Today I had a chance to wander around the medina a bit on my own. I purposefully made sure that I got lost, although it's not too difficult to find your way. It was interesting to see the different things Moroccan merchants were selling, from soccer balls to used cell phones, socks to strawberries. I noticed that, based on an individual merchant's social status and wealth, they were able to acquire and sell different goods of a variation of values. The poorest men would be selling tissues or socks, while the wealthiest would offer electronics, jeans or silver. These merchants usually had small shops, while the former relied on displaying their goods on cardboard boxes on the streets.
Overlooking Rabat's Medina
At CCCL, we took an Arabic placement exam which I felt relatively comfortable with. Although the arabic courses through SIT teach fus'ha (Modern Standard Arabic), all Moroccans only speak darija. So, SIT will give us crash courses in darija during orientation and throughout our first week. However, it was amazing how many Moroccans were bilingual, speaking darija, fus'ha, English, and French.
We ate all of our meals at CCCL today, but I was able to sneak in a quick mint tea at a traditional Moroccan cafe. I spoke to many Moroccan men who were happy to meet an American, eager to tell about their trips to America, and wanted to meet me at the medina's hamaam or public bath tomorrow. All the people I meet are incredibly friendly a personable. Almost everyone says salaam on the streets with a smile and head nod.
Signing off for now...
At CCCL, we took an Arabic placement exam which I felt relatively comfortable with. Although the arabic courses through SIT teach fus'ha (Modern Standard Arabic), all Moroccans only speak darija. So, SIT will give us crash courses in darija during orientation and throughout our first week. However, it was amazing how many Moroccans were bilingual, speaking darija, fus'ha, English, and French.
We ate all of our meals at CCCL today, but I was able to sneak in a quick mint tea at a traditional Moroccan cafe. I spoke to many Moroccan men who were happy to meet an American, eager to tell about their trips to America, and wanted to meet me at the medina's hamaam or public bath tomorrow. All the people I meet are incredibly friendly a personable. Almost everyone says salaam on the streets with a smile and head nod.
Signing off for now...
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