i forgot to post these before i left...oops

Thursday, February 12th

This weekend we leave for our first excursion to Fes, Meknes, and two other cities (I forget their names). It seems unreal that I’ve only been here for two weeks. I already know my way around the medina, for the most part, I’ve taken over three hundred pictures and my companions feel like old familiar faces. Apparently people who did this program in the past said that time flies by and the three months were over before they knew it. I’ll have to spare judgment on that until my time here is up, but here are my sentiments on time in Morocco so far. Right now, it feels as though the days are both too long and too short at the same time. I cover a lot of ground each both literally and figuratively, but the end always seems to come too soon. I know it sounds impossible, but I swear it’s true.

Today, our lecture focused upon the hijab and its cultural/religious history here in Morocco. A few facts about the hijab that I didn’t know before and will now share with you.
-The term hijab was not popularly used until the 1970s when the Iranian Revolution took place.
-During the 1980s many in Morocco considered the hijab unacceptable because the women who wore were associated with plots to overthrow the regime.
-Women see the head covering as their own interpretation of the Koran making it a symbol of female empowerment.

Our lecturer, Farah, expressed a few concerns about recent trends in the reasons why women will wear hijab. She told us that she has spoken with women who hold atheist beliefs, but wear the hijab as a form of legitimacy because they feel they will attract less attention and be taken more seriously. During this discussion, I thought back to my first day at home here. The first time I saw my sister, she was wearing hijab. Then, the next day when we left the house to buy bread, her head was not covered. In response to my confused looks Mi explained that Amal does not usually wear the hijab, but the day before she hadn’t washed her hair and didn’t want anyone to see it. I know that a majority of women still wear because of religious reasons, but I do wonder about what exactly the hijab has come to mean for the women who wear it. Is it an expression of religious belief? A fashion statement? A protection against harassment? A way to gain legitimacy? A symbol for independence? A form of separation? A cover-up for bad hair days? I’m not sure, but I get the impression that no two women would answer the same way.

Friday, February 13th

Friday night movie! We went for a Moroccan film that’s caused quite a stir here. It’s called Amours Voiles (Loose translation…Love and the Veil) and tells the somewhat racy story of a woman who has sexual relations with a man out of wedlock. There were a couple of nude scenes which made the entire male audience go wild. I wouldn’t say it’s the best acting, but I think it’s a worthwhile watch particularly if you know the cultural context. Doubt any of you would be able to find it, but if you can, check it out.

On the way back from the movie tonight, we watched as a homeless man tried to steal a blanket from a homeless woman. The woman was screaming phrases in Arabic that I didn’t really understand, but all I could do was feel sorry for her and keep walking by. As we passed the scene, a second man, completely unrelated to the entire dispute, tackled (I’m talking a full out takedown) the thief, returned the blanket to the woman and started beating the crap out of the first man. If we were in the United States I feel like a good many people would have seen an old woman being robbed, sympathized for her and then passed by not considering it their responsibility to help. My friend’s host brother told us that what we saw was a mild case compared to what usually happens. It is not unlikely to see groups of ten or more men beating someone up for a sin they committed against Allah. The words duty and responsibility really mean something here. I somehow feel safer knowing that. I feel like if I really needed it, I’d have a gang of ten Moroccan men looking out for me.