Gripes

So it can't all be bliss, right?

So far I've pretty much raved about my experiences here, and they have been great. I'm immersing myself into another culture, which is always thrilling I think. And I'm learning so much about how people live. This is the stuff of fascination for me!

However, there is a flip side to all this fun and I'm gonna give it to you.

People here litter. I know, I know!!! It's shocking but true. I'm not saying we live in a trash heap, but there is definitely noticable trash-specific items spewn aross the shanty (street in Moroccan Arabic) and sidewalks. Also, wherever you find an empty lot you will find trash. A lot of it. It's really tragic and is what I consider the shame of this beautiful city. Luckily the city or country (I don't know which) does a lot to clean up, offering medium-sized bins along the roads and street cleaners. But I'll give you a story about the culture of littering here and you'll see why some roadside Dumpsters may not be enough to fix the problem, i.e. fix people's attitude toward littering.

A few weeks ago I was walking down the street with Ali's neice Raja and her friend whose name I don't know. Sorry. I bought Eli and Drea each a snack from the local hanut (corner store that dot the landscape here in Marrakesh) and I stowed their trash into my bag I was carrying with plans to toss it when we got back home. Upon seeing what I did, Raja's friend actually reached into my bag, grabbed the snack wrappers and threw them on the ground.

I was astounded!!!!!

I picked the wrappers back up, replaced them in the back and said to her in my broken Arabic. "Your city is beautiful. Why would you make it bad with this littering?"

True story, folks. True story.

Another thing that irks me a little is how noone seems to know how to wait in line. Nearly every time I've been in line at a bank or a store someone has cut in and gone on ahead of me. This is common. And don't get me started on the line, or lack thereof, to get on the bus. As soon as people see the bus coming to a stop they charge the doors, before they're even opened mind you, and the pushing begins. No line, no sense of where one might be, just people coming at you from all directions. I admit I've taken to pushing people out of my way, and my kids' way, and told them they were bad and shameful and given them my most disapproving look. I have no idea how this flies, but there is some freedom in knowing I can tell them off in English and they likely won't understand a single word I'm saying. Talk about a no-consequence venting session!

Ok I can say I'm stumped here. That's really all I can think of for now, which goes a long way toward showing how nice it is here, truly. In light of all the Moroccans' friendliness, hospitality and generosity, which is unmatched in my experience, I can forgive a lot of impatience and little littering, even as I go down the streets picking up trash.