Hospitality - Rachel Sandman

After reading posts from the people who wrote before me, I believe a very important aspect of our trip has yet to be addressed: the Moroccan's amazing tolerance of cultures different than their own. It is no secret that the United States and the Middle East are not on the best terms, however, our amazing host families, teachers and students at the Center for Language and Culture (the school where our Arabic classes take place) and even most of the locals have welcomed us with open arms. Just the other day, my roommate and I were having trouble hailing a taxi, as it was rush hour in Marrakech. We were both on opposite edges of the sidewalk frantically trying to hail one of the tiny yellow taxis in the midst of a variety of motorized vehicles whose drivers were literally beeping their horns nonstop, yelling at each other in Darija, French and Arabic and sometimes going to extremes such as driving on the sidewalk in an attempt to get home. In the midst of this madness, I am sure my roommate and I looked especially foreign and unaware of how to conduct ourselves in that situation. Suddenly, I looked over my shoulder and saw that a man, who I am sure lived on the streets, was helping us. At first I was hesitant to accept his help, as he could be expecting us to give him money. However, after seeing him work for fifteen minutes, it was clear he was keeping to the cultural code of only talking to us when necessary and he only wanted to help. After a half hour, he finally hailed a taxi for us and we were on our way. The homeless man's help is only one example of the hospitality we have encountered from Moroccans. I am truly grateful for the people's willingness to help and extensive efforts to make us comfortable. I am glad that Moroccans are willing to look past political stereotypes and generalizations about Americans in an effort to make us feel welcome and at home. When I return to the States, I hope to take the initiative in welcoming foreigners to the United States with the same attitude of great hospitality I have encountered from Moroccans.