Armageddon
So this morning at 7:40 AM, it was Armageddon in Morocco... or a solar eclipse but the two seem to be interchangeable. The panic started last night when the Moroccan news showed over and over all the damage that looking directly at the sun can do to your eyes at that exact moment. Consequently every school in the country shut down today. They are worried that children will stare at the sun and turn into a pile of dust.
So I tried to explain to my host family that my classes were not cancelled, and in fact started at 8am so I would have to be walking there at 7:40 and this was just absolutely out of the question. Firstly, they insisted that there was no way I had class. Secondly, they had no intention of letting me leave the house for 20 minutes on either side of that magical moment.
My house went into lock down last night. They closed all windows and curtains and even put rags under the doors in rooms that had windows to be sure that not a drop of that poisonous sunlight hit the family at 7:40. So I woke up in a pitch black house and snuck into the forbidden kitchen (where there is a skylight) while the others were sleeping so I could get my breakfast. I had to call my friend at class and have him tell me that he was sitting in class and did not melt from the sun's rays and finally they let me go to class, superlate. It was ridonk! When I came home for lunch I thought they were going to give me an eye exam! Instead each separate member inquired as to the well being of my sight. Glad they care I guess.
In other news, I spent the weekend in Bhalil which is a tiny town inhabited by one peace corps dude with a sweet house (with walls that were far from meeting at 90 degree angles). We had a huge barbecue America style and gorged ourselves on hamburgers and nachos and then hiked through treacherous terrain to see some waterfalls.
The reasons I appreciate my fellow Fulbrighters/Peace Corps crowd were magnified during this time and they are as follows:
1) No fewer than one time a day is the phrase "dumps like a truck" used
2) Everyone knows all the lyrics to "America Fuck Yeah" from Team America
3) Any pause in conversation is swiftly filled by "Ateni Machine Gun"in Sylvester Stalone voice from Rambo 3 (where he is in Afghanistan so it makes even less sense that he asks for it in Arabic)
4) All the boys know how to cook things from scratch and willingly do so (fresh guac, homemade salsa, nachos...)
5) There is no mercy among us and every stupid comment gets archived for mockery forthcoming.
The internet cafe is currently playing the Ketchup Song in Arabic.
Laura
So I tried to explain to my host family that my classes were not cancelled, and in fact started at 8am so I would have to be walking there at 7:40 and this was just absolutely out of the question. Firstly, they insisted that there was no way I had class. Secondly, they had no intention of letting me leave the house for 20 minutes on either side of that magical moment.
My house went into lock down last night. They closed all windows and curtains and even put rags under the doors in rooms that had windows to be sure that not a drop of that poisonous sunlight hit the family at 7:40. So I woke up in a pitch black house and snuck into the forbidden kitchen (where there is a skylight) while the others were sleeping so I could get my breakfast. I had to call my friend at class and have him tell me that he was sitting in class and did not melt from the sun's rays and finally they let me go to class, superlate. It was ridonk! When I came home for lunch I thought they were going to give me an eye exam! Instead each separate member inquired as to the well being of my sight. Glad they care I guess.
In other news, I spent the weekend in Bhalil which is a tiny town inhabited by one peace corps dude with a sweet house (with walls that were far from meeting at 90 degree angles). We had a huge barbecue America style and gorged ourselves on hamburgers and nachos and then hiked through treacherous terrain to see some waterfalls.
The reasons I appreciate my fellow Fulbrighters/Peace Corps crowd were magnified during this time and they are as follows:
1) No fewer than one time a day is the phrase "dumps like a truck" used
2) Everyone knows all the lyrics to "America Fuck Yeah" from Team America
3) Any pause in conversation is swiftly filled by "Ateni Machine Gun"in Sylvester Stalone voice from Rambo 3 (where he is in Afghanistan so it makes even less sense that he asks for it in Arabic)
4) All the boys know how to cook things from scratch and willingly do so (fresh guac, homemade salsa, nachos...)
5) There is no mercy among us and every stupid comment gets archived for mockery forthcoming.
The internet cafe is currently playing the Ketchup Song in Arabic.
Laura
posted by Laura | 3:54 PM
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