Skin Thickening in the Heart of the Madness

Koutoubia Mosque

Saturday was a day of firsts. I saw my first camels; I nervously watched my first snake charmers; I enjoyed my first few hours of free time. Inside the State Department bubble, it has felt very safe and scheduled (as it needs to be).  I had yet to tap into the real Morocco and get my feet wet outside of the bubble. So, when I was presented with a two-hour window of free time between meetings, I decided it was time to put on my big girl pants and venture out on my own. I was excited and nervous about my new freedom. With an abundance of security information stored up in my little brain, I decided to baptize myself in Morocco with a walk to Koutoubia Mosque and the Djemma el-Fna, Marrakesh's main square, where the hoopla is non-stop. I dressed in my conservative-wear, put on my dark sun glasses, strategically packed my bag, and set out to thicken my skin in the country ranked second in the world for sexual harassment. I walked in peace until I hit the main road. The comments started right away, but I turned off the smile, walked straight ahead, and found that I could tune them out. The hissing started closer to the square. It made me smile inside. I had the urge to hiss back, but I resisted. Oddly, as I arrived in the square, the police presence increased, and the hissing stopped. Morocco just passed a law in May making sexual harassment illegal in public spaces, and, where there is a police presence, it seems to be helping.

Inside the square, the magic was just beginning. The real circus begins after sunset, but I was happy to enjoy the G-rated version of the madness for my baptismal walk. I was greeted with snake charmers, orange juice sellers, costumed story tellers, horses and carriages, and hundreds and hundreds of people milling around. I could (and will) spends hundreds of hours just enjoying the spectacle. Feeling as though I had successfully begun the process of skin-toughening, I returned to my apartment and the State Department bubble.

Djemma el-Fna

Snake Charmers in the Djemma el-Fna

I met with the Director of the English Department at Cadi Ayyad University, where I will be teaching this year. As anticipated, my job is to be patient. Meetings need to happen, invitations need to be issued, and my presence on the campus needs to be approved before we can "officially" start working together. Classes may start this week or next. No one is really sure yet. In a way it is a blessing. If I knew what and when I will be teaching, I would be frantically planning. At the moment, however, my job is to get to know Marrakesh and start to learn Darija - two things I will do with gusto!

Chicken Pastilla - chicken and spices
wrapped in phyllo and topped with
 cinnamon, sugar, and almonds. 

Another meeting and dinner of delicious Moroccan food awaited at the American Language Center, where I met an enormous group of enthusiastic teachers from all over the world. While I enjoyed a feast of chicken pastilla and lamb tagine, they entertained me with their travel and teaching stories. The common thread: they are all completely enamored with Marrakesh. Let the magic begin.