Before getting into the topics from today, a little about the day itself. This morning started off simply with another breakfast of bread and almond butter, this time with honey, before heading off to learn about religion and human rights in Morocco. After the lecture and discussions, I came back and took a quick power nap in the afternoon before heading back out to learn about women in Moroccan politics and society. Tonight, I think I’m going to head to the beach and see where I go from there. Every day here feels like I learn something new from living with my host family and simply walking through the Medina.
Religion here has honestly been one of the most interesting things for me to experience. Hearing the call to prayer five times a day has become completely normal now, echoing through the city and bouncing off the walls of the Medina. One thing I found really interesting was learning that Islam in Morocco historically stayed independent and never fully joined the larger dynasties around it. At the same time, though, religion here feels much more cultural and community-based than I expected. It is deeply tied into everyday life, but not every family immediately drops everything to pray the second the call happens. It feels natural here, part of daily life rather than constantly put on display. Politics was also interesting because it reminded me a lot of India in some ways. The transition of power and the structure of parliament felt familiar, just with the monarchy still playing a role. I also found it interesting how many people viewed the monarchy as a force that helped secularize the country instead of allowing extremist groups to gain power. Politics itself does not seem to dominate conversation, though. So far, neither locals nor families really bring it up much in conversation.
What impacted me the most, though, was learning about the role of women because it felt eerily similar to changes I have seen in India. Morocco feels like a country balancing modernization with a strong hold on tradition and religion. There are still many older women who believe their place and power belong in the household, especially within the Medina, where many women handle the affairs of the home while the men work. At the same time, younger girls like my host sister are going to school and getting educated. I came into Morocco without many stereotypes because growing up around Muslims in India already broke a lot of the Western assumptions people have. Instead, what stood out to me was how fast society can change within a generation or two. It reminded me a lot of my own family. My grandmothers were not formally educated, while their children went on to get degrees. My mom herself broke expectations by becoming one of the temple managers instead of just staying a homemaker. Seeing similar changes happening here in Morocco made everything feel much more personal. The more time I spend here, the more I realize how similar people really are despite the distance between our cultures.