Jon does Morocco

I must admit, before beginning my sojourn, I had little knowledge of the workings of Morocco, or for that matter, any Arabic state. My limited research included very heavy doses of the movie Casablanca and the three paragraphs available on the American Express travel website. In addition, I am in debt for Chris' hospitality and the time he spent guiding me around parts of the world I did not even know existed, even if I did have to spend some time experiencing the acquisition of interweb from Maroc Telecom.

I was amazed when we arrived in Morocco. We stepped into a gleaming airport, with electricity, running water, and people wearing western clothes. Not one sand dune or camel was in sight, and, to my surprise, Moroccans enjoy a modern train system and a rather modern transportation infrastructure. This was not the last time I learned something new in Morocco, and I have detailed some of the things that surprised me the most below.

One of the amazing things about Morocco is the absolute ordered chaos by which people move through the cities. I found it to be somewhat over-stimulating to walk through the streets, especially when, on my first day in this foreign land, Chris supplied me with an English guidebook (street signs are written in Arabic) and a promise to meet me at a certain cafe in several hours. After memorising the map so as to not stand out as a foreigner (because my distinctive aryan looks and grave deficiency in both common languages spoken there wouldn't give it away,) I stepped into the public realm in Rabat, werein I promptly found myself inundated by a symphony of diesel engines, honking horns and yells. Despite the seeming chaos engendered by a lack of formal rules, things move in a rather orderly fashion, because each driver, bicyclist and pedestrian gives and takes to a degree that all parties involved will benefit. It is an excellent example of the ordered chaos that ensues when all written and formal rules are eschewed, such as in the notion of shared space, a controversial modern theme in urban planning. Additionally, to some degree, this symphony reminded me of Levinas' notion of "violence," which is to say that one recognizes and respects another's vulnerability, and as such there exists a mutual moral obligation between parties. This tension of give and take is truly the unspoken law of this land and meters this symphony of movement. In this sense, the only rules of the road really are the recognition that all parties have to benefit. This is not to say that there is a great feeling of charity on the road; in fact, pedestrians and bicyclists must assert some force in order to contend with a Volkswagen Polo by stepping off the curb and either glaring at the automobile (not the driver, though) or simply mustering a healthy dose of gumption and stepping out in the hope that motorists will cede the path to s/he who is on foot.

Contrary to the absolutely foreboding nature of moving through Moroccan public space, Moroccan hospitality is very generous. Moroccans tend to live life less rigorously scheduled than we do (or than I do at least), so it's a rather common occurrence for a Moroccan to experience an unscheduled visit from a friend or relative. In such instances, Moroccan custom requires that the visitor be treated to a meal and, if necessary, a place to sleep for the night. Stateside, we practice the notion of pretending to not want our hosts to go out of their way when we visit, and that is considered proper manners. In Morocco, one does not get much mileage out of such actions and it is considered poor manners for visitors to not participate in the hospitality offered to them.

What I found through my several experiences of "dropping in" on Moroccans is that this can often mean that one's host attempts to cause your untimely demise through overfeeding. It's a sign of hospitality to pull out the gustatory stops, and it's an even bigger sign of appreciation to eat nearly everything put before you. In one instance, I sat in a Moroccan home, communicating via hand signals and my somewhat unscrupulous interpreter, and was treated to a large portion of heavy soup, bread and chicken until I was sure I would explode, only to find I had survived only the first course of several. Not wanting to disappoint, I attempted to eat just a little during the subsequent course, but that proved futile as my Moroccan host piled food in front of me. After this orgy of consumption, we were to spend the night. In Moroccan culture, this does not mean sleeping on the couch, which I expected and to which I was not averse. Rather, this means being treated to a bed, oftentimes given up by the host or host's family if an extra does not exist. This is considered good manners by the host, and the acceptance of it is considered good manners by the guest.

In this vein of being with others, Moroccans do not share the same notions of personal space espoused by westerners. Had I not been informed of this prior to my arrival, it would have shocked me. Men in Morocco do not adhere to the western notion that being within one foot of another man is unmanly. It was quite strange to see two men walking down the street, engaged in conversation, with one man holding the elbow of the other, in a sense, indicating that he is present and that they have combined personal spaces. In addition, greetings between people in Morocco are much more physically close than those of westerners. No matter the gender of the greetants, Moroccans generally will clasp the upper arm of each other and kiss the air next to the ear on either side of the opposite person's head. This is, to a degree, a strange practice at first, but upon closer examination seems to allow the other person to breech your personal space much more than a clasped fist between two people does.

Certainly, this list of surprises is not exhaustive. In my travels through Morocco I not only gained an appreciation for another culture, but another way of life--one in which nothing is rushed, especially the pace of life itself. Life's pace is a deliberate "little by little," which causes some strain (e.g. Maroc Telecom), but is a comforting change from western life.

Jonathan L. Beech is a recent graduate of The University of Scranton, with degrees in Philosophy and Accounting. He currently serves as a tax consultant to hedge funds at Deloitte, an international consultancy. He will begin a Master's program in Real Estate Development at the University of Maryland in the Fall. He visited Morocco in January 2009.