Inshallah

For people learning Arabic or living in Muslim communities, Inshallah is probably one of the most cribbed words back into English. It literally means "God willing" but used much more frequently than we use it in English. Basically, any time you say something will happen in the future, you follow it by Inshallah. For example, when my students leave class we say, "See you tomorrow, Inshallah". To me, the phrase is very freeing. We can plan and plan all we like, but in the end it's all Inshallah. Just wanted to share that nugget with you all...

Some questions I have received...
1) What do you really do all day? Are you on vacation?
Hmmm.... I am no longer working 12 hour days, but I'm certainly not sitting on the beach sippin' Mai Thais. I teach intermediate English at a foundation for refugees. About half of my class is Moroccan and half are from Sub-Saharan Africa, mainly from the Congo. I teach in the morning and prepare for the next day in the afternoon. Incidentally, preparing for class takes about twice as long as the actual class but I'm having a great time so far. One bummer in class... I was having the students practice using different verb tenses by asking them to compare their lives before with their lives now. For example, last year I lived in America, now I live in Morocco. When it was time to check the answers one of my favorite students says, "Before I had a father. Now, I am an orphan." Whoa. I don't know much about any of them personally as to why they have moved to Rabat, etc. so that was very unexpected. Outside of that experience though, I have been having a great time teaching and the students seem to be improving. Because Morocco is so close to Spain, there is a major immigration problem between Morocco and Europe, similar to the US and Mexico. I think many of the students have come to Rabat in the hopes of getting to Europe someday. Inshallah.

2)What is the deal with the headscarf? Do you have to wear it?
The headscarf, or hijab, is worn by Muslim women to show modesty. It is required when one is praying but outside of that the interpretation gets slippery. Clearly, I cannot read Arabic so I don't know exactly what the Qur'an says. Morocco is a moderate Islamic state, i.e. no woman is forced to wear the hijab. Many women do choose to wear it, especially as you venture away from big cities. It also depends where one grew up. For example, Khadija, our house director, is from the south. She told us that in her town, girls start wearing the hijab at 10 or 11. I have also heard some women say they wear it once they are married. In short, no I don't have to wear it.

3) What is the time difference? When is the best time to call?
I am 5 hours ahead. The best time for me to talk is actually in the late morning (between 11am and 1pm my time) or after dinner (between 8pm and midnight my time). Shukran to my dad for hooking up my Skype so I can actually return voicemails now. :-)

Ok, that was the bell for tea time, I more to write about this weekend but I will do that later, Inshallah.

Bssellem