Tidbits

So in the interest of sharing information and in having a little fun I've collected some factoids to share. These are just a few things I've noticed during my time in Marrakesh and are my observations alone. They are in no way meant to be broad generalizations about the Moroccan people, but here's my take on some of the more interesting things I've seen.

1. A lot of them smoke...at least the men do.
Before coming to Marrakesh I mentioned to one of my friends that it seemed like smoking was so much of a taboo nowadays in America that I rarely saw people puffing, unless I checked the shadows. It seems those poor addicted souls have been pushed to the outskirts of society, shunned and generally looked down upon (sorry if any of you smoke, but this is how it seems to me). So to see so many people smoking here is a little jolting. I even saw a man smoking indoors today and, what with the shock of it all I about fell off my stool, which would have been bad since I was enjoying a yummy smoothie and generally enjoying myself.

2. They use bogus pictures as their Facebook profile pics.
Now this is a weird one. Of all of my relatives here who have FB pages, none of them use their own images as their profile pics. They use these random pics of who knows who. I can only guess they are models or pop stars. Who knows. And, even weirder, none of them use their own names. They either change their first or last names, or use their mother's maiden names or make up an entirely new moniker all together. Seriously, I don't get it, but I think it may have something to do with the secretive nature of Muslims, but I could be way off on that one. But I will tell you that Ali's cousin, who made up a different name for her FB page, told me she didn't want people to be able to find her on FB. Then what's the point, I say. Oh well, each to his own.

3. They're always cold.
I know, I know I already mentioned this in a previous blog, but really there is no getting over this. Today Eli got his long-sleeved shirt really dirty so of course he took it off with nary a worried glance from me I might add. Now, bowing slightly to peer pressure as I am, he did have on a white T-shirt underneath. Just short sleeves but hey, it was like 75 degrees today. Perfectly weather-appropriate attire right? Well, as soon as that shirt was off the great-grandmother is hollering that it's cold and am I crazy (at least this is what I imagine she was saying). And to prove how frigid it is she defiantly shows me the three shirts she's wearing. After that display I wonder if my totally disinterested and unconvinced stare translated. I think it did. I heard her mumbling under her breath for the next 15 minutes while stealing quick, disapproving glances at Eli and shaking her head. Subtle.

4. The men are bold.
What I mean by this is that they stare at the ladies. And by stare I don't mean a quick glance and look away I mean a stare you down, look you up and down and then turn around to stare at you some more as you walk away. And not just a few of them but nearly all of them. They even did this when I was walking with Ali and, let me tell you, I thought Ali was about to throw down a couple of times. Now when it comes to the characteristics of Islam most of my family come from the school of Ali and are probably shocked by what I've just written. But you must understand my husband actually tries to follow Islam which tells men and women "to lower their gaze and protect their modesty" when dealing with the opposite sex. Surprising I would come to a Muslim country and be so thoroughly checked out. But hey, it did give me the opportunity to give the finger in a foreign country!

5. They're serious about eating.
As I've mentioned in a previous blog, their eating is very regimented in that they have five eating times a day and, excepting for the lunch and dinner meals, basically the same food is served. In that vein, if you happen to be tired and go to bed at 8 after you've had your coffee and bread at 6 p.m. you better believe they will come in your room where you are asleep in the pitch dark and attempt to wake you up for dinner. This has actually happened to me. It's like they can't believe you might skip dinner (to be fair their food rocks so I get their concern but give a girl a break). My mother-in-law came to my room one night recently and, in a loud whisper, told me it was time to eat and that the food was very good and I should come down. It took me nearly a full minute to convince her that, thank you, thank you I'm sure the food is out of this world, outstanding, fabulous, etc., but I'm tired and I really want to sleep. Luckily my mother-in-law is super cool and didn't take offense, but man these people want you to eat. Also as a side note on food, they serve everything on platters, and I do mean everything. One night when I was trying to get to sleep early after a particularly long time at the hammam (public bath), I explained to my mother-in-law that I was going to sleep without dinner. It was all she could do to contain herself but she managed to recover admirably. However  she couldn't quite help herself and she pushed two oranges and a cup of tea into my hands, served so sweetly on a platter. Oranges and tea my friends. It's like they can't believe you would (gasp!) carry a cup of tea and an orange in your hand up to your room. Funny stuff happening here, let me tell you.

6. Finally, a word about fashion...a lot of the guys wear studded belts.
As I sit here typing I am sharing the room with an orange belt with silver studs worn by Ali's nephew. His brother also has his own and I've been quick to notice similar styles on several of the young guys here. Really, I have no words for this particular tidbit only to say it's not as bad as you might think.