Betsy Ray: Where Oranges Are Lemons

I have finally met my host family, and started the home stay! They are so nice and welcoming, I know I will have a good experience. My mother came to pick me up from the CCCL (the Center for Cross-Cultural Learning, where our program is based), wearing a beautiful aqua djellaba, the traditional Moroccan dress. She doesn't speak any English, but has been insistent in saying "kuli, kuli"-- "eat, eat!" We eat a lot of bread and other grains, and I love the bread with chocolate sauce that we eat for breakfast! Yesterday was Friday, the Muslim holy day. In Morocco, this means a special couscous lunch, which is really delicious. My host sister Mounia does the cooking. I have three other siblings, all in their 20s and 30s. My other host sister, Sukayna, speaks a handful of words in English, which is always comforting to hear. My host brother Muhammad speaks great English, which he says he learned from just his computer and phone. I wish I could do that with Arabic! But he works nights as a security guard, so I don't see him very often. My other host brother, Ahmed, doesn't live in the house, and I've only seen him once. My host father is very nice, and keeps trying to speak French with me-- I wish I could speak it! We mostly spend time in the living room watching TV. I'm now hooked on three different soap operas! I'm fortunate enough to have my own small room, though I spend all my time in the living room. Below is a picture.

For dessert after lunch and dinner, we eat oranges. Last night, I managed to ask what the word for "orange" is in darija, the Moroccan dialect of Arabic, only to find out that it is "limon!" The most difficult challenge I have faced so far is communication (and using a Turkish toilet, but that's getting easier!) I took two years of Arabic class at Columbia where I learned Fus'ha, or Modern Standard Arabic. Here in Morocco, everyone speaks darija, the Moroccan dialect of Arabic. Though the two languages are similar, I definitely feel challenged. We have had two classes of "Survival Arabic" to learn phrases in darija like "My room is too cold" and "Do you have a shower?" I look forward to being able to have a real conversation with my host family, which I will be able to by the end of the home stay, insha'allah.