Ahlan wa-sahlan illa al-Maghreb

Welcome to Morocco!

I know I promised a wrap-up post on Paris, but I haven't had any time (or inclination) to think about that yet. The program is keeping us all pretty busy here, which is good -- not only am I presented with amazing travel and academic opportunities, but I don't have enough time to miss Paris...at least, not too much. Here is a summary of the first almost-week:

Saturday, July 27: I left for the airport well in advance because I wasn't sure how long it would take me to get there by metro with my giant suitcase. I ended up arriving too early -- my ticket counter wasn't even open yet. However, the trip was relatively uneventful until I arrived at the airport in Fez. As soon as I walked through the door, I was immediately pulled out of line and sent to wait in an office. At first, as the only fair-skinned, blonde-haired person on the flight, I thought I had been chosen for a random security check. Once the airport official started questioning me, though, I quickly realized that they were screening me for swine flu. After explaining to him that, yes, I do carry an American passport, but no, I haven't actually been in the country for five months, I was finally allowed through.

Sunday, June 28: We had a very brief, not particularly helpful orientation on campus. A few gems: don't eat uncooked vegetables, and try not to get pick-pocketed. Gee, thanks. Afterward, we had a chance to explore the town a bit. Ifrane was originally built as a French resort town, and it's still pretty wealthy and exclusive. Still, it's beautiful and green and at least 10 degrees cooler than at the base of the mountain.

Monday, June 29: First day of class. I have three professors: Nasser, who teaches Moroccan Arabic (which is indeed very different from Modern Standard, as I had been warned), Dr. Rhazaoui, who teaches "Development in Theory and Practice," and Dr. King, the Georgetown program coordinator who also teaches "Islam and Democracy." They are all very knowledgeable, and I think the courses are going to be interesting, especially the one on development.

Tuesday, June 30: We left campus at 6am for an overnight trip to Rabat. On Tuesday morning, we visited the Haut Commissaire du Plan (the High Commissioner of Planning) office to learn about the Initiative Nationale du Development Humain, a program started by the king to promote small-scale development projects throughout the country. In the afternoon, we went over to the Observatoire Nationale du Development Humain, an oversight organization charged with observing, analyzing, and "critiquing" the initiative.

Wednesday, July 1: In the morning, we got to tour the Parliament building and meet with the Secretary General, as well as a member of a new party called the Parti de l'Authenticite et de la Modernite that won a surprising number of seats in the most recent elections. After lunch, we met with the director of the Millenium Challenge Account, a US grant program that is providing Morocco with $700 million to implement development programs over the next 5 years. Then, we went back to Parliament and got to sit in on an interpellation of the government ministers by members of the House of Representatives. It was all in Arabic, so I didn't understand very much, but they were basically talking about the environmental and agricultural importance of water. It was pretty cool.

Today, we had a normal class day back on campus, and tomorrow we have the day off to rest, work on the course readings, take a trip into town, etc.

I have to head out in a few minutes for a "mixer" with some of the Moroccan students on campus for the summer, but just a few quick observations:

1. French is everywhere here. All of the billboards, shop signs, menus, etc. have French translations -- sometimes above the Arabic. It definitely makes me feel more confident about my ability to communicate during our various travels, but I'm not sure what to think about that from a socio-linguistic perspective. I guess I'm inadvertently starting my thesis research right here!

2. I didn't want to go into too much technical detail about the various development agencies and projects, but I do want to mention that Dr. Rhazaoui is very critical of the current efforts and government. He is very well-respected in his field, so it should be interesting to hear his analysis and opinions.

3. This may come as a shock...but I'm considering dropping my English elective next semester in favor of an econ course. If I am at all interested in pursuing a Master's program in international development (and I am becoming more interested every day since arriving here), I need a stronger background in econ. I haven't made any definite decisions yet, but it's something to think about...