Isn't our classroom pretty?
Today is a high-anxiety day. For starters, it is the first day of our classes which are two-hour blocks of intensive Arabic. It's basically the hardest class I've ever had in college, and also one of the longest. Add to that the stress of those who just arrived in Fes last night or this morning and haven't had time to adjust, the look ahead at our very demanding schedule of mandatory lectures/cultural experiences/field trips, and the prospect of meeting our host families tonight.
I've never been in a long-term host family situation. I'm very, very anxious about this, because I've lived on my own longer than most undergraduates and I'm really not used to having a family with rules and expectations to deal with on a regular basis. While I haven't met my family yet, culturally Moroccan families are very different than American families. If I'm having a bad day in Seattle, I can go inside my room and shut my door and listen to music. Here, that would be considered very bizarre behavior and possibly even offensive. It just isn't done. I'm a pretty solitary person by nature. I need my space, I need my silence and I need my privacy. I'm really not sure how well I'm going to be able to adapt.
That being said, a homestay is a great way to immerse yourself in the culture (and language) of wherever you study abroad. It will certainly help my Arabic skills and it will hopefully be a totally worthwhile experience. Host families can also help you save money, as they feed you for free and (in places where bargaining is standard) can haggle with vendors for you. I'm sure my host family will be lovely people and I'll be happy to know them. But that doesn't mean I'm not anticipating the whole experience with more than a little dread.
After class this morning we had a group lunch and now we're just relaxing and doing homework until 6pm. It is incredibly hot already today and it's barely 2pm. I'm trying to stay positive but I didn't sleep particularly well last night and so that isn't really helping my outlook.
Last night there were huge protests just a few streets over. We could hear chanting, but our professor called to let us know which area to avoid. It sounds like everything stayed very peaceful (thank goodness) as most of the previous demonstrations in Morocco have been up till now. It doesn't look like the English-language press is covering the demonstrations from yesterday at all but, should you see anything, send me a link.
Loving all the pictures, dear. It all looks so lovely. But of course, the pictures don't show heat...is it really hot, or not so bad?
ReplyDeleteUm.. at the risk of revealing how truly wussy I actually am, best guesses are that it's about 85. It is really really lovely and I feel like I'm going to die of heatstroke, but I'm probably not actually in any real danger :) Hopefully I'll adjust and get less lame?
ReplyDeleteI totally hear you on the need for privacy and solitude. Does your host family know about culture shock? Can you pretend that you need to study but then take a nap instead? Just take whatever opportunities you have to be by yourself and enjoy them. When I was in China and we would go to places like the Forbidden City or a park or something, I would go off on my own to explore because that's how I like to experience new places. So breathe deeply and know that It Will Be Okay :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would have a hard time paying attention in that classroom. I'd just be looking at the walls the whole time.