Firsts

Here is Kendra ready to go off on her first day of 'real' school. Two years ago, Katrina did the same thing - but with almost no French, Arabic or cursive background. That year was very, very painful and hard. Kendra, however, having come to Morocco at a younger age and therefore having been exposed to all of the above, has breezed through the first weeks of school. She's speaking French with ease and volunteering in class. She's comfortable with her teacher (who used to be Katrina's) and I can't even compare this year with Katrina's first year. What a relief!

Another huge relief is that Katrina's brand new teacher is NOT a screamer. Now this might sound strange to you, but most of the French teachers here scream at the kids a lot. But not Mdme. Anne. She is sweet and gentle. Katrina said once, "She even talks to kids quietly when they are in trouble!" What a concept! Although Katrina is jealous that Kendra has her beloved teacher now, this is the smoothest transition to something new that Katrina has EVER had - yipee!!! She is doing great in French and we are proud of her!

After school started, Kendra lost her two top teeth and learned how to tie her shoes all within three days! We've challenged her to say "Six sick sheep" but so far, it just doesn't come out right! She seems to loose teeth in pairs, so the tooth fairy has been busy. Katrina, mourning the fact that she hasn't lost any teeth for a while, thought she would take advantage of the frequent tooth fairy visits. She left a note under her pillow asking the tooth fairy to please change her coins into a 20 DH bill because she wants more paper money for her plastic Hello Kitty wallet. The tooth fairy was not impressed because the amount of change did not equal 20 DH and because you can only have a visit from said fairy if you have actually lost a tooth.

It kind of reminds me of when one of my brothers put a cow tooth under his pillow hoping for more money since it was bigger than his. The tooth fairy was not happy.

When Moroccans lose a tooth, some of them throw it towards the sunset and call out, "Take this donkey and bring me a gazelle!" (Take this ugly tooth and bring me a beautiful one!)

The French do not have a tooth fairy. They have a tooth mouse. I don't know, but personally, I would rather have a fairy under my pillow than a rodent, wouldn't you?

Living in the land of "Inshallah"

When Dennis was visiting us last spring, he told me I simply have to write about the oft-used phrase, "Inshallah" - so here we go!

It's true, this little phrase does rule our lives. It is involved in every aspect of existence here. For it is uttered by the faithful with any reference to the future...

It means, "If God wills."

It really is a good thing theologically. It puts us back in our place and sees what Proverbs often calls us on - "Men may make their plans, but God has the last word."

Muslims know this. In a land where so many things are out of people's control, Moroccans have learned long ago - Islam or no Islam - that the future is not up to them. Example? Most people don't own cars. They rely on someone to pick them up as a hitchhiker. You can imagine how that affects the entire country. People really don't know when they'll get somewhere. It really is out of their control.

Even having food for the next day is not always a given. It truly is if God wills it that it will happen. In the west where we buy groceries for a month at a time, we tend to forget what it means to rely on God for anything at all - from our food the next day all the way to our 10-year goals.

Moroccans simply cannot talk without acknowledging their reliance on God.

A standard conversation might go -

"You really need to come by our house sometime!"
"OK - Inshallah, I will"
"How about tomorrow afternoon, Inshallah?"
"Yes - that would be fine. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, Ishallah."

I'm not exaggerating.

(Note - Plans really could change - much more so than in the west. A relative that traveled days might come to visit unannounced, there might be a taxi strike, a child might get sick and an all-day trip to the nearest city will have to happen instead.)

I've been immersed in this way of speaking for so long (it is all over the Muslim world), that I feel heretical for uttering plans without saying "Inshallah." My own dear mother, another person who has lived in the Muslim world many years always says, "God willing, I will ..."

The phrase is also abused. People say it to weasel their way out of things. Example:

"You really should come to my house."
"OK, Inshallah, I will."
"You really must come now!"
"I'm sorry, but I just can't"
"You must come for tea!"
"I can't today, but I will come, Inshallah."
"OK - goodbye."

"Inshallah" is the only way to end such a conversation. Otherwise you will indeed be a guest of the inviter before you know what happened!

Guilty as charged.

This phrase is also used when people don't want to be pinned down do something. I ordered a bookshelf four months ago. I have literally been told over 30 times that the man will deliver it 'inshallah' tomorrow. This has gone on so long that I have ordered another from someone else. I guess it wasn't God's will for me to have that bookshelf. Or perhaps - well, I bet you know what I'm thinking. God's will doesn't have anything to do with this.

When our car was run into last year because of the icy parking lot, the mechanic told us (translation) - "If God wills it, the car will look as good as new." Thankfully, God seems to have willed that one!

Gerald and his colleagues joke about working for the "Inshallah school of management." Things get done, even in a high-powered university, only when "God wills it."

Sigh - somehow I don't think that's quite how God wants us to see His will. We do have something to do with our future and the quality of our work – and we certainly can’t blame God when we fail.

But we miss something too in the west by leaving God out of our plans.

As usual, I have to shake my head and ask - Can't we find a balance?

"Someday My Prince Will Come..."

A few days ago, Gerald noticed that his class roster had increased by one so that it was over the class size limit. Normally, if a student wants to enter an already-full class, they have to beg the professor to let them in with all kinds of impressive stories and excuses. But the fact that this mystery student hadn't had to ask permission made us wonder who his daddy is. Obviously, permission from the professor was irrelevant in this case - and that only happens for someone with a lot of power.

Gerald found out the next day that his student was, indeed, a prince - nephew of King Mohammad VI. But he hadn't showed up to class yet, so Gerald walked around the house singing, "Someday my prince will come" - the theme from Snow White. A few days later, the name dropped off Gerald's roster. Apparently the prince, like any college student, preferred the other section of accounting which starts at 12:00 instead of Gerald's early one which begins at 8:00.

Oh well, maybe someday Gerald's prince will come...

You should come around more often...

One of Gerald's classes on the upper floor with the A-frame ceilings. The students keep typical college hours - with the added element of Ramadan - the Muslim month of fasting during the days. They stay up much of the night eating and playing, fall asleep after the pre-dawn meal, and drag themselves to Gerald's 8:00 class while dreaming about their next nap! Sleeping is certainly the preferred way of getting through Ramadan for anyone who possibly can.

Imagine the American exchange students arriving at the beginning of this month - college-aged boys accustomed to checking the contents of the refrigerator every 2.5 seconds finding themselves in a place with very little food or drink during the day! They do have one cafeteria open on campus - Gerald jokes that it is the "Infidel cafe" serving yesterday's leftovers to the “unbelievers!”

Gerald is teaching his classes plus two more for a professor who is on maternity leave the first two weeks of school...

...and this is the result at the end of the week!

(Overheard - one Moroccan to another) - "You should come around more often - like Ramadan!" Indeed, we shake our heads and say, "Is it already Ramadan again??" Morocco began daylight savings in June but the king made sure we went back to normal time right before Ramadan so that the sun could set earlier and thus people can eat sooner.

A few students asked Gerald about fasting last week. They had a good conversation about it all and Gerald shared some of his observations too - What is the difference between skipping a meal and postponing a meal as some do? What really is fasting? The Chrisitan fasting rules - of not showing others you are fasting... but the benefit of everyone fasting at the same time... What is the point of fasting if people just become angry and ungodly as a result of fasting? In this effort to be godly, aren't people just hurting others? Isn't it more important what comes out of the mouth than what goes into it and what time it goes in? They also talked about the benefits of the month - like having a concentrated time of focus on God. It was one of the first times Gerald has felt OK about being so honest about his feelings on the subject - and it was well received. The girls also mentioned that Muslims often fast 2 times a week outside of Ramadan.

And because of that conversation, Gerald missed the shuttle. But he did get a ride with a friend!

It's always easier to see hypocrisy in another than in ourselves - let's see - is there a month in America where there is a flurry of activity, where everyone is supposed to be more religious than normal, where people end up focusing on all the expectations of the season instead of the reason for it all, where women in particular work like crazy to create seasonal delicacies unlike any other time of the year, where stress is high and people get angry with each other easily, and where everyone is completely exhausted when it is all over? Surely not!

We were invited to our friend Rachida's house for f'tour (when they break the fast at sunset). This is a very typical spread with a few extras - Left to right - fried fish, sweet funnel-cake type snack called shebekia, dates, boiled carrots, fried bread, boiled eggs, and a protein-packed nut mixture. We also had coffee, tea and hirara - the hearty tomato soup that characterizes this month.

Two more weeks to go!