Our host family is great! Our host parents are our own age, and they have two little boys (1- and 5-year-old). The grandparents are also at home, and lucky for us, the grandfather (a tour guide) speaks German. Despite our language barrier with the rest of the family, our Tashlheet language skills are improving significantly every day (language lessons 8 hours/day, 6 days a week). Alex's linguistics background has definitely helped when figuring out verb conjugations and gender designation of common nouns. Since time seems to have slowed down significantly, Alex and I have plenty of time to practice.
Culture shock has been minimal, primarily because Alex and I understand that the “odd” behaviors of our host family and Moroccan culture are based on a different set of values (i.e. religious beliefs, environmental ethics, gender roles, etc.). Nevertheless, we are having a hard time with the lack of running water, soap, toothbrushes, and toilet paper. I hope that eventually we can find a better balance between the low sanitation standards of Morocco and the hyper-sterile conditions common in the US.
The food is incredible and our stomachs haven't had any problem adapting to the change in diet. Actually, I think we're becoming healthier due to the lack of alcohol, processed foods, and American stressers (e.g., traffic and late nights). Recreation so far has involved socializing and playing chess during the many tea/coffee breaks taken throughout the day (10am, 4 am, and 6 pm). In addition, we've gone hiking along the aquaducts of the Salty River through Ait Ben Haddou, and up through the Kasbah to the fortified mountain fortress of Xenap, a real warrior princess from the 7th century BC. The geology is absolutely breath-taking, but unfortunately the attached photos only capture a marginal amount of the beauty that is actually present.
That's all for now...back to class.
-J
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