Student Experience: Melanie Veliz

This past week has been a combination of exploring and trying new things, in both actions and speaking. My host siblings and I went to the mall where I got to ice skate, which was extremely nerve racking. Besides that my host sister took me shopping, where she showed me some traditional pieces of clothing like blga , colorful slippers for men, and qftaan, long jeweled dresses for women.

With our group, we visited a museum funded by the king’s sister called Dar Belghazi. It was filled with artifacts of war clothing, traditional wedding attire, and even household objects that came from several different regions. The museum gave me a clear picture of the culture that Morocco inhabits.

As far as the classroom went, we learn about directions, clothing, colors, and several phrases used for bargaining. One of the first words I remember learning this past week was always which is dima in darija and daa’iman in fustla. A phrase that I remember is hal 3indak or wesh 3ndk which means do you have? This comes in handy when at stores when I’m looking for water, lma, or a certain piece of clothing. And when it comes to clothing, lately I’ve been looking for kswa and jupa, especially for the upcoming hot days.  

Now that I’ve been able to explore more, I think that I’ve become more comfortable with speaking. I’ve gotten better with this through the cultural activities, ordering food at lunch, and in the taxi drives to school and back home. Another goal I have for the upcoming weeks, is be able to hold a more fluent conversation with a teacher or even with a local about what they enjoy most about Morocco.