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 as a surprise.)  Here are two examples of thoughts and things that have taken up my time:

1)

The other day I received an email from my friend Dan back in New Jersey.  He unfortunately had surgery on his jaw a few weeks ago and his mouth has been wired shut ever since- yes, he has to drink his food for about 6 weeks.  So, understandably, he uses his own blog as an easier means of commnication during this difficult time.  I was ecstatic to learn from him that he “shouted me out” on his blog!!! (I am sure there is a more blogger-professional name for it, but I am new to this haha)  So, I wanted to return the favor…

His attitude is honorably positive during this trying time:

“But through this extremely unpleasant experience, I can undoubtedly say that I have gained some new perspective on many things. I’m sure I’ll be better for it in the end.” http://danreich.wordpress.com/

So my question is this… does it take the depravation of something we are used to in our every day lives to finally gain the appropriate appreciation for it?  In other words, how good is Dan’s first bite of a hamburger going to be, and will hamburgers, or any solid food for that matter, always in the future taste that much more savory for him?  Will this appreciation for what before seemed ordinary, make him a better person in the end, as he surmised?

These questions can be asked of any person, and are also particularly interesting for my research.  Since I have been here I have found many differences between the Moroccan and American Jewish communities.  First and foremost, is the devotion and importance of religion.  Among the people I have met, Shabbat and Kashrut is kept consistently and strictly and synagogue is attended at least once a week and on holidays.  Furthermore, the community here is much more tight-knit and everyone here is willing to lend a helping hand to a fellow Jew.  My favorite example of this (besides for the woman who invited me to stay with her) is that when a woman enters the women’s section of the synagogue, she usually kisses everyone she passes on her way to her seat, even a stranger like me!

Us Americans know that this is not the case in your average American Jewish community.  Synagogue, which is less often attended, can be perceived as more of a fashion show than the space for a religious observance and it would be strange for an American Jew to invite a stranger from another country to their home for dinner, let alone to live.  So, is their a parallel between American Jewish customs and attitudes and Dan’s attitude toward solid food pre-surgery?  Are they so caught up in the complacency and ease of life as a Jew in America that they do not appreciate the aspects of Jewish history that other Jews have had to fight for for centuries, like our Moroccan brothers and sisters?  In my opinion, in the past Jewish Moroccans have lived with “their mouths wired shut” (perhaps not that extreme, but for the purpose of the analogy) and as a result, hold an extreme appreciation for their ability to practice their religion freely in the present.  I suppose the lesson to be learned is that perhaps hardships in life are necessary, in order to ensure that people live in the present with an appreciation of what it was they were deprived in the past. 

Finally, it is not my goal to wish hardships upon American Jews, rather to provide a bit of perspective to the ones I can reach about the importance of remembering that one day, like Dan, your mouth may be wired shut as well, and to appreciate the liberties, or solid food (gotta finish the analogy haa) of the present while they are available.

2)

The next example is less contemplative, and more indicative of my physical, every day life.  I have mentioned that not knowing French is an issue for me, so I spent all of last week looking for a French class.  I consulted my guide books and went to visit about 5 schools that offer French, only to find them all closed for the summer.  Discouraged, and walking away from yet another let-down, I stopped at a store called “Nokia Care” to see if they could help me with my American cell phone that still does not work here.  I ended up talking to this lady who spoke English very well and she explained to me that it is illegal for them to fix it, but told me she would ask a friend to bring it to the illegal place to have it unlocked.  I was skeptical at first, but figured I did not have much to lose, except a phone that didn’t work anyway.  Then I asked her for directions to the American Library in Casablanca (this was my last resort for finding a French tutor).  After I told her I was looking for a French class, she told me that she goes there a lot and has friends that work there, and proceeded to call the Librarian there and arrange a meeting with him for me.  I went there later in the day and found out that not only did he know someone who could teach me French, but for 60 dirham (about 8 dollars) a YEAR I could become a member and have access to English books (which are difficult to find here) and computers.  So, today I had my first French class with this really nice lady named Mahjuba, who has 2 graduate degrees, one of which in English literature.

I thought this was a cute and reflective story of my new life as a traveler/researcher… you never know how you are going to figure things out, but perhaps they do because of the fact that I “talk to everyone” (courtesy of Anat- maybe the 17 year old cashier with braces at Foodtown is not worth my time, but these skill are definitely coming in handy:)