Since this weekend we've been at Al Akhawayn University. It is located in Ifrane, which is a small resort town that is more resemblent of Switzerland than Morocco. This is one of the only places in the country that gets snow in the wintertime. The university here is absolutely beautiful though, and aside from some evening thunderstorms we've had nothing but sunshine so far.
AUI offers an incredible chance to meet people from literally all over the world. One of the main goals in establishing the university was to create a place where people of all cultures, backgrounds, and belief systems could learn together and engage in dialogue. The origin of the university is actually very interesting. It was founded in 1993 by the kings of Morocco and Saudi Arabia (the name Al Akhawayn means "the two brothers"). There was an oil spill off the coast of Morocco that the Saudi king offered a large endowment to pay for, but then the wind blew the oil away from the coast and the money was then decided to be spent on establishing the university. It is a picturesque campus, with red-roofed buildings that look like they've come straight from the Alps, beautiful landscaping and other architecture, and a grand mosque at the center of campus.
Already I have met students not only from Morocco, but also from Sweden, Spain, Italy, Austria, Somalia, France, and several other places (also from many of the American states.) I can't get over how nice and friendly everyone here is. It's so wonderful. Walking around campus you can easily strike up a conversation with nearly anyone. Moroccan hospitality is really difficult to match. It makes me feel inspired to be more hospitable in my own life. Anyone who knows me or my family very well knows that hospitality is a big part of our lives, we have dozens of people going in and out of our house each week. But my hospitality doesn't always go much deeper than my actions. That's maybe what makes Moroccans so special: not only are the hospitable by offering you a seat or some tajine or serving hot mint tea, but their demeanor really is what makes you feel so welcome. Hospitality really is, more than an action, a heart attitude. I'm sure anyone that I have served in that way has been able to tell whether or not I really feel they are welcome.
To be honest, here it is hard to see Morocco as part of the "Arab World" that we associate with terrorist attacks and religious fanatics, or even with nomads on camels and belly dancers. The Morocco I am experiencing is a warm and welcoming place rich in culture and tradition, which holds tightly to its belief systems yet at the same time is laid back and makes you feel right at home. There is consistently a fascinating blend of the customary and the novel, such as seeing a girl wearing full hijab walking alongside her best friend whose hair is uncovered and is wearing a tank top and short shorts. Such are the contrasts of Moroccan culture.
Today was actually the beginning of our classes. I am taking Basic Arabic 2 and History of the Arab World. It is a fortunate thing that I got my schedule on time, others who are here for a full semester and have 5-6 classes to work out have not been so lucky. The laid back Moroccan attitude apparently also carries over to administration... Tom, Emily, Chandlor and I (the four of us doing the humanities program) spent a total of 5 hours just waiting to find out which classes we would be taking. From there Tom and I had to work through network failures and not having the information to get into our university online accounts to take our Arabic placement tests. We did have diagnostic Arabic interviews on Sunday, which were an interesting experience. Although I have taken three classes in Arabic (a total of a semester and a half), I by NO means am fluent. This interview was basically a very nice Moroccan professor smiling at me and saying things in Arabic much faster than I could understand, than me having her repeat them and trying to formulate an answer in some mess of a sentence (usually a hybrid of Arabic and Spanish because I was so nervous, I kept on saying "si" instead of "na'am). The online test was nearly just as bad. However, we were placed in a class that is basic enough to keep us sane and difficult enough to offer a challenge, so I am happy with how things worked out there. (Only about 15 minutes before class started were we informed where the class would be, once again the efficiency of Moroccan administration...)
It has been nice too to be able to grow in relationships with the other WPI students who are with me. Since projects are still in formulation, more or less, we have had a decent amount of spare time to explore Ifrane or just hang out on campus together. Things are bound to get busier as the term goes on, but for now it has been so nice to have time away from a full, rushed schedule and to just really spend time together. We already feel like family. Maybe it is just because it is such a contrast from the regular WPI climate, which is so fast paced and busy and often stressful, but it seems like this sort of time for relationship building is very special and rare. It's one of my favorite things about the trip so far. I am too, however, trying to get to know some more Moroccan students here in my time studying at AUI.
Also, tonight marks the official 1 week since I left the US... it has gone by fast so far, but at the same time I feel like I have been here much longer than that. I am so thankful for the time I get to enjoy here.
Til later,
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