Learning about the language used in everyday Moroccan life was very interesting and already useful in saying a few main words to my host family. My favorite part of the day though, was learning about Moroccan bargaining skills and how to get the best prices possible.

After learning about the way to negotiate prices and specific body language to use, taking our newfound lesson into the streets of the Medina was the best part, as we got to actually give bargaining a try with 30 dirhams from the CCCL. It’s so much fun going back and forth with the shopkeepers on prices as they’re happy to entertain the bargaining as almost nothing in the markets have a set price.

Our group ended up all buying fezzes from one shop where the initial offer was 70 dirham, and we negotiated down to 30 dirham each. I think the most important skill when bargaining is being confident and steady with your offers, and not letting the shopkeepers steer you towards their price. Being able to walk away when they’re not budging from too high of a price is also key to do every once in a while, because we learned you can always come back and there may be better opportunities elsewhere.

Learning more of the language today was still great and very helpful, as we used a few Arabic words with locals on the beach who we played soccer with. They were excited to see Americans playing on the beach and joined in with us. They were some of the nicest people I’ve met on the trip, and I’m excited to continue to meet more locals and practice my speaking as much as possible.

I’m also looking forward to our trip to Marrakesh where I’m sure both of these skills will come in handy as we explore the city and shop for souvenirs, so these class sessions were a great way to begin our learning here in Morocco.

-Austin Gilliland