I Got a New Attitude (and Hairstyle)!

October 4

Hello Blog fans and Happy October!

Can you believe that I have been here just over a month? December will be here before we all know it! Thank you guys for sticking with me and my story every step of the way, dealing with my shenanigans, and being patient when blogs cannot come at every moment.

That being said, I have been a slacker ONCE AGAIN with my blog, so heres a nice long recap of the week (I am excluding classes because theres only so much you all can bear about two hours of Arabic):

Monday was my favorite day of the week. Part of my program is a collaboration between American and Moroccan journalism students to research and write a final article. I am happy to say that I have found a wonderful girl to collaborate with named Khaoula. She is one year younger than I am, and we instantly clicked. We can already, laugh, joke and have serious conversations about our concerns and aspirations for the project. If nothing else, I think I have made a wonderful Moroccan friend that I will have for a long time.

To backtrack a bit, finding a partner was probably one of the most stressful situations of all time. What was supposed to be a casual meet-and-greet to discuss interests, turned into a free-for-all of aggression, pettiness and immaturity by American classmates. You would be surprised at how ridiculous people get when they think another person can advance their academic or professional career.

I am always awkward in these situations, so I basically stood there and ate cookies and drank tea with my other awkward-feeling classmates. Khaoula and I found each other by accident. It was the perfect culmination of “good things come to those who wait”.

The rest of the week came with the usual interesting lectures and journalism assignments. We learned about sexuality in Moroccan culture, Amazighism, or Native Berber culture, Sub-Saharan African Migrants, Women’s rights and more! I also wrote a reporter’s notebook about my trip to the desert and I wish I could share that with you guys. As some or all of my work will be published to our official site, Reporting Morocco, that is a big “no-no”. In the meantime, check out the site and I will update you when my work is posted!

I have also found out I have a penchant for danger. Do not get me wrong, I do not have a death wish, but I feel very drawn to stories and people who are unheard. These people most likely will not be in the safest of situations. It must be the future, kick-butt lawyer in me!

After speaking with my Program Director, I am having some trouble finding a story for my Independent Study Project. The Tcharmil youth movement that I wanted to pursue requires me interviewing teenage boys wielding samurai swords who commit robbery. From one of our lectures, I felt drawn to Sub-Saharan migrants in Morocco who are mostly mistreated and abused. I am working on finding safe ways to breach this, as it has been done in the past, but my safety must come first, so it is difficult.

Mary told me that I will make an excellent international lawyer one day. It felt good to know that my family and I are not the only ones who think I am great and can achieve great things. Look out, world! I am coming for you! She put me in touch with one of our lecturers who is an international lawyer, working for an NGO for women’s rights in Morocco!

The only other day to really stick out this week was yesterday (Friday, 3 October). Why? Because it was all about me! For those of you who know the black hair struggle, I do not have to explain, but for my newbies, there is only so much you can take when you realize you look a mess. The braids had to go!

The journey began Thursday night. Knowing absolutely nothing about black hair products in Morocco, I set out to the souk. I knew God was with me when I found the one bottle of product, not only in English, but the familiar brand that I knew was for my texture of hair!

After five, YES FIVE, hours of taking braids out, washing, moisturizing, and praying, my mini-fro made a glorious appearance! I was very nervous at first, as you never know what cruel things people can say, but it was a hit! Everyone I spoke to, Moroccan or American, preferred this style. The “African princess” has arrived!

There is always this stigma about natural black hair, but I am glad I am in a place where that is not a problem. Even better, I felt more beautiful, comfortable and more like ME. I owe a lot of that confidence to my mother, who went through a similar process to mine and looks just as cute as ever!

Here is a pic of my new style! What do you all think?

My sheep is still here. I cannot tell if he’s making less noise or my ears are just used to the dull roar. As well, the neighbors have begun to collect their sacrifice (or sacrifices, some families have multiple). The entire city is covered in sheep, hay, poop, etc., but I guess it is all part of the Moroccan experience.

I went to visit Naget last night FINALLY! I have missed her humor and warmth quite a bit, so it was nice to reconnect. Alex went with me, and when we get there, we are confronted with commotion. Upon going up to the roof, we see my host cousins and neighbors have carried a small sheep and a young COW up four or more flights of stairs! Talk about dedication! They will be eating quite well for the holiday on Monday.

P.S. NO SCHOOL MONDAY!

Hope you made it through the whole post, people! More adventures soon, folks!

Rae
xox