Archive for August, 2008
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008
9 of Av
This past Sunday Jewish communities around the world observed the “holiday” of the 9th of Av with a fast, in order to commemorate the destruction of both the First and Second Temples (about 656 years apart from eachother, but on the same day). This religious observance is considered one of the saddest and unluckiest days [...]
6 Comments » - Posted in Moroccan by Ceci
Sunday, August 10th, 2008
A Day in the Life…
Many of you, and many Moroccans, have been asking me what exactly it is I do every day. The truth is that every day is different, but I seem to be relatively busy (after I wake up around 10 or 11 am haha) on a given day (if you know me well, this shouldn’t come [...]
7 Comments » - Posted in Morocco by Ceci
Sunday, August 10th, 2008
Thoughts on Identity…
A friend of mine posted a great question in response to my post “A Little Background on Jewish Moroccans,” and I wanted to reprint it here because it is an important issue to which I have given a lot of thought recently:
“One thing that’s bugging me since reading your statements is what your professor said [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Moroccan by Ceci
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
My First Week
I should start by thanking everyone for checking in on me and leaving me such great comments! It really means a lot to me that everyone is interested in my travels and enjoying my posts!
Next, I have to say that I love Casablanca. It has been 6 days and I must admit that my pre-departure anxieties, [...]
3 Comments » - Posted in Morocco by Ceci
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
A Little Background on Jewish Moroccans
The opposite spectrum of the obstacle of interviewing Muslims is the openness with which the Jews from Casablanca are willing to speak about their identity, their life in a Muslim country, and their long history here. Immediately, one can recognize a real sense of pride among Moroccan Jews; they remain proud of the plethora of [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Moroccan by Ceci
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
Fieldwork Obstacles
The wise words of many of my professors have already begun to ring true during my first week in Morocco; research, and particularly of the anthropological sort, is fluid and the mark of an experienced and sound researcher is his/her ability to adapt to the circumstances the field presents. Interestingly, the same qualities are a [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Moroccan by Ceci
Saturday, August 2nd, 2008
Pre-fieldwork Observations
My first real exposure to the non-white (as a majority) world was in JFK airport waiting on line to check into Royal Air Maroc flight AT203 non-stop to Casablanca. It felt as if I was standing at the cross section of the world; I saw people with lighter skin than me and dressed as if [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Moroccan by Ceci
Saturday, August 2nd, 2008
All in the First Day
Thoughts:
As you could imagine, I had a lot of things on my mind as I walked into the airport. It was definitely difficult to say “see you in a year” to a lot of people, but the strangest was saying “bye” to my home in New Jersey. After living in a place for most of [...]
