This week we had a teacher come to the CCCL to teach us some Arabic darija and she was so fun. I learned a lot of good beginner words that were quick to memorize and flowed right into day to day conversation. When I brought those new words home to my host family they were so happy and it made me want to keep learning more. I think the biggest skill in language learning is just persevering even when you pronounce something wrong because that is how you practice and you can always be corrected later. You just have to be willing to try and put yourself out there.

Bargaining is so fun and there is a real strategy to it and honestly it is my favorite of the two. The most important thing is putting up a good front and not showing too much interest because if the shop owner sees you are too excited they will hold the price high. Starting at half or a third of the asking price and going up in small increments works really well and threatening to walk away is always an effective move. At the CCCL we were each given 30 MAD to go out and try bargaining with. I was with my friend Sarah and we found a small cup and spoon set that we both liked. The owner started at 100 MAD but I kept countering lower and explained I only had 30 MAD and would not buy it for more. Sarah and I also told him we would each buy one so he would be making two sales. He started bagging them up and said 35 MAD at the last second but we held firm and finally he agreed to 30 MAD. Going from 100 all the way down to 30 was such a thrill.

I also found a studded leather bag that I loved and this shop owner was much more stiff on the price. He started around 400 MAD and after a lot of negotiating little by little we got down to 300 MAD. I am not totally sure that was the best deal but I really wanted the bag so I agreed to it. Sometimes knowing when to stop and just go for it is a skill in itself. I think what makes you successful at both language learning and bargaining is being willing to put yourself out there even when it feels uncomfortable because the payoff is always worth it.

Anna Lind