Today we started talking about religion in Morocco, and that was a very interesting topic for me, as I come from a Catholic background. The customs and meaning of religion are very different here. We talked about how in Morocco, religion is ruled by a lunar calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar that we follow, and that helped me better understand what my host family meant when they said they had a holiday coming up, but the date was not set yet. We discussed how the Sheep fest was coming up in Morocco, and that towards the end of the month, around 27 or 28, the people would sacrifice sheep as an act of faith. This was very interesting for me to have more context because my host family was talking to me about how they throw a bug party for the holiday and use the sheep in different ways. Having both perspectives really helped me better understand why it was such an important holiday to them. I also realized, when talking with them, how much religion plays a role in government here. While I knew before coming that religion ruled a lot, I did not realize how many holidays there were from religion because in the US, we tend to just have Christmas and Easter, but they are commercialized, so if you are not religious, you can still partake, whereas here you need to be part of the religion to understand the traditions, since they are so intertwined. Furthermore, I was telling my host mom how I was excited for Memorial Day in the US since it’s the start of summer, and she thought it was also tied to religion like there sacrifice day, which really showed me how much they rely on religion here.

When we then talked about politics and women’s rights, it was an eye-opener, especially the part about the different levels of harassment and how they are treated differently because in the US, there is almost no tolerated form of harassment. In Morocco, there are two levels of harassment that are not really punished, and it’s things like verbal harrsament of streets and aggressive forms of negotiating in the Medina when they make you feel bad for not buying items. While these things are common in the US, if you are hustled too much or called names a lot, there can be ounsihments were as here it’s just tolerated. What really surprised me, though, was the three other types of harassment that included violence, sexual harassment, or abuse. This part stood out to me the most because it helped me connect how intertwined religion and government are in Morocco. The way that harassment is handled is in a way that reflects the Islam beflifs, and some forms of harassment are not seen as harassment. When you look at it as a whole, you really see that legal choices are not the only thing tied to religion, but every aspect of daily life is, from the choices of where to shop to where women are allowed. It really highlights how the US is a secular system, whereas here it is not.

Overall, what has impacted me the most is the role of women. Back home, women have power, can go to school freely, and do not have to worry about religious laws taking away our power, but here that is not the case, and I would say that I notice it the most when I’m walking around. Seeing local women navigate the streets with ease, normally with someone, not alone, made me realize the privileges that I have at home. My host mom is a very strong, capable person on her own, yet she still follows the rules. She talked to me about how her family uses airbnb that she runs to rent out rooms in their house to students as a form of income, and how she taught herself English from hosting students, yet when we go out, she is shy in public. Seeing this side of her made me understand that she is a very strong, resilient person, but in other countries, it is shown very differently. They are not powerless, but instead, they are operating within the framework that was set for them. All in all, it has shown me that things I think are normal at home are not over places and that sometimes you can only find so much from being at home.