Rabat 1st Day

NOTE: Here’s my first post on my Peace Corps trip to Morocco. I have a large canvas to paint of this foreign landscape that I’ll be in for the next two years and will try to cover most of what I find relevant. With that said, I will be more formal in my posts and will practice self censorship as this is in the public domain. Feel free to email with any questions or personal info.

DISCLAIMER: Any message, photo, or other information provided on this blog site does not represent the views or opinions of the United States of America or the U.S. Peace Corps.

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After leaving JFK Int’l from NYC at 6:30 PM on Mon., our flight on Royal Air Maroc arrived Tues at the Casablanca airport around 7 AM to a bright sun and cool weather in the 40s. The airport was large, surrounded by crop fields, shrubs, and some palm trees. From Casablanca, we took a bus to Rabat to the Chellah Hotel, where will be staying till Friday.
At the Chellah, we spent the day in meetings discussing security, vaccinations, job roles etc. About meals, we’ve had a mediterrean buffet style spread with things like mutton, fish, chicken, rice, veggie combos, and cake desserts. A big part of a Moroccan day is drinking mint tea, which is like sweet green tea (hot) and is served with cookies. With little Pepsi and ice cream available to me over the next two years, tea will probably become my daily staple.
My first impressions of the culture from experience, not readings is that Moroccans place a lot of value on their relationships and daily interaction. As an example, I can’t speak Arabic yet, but I asked one of the servers today “kif halek?” (how are you). Well, I knew but was not prepared for the response that comes when you engage some people beyond the usual Salaam A’likuum (Peace be upon you). From “how are you,” the conversation quickly turns into a rapid succession of “how is your family, how are your parents, how is your health, where are you from...” The normal greeting when you engage someone includes 7-9 formal phrases. I was overwhelmed, but will start working on this.