It’s almost Friday! This is exciting because Friday means
the weekend and the weekend means excursions! This weekend we are going to the
old medina in Meknes on Saturday, then to Volubilis and Fez on Sunday. I am so
pumped to tell you all about the trips. But for now, on to today’s update.
I slept in pretty late this morning for what I decided was a
well-deserved mental reset. Which turned out to be a great idea, because I woke
up feeling super ready to go and much better than yesterday. I studied French
for a few hours, and then had lunch with my housemates. We were all about lunch
today, which was a big family style bowl of lentils and sauce that you eat with
bread. It was so delicious. Then, it was off to meet Mouhsine to go to the
women’s center.
Today ended up going really well at the center. Mouhsine had
a meeting with my director to set up a more structured schedule of when I would
be there and what my goals would be. They decided that I will be at the center
only three days a week now: on Mondays I will assist with the office work and
direct women who come in for help, on Thursdays I will do a cooperative cooking
class with women during which we will make both Moroccan and American foods,
and on another (yet to be determined) day I will teach an English class. I was
a little disappointed at first, because I was really hoping that my idea for a
class for girls would take, but I quickly realized that my purpose at the
center is to help them in whatever way they need me. So, baking and English it
shall be! I’m actually really excited about teaching English, even though I’ve
never done anything exactly like it before. I’ve wanted to know what it’s like
to be a teacher for a long time, so I think this schedule will end up being
really great.
Today was the first cooking class that I attended. It was
such a blast. The women are all total characters and love to laugh. It didn’t
even matter that I didn’t know what they were saying – their laughter was
infectious. They showed be how to make Moroccan “gatos” (cookies), which are
were detailed and beautiful. I learned how to say “Waash noun-coom?” (written
so you can hear how it sounds), which means “May I help you?” The women let me
help make one cookie that uses caramel and chocolate cornflakes to make flower
shapes. It was so much fun just being able to sit in and observe this Moroccan “girl
time,” and I felt honored that they let me join in. Even if it was simple, I
felt welcomed. And, the cookies were delicious, of course.
After the baking was finished, the women wanted me to help
teach them some basic English phrases. We did some greetings and numbers, and I
told them about the different ways Americans pronounce English words (for
example, we are lazy with our T’s). They were so excited and said that my
English was very good… and I should hope so. Pretty soon I will have a fancy
piece of paper to prove my English is very good, so… One women told me she
loves to speak English, and she wants to learn more so she can watch American
movies and recognize more than “F*&% you.” I laughed pretty hard at that
one. A few of the women I work with were speaking in Darija about learning
different languages, and I caught the word “Deutsch” and then they all started
making hacking sounds and laughing. Another hilarious moment of the day.
Mouhsine and I talked after I was done at the center for the
day, and he told me that tomorrow he will be taking me to another women’s
center in Meknes. He said it isn’t really a center for women’s rights, but that
they do a lot to help women in the community. I’m not sure what to expect, but
I’m excited. So tomorrow morning I’m going to sit in on a class some of my
housemates are taking on gender in Arabic culture, and then in the afternoon I’ll
be going to check out this new placement. I’m looking forward to a really
insightful Friday.
To finish off the day, one of my housemates, Carol, and I
went to a juice café in town called Florence Café. We’ve been there a few times
before, and I think we might be addicted. My weakness is “jus de fraiz” – it’s
the best strawberry smoothie in existence, I swear. Carol, who is much braver
than I am, had the avocado juice. I tried it, but it was a little too much like
drinking guacamole from a glass for my taste. We spent some time there enjoying
our juice while she read for class and I studied Darija. Conveniently, we
happened to be on the street just as a random parade started marching down the
street. There was a band and drummers and dancers, complete with police escort.
Apparently it was the opening to an international film festival that’s
happening in Meknes. People were crowded up and down the street and traffic was
backed up for at least a mile; there were just as many honking horns as there
were children running around by our legs and laughing. It was such a cultural
moment to witness, and we were pretty excited to have been in the right place
at the right time.
That’s all for tonight. I can’t wait to share all that
happens tomorrow!
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