Morocco Time

So I’m in my Arabic class this morning, and there happens to be a guy in there whose family came from Iraq to the States in ‘95. Many of the other students have some kind of grandiose plan to work in “security” or “foreign service” - so they ask all kinds of irritating questions about if the Iraqi dialect is similar to MSA. Before class this morning, one of these security geeks asked the Iraqi, “So, what do you think about what Bush has done in Iraq so far?” The poor man was a little stunned, but managed to get something out along the lines of “Um, that’s a huge topic - but my family left Iraq because of Saddam, so obviously we were happy when he was removed from power” or something like that. The security dumbass said “Oh, well, I like to ask people about it. Get different opinions.”

Look, idiot. It is EIGHT IN THE MORNING. Stop pretending like you want to have some kind of open dialogue and shut the fuck up.

First, I’d like to state that the president of Columbia is an absolute twat. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. His remarks prior to Ahmadinejad’s speech included:

“Mr President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator.”

“”When you come to a place like this, this makes you quite simply ridiculous. You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated.”

It was ten minutes of that shit, by the leader of the university that invited him. Yes, I get that people don’t agree with a lot of what the Iranian president believes (and I share some of that feeling), but there is no excuse for regressing to personal attacks and/or treating an invited guest so poorly. I think Bollinger’s been secretly watching a little too much WWF.

In happier news, I surprised Hamou with tickets to the Genesis show on Saturday. It pretty much blew his mind, since he’s always liked Phil Collins, and he’s never seen a concert before. I asked him what he thought of Nationwide Arena (where the concert was held), and he yelled out “They could fit all of Tizgui in here, people, houses, everything!” Yes, his little home village of Tizgui, about 2000 people. Earlier, when I asked him how much he’d like to see the concert, and if he really liked the group, his response was “Who doesn’t like Phil Collins?’ Well, OK, not much I can say to that! I suppose that would be like asking a Moroccan if he liked “Hotel California” or “No Woman No Cry.” Or “Father and Son.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard those songs in Morocco, and in all kinds of places.

So the first couple of days of school have been really kicking my ass, these classes are no joke - but I’m ridiculously happy. I even went and performed a monologue for the theater department auditions tonight, and that’s not like me - I’m a little shy. Actually, I felt like puking for a couple of hours before my audition, but I forced myself to go. I don’t want to be in any of the productions, though - just wanted to do something out of my comfort zone.

So my classes are…Arabic (language), Arab World (culture), and American Lit. That’s not the actual course names, but you get the idea. I think the prof in my language class is moving too fast for most of the students, someone asked if I’d help them study. This is a great time to (once again) thank my former teacher at the CCCL, Samir Azzibou - without him, I would have never learned Arabic script.

OK, time to do homework.

Now I’m indulging in my traditional “after l’ftour” activities - watching 2M and messing about on the web. BTW, why is it that every time they have the music program, at the end of the show, they say “And now, some folklore!” And guess what it is? (98% of the time) Gnaoua. Sheesh. Give me a break. I mean, the music is great and all, but there’s only so many times you can listen to the same vocal patterns of “Ah-why, why why why…” with the gimbri going like mad.

Here’s something that made me nearly fall out of my chair laughing:

“Ouarzazate : Eau de Toilette
by Comme des Garcons Series 3: Incense

The high Atlas mountain city of Ouarzazate (pronounced war-za-zat) in Morocco was the inspiration of this masterpiece. At its opening, a sweet, balsamic tang of labdanum absolute quickly followed by zesty pepper tickles your nose. As it warms on the skin, the softly herbal clary sage (for which Morocco’s is hailed as among the finest in the world) blends with a now-calm pepper and nutmeg to make Ouarzazate a crossroads of perfectly blended, spiced incense of the Middle Eastern variety. We close our eyes and imagine we’re in the cool, still interior of Ouarzazate’s famous Kasbah.

Ouarzazate notes
incense, pepper, nutmeg, clary sage, wenge, musk, vanilla, labdanum absolute, Kashmir wood”

Oh yeah, I’m getting a sample of THAT. After all, who wouldn’t want to smell like Ouarzazate? All kidding aside, the perfumes Le Maroc pour Elle and Aqaba are both lovely, so I really will get a sample. I’m trying to think of a funny way to ask my husband what I smell like without him getting the wrong idea.

What I would be eating in Morocco:

- dates
- mint tea
- harira
- kefta tagine
- bread made by Hamou’s sister Zinba (flat bread with spices on the inside, sometimes called “Berber pizza”)
- hard boiled eggs
- kiri cheese or la vache qui rit

What I’m eating tonight: (Hamou’s at work, so it’s just me)

- dates
- mortadella sausage (halal, of course)
- kiri cheese
- lentil soup with paneer (yes, mixing cultures)
- moroccan khobz (I’m making it)
- baklava
- peach nectar
- Mt. Dew

I know it seems like a lot, but I’m not making very big batches. Probably a cup of soup, a few chunks of sausage, a few dates, etc…

Hope everyone is able to be with their families for this wonderful Ramadan season - whether you fast or not!