By sreyavaidya
This is the first picture that was taken in Morocco. Pictured, are my roommate Brianna (left) and our Host Mother, Aisha, who we call “Hajja” as a term of endearment and respect. This picture was taken with two vastly different people that I never expected to connect with. When I look at it now, I am surprised how drastically our relationships have grown, and how integral they are to my Moroccan community.
This is Haj and Hajja our host mother and father. When Brianna and I were first nervously introduced to our elderly host parents, we assumed to enter a stern patriarchal Moroccan household. But little did we realize Haj and Hajja are the coolest grandparents ever. Haj loves to take walks around the neighborhood in his UVA baseball hat, shades, and shirt that reads “Road Bike Party”. Hajja likes to give him disapproving looks as he reaches for the sugar cubes at breakfast for his mint tea. Little do we realize that some beautiful nuances of relationships and community never change.
Pictured above is Doha Ait Ahmed, our Program Director at Amideast. She is sitting with the daughter of the Sheikh of Zawyat Ahansal, a small Amazigh village in the Atlas Mountains. She has been our provider, protector, and guide through all our adventures. Although I am not incredibly close to her, she is a source of comfort for all of us, a great confidante, and a vital facilitator of our Moroccan community. There is no problem she cannot fix!
Often in our comfort zones we find ourselves in friend circles that mirror our paths. People with similar upbringings, likes, dislikes, hobbies. For me, I always found myself surrounded by friends who shared a similar ethnic background because I automatically assumed, that they would the ones to understand me the most. Yet somehow, I ended up with a group of misfits from completely different life paths, with whom I somehow click better than ever, and through whom I have understood the true meaning of American diversity.
This is a small whole-in-the-wall by my house. Where I get regkhefe (flaky Moroccan Bread, my favorite so far!) and tea for less than 10 dirham. This picture is a last minute addition but somehow symbolizes a different sense of community for me. Last night, I went into the store around closing for a late night snack and realized I had no change to pay for my food. The man having recognized me as a regular gestured to me to pay him later. I have never experienced this sense of familiarity and communal trust. I had only really seen it in movies set in small town America. I find it incredibly amazing that, in a strange country and in a strange land, I was able to establish this connection.