A Taste of Moroccan Culture During Peace Corps Training
From the perspective of my wife Jacqueline who is serving alongside me in Morocco.
Within one week of being in our community, we had the opportunity to experience two memorable events, the first being a Moroccan wedding. After finishing our second morning of language training, we were invited to go to the wedding by our site mate’s family. Our host families scurried to find us traditional clothing to wear and all the accessories to match. We headed to the outskirts of our town where the wedding was taking place, and when we arrived, we were greeted warmly and treated as if we were invited all along. We went into a large tent for a meal and sat with a few members of the bride’s family.
Since we are married, we were constantly asked if we have children, and when we replied no, the follow-up question was, “When will you?” Although these questions seem a bit abrasive, they are commonly asked in Morocco to foreigners and Moroccans alike. Regardless if you just meet someone, they might ask about your family, where you work, if you are married, or if you have children. With rudimentary language skills, the easiest way to respond to most questions is “Inshallah (God willing).” Another small tip we learned from our LCF (Language and Cultural Facilitator) Fatiha is that the number of courses served at lunch or dinner can sometimes be determined by the number of tablecloths (e.g., three tablecloths, three courses). We cannot stress how important this when it comes to pacing yourself. Moroccans will always insist for you to “kul, kul, kul” (eat, eat, eat) and it can be rude if you don’t have some of each dish.
After eating, a small Moroccan “band” started playing traditional music. Women and children gathered around and danced while older boys and men observed from a distance. The most surreal moment of the evening was when the groom, wearing an all-white jalaba that covered his face, rode in on a horse. The music and dancing then surrounded the groom and continued until we had to leave. We couldn’t stay late, and maybe we lucked out since Moroccan weddings tend to go well into the following morning.
The next day was Sunday, the one day off we get a week where we are finally able to sleep in and relax. I (Jacquie) was invited to go to a sbu3, a celebration that takes place after a baby is born. Much like what happened at the wedding, I was welcomed into their home with open arms. I sat in a room with the exhausted mother and the newborn baby and attempted to converse with hand gestures and what little Moroccan Arabic I knew. Once my other site mates arrived, we migrated to the living room where there were about twenty women, all of which we had to greet with a hug and kiss on both cheeks. A little later we had a beautiful dinner, followed by tea. Overall, we were there for about four hours and while exhausting, it was a beautiful event full of love and an overwhelming sense of women empowerment.
Later in the week, we had our first Couscous Friday. Couscous is the staple dish in Morocco and is traditionally served on Fridays. Our host mom prepares the dish by adding couscous as the base, then chicken, and covers it with squash, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and other vegetables. She cooks these ingredients in a pressure cooker, like most of the food she prepares. We’ve come to appreciate and look forward to Couscous Friday.
Our week wrapped up at site with our first Moroccan rain storm and a much-needed break in the 90-degree temperature. Before the rain hit our community, we decided to go on a run. As we were walking out of the door, our host dad decided he wanted to show us the way. He started jogging and took us across the main road in town, through a dirt field, and finally to a dirt road. He showed us this road in hopes of us doing laps, but we were both seriously out of breath after following his quick pace. Keep in mind that he was wearing sandals. As we headed home, we could see the storm quickly rolling in over the fields. The last two minutes of our run we got drenched, but it was totally fine because we are fortunate to have a water heater and a western shower head. A lot of other trainees in our group do not have either and have to heat up water on the stove and take bucket showers. After showering, we met our host jdda (grandmother), a sweet, softly spoken lady who we were lucky enough to spend a week with.
All of our experiences thus far have been remarkable, and it goes without saying that we are fortunate to have had moments like these so early in our Peace Corps journey.
Originally published at lankyadventure.com on November 12, 2018.
