Ifrane

 

Ifrane, Morocco

I have been living in Ifrane, Morocco for two months now - so I figured it was about time I write about where I live and not just where I travel. Ifrane is sometimes referred to as "little Switzerland". The temperature here can vary greatly being hot enough in the day for shorts to cold enough at night to require a hoodie and blankets! Pretty much reminds me of being home in Erie, except Ifrane actually has an excuse for this weather - being up in the Atlas Mountains. The town is quite small and when viewed from outside the town - all the buildings look exactly the same. I love the marche where I would go get food. Everyone was very welcoming and loved when you tried to speak even the smallest bit of Arabic. One of the meat guys got to know me and would almost have chicken cut up and ready for me by the time I had walked down, picking up vegetables along the way. I appreciated having "home base" in this small town where people were very friendly and at least during the day I felt perfectly fine going out on my own. It was also nice that home base was much cooler than the weekend trips - down out of the mountains it could be scorching in the sunlight, but in Ifrane it was comfortable.

After moving on campus it was interesting to see how the campus dynamics differ here as compared to in the United States. The standard food at the grill at WPI consists of chicken, hamburgers, and hot dogs. Here that list also contains Shawarma a slow roasted lamb meat served in a pita type of bread with lettuce and tomatoes. Also, as I have discussed in other entries, the times of meals differ greatly here and the afternoon snack is a much more 'structured' item of the day. In the US, we may snack, but in Morocco the afternoon snack is a daily event that happens between 5 and 7. It is amazing how the cafe at school suddenly has a huge line at 5PM. Additionally, this snack usually consists of a corn bread type item, msmen, or tarts/cakes. Other than that, the afternoon snack does not differ much - a very different concept than in the US. The cafeterias here open 2 hours later than they do at WPI - a cultural difference I hadn't though of until I tried to get dinner at 6:30 and they still weren't open! I am currently sitting in the cafe here at 11:30 at night and yet again it is bustling with people getting coffee or a snack. I am fairly sure that if I was sitting in the campus center at WPI right now instead it would be nearly deserted. In class, I feel like the students are much more actively engaged - possibly because college here is far from what it is considered in the US and for most families here much more difficult to obtain the finances. Also, there is a curfew on campus and gender separated dorms. Entering an opposite gender dorm is strictly forbidden. Campus security has drug dogs and search a random building every night. Rules are much more strict here, but conform with the social norms of the Moroccan people. Another thing I never would have thought of, but we were told when we got here, is the idea of eating food in class. I guarantee if you walk into a big lecture hall in the US there will be at least a handful of students snacking on something during the lecture. In Morocco, food is meant to be shared, which is exactly why meals are served in a central plate. The idea of taking food to class here is absurd, just like the idea of having food just for yourself. 

I greatly enjoyed my time here in Ifrane and will certainly miss it from time to time. I am so grateful for this opportunity to study in Morocco for 2 months. It is an experience from which I have grown and will forever be a part of me.