An aspect of Moroccan culture that I had to adjust to was the clothes I was able to wear. In Morocco, it is customary for women to have most of their body covered by clothing. For most, this looked like long pants and long sleeve shirts. This was something I had to adapt to because in America, I am used to putting on whatever clothing I prefer; shorts, pants, tank tops, etc. But, as I wanted to immerse myself in the culture and be respectful to those around me, I adapted and wore clothes that covered my skin. During my time in Morocco I stayed with a host family that included a father, a mother, a daughter and me. When I arrived to their house we went over a set of house rules that I should be familiar with; the daughter told me that it was okay for me to wear shorts and have my legs uncovered inside the house as long as the father was not present, but if he was around I would need to wear clothes that covered myself to be respectful.
At first, this seemed like an easy thing to adapt to but with the hot temperatures and lack of air conditioning in 95 degree weather, it was much more complicated than I thought. My walk to class was around twenty minutes and every morning when my classmates and I arrived to school we would be extremely hot and sweaty. We weren’t used to wearing full length pants and shirts in this type of weather, or not having fans to cool off the inside of the building once we got there. The beginning of class was always so uncomfortable while everyone was trying to find ways to cool them selves off before settling into seats. While the first couple weeks of adapting to this cultural change was hard, it got much easier as time went on and we all became acclimated to the clothing and weather combination. With this, I realized how much I take for granted in America, such as air conditioning and the ability to wear whatever clothes I choose. I never understood how much of a privilege that was until coming to Morocco and experiencing that lack of freedom and ac.
I believe someone from my host culture would view my experience as completely immersive. I think this because I lived with a host family, which allowed me to experience traditional customs, practices, food, etc. I also learned Arabic, their language which allowed me to communicate with natives. Additionally, I interned at an NGO and was able to see how work in Morocco is. I believe I got a full, well rounded experience during my time in Morocco and I think people from my host culture would agree.
These reflections teach me to take time to think about my experiences and what the real meanings and importance of them are. They also teach me to just breathe, and take everything one step at a time. I may not understand everything in the moment, but I will eventually.