A taste of "home"

This week is my 5 month mark in Morocco- 7 more months to go. For the first time since I have been here I did something unthinkable. I had 30 minutes between meetings and I hadn't eaten lunch. I had accepted the harsh reality that I wasn't going to get lunch because in Morocco even the fastest restaurants take at least an hour. And then I saw them..the golden arches. I don't eat McDonalds in the US, but I had no choice so I joined the 100s of well-dressed upper-class Moroccans enjoying a little bite of America. I can't say that the food was particularly worth the $4 that I spent on it, but I guess its the experience of "being in America" while you are still in Morocco that everyone spends the money on.

As for my experience, I ordered McDonalds in Arabic for the first time in my life. And of course, the cashier responded in English because people here somehow can't quite get it in to their head that I ACTUALLY speak Moroccan Arabic :) Well, I guess I can't blame her too much...my guess is that most American's that eat at McDonalds while they are in Morocco don't speak Arabic :P

A little social research

So here is an interesting little social research that I did this week. 35 of the 42 women I have seen on the bus from Rabat to Sale this week were veiled. 3 of the 35 women I saw in Megamall (the big western shopping center) in Rabat this week were veiled. To explain the difference in these numbers it requires a much further discourse on the social, class, and religion identity crisis that Morocco is facing. I will leave that for another day when I am not so swamped with work.

However, in the meantime it is proof of how easy it is to have a bias in your research. As I set out on my research project here it is a good learning to keep in mind.

Happy New Years!!

For those of you who think I am 22 days too late, I will remind you that yesterday was the first day of 1428 (the current year in the Islamic calendar) so Happy New Years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unlike 2007, 1428 will start with me making a commitment to blog again.

It is normal for people to make New Year's resolutions, but this year My Blog has decided to make its own New Year's resolutions. Here they are....

Suzanne's Blog's 2007/1428 New Year's Resolutions

#1- To truly capture the experience of my remaining 7.5 months in Morocco and to communicate to all of you through pictures and words what life here is really like.

#2- To become multi-lingual. Now that I have mastered the Arabic keyboard, look forward to Arabic and French commentary to be added to the site.

#3- To stay out of my personal life. For all my friends who want my personal gossip, I will start sending more personal email updates. For all my fellow bloggers, don't forget that anyone in the world can see your site and the people most likely to google-stalk you are the people you least want to find you.

#4- To be consistent....I know, I always say that. But I really want to try to post more often so that I don't have to get all the "Why haven't you blogged emails, voicemails, and comments on the street."

#5- To get a pretty new design and some new links. I've been looking at this orange stuff for
years now..and I need to make some nice new links to my pics and stuff.

Looking forward to the great year to come.....for me and my blog!!