اللي ماعرفك خسرك (Li ma’rfak khasrak)

Li ma’rfak khasrak. This is the title of my blog post, and daily reminder of how I want to live and approach new situations while living here in Morocco. My program director introduced this local saying, and it is actually in Darija (Moroccan Arabic). It loosely translates to: one who does not know you, loses you.

Hello everyone! I’m Shadae, a junior at Hamilton College, and am studying in Rabat, Morocco this semester. I’m studying Multiculturalism and Human Rights with SIT and thus far, have been having the time of my life. I spend a lot of my time in classes, where in addition to studying Human Rights in Morocco, I’m continuing my Arabic studies and preparing for my independent study project. Most of my time is spent exploring the city, learning how to navigate my new city, and even getting lost. Tomorrow makes two weeks since I journeyed to JFK Airport and began my study abroad adventure.

Right now, I’m living with a host family and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met. There’s my host mom, sister, and brother: Rouqia, Aicha, and Mohamed. They welcomed me into their home with open arms and treat me as a daughter and sister. I’ve actually gotten close with my host sister, as we are close in age. They are helping me to learn more Arabic, and to become better acquainted with Rabat. Li ma’rfak khasrak. I keep this saying in mind, to remind myself that I have to make the effort to open myself up, and become vulnerable so they can learn more about who I am. I also need to remind myself to continue to push through the language barrier to get to know and understand my family’s customs, because they are great people.

Some things I’ve done:

1. I live about a 3-minute walk from the beach, so go a lot to watch the sunset, take a rowboat ride, and of course, get food.

1. My new friends and I visited a site called, The Chellah. Here lies Roman ruins that are believed to have been built around 40 AD. They used it as an Atlantic naval port, but lost control around 250 AD. The Almohad dynasty ruled until the 13^thcentury, and in the 14^thcentury, the Marinid dynasty added a defensive wall, towers, a mosque, a medersa (Islamic school), a cemetery, etc. I got to see the ruins, take a ton of pictures, and played with cats. Yes, there is a lady (not sure if she lives there) who takes care of all of the cats. She says that there are 46 cats who live among the ruins.

3. I, along with two friends, got lost! Every Wednesday, my class has to conduct field work in the afternoon. This past Wednesday, I heard that a place in Agdal (the other side of Rabat) had the best tacos and that I had to try it. A few of us decided to go before it was time to go to our respective NGOs for fieldwork. The first group went, and my two friends and I were supposed to meet them there. They told us to get on the tram. However, two stops into the tram, we realized that we were on the wrong line. We thought that there was just one tram that ran through the city, but apparently not. We decided to stay on until the last stop and to catch a taxi. However, this was impossible because no one would stop for us. We tried to the use Morocco’s version of Uber, but the driver took 30 minutes to find us, and the language barrier made it difficult to communicate. Our 20-30-minute commute ended up lasting almost two hours. At the time, I was extremely frustrated, but now I see it as a learning experience. Sometimes, you have to get lost to find your way. AND, the tacos were so worth it!
4. I visited the palace of the King! Okay, the outside of the palace of Mohammed the VI. It was beautiful, but not much there. There were a bunch of guards and we couldn’t walk past a certain point. But of course, I took a bunch of photos!

3. Ate some questionable meat (would not recommend)
4. But I, also ate some really really great food. I order a crepe at every café I visit. But, if you’re looking for the best food, I recommend my host mom!
5. I realized the coffee here is way better here than the States.

In the next post, I will talk more about why I chose this program, and what I hope to gain while here! I have had a lot of time to reflect on my short time here, look forward to sharing it soon! I promised myself that I would begin this blog before I left home, describing my pre-departure preparation. However, I’ve been extremely busy, but will do a future post regarding my pre-departure.

Feeling some Arabic pop?