Moroccan Thoughts Contd.

I've decided to make an effort to record some of the day to day things that I see around here. In addition to providing a justification to continue procrastinating, hopefully these little notes will allow me to remember what life was like here after I return. I also recently learned that one of my classmates has produced two hundred pages of journaling since the beginning of the semester. One should never underestimate envy and pride as motivating factors. Maybe if I start with a record of the mundane.

• The King. Morocco is one of the last monarchies in existence where the king wields actual (and ultimate) power. Its very interesting to notice how life is just a little bit different under a benevolent authoritarianism. Portraits of the king beam down from billboards along the side of the road and from frames adorning the walls of most shops and restaurants. The exceptionally politically aware will know that Morocco held a series of elections a few months ago. The even more aware will know that the voter turnout rate was extremely low. This is owing to the fact that the elected representatives are little more than advisors to the king. Sometimes they also serve as scapegoats. I don't know very much about Moroccan politics, but the king is very revered by everyone I have spoken to. He's seen as a father figure of sorts, and everyone counts on his good intentions. Needless to say, the shift from the American political sphere was abrupt.
  
• So how is it living under the thumb of a ruthless totalitarian? Well, there are police men and soldiers stationed at the city limits of every town. Sometimes they ask where you're going and why, but not often. Moroccan students call the soldiers "green men" and think of them as trees placed there by the government. They do very little, but their presence is a constant reminder of the government's authority and commitment to order. It's really interesting learning about the Algerian civil war and realizing how the fear of something like that (probably) affects a lot of Moroccan policy. Its why democracy is seen as an ideal to work towards, but one whose implementation could go very nastily. It's also interesting how systems of political control here are much more visible but less pervasive. Police are there, but they don't do much. They don't record your car's license plate number and store it in a database, like EZ-Pass. Just a thought.
• Most of the girls here do not wear a head scarf, although I would say about ten percent of the students and all of the female staff do. The dorms are gender segregated. As a consequence of this rule, Shakespearean balcony scenes are commonplace. Even as the temperature continues its plunge.
  
• The nighttime sky here is far far darker than any back home. I'm talking ink-black. We're several thousand feet above sea level, and there is very little light pollution (I've always thought that was a strange term) outside of little Ifrane.
  
• Terms of greeting are very interesting to me. Howzit going? What's up? In Morocco one may say the formal "Peace be with you" or "Lebbas?" (no harm?) or "Everything good?" For the last one, the response is "El-hamd'ullah" or "Thanks be to God." The problem with gaining proficiency in greetings is that the cab driver or sandwich maker often makes the mistake of assuming that I know how to say anything else in Arabic. I don't really. But you never know how things could turn out.