ان شاء الله; Akchour and Chefchauen Sept 26-28

If I had been uncertain about this destination before we began the hike, I certainly wasn't now. Sometimes when Moroccans tell you something is worth seeing or beautiful, you have to check your sources for bias. Often times Moroccans merchants will tell you they have just what you're looking for, and end up showing you the exact opposite. The most egregious of these claims came from telling a Moroccan we wanted a gym, and instead being taken to a rug store. And so naturally, as John, Sage, Brandon and I all jumped in the taxi to, "one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Morocco," I was questioning whether or not we might end up at nothing more than a puddle. Now, standing on the rocks overlooking the crystal clear blue lake and looking up at the majestic waterfall before me, I didn't need anymore convincing.

The source of my inhibition regarding the trip to the waterfall came from the friendly Moroccans showing us the way to the waterfall. We had already been lead on a wild goose chase in the exact opposite direction of the waterfall, taking us to a beautiful natural bridge area. While the natural bridge was incredible and definitely worth seeing, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance at the fact that we'd been told we were going to a waterfall where we could swim. I have always been a fish in the water and was aching to take a dip at the base of a gorgeous Moroccan waterfall. The language barrier wasn't nearly as steep with the locals anymore, after having 6 weeks of language immersion under our belts, so we knew that these Moroccans understood what we were looking for. After taking pictures of this incredible arch, we asked if the waterfall was anywhere near where we were now, and if it would be possible to get there that day. At first, our guides told us we could get to a small waterfall, but that the big one would take a full day's worth of hiking to reach. Fortunately, the "full day hike" was actually only 2.5 hours. So we all had a great time jumping off the rocks into the lake, knowing we never would have made it to this lake if we didn't understand Moroccan time.

I have a love/hate relationship with the way Moroccans perceive time. If time is money back home in America, then relationships and sleep are money here in Morocco. No one seems to feel any urgency when it comes to starting things on time or getting places on time. They even joke about themselves, telling us they will be back in 5 "Moroccan" minutes if they have no intention of being back on time. And it is this concept of Moroccan time being somehow different than what it says on the clock that has inspired today's Arabic lesson, also known as the title of this blog post.

The nature of the term ان شاء الله (read: In sha Allah) is very interesting to me because it can be used in so many different contexts. Literally meaning "God willing," it is always thrown in during conversation centering around discussion of the future. Nothing is taken for granted, and also nothing is assumed. When my host family asks if I have class the next day and I answer yes, their response is invariably ان شاء الله. When I tell a taxi driver where I'd like to be taken, I receive the same response. Perhaps this concept of Moroccan time centers around their trust that whatever God wants to happen will happen, whether they show up to work on time or not. Moroccans are a naturally happy and content people. Rarely have I ever seen a Moroccan stress over something or show too much concern for getting tasks accomplished at all. Lunch is around 4, dinner is around 9 or 10. One night I was even served dinner just before midnight and at the Moroccan wedding I attended, we received dinner at 0230 in the morning. So literally, ان شاء الله means God willing, but to me it means, "whatever happens, happens."

Now anyone who knows me very well and has read this post up until this point sees the major problem that exists between the Moroccan concept of time, and my own concept of time. "But Hillary," you might be thinking, "You're the definition of Type A. There's no way you haven't pulled out every last strand of your hair dealing with these Type B Moroccans!" And for those of you who don't know me so well, yes, I am very Type A. If I think there's even a chance of getting somewhere late, I get very stressed out. If I'm in charge of getting myself to the airport, I will show up 3+ hours early. Putting my faith in a higher power is not my strong suit. But surprisingly, the Moroccan concept of time doesn't bother me. In fact, I think there's a lot of good that can be done for a Type A person in Morocco.

 I can definitely say that this semester abroad has been the least stressful time of my adult life, and not just because I get to swim in waterfalls on the weekends. If I show up a few minutes late to class, it's okay because class probably won't start for another 10 minutes anyway. I can sleep until 8 o'clock every morning, which makes a lot of sense because sleep is a huge part of learning a new language. Sleep is how your brain is allowed to rest and only focus on forming new connections and solidifying temporary memories into long-term memories. And so while I don't think I'd like to live in Morocco for the rest of my life because the lifestyle just doesn't suit my ambition, I have a lot to gain from being exposed to this culture which is so fundamentally the opposite of American culture. I have learned to focus on building relationships and talking to people out of courtesy and genuine interest. This is something I rarely, if ever, did back at the Academy. Here, it isn't considered a waste of time to have a conversation about how the waiter's day has been going before you order your food. You can ask about their family's health before you pay for a meal. People love to talk and they value friendship over ambition and convenience.

It was out of our new sense of Moroccan friendliness that we spoke to our guides that day. Because of that relationship we made it to the waterfall. And we will have more amazing adventures like this in the future, ان شاء الله.

I can honestly say I have become a much more friendly person since I've been in Morocco. Meeting new people every day will do that to you. And it gives you a new respect for every random person walking on the street next to you because every one of them has a fascinating story.  And if you want to know that story, all you have to do is take a little Moroccan time to ask.


بسلامة اصدقاء

The natural bridge at Akchour near Chefchauen,  Morocco.

The "big waterfall" at Akchor. A lovely 2.5 hour hike got us here and the water was freezing!