A couple of days ago I got back from the Netherlands, but it seems like a lifetime ago.
The culture shock I experienced first going to Europe, and then returning to Morocco, was overwhelming. English was everywhere. I was surrounded by a good deal of wealth. Women weren’t wearing headscarves. Women weren’t wearing jellabas. Women, in fact, were wearing very little in comparison to what I’ve seen for the past couple of months. (And this was in a place at least thirty or so degrees cooler than Rabat.) I could go running by myself and not get harassed. I could go to a bar and stay out late without worrying my host mother. I could simply wander around the city and not stick out, not be stared at.
Picture added for viewing pleasure. Chefchaouen, Morocco.
I want to convey to you how nice it was in the Netherlands after being in Morocco for almost two months, because most students at Whitman, and in general most white people living in the Pacific Northwest, don’t experience that tingling sensation at the back of your neck when you know that people are staring at you. All. The. Time. You don’t know where to look. You automatically look down at your feet, but then you wonder if this makes you seem weak, so you look up in front of you. But this allows you to see people staring at you from the periphery of your vision, and you become even more self-conscious of the attention that you’re attracting.
You can tell when a man is about to call out to you. It’s actually quite amusing to observe. First his eyes lock onto you: target spotted. The obvious next step would be to choose what to say, but this in itself is complicated for the typical Moroccan male. White people in Morocco come from all over Europe, so first he must decide which language to use. Do you look Spanish or French? English or Italian? Apparently my ethnicity is ambiguous, because I have gotten salutations in a plethora of languages. Ciao, bella. Ça va? Hola! Speak English? Parles français? If you watch him at this point, you’ll notice a hint of frustration on his face, as if he was thinking, “Why, oh why, is Moroccan Arabic not universally understood? It would make this so much easier!”
I’ve thus been relatively anti-social on the street. Aside from people I see day-to-day, I avoid eye contact and walk fast on my way to class to avoid unwanted interactions.
Here’s the thing about living as an American in Morocco: I will never seem Moroccan. I will never blend in. I knew this coming into the program, but I didn’t comprehend it. So despite my best intentions, there will forever be Moroccan quirks which I’ll never understand. And, despite their best intentions, most of the Moroccans I meet won’t be able to understand me. To illustrate, I once started talking to a local calligrapher in the old medina. He asked me why I was in Morocco, and I tried to explain that I want to study Moroccan society. “But why,” he pressed, “did you come here when you could have learned all that on the internet?” I said that I additionally wanted to experience something new, something different from life in America, but he refused to accept this answer.
Ultimately, the concept of studying abroad in a place like Morocco is a paradox. I come to learn and to understand what it’s like to be Moroccan, but the fact that I can afford to spend a semester abroad in another country inherently alienates myself from the typical Moroccan. There was an invisible barrier constructed the minute I got off the plane in Rabat in September.
Life in Morocco has not been hard, but it’s not been any cake walk, either. The time I spent in Amsterdam, and the ease I felt while I was there, proved this. And honestly, I’m glad I’m not there for the entire semester. Not only would it be ridiculously expensive, but I wouldn’t be able to appreciate my life back in America. The different lifestyle that I’ve observed here has held up a mirror to the one to which I’m accustomed. And I think, especially as a student of sociology, this is something that cannot be overvalued.
Leah
Good, bad or indifferent your time in Morocco will leave a lasting impression and that is the point actually! The opening of one’s horizons can only be a good thing!
Morocco is one of my favorites and its mysteries has enchanted people from all over the world for centuries! I find the markets , especially in marrakech, the closest thing to time travel that exists and what a great thing to see no matter what impression it leaves you with. You have been dutiful in recording it in your blog and I have so enjoyed your impressions and seeing morocco through your eyes.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your time!
I checked your article again and was happy to find out you are spending two more months here. If you come to Casablanca let me know, I just want to stare at you! I promise!
From my standpoint, street harassment is neither racialized nor nationalized, but it is gendered, and it’s a problem for women worldwide. Claiming “Moroccan-ness”, or any other ethnicity for that matter, is no excuse to engage in or negate street harassment in any part of the world.
Leah,
I enjoy this post on your blog. Even though i’m male my experiences in Malaysia were very similar. As a white man i was always stared at. As a tall, white man I stood out in every crowd. Malay teenage boys would call out in Malay, “White man where are you going?” It was kind of a teenage dare thing. I want to impress my buddies so I will call out to this white man. They were always shocked and embarrassed when I would reply with a traditional Malay response. I came to look at my experiences as similar to the attention a well known movie star would receive. The biggest culture shock to me was my return to the US after being away for over 2 years. All the white people freaked me out. I couldn’t go to a mall without feeling that i was being stared at for over 2 years. Your experience when you return might be similar.
@Mustapha: I’m glad that you’ve brought up the issue of unemployment, because I think it’s an important one. It’s pretty high here–I’ve heard that the rate’s hovering right below 20%–and I think you’re right about its connection to street harassment.
@Mohammed Lebbadi: Luckily, I will be here for two more months. I look forward to experiencing and learning more about this country. Eid mubarak said, by the way!
Leah, first of all I am Moroccan and lived in the west for the past 27 years. I guess I have an idea about both worlds. Everything you said in your introductory post is real. Moroccan society is a mixed bag of all kind of people. I would form a circle of friends of my choice and stick to that. Please bear in mind that, if most people had a 9 to 5 job, they would be too busy to spend most of the day outside leaning against a wall and scrutinizing everyone that pass (men and women). Believe it or not, I have the same feeling even being a man. I am used to living in the UK ( currently in the NL) and people do not directly stair at you. When I am in morocco, I do feel uncomfortable with the constant stares offered by many. There is also that fact that Morocco is a warm country and therefore people (although mostly men) spend lot of time outside in the open, combine that with unemployment, you get a lot of people with a lot of time in their hand and nothing better to do then harass women.
I just want to really quickly thank you all for taking the time to read my blog, and responding to it in a thoughtful manner. I never thought that this travel blog would attract any attention, so it’s caught me a bit off guard. I just want to make some quick notes:
a) I really do love Morocco. I have nothing but respect for the people here. Hopefully you can get a sense for that through reading my other posts.
b) What I’ve written are thoughts from a Western perspective, not a sociological analysis. I’ve heard very interesting, and very satisfying, historical explanations for street harassment, but this hasn’t kept me from feeling frustrated.
Amine, I’m sorry if I’ve overgeneralized. What I’ve written, of course, does not apply to every Moroccan.
P.S.: I wish to explain my last point (staying longer in Morocco) since you are a sociology student. Tradition here dictates that girls should be very reserved with men. Among themselves they are very free and they are also very free in terms of dress and make-up and appearance in general (because of the “Islamist trend” some are conforming). They are not supposed to move first, but do everything they can to attract and pretend they don’t pay attention (they do, discretely). They purposely walk by crowded cafes to be looked at and usually are with other girls talking and laughing to get the most attention and not to be embarrassed by the staring. Eventually there would be a contact, a serious one, which most girls seek, leading to marriage.
There seems to be some misunderstanding here. It is rare when we actually address the woman unless we feel there’s a “contact” (mutual interest). If you like a guy who’s interested usually a smile would do besides the eye contact and you could start a relationship. Some men do aggress women with words and others do think that all women would succomb, but I think that’s a stupid (sick?) minority. Of course it depends on the environment, the girls strolling in the Casablanca corniche at certain times of the day and night are looking for such behavior and would be disappointed if the men just walk by. And believe me, even some serious women here are disappointed when they are not looked at and go home demoralized (I am not talking about verbal aggression which is not really so common as suggested by some comments above). This is how things are here and it doesn’t seem to be a problem and most women don’t cover themselves to ‘hide”—the scarf only hides the hair. There are thousands of “white” foreigners living in Casablanca, including Americans, I know many, and I my impression is that this doesn’t bother them. Leah, you should perhaps have spent more time in Morocco.
Amsterdam has as many Morrocans as Rabat if you wonder into the wrong areas.I don’t think it is about attraction more that they think uncovered woman out and about are whores who should actually cover up and not venture outside.It is how they control the woman you can imagine that if men bother you day in day out eventually you will cover and avoid the street.You see this in all Islamic countries and communities.Look up on youtube “la femme de la rUe” for a exploration of this in Brussels.I believe you can find versionsof this documentary with english subtitles.
Yes, if you want him to assume that you want to have sex. (and soon!)
It’s an unfortunate combination of stereotypes about Western women and general cultural conditioning. I once made the ‘mistake’ of simply waving to someone in a friendly way, while at a club – and he immediately came over to ask *my husband* (Moroccan) if I was available.
Be very VERY careful about making the initial social interactions with male strangers.
Mohammed- I appreciate your input, but I’m curious about something. From time to time, I’ll spot a guy who I think is attractive. Is it acceptable for me to call out to him, “Hey there, gorgeous, where are you going?” or something similar? I never see it here, so I’m assuming that therefore it is only acceptable for men to show their love of beauty. I’m against this double standard of acceptable street conduct: that women are expected to receive comments without responding, and that in order to avoid such comments, they need to cover up.
Please correct me if I’m wrong!
(And forgive me if I don’t post my picture.)
Leah Siegel must be beautiful and Moroccans love beauty, so put the blame on both. We simply can’t avoid looking and even staring, which is why some of our women cover themselves. Leah, please post a picture of you, thanx!
Leah, I love your post. You’re a fine writer, and your description of Moroccan street punks befuddled by too many language choices was priceless. This brought back so vividly some of my early experiences abroad, including in Morocco. I do hope you find, as I did, that even the experiences that feel most alienating when they occur eventually become part of a broader and much more positive mosaic of impressions that you carry with you for life.
And you’ve already grasped the most important part of living / studying abroad — the genuine realization that people see us differently from how we see ourselves, and therefore it must also be true that we see them differently from how they see themselves. In other words, global understanding comes from hard work and not just kumbayah gestures — but at the same time global cultural and language diversity is a rich treasure that we human beings should embrace.
Sargon Heinrich • Nov 18, 2012 at 10:13 pm
Leah
Good, bad or indifferent your time in Morocco will leave a lasting impression and that is the point actually! The opening of one’s horizons can only be a good thing!
Morocco is one of my favorites and its mysteries has enchanted people from all over the world for centuries! I find the markets , especially in marrakech, the closest thing to time travel that exists and what a great thing to see no matter what impression it leaves you with. You have been dutiful in recording it in your blog and I have so enjoyed your impressions and seeing morocco through your eyes.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your time!
Mohammed Lebbadi • Nov 3, 2012 at 2:43 pm
By the way, I read your article about Eid al Adha (feast of sacrifice), very funny!
name • Nov 3, 2012 at 7:24 am
Sorry, the above was posted by Mohammed Lebbadi
name • Nov 3, 2012 at 7:21 am
I checked your article again and was happy to find out you are spending two more months here. If you come to Casablanca let me know, I just want to stare at you! I promise!
Leah Siegel • Nov 1, 2012 at 3:46 pm
Well put, Luci.
Luci • Nov 1, 2012 at 1:57 pm
From my standpoint, street harassment is neither racialized nor nationalized, but it is gendered, and it’s a problem for women worldwide. Claiming “Moroccan-ness”, or any other ethnicity for that matter, is no excuse to engage in or negate street harassment in any part of the world.
Curt Viehmeyer • Oct 27, 2012 at 8:06 am
Leah,
I enjoy this post on your blog. Even though i’m male my experiences in Malaysia were very similar. As a white man i was always stared at. As a tall, white man I stood out in every crowd. Malay teenage boys would call out in Malay, “White man where are you going?” It was kind of a teenage dare thing. I want to impress my buddies so I will call out to this white man. They were always shocked and embarrassed when I would reply with a traditional Malay response. I came to look at my experiences as similar to the attention a well known movie star would receive. The biggest culture shock to me was my return to the US after being away for over 2 years. All the white people freaked me out. I couldn’t go to a mall without feeling that i was being stared at for over 2 years. Your experience when you return might be similar.
I love your blog. Keeping writing.
Leah Siegel • Oct 26, 2012 at 8:46 am
@Mustapha: I’m glad that you’ve brought up the issue of unemployment, because I think it’s an important one. It’s pretty high here–I’ve heard that the rate’s hovering right below 20%–and I think you’re right about its connection to street harassment.
@Mohammed Lebbadi: Luckily, I will be here for two more months. I look forward to experiencing and learning more about this country. Eid mubarak said, by the way!
Mustapha • Oct 26, 2012 at 8:12 am
Leah, first of all I am Moroccan and lived in the west for the past 27 years. I guess I have an idea about both worlds. Everything you said in your introductory post is real. Moroccan society is a mixed bag of all kind of people. I would form a circle of friends of my choice and stick to that. Please bear in mind that, if most people had a 9 to 5 job, they would be too busy to spend most of the day outside leaning against a wall and scrutinizing everyone that pass (men and women). Believe it or not, I have the same feeling even being a man. I am used to living in the UK ( currently in the NL) and people do not directly stair at you. When I am in morocco, I do feel uncomfortable with the constant stares offered by many. There is also that fact that Morocco is a warm country and therefore people (although mostly men) spend lot of time outside in the open, combine that with unemployment, you get a lot of people with a lot of time in their hand and nothing better to do then harass women.
Leah Siegel • Oct 25, 2012 at 6:21 am
I just want to really quickly thank you all for taking the time to read my blog, and responding to it in a thoughtful manner. I never thought that this travel blog would attract any attention, so it’s caught me a bit off guard. I just want to make some quick notes:
a) I really do love Morocco. I have nothing but respect for the people here. Hopefully you can get a sense for that through reading my other posts.
b) What I’ve written are thoughts from a Western perspective, not a sociological analysis. I’ve heard very interesting, and very satisfying, historical explanations for street harassment, but this hasn’t kept me from feeling frustrated.
Amine, I’m sorry if I’ve overgeneralized. What I’ve written, of course, does not apply to every Moroccan.
Amine • Oct 25, 2012 at 4:35 am
I forgot to add. Take Morocco as it is: warts and all.
And I promise you will never forget us as people (yes, we can be a bit mad) and country ( definitely beautiful).
Mohammed Lebbadi • Oct 25, 2012 at 4:27 am
P.S.: I wish to explain my last point (staying longer in Morocco) since you are a sociology student. Tradition here dictates that girls should be very reserved with men. Among themselves they are very free and they are also very free in terms of dress and make-up and appearance in general (because of the “Islamist trend” some are conforming). They are not supposed to move first, but do everything they can to attract and pretend they don’t pay attention (they do, discretely). They purposely walk by crowded cafes to be looked at and usually are with other girls talking and laughing to get the most attention and not to be embarrassed by the staring. Eventually there would be a contact, a serious one, which most girls seek, leading to marriage.
Amine • Oct 25, 2012 at 3:49 am
Your observation about street life in Morocco are a bit true.
But don’t get too paranoid that all the people are watching you.
I’m Moroccan and if you walk past me, I’ll doubt I’ll notice you or look at you twice.
But the fact is sexual harrassement in the street does exist. And if you’re not used to it, it can be intimidating.
Sure, Moroccan men do control the street while our women control the home.
Mohammed Lebbadi • Oct 25, 2012 at 3:35 am
There seems to be some misunderstanding here. It is rare when we actually address the woman unless we feel there’s a “contact” (mutual interest). If you like a guy who’s interested usually a smile would do besides the eye contact and you could start a relationship. Some men do aggress women with words and others do think that all women would succomb, but I think that’s a stupid (sick?) minority. Of course it depends on the environment, the girls strolling in the Casablanca corniche at certain times of the day and night are looking for such behavior and would be disappointed if the men just walk by. And believe me, even some serious women here are disappointed when they are not looked at and go home demoralized (I am not talking about verbal aggression which is not really so common as suggested by some comments above). This is how things are here and it doesn’t seem to be a problem and most women don’t cover themselves to ‘hide”—the scarf only hides the hair. There are thousands of “white” foreigners living in Casablanca, including Americans, I know many, and I my impression is that this doesn’t bother them. Leah, you should perhaps have spent more time in Morocco.
Roland • Oct 25, 2012 at 2:47 am
Amsterdam has as many Morrocans as Rabat if you wonder into the wrong areas.I don’t think it is about attraction more that they think uncovered woman out and about are whores who should actually cover up and not venture outside.It is how they control the woman you can imagine that if men bother you day in day out eventually you will cover and avoid the street.You see this in all Islamic countries and communities.Look up on youtube “la femme de la rUe” for a exploration of this in Brussels.I believe you can find versionsof this documentary with english subtitles.
XYZ • Oct 24, 2012 at 2:07 pm
@Mohamed LEbbadi: Lay naal limayhchem
Mohammed • Oct 24, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Great article !
~Simo
Liosliath • Oct 24, 2012 at 12:36 pm
“Is it acceptable for me to call out to him”
Yes, if you want him to assume that you want to have sex. (and soon!)
It’s an unfortunate combination of stereotypes about Western women and general cultural conditioning. I once made the ‘mistake’ of simply waving to someone in a friendly way, while at a club – and he immediately came over to ask *my husband* (Moroccan) if I was available.
Be very VERY careful about making the initial social interactions with male strangers.
Leah Siegel • Oct 24, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Mohammed- I appreciate your input, but I’m curious about something. From time to time, I’ll spot a guy who I think is attractive. Is it acceptable for me to call out to him, “Hey there, gorgeous, where are you going?” or something similar? I never see it here, so I’m assuming that therefore it is only acceptable for men to show their love of beauty. I’m against this double standard of acceptable street conduct: that women are expected to receive comments without responding, and that in order to avoid such comments, they need to cover up.
Please correct me if I’m wrong!
(And forgive me if I don’t post my picture.)
Mary, thanks for the kind words.
Mohammed Lebbadi • Oct 24, 2012 at 10:18 am
Leah Siegel must be beautiful and Moroccans love beauty, so put the blame on both. We simply can’t avoid looking and even staring, which is why some of our women cover themselves. Leah, please post a picture of you, thanx!
Mary • Oct 24, 2012 at 7:14 am
Leah, I love your post. You’re a fine writer, and your description of Moroccan street punks befuddled by too many language choices was priceless. This brought back so vividly some of my early experiences abroad, including in Morocco. I do hope you find, as I did, that even the experiences that feel most alienating when they occur eventually become part of a broader and much more positive mosaic of impressions that you carry with you for life.
And you’ve already grasped the most important part of living / studying abroad — the genuine realization that people see us differently from how we see ourselves, and therefore it must also be true that we see them differently from how they see themselves. In other words, global understanding comes from hard work and not just kumbayah gestures — but at the same time global cultural and language diversity is a rich treasure that we human beings should embrace.
Best wishes for a wonderful rest of the semester!