Moroccan Culture

Thought I would write a blog on some of the some of the culture I have witnessed and will be partaking in. Morocco is more conservative than the united states, but it isn't as strict as many may believe. Some women veil their faces, more so in the south, while others veil only their hair or in the larger towns/cities and more liberal villages many go unveiled. While in Ain Leuh my family went unveiled while in my new village everyone is veiled. Although, not to the same extent as other places. Many women simply cover their hair. There are two sides to covering one's hair. Many do so for religious beliefs where in the Koran it states that one must cover their head, but this is not mandatory. While others cover their head for cultural reasons and many others for logical reasons. In the south it can get very windy and women cover their hair to protect it from sand/dust as well as from the sun. The head scarf is an interesting subject here in Morocco. In my village I have not worn a headscarf yet, but I am toying with the idea for the mere fact of protecting my hair from the elements as well as to blend in and I just think they can be very beautiful.

Also, it is respectful to cover your arms, legs, butt and collar bone. My village is not so conservative that I can't show my wrists, ankles or neck, but generally my pants and shirts cover my wrists and ankles anyway. It is not required that I cover my head or wear a jallaba, but I would like to invest in one just because they are so practical and beautiful. As for covering one's butt, that means shirts that cover your butt over whatever skirt or jeans you may be wearing. In my village many women wear bedsheets or large veils of fabric over their clothes. Generally it is of a thin nature and they wrap it around themselves much like a headscarf/jallaba mixture. I am unsure of the proper name of the attire at this time, but it is very neat.

Moroccans do eat with their hands here and use minimal eating utensils. Generally one slurps one's soup, or harira as all soup here is called. As for tajines, one grabs meat/vegatables with bread using one's right hand. The left hand is considered dirty and is not used to grab food or shake one's hand. Also, they generally only use one glass for water at meal time that is shared between everyone, but individual glasses for all other liquids. As what I can glean from our moroccan staff, they do not know the reason for the one water glass other than it is a cultural thing.

Many ask about my status as a woman here. Generally I do not walk alone when I can coherce someone to walk or travel with me, but I can travel alone as well. My future village is fairly safe in this respect. I do get much attention in larger towns/cities like Azrou, but generally minimal and nothing life threatening. Just young boys giving catcalls, etc. I am often mistaken for french as many moroccans are amazed when they meet an american, french are more popular as tourists. I have experienced amazing hospitality being an american peace corps volunteer and they marvel at the fact I am learning their local language of darija.

Hospitality is major here in Morocco. Never will you visit a Moroccan in their home and not be offered very sugary mint tea and cookies or sweets of some kind. On the street Moroccans tend to stay to their own space, but once in the home they are much more open and very friendly. The home is their safe space where they are free to be themselves. But they also have a high degree of saving face and can be very indirect if something displeases them. Or, they can be very boisterous in voicing their opinions. It really depends on the people, circumstances, subject, etc. Family is very important and very heirarchical. The parents or grandparents are always at the top of the chain with everyone filtering afterwards. Many Moroccans would never marry without the approval of their family it is so important to them.

Hmm...unsure of other cultural views at this time. I will definitely write more entries such as this over the next two years as I experience more culture. One of the goals of Peace Corps is to inform the natives in the country we are serving in of American culture and American ways, but another of the three goals is also to inform Americans of the culture of the people we are serving. I learn new things each and everyday and I enjoy sharing my experiences with those of you back in the states. It really is a different world here, but people are still people and still desire the same basic needs, :).