A short excerpt encapsulating my experiences leaving Morocco, written on the flight home: “As a watch the coast of Africa fade into the clouds of the lazy morning fog, I watch the sun rise. It crisens the wing of the airplane and I become filled with a strange sensation. I have been looking forward to this moment since I had left home, the longing to escape which has always filled me with excitement. Yet, an undertone of sadness is present also, that something has been left behind and lost, the people I befriended, the routine that has become so familiar, a life left behind. I am able to reflect now upon how essential this experience was, to building my character, linguistic fluency, and cultural understanding. It was a worthwhile experience and one that I will cherish. The question that I always ask is again answered, how will this end? How will I change? A lot more than I expected. I do not feel a cataclysmic shift within myself, just a simple clicking into place, like a lock on a door being quietly turned. A door closing on another chapter and a locking of contents, my experiences and memories, in my mind forever more." Being back home has been a surreal experience thus far. I have never been happier to be back in the U.S. and even things I took for granted before I am able to appreciate now. The best thing about being home is being in an environment that makes sense and is predictable. However, within the first few days, after things begin to settle down, you realize that despite this amazing experience, everything you return to is the same. No one can share the experience you had and describing it to others is even harder. Being home, I realized I took back more than just souvenirs. I realize that there are a few lessons that I have subconsciously integrated over the last two months. For instance, I have become more social with strangers than before, part of a social structure of Morocco and a nice addition to my interpersonal skill set. I have also been more intentional about the way I speak, trying to say things that are more meaningful and contribute to conversation. This came from having to critically think about how I expressed every word in Arabic. Being in Morocco talk me alot about my identity I had never really thought about before. I came to realize how isolating it can feel to have a different (cultural/ethnic/religious) than a majority of the population around you yet being immersed in this culture added another lens through which I could view the world. It forced me to think about life through a culturally adaptive lens and non-western way of thinking, more on a spiritual than materialistic level. Through this experience, I came to terms with how important family is in life and as my language partner said, “You don’t get so lost in making a living that you forget that what you’re actually living for.” Coming home, I felt a small amount of reverse culture shock. The traffic, the size of stores, the food, even women not wearing the hijabs, I felt small things were out of place; things I had grown accustomed to without consciously realizing it. As with my previous travels, my experience in Morocco simply re enforced the ideology that just because someone lives differently doesn’t mean they are living “incorrectly.” In the United States, we have a strong stigma about the Middle East, and it is a stark misrepresentation of reality. People in this region live with the same hopes for success and prosperity as we do and in some ways, seem more fulfilled by their family centric lifestyle than many Americans. Students planning to go abroad for studying Arabic or to an Arab country have to be prepared for cultural, linguistic, and emotional challenges. First, if there are any issues at home, school, or with friends try to work them out before traveling abroad as they will become exacerbated when you travel. Be open to very different living conditions, social norms, aware of how you are perceived in that culture. Take every experience as a learning opportunity and most of all, work through the frustrations you may have throughout your travels as the rewards of adapting to a new culture are irreplaceable.
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Now at week seven of eight, I am in the home stretch. I am very excited to return home and at the same time, and quite sad. Thus far, my experiences here have required a significant adjustment and just as I seem to be getting the hang of things, it is time to leave. Regarding language, I started out the program with just one year of Arabic under my belt. However, in the scope of an entire language (dialect as well) and a culture I have spent two years studying, I have come to realize that I barely scratched the surface. I have come to understand and accept the objective cultural components (the music, the food, the travel system) but have just begun to grasp the subjective cultural nuances (the influence of religion on language, the essential nature of family on societal interactions, political and geopolitical influences, even the influence of French culture due to historical imperialism.
Linguistically, I have been training in the language for 6 full weeks, going from using simple phrases to expressing simple ideas, opinions, and preferences. This difficultly has been execrated because the common curriculum for Arabic in Modern Standard, the most formal/professional form. However, dialects are really the lifeblood of Arabic speaking countries, as each country and sub-regions has their own dialect and sub-dialects. Here, Darija is the main dialect, a combination of Arabic and French. Learning mostly MSA in class every day, there is only a little training in Darija. Most people here only speaking Darija and French, forgetting the MSA they had only taken from beginning education to possibly high school. MSA is far too ornate for normal speech. The analogy that been drawn by my Moroccan language partner is that speaking MSA to Darijia speakers was like “speaking Shakespearean or Biblical English” to all your friends. Arabic is also a language heavily based on pronunciation, many sounds and grammatical structures unlike anything in English. One funny example of this was a simple word like “McDonalds.” While in Rabat, my friends and I were trying to get a taxi driver to take us to a McDonalds in the city center, near the train station where we would leave the city. We repeatedly said “McDonalds,” expecting that it would be understood, which it was not. All three of us said McDonalds with different intonations and tonality, expecting that in a basic sense, the driver would understand. A Moroccan girl, around our same age saw us struggling and came over to assist us, saying “I can translate, I speak English. Where are you trying to go?” We told her and she said to the taxi driver “McDonalds” with a slightly different pronunciation from all of us, and his face lit up with understanding. Classes throughout my time here have been extremely intensive for me. Before this program, I had been given a good amount of vocabulary but not as much grammar. There has been a steep learning curve for me, every day posing a new set of academic and cultural challenges. I have been in class every day Monday- Friday for 4 hours a day and doing homework/studying for 6-7 hours a day not including 3 hours a week meeting with a language partner. The outside learning comes often times through simply wandering the streets as people are generally very helpful and patient with a non-native Arabic speaker. Language partners and trips to various cities have added a layer of cultural and linguistic understanding unattainable through any domestic training. As only one week remains before returning home, I am able to reflect the summation of my experiences more readily. About 4 weeks into this trip, I had become more accustomed to the culture, but am still adjusting. I have always had a space to myself, having my own room growing up, and living in apartments while attending NAU. Living with another student in my room has been a challenge, especially given that there is only one desk for us to share. The concept of setting clear expectations about space was a key. Moroccan culture has a very different concept of space and family relationships than the United States. My Moroccan family spends their time in a semicircular sitting area next to my bedroom. They sometimes eat and sleep in this area, as well as hosting all of their guests here. I like having a quiet space to study so I sometimes found it difficult to find a space to get away from the hustle of the family when they would have up to 10 other relatives in this small space at a time and usually late into the evening, from around 10pm to 2:00 am. Sharing one bathroom with those people in the evenings was a challenge and I often found myself studying on the roof (a small courtyard like area) to enjoy the quiet breeze or at the local cafes to study with friends.
I’ve done my best to jump fully into the culture of Morocco, embracing the food, music, and language as we travel. I have traveled every weekend, working very hard academically during the week to ensure that I had time to travel). Regarding music, I have come to deeply enjoy an Algerian artist who uses the same dialectic Arabic used in Morocco called Darija (a combination of Arabic structure with different pronunciation and mostly French vocabulary) The artist is called Babylon and his best album is called Brya. I had, by week 6, traveled to Rabat, Casablanca, Ifrane, and Merzouga (the picture shown above is us riding in a Camel Caravan to our camp in the Sahara Dessert). Each trip has brought us to a different biosphere, from bustling cities to the quiet shifting sands of the Sahara Dessert, and the mountains of Ifrane. Each place has a different culture and feel. Each trip takes planning and foresight, but Airbnb is always a good choice over hotels. A few of my favorite places thus far have been Rick’s Café in Casablanca (an exact replica from the movie Casablanca starring Humphrey Bogart) and Merzouga (the very edge of the Sahara Desert where, by climbing to the top of the sand dunes, you can see the border to Algeria). Often times, I still long for home, but the adventures I am constantly having keep me engaged and keeping in touch with those at home helps relieve the homesickness. My first week in-country was myriad of challenges and small victories. After a whirlwind of travel from LAX to Seattle, to Paris, and finally Rabat, Morocco, I have arrived. A day or two in a French hotel allowed me to get acclimated and meet other people in my language program, which has relieved much stress. The program I have attended through University of Arizona has placed us with host families who provide us breakfast and dinner, two students living together. My roommate, Carlos and I, live in a small bedroom with a family of four. They take great care of us, giving us amazing meals and making us feel very welcome. Despite these things, they do not speak any English, so communication, even at a basic level, is a challenge. You forget how convenient asking for the salt is when you suddenly can’t ask for anything… Learning how to communicate on a basic level has been my biggest adjustment here.
The other challenges I have faced studying abroad this far has been the speed of the academic classes and culture shock/homesickness. With regards to the speed of the academic classes, I followed the same procedure I did at home. I set up a consistent schedule of work/life balance, building in study time, language partner review (which is mandated at 3 hours a week for this program), and time to attend office hours if necessary. This program has thrown a lot of resources at students and it’s my job to take advantage of them. Beyond school, I build in personal time every day. Being abroad has added an element of novelty and excitement to everything that I do, but also added stress. Not being comfortable with the language, every interaction with others is a challenge, as it is difficult to get across even basic needs. To relieve an acute homesickness that came over me the first week, I did my best to prepare, working out every day to relieve stress. I have a few treats I saved from home (some goldfish packets and candy bars for when days get rough). I started Game of Thrones as well, an episode a night as a reward for making it through a tough day. Most of all, I have done my best not to shy away from the culture. I have attempted to jump in 100% and explore in all of my free time. I have done my best to put my fear of judgement behind me, as growth cannot occur with this fear present. I go out with other students as much as I can manage with school so that I have people to support me and share these experiences with. Across the many countries that I have traveled, one thing I always remember are the sunsets. The way the sun and the clouds dance across darkening skies are truly unique to each place, and it will be 2 months before I see this sky again. I have traveled abroad to over 20 countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, the cultural experiences so profound that they changed my choice of major from Engineering to Political Science. I loved spending time previously in the Middle East, traveling to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel. I loved being immersed in cultures so polarly different from my own and so often misinterpreted. I was left with a burning desire to learn more, dissecting the nuances of Islam, of linguistic Arabic, and the subcultures within the Middle East and North Africa.
I am also a cadet in the Air Force ROTC program at Northern Arizona University. By completing my first year of Arabic at NAU, I was able to apply for a foreign language program called Project Global Officer through the Department of Defense Language Institute. I applied for and was accepted to Project Go’s summer’s longest program through University of Arizona. I would be traveling to the hilly city of Meknes, Morocco attending the Arab-American Language Institute in Morocco for two months, studying Arabic every day. This program was special in that it included support from a language partner and extra-curricular activities such as lectures, cultural activities (like calligraphy, cooking, and dancing classes) as well as excursions to surrounding cities like Volboulis, Merzouga, Tangier, Asliah, and Chefchaouen. I am excited for the myriad of activities and intensive workload over these coming months. My hopes are to get to a moderate speaking level by the end of my study abroad session and to make many new friends along the way. Seeing as each student takes a language placement test upon arriving to Morocco, I know that more review of the basics was needed. Over the two weeks I was home before departure, I reviewed my Arabic notes daily, compiling them into a single notebook. This allowed me to thoroughly review and create a more streamlined notebook to bring with me. The picture above is the last time I watch the sunset before departing on my long journey. Soon, the sun will rise on a new chapter of my adventure. |
About MeMy name is Tyler Castleman. I am a junior political Science Major, minoring in Arabic and International Affairs. I will graduate in May 2019 and become an officer in the U.S. Air Force. Categories |