This past weekend was Moroccan daylight savings time, kind of ironic because Moroccan’s don’t really go by any clock. The phenomenon of “springing forward, falling back” is not new to the country, but let me tell you, it is not popular. It was funny, because no one really seemed to know when the clocks would actually change, or if they would actually change at all. My host family told me it was not a good idea. My host sister was very upset that she would have to wake up an hour earlier everyday, and was not convinced when I tried to explain that no, you only lose one hour of sleep on one night. My friend Dustin’s host family is an older couple with no kids to get to school (minus him) and they are simply not changing their clocks. They will be staying on old time, which my host mom and I agree is a little bit crazy and a lot hilarious.
I talk a lot with Dustin because we both live in the medina so we often walk to and from school together. We have been talking lately about things we miss/are excited to return to in the states. His list mostly includes foods, because, as he put it today, “if someone asked if would rather be blind or lost all sense of taste, I would choose to lose taste, but it would be the worst decision of my life.” His food cravings are also quite different than mine, seeing as how most of them involve meat, or deep fat frying, or some combination of the two. The things that we do come up with, though, are sometimes funny. It’s weird to think of the things you like to have available even if you don’t take advantage of them all the time (or if you do especially). Some honorable mentions (in case you want to get me a welcome home present):
Indian Buffets- Cathy, can you FedEx me some carrot pudding desert?
Free Refills – I don’t drink a lot of soda, but how great is it that when you do drink soda you can have an unlimited amount of it?!
Ice- and cold beverages in general, fridges aren’t so popular here.
Street signs- they do have a few here, but I don’t think they count unless people actually obey them.
There is more to this list, especially foods- cheese, spinach for me, bacon for dustin, mashed potatoes, ice cream in a cone larger than one licks worth, cookie dough, etc. but right now I have to return home to my just as delicious and satisfying Moroccan dinner.
One thing not on the list anymore: Miley Cirus “Party in the U.S.A.” Thanks sissy you’re the best. I’m working on making a Moroccan version in Arabic.