I am currently a Fulbright ETA (English-teaching Assistant) in Rabat, Morocco (the capital) for a grant period of 10 months (Sept 2018-July 2019)! This is my second time in Morocco. Summer 2017 I was in Meknes, Morocco studying Arabic with the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS).
Some Interesting Observations:
Rabat has a tram! For those of you who know me, you know I LOVE public transportation.
Although Rabat is the capital, it feels pretty small! And it is – it is only the 5th largest city in Morocco.
My favorite Moroccan foods so far: tagine with chicken and preserved lemons, pastilla
There is a Syrian restaurant at the end of my street that satisfies my cravings for Jordanian food! Also Chinese, Thai, and French restaurants…
Many nationalities living in Rabat: Moroccans, French, Sub-Saharan Africans, and many young Europeans and Americans like myself
Morocco has MANY languages: Moroccan Arabic, Amazigh (a tribal language with many dialects), French, some English
Almost everything is written in Arabic (Modern Standard) and French. Sometimes the newly-written Amazigh language is also provided
Heath Care Rules in Morocco! So easy to get what you need and visit a doctor.
Morocco said NO to this year’s time change (decreed by King Mohammed)! We DID NOT turn the clocks back in November and let’s just say…it was pretty confusing.
No heat in buildings in Rabat! BUY YOUR OWN HEAT OR SUFFER.
BARGAIN BARGAIN BARGAIN. For almost everything.
Successes:
Teaching! I teach at The National School of Architecture in Rabat, Morocco. Students must take an entrance exam to enroll. The school provides a six-year program where students acquire the equivalent of a BA and MA in Architecture. They are able to specialize somewhat and choose some of their courses and workshops. I teach third- and fourth-year students. While the architecture classes are taught in French, English is more of an elective class and called “Business English” in order to prepare students who may work internationally. While I have resources for teaching the subject, a have much freedom in the instruction. The students’ levels of English are high and we discuss TED Talks, write resumes, emails, and letters, and engage in role-plays and activities that increase their vocabularies. The classes are medium-sized (20-35 students) and are only held once a week for 1hr 45min, which greatly reduces what we can accomplish. Nonetheless, many of my students come often and are engaged and learning. While they have taken English classes for many years, this is most likely the first native English-speaking teacher they have had.
Finding a place to live...and a lovely housemate! The apartment search was inevitable. And while I expected to be living alone, like most Fulbright scholars do, it was an unexpected ___ to end up living with my housemate, Sarah. The search was difficult, not only because of the language barrier, but because properties available for rent are often found by word-of-mouth. Additionally, like most everything in Morocco, rent prices are negotiated and owners will often start with a high rent price and expect you to bargain. Sarah and I searched for apartments together and our searches were extensive, time-consuming, and stressful. In the end, it worked out and we met our proprietors, are happy with the building, neighbors, and locations, and have made a nice space for ourselves and family and friends when we host.
Starting to learn French and continue with Moroccan Arabic. I have been itching to learn French since my family and I traveled to Quebec. It was the first of many summer we would spend biking the Quebec countryside on La Petit Aventure, an annual 3-day family bike ride. The families were mostly French Canadian and either mostly spoke French or refused to speak English with us, so I became mesmerized by my first exposure to a foreign language: French starting from the age of 4. It took me until I was 23 to finally enroll in a French class and it was here in Morocco at the Institut Francais that I started a beginner–level French class: 4 hours/week with a class full of other expats living here in Rabat. It is a great advantage that my teacher speaks very little English, forcing me to figure it out and quick. On the other hand, Moroccan Arabic has been a smaller group of five expats whom speak varying levels of the language. Our instructor, Khalid, has been teaching Moroccan Arabic to American Peace Corps volunteers and has made the class interesting with short stories, discussions on controversial issues, and more difficult grammar issues.
* Moroccan Arabic is a dialect of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and is only a spoken language. MSA is used in business, the news, and often in education in some countries (but not Morocco). While many Arabs understand MSA, they normally speak the dialect of their country and do not use MSA when speaking. I learned MSA for four years in school and learned Jordanian dialect Arabic during the nine months I spent in Jordan. Moroccan Arabic has many French words and grammar structures are different. While my knowledge of MSA and Jordanian dialect Arabic helps me in Morocco, it is still difficult to communicate complex topics until I pick up more of the dialect.
Difficulties/Challenges:
Being sick in a foreign country. At the beginning of November I got an ear infection and while I’d usually go to the doctor for a prescription for antibiotics, Morocco gets 10 points for over-the-counter drugs! Unfortunately, the antibiotics did not work (because I took the wrong ones, duh) and for a few weeks I have felt as if one ear is submerged underwater. I’ve been to a doctor and was glad to see that it was both inexpensive and that my Arabic was enough to explain the problem and obtain a diagnosis. Although it is such a minor problem, the inability to hear half of what people say, especially when I’m teaching to a large class or speaking in crowded streets in Arabic, has been difficult. You don’t really appreciate your senses in until they’re giving you trouble!
What am I doing here?! Obviously, I’m teaching, which is my job, first and foremost. But I have a ton a free time for the first time abroad! Usually I stay aboard with a program that emphasizes language learning, where events and excursions are planned, and there is a lot of hand-holding! Now, I am living in a an apartment (no 8th host family!) and deciding what I want to do with my time? Go to a café? Shop in the medina? Talk to everyone in the street? Travel around Morocco? Learn more French and Moroccan Arabic? There are so many options, so many decisions, and zero expectations (besides teaching 3 days/week). I am able to freely shape this experience for myself…but that seems to be the greatest challenge of all!
Harassment. Harassment is high in Morocco. From my experience, it occurs less often here than it did in Jordan, BUT harassment is different. While in Jordan I would receive more whistles and literally catcalls, in Morocco there are more words thrown, especially in French and English. As a woman (any nationality) in this part of the world, harassment is one of the most difficult challenges. The right response is nowhere, the solutions talked about but unimplemented. Laws have so far been unhelpful. Every woman’s response is different and over time, it takes a toll on all of us.