Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Taroudant - Sitting in Cafe Bab Al Kasba

-Went to a bookshop asking for a magazine that has Darjia (Moroccan Arabic) in it. I wanted to practice Arabic script but don't know Foosha (Modern Standard Arabic). The man told me behind the counter that both were the same. So he gave me a magazine that was in Foosha but I didn't understand it. He looks at me dumbfounded.

-Women waiting by the hospital to visit or hear news of their loved one. 

-Just saw a Moroccan man with a shirt with Jesus on the cross. The irony of it is amusing to me.

-Tourists with maps, khaki shorts, cameras and hip bags. If I were a thief I would go for them first. 

-Two women with bags three times larger than their head on top of their head without using their hands. I can't help but stare.

-A dirty horse that seems overworked by pulling carriages then a homeless man comes up and hits it hard in the nose. The horse kicks up.   

-Teenage girls arm in arm smiling and talking and enjoying the day. 

-Old woman hobbling down the road. She looks lost and alone and lines on her face remind me of looking at roads on a map of Morocco.

-Just saw a guy who was homeless who looked exactly like Jack Sparrow. It pretty much made my day.

-A group of 50 tourists with a Moroccan tour guide with a sign held up directing on where to go. It is humiliating and embarrassing. Like they didn't stand out before. 

-Sitting and watching for two hours now I feel dizzy from all the movement. Maybe it's time to leave. 

2 comments:

  1. The magazine Nichane is in darija. But get it fast! They stopped publication about a month ago due to advertising boycotts. It's a pretty left-wing magazine and they often criticized the government, which led to the boycotts. But I've still seen old copies floating around newsstands. It's a weekly magazine with a black cover and pretty good if you want to just practice script and/or darija, as well as possibly learn a little about Moroccan politics.

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  2. Hey thanks for the up and up. He told me they don't make Nichane anymore. I didn't know if that was true or not. Maybe I will look for it in other places!

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