For the first few days being in Morocco everything felt like a lot all the time. Between the combination of a different time zone and a new language it became disorienting at times, but that everything was all ok at the same time. The little Darija I knew made a big difference and alleviated a lot of the worry once I began talking to the waiters, taxi drivers, and the cashier at Marjan. After I started to settle in I began to notice women a lot more. While driving through Rabat, most middle-aged to older women were walking with other women, whereas younger to middle-aged women would be by themselves especially near the tram stop. One of the things I found most shocking was seeing women smoking in public at cafes and when we went to lunch. Anyone I noticed who was smoking sat by herself and did not wear a veil and I found that really interesting as well.
Considering how reliant Moroccans are on public transportation I was semi-surprised to see no women taxi drivers. As a woman’s place is to either not work at all or work all the time I thought I’d see at least a few, even if it wasn’t my own taxi driver. While I did not see this, I completely did not expect to see any women in a military uniform. I saw a few women walking around Rabat in uniform, always alone, while any of the military men were in a group of at least three. Another interesting aspect of women and men’s relations I picked up on was the way couples would show affection. I did not see it myself, but one of my peers told me about a couple they saw aggressively making out in a park. This was a very different interaction from the couple I saw in Campus Sweets, the cafe near the university. They sat on the same side of the table and were touching most of the time, but had a much more nonchalant attitude and seemed to respect the other students around them. I did not see them kiss specifically, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t quickly.
After watching Casablanca Calling I feel like I started to notice the clothes women were wearing more. In the film most dressed traditionally, while on the streets of Rabat I saw everything from traditional to ripped jeans and a leather jacket. As I mentioned in my film reflection, I do not know how intricately Islam is woven into Moroccan culture. I believe I am slowly starting to, at least in Rabat, from an observational point of view. Before landing in Morocco I planned to compare the way women move through public versus private spaces and became overwhelmed by all the new stimuli very quickly. For now I think I am going to focus on how women move in and around cafes and allow myself to observe more data and hopefully have a few conversations. I want to enjoy my project and the best way I can do that is to ease myself into it.
Where the sun sets 