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 necessity for a Watson fellow, and one factor on how they make their decisions.

Now, only in my first week in Casablanca, I am experiencing the difficulties and rewards in learning these skills.  The original focus of my study was to examine the Arab Muslim perspective on the causes for the Jewish migration; however, I am finding it challenging to meet Arab Muslims in the first place, and as for the ones I have met, the problem lies in developing enough mutual trust to allow for a conversation on such a sensitive topic to take place.

For example, I made friends with the receptionist at the hotel I was staying at when he helped me take care of my cell phone and found a sim card I had lost.  He showed me around Casablanca for a few hours and we stopped to have a cup of coffee at a cafe.  There, we began “talking politics,” which since then I have learned is just not a great idea.  He told me that he does not like the king of Morocco because he is friends with Israel; understandably, after that I deliberately concealed my identity and did not feel comfortable enough to ask questions on the Jewish migration.  Later in the week I told this story to a Jewish man whose family has been incredibly welcoming and helpful to me, and he said that if I would have told him I was Jewish, he probably would have told me he loves Jews.  So, this research is truly becoming a balancing act of judgment calls, and it seems that I still have a lot to learn.  Good thing it is only the first week:)