals such as obtaining one of the hardest qualities: patience. Life will come to be normal and my pace will slow down. Until then, well lets just go with ENSHALA.
As we get settled into our apartments and classrooms there is much patience required. Things are happening at a slow rate (1) because it's Ramadan, (2) just because. For example I just received the keys for my apartment. Today. Which means I have had to plague my roommate and call her constantly to see if she is home to let me in. For someone who is as independent as me that is sooo frustrating because I like to come and go without worrying that the hall will become my residence until my roomie comes to the rescue.
But I am here to experience the culture, and Enshala is right up there. I need to learn the art of patience because if not I think you would fly home in a straight jacket. But Enshala is a hilarious concept simply because there is not a single subject it doesn't work for. You get in a taxi and ask to go to the market and the driver simply replies Enshala. Does that mean if God wants us to (A) arrive (B) arrive safely which considering the driving here is a miracle (C) if the driver actually wants to drive all the way to the destination or (D) because the driver then can't be held responsible for anything. Women say enshala for pregnancies. Teachers say enshala when trying to find alcohol during Ramadan. Same thing.
Which brings me to the most awesome adventure we have had lately. Yesterday we set out on a mission to find some beer to stock our fridges with. In the States, no problem. In a Muslim culture during Ramadan, well let's just say your more likely to be on time somewhere and thats saying something. There is a large Walmartesque store named Marjane, and they have a liquor section. We had heard a story that if you flash your American passport they will lift a black curtain and allow you to stuff your contraband into black bags for a walk of shame home. Morocco is one of the most contemporary and lax Muslim communities. Technically Muslims aren't supposed to drink period. But like most things here that is a guideline. So Muslims just refrain from drinking for Ramadan. But Americans still need to drink especially when their power gets cut off right? So we went and found a guy willing to "Lift the curtain". Our new friend Irina who is married to a Moroccan helped with the French and we were able to ascertain some wine. But waiting for her to ask man after man if they could allow us was worse than being an underage kid thinking they are going to get caught buying with a fake id. Not that I ever did that.
We are now getting used to the schedule of Ramadan as well as the hectic pace we have going at the school. We have lots of meetings, bus rides that take forever, and trips to cultural places. We went to the Grand Mosque, the third largest in the world and it was amazing. It was built in 6 years by men who worked 7 days a week 24 hours a day. But you can definitely tell its new because you will never guess.... the 100 ton ceiling retracts like a sports arena Thunderdome. No joke.
We also experienced the Hobous which is a local market where you can buy lots of local products. The most amazing section: the olives. Although I'm not a fan of the little guys personally, when you see hundreds of thousands of them in barrel after barrel, in every color and taste you have to admire the asthetic beauty. And the stomachs of Moroccons.
We have been slowly exploring and setting up our life. And as I delve further into this country I continue to love new parts. The mix of languages, cultures, religion, beauty. And I continue to make personal goals such as obtaining one of the hardest qualities: patience. Life will come to be normal and my pace will slow down. Until then, well lets just go with ENSHALA.
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