I’m guessing
that if you’re here, you’re probably lost*. That, or you’re actually here to
listen to me ramble. If the former, hello! (*waves*) I wish you luck in your
quest back through the inter-webs. If the latter, you might want to take a
minute to consider whether staying is actually such a good idea.
*Which is perfectly okay. We’re all lost at some point. I’d
say there’s a fair amount of proof that it is part of self-discovery. For
instance: me, right now, trying to figure out how this blogging thing works.
I’m sure I’ll feel all the more enlightened and aware when I finish.
Note: You
will be subjected to me learning to blog. Think for a second. I’m not going
anywhere.
{. . .}
So, for those
of you who have decided to stay (at your own risk, might I add), asalamu ‘alaykum!
(I’m sticking with phonetics for now.)
Since it’s
just us, now, I’ll get down to it.
My name is
Genevieve. (Possibly the most Boring. Introduction. Ever. Congratulations.)
I am going to
Rabat, Morocco this summer (!!!) for intensive language schooling, courtesy of
the State Department program National Security Language Initiative for Youth
(NSLI-Y).
Shameless advertising.
I am PSYCHED,
to say the least.
And with an
imminent, amazing opportunity full of adventures in an awesome country, on a
program that a lot of people haven’t heard of, I just love answering my Number
One Frequently Asked Question: “Wait . . . what do they speak there?”
*face palm*
C’mon, guys.
Really? *Sigh* Take a look at a map (Everyone should know where Morocco is. Has
Casablanca taught you nothing?), find Morocco, and infer from its location. {.
. .} Arabic. The answer is Arabic. I am going to be learning Arabic.
With that
settled, I’m pretty sure that the next things people ask during their barrage
of questions (in order of descending frequency) are:
- Really?
- Are you sure?
- That’s really cool!
- Where are you staying?
- How long?
- Are you staying in a hotel?
- Do you have your host family?
- Will you, like, need to cover your head/are they, umm, Muslims?
- Are you nervous?
- Are your parents coming?
For those of
you who have yet to ask me these in person: Yes; Yes; Not a question, thankyouverymuch, and I know; Rabat (didn’t I
answer that already?!?); 6-7 weeks; What? Are you kidding?; No, not yet; Not in
theory, since Morocco is relatively Westernized, though I will be bringing a
hijab/“Umm”, yes; Well, I am going to a country I’ve never been to, so as to
learn a language I don’t yet speak—deduce, please; and No, heavens no!
Glad that’s
out of the way. I can now say with 94% certainty that 78% of the questions you
might proceed to ask me will not annoy me.
(The fact
that most of me is still on Cloud 9, even though it is more than a month after the fact, might have
something to do with the lower levels of annoyance, too.)
Now, of course, (since it is a month and a half after being accepted, and a month and a half until I leave) I will be beginning preparation for my adventure.
And let’s be real
here: the thing that I am most looking forward to (other than, of course, the camaraderie
of fellow language-enthusiasts, an electrifying new culture, a new family, and
the language itself) is food.
Yes, food.
From
everything I have read/seen, I am going to die with delight attacking breads,
tagines, fruits, and any Ramadan treats. (I will blog about Ramadan at a
later date; it deserves a post—or three—entirely dedicated to the religious
aspects, Moroccan traditions, personal reflections, and yes, the food.)
Speaking of
blog posts.
For all of
you who ask, “So, once you get to Morocco you’ll update every day, right?”:
Hahahahahahaha!
No. The answer is no. Just, no.
Will I try to
be regular about it? Yes. Will I make a valiant attempt to update frequently,
maybe even every day so that I remember every detail of my adventure? Yes. Does
that mean it will happen? No.
From
everything I’ve heard, I will be extreeeemely busy in Rabat, and I will end up
deciding that sleep or food is more important. When I do post, my English will
probably look more like Morfrarabinglish (<-- Moroccan Arabic, French, MSA,
and English. It’s going to be a dizzyingly delightful mix/mess of languages),
with the grammar and cohesiveness rivaling that of a two-year-old’s. At least
you won’t have to attempt to decipher my handwriting.
(So yeah: I just spent quite a bit of my first post saying that I probably wasn't going to do that much posting. Oh well.)
{. . .}
So I guess
that’s blogging, huh? Me rambling for a page or two about whatever comes to
mind, skipping randomly from topic to topic, with a more-or-less captive audience?
I like it. ;)
Stay tuned
(or don’t).
-Genevieve
No comments:
Post a Comment