Exploring North Africa

Recently we returned from a one month trip in North Africa, spending about two weeks each in Morocco and Tunisia. Except for a previous visit to Egypt--which is really more Middle Eastern than North African--neither of us had ever been to North Africa before, so it was a good chance to experience a different part of the Arabic speaking world. Although there is only so much one can glean from two weeks in a country and four weeks in a particular region, there were certain qualities that struck us during our time there.

One of the more obvious qualities we noticed is the huge French influence in the region. For one, even though Arabic is the official language of both Morocco and Tunisia, French is widely spoken in each country, and in Morocco especially it seemed to be used as much--and sometimes more than--Arabic. Throughout our travels we had a hard time convincing people that although we were white skinned we were not French speakers and could not understand their French, no matter how many times we told them so in Arabic. Although there are probably other, more important ways this French influence can be seen, we saw it also in the wide availability of certain foods such as French bread and crepes. Nearly every meal we ate came with French bread, and it seemed as if there was always someone on the street carrying a loaf in their hands or riding a bicycle with a basket full of French bread. And in Tunisia especially, fresh crepes filled with various toppings seemed to be just as common on the street as hummus is here.

More interesting perhaps is the greater male-female interaction that we witnessed in both countries in comparison to Jordan. Here, contact between unmarried and unrelated males and females is limited. You simply do not see for the most part, for instance, teenagers or young adults of opposite sexes interacting in public. You will see such interaction at a place like Starbuck's, but rarely will it be as part of a larger group. It usually consists of just one couple, and the interaction more than likely will stop at the door leading to the outside. By contrast, we saw teenagers and young adults in both Morocco and Tunisia hanging out outside in public and inside various cafes and restaurants. We saw school-kids laughing and running around after each other after school--flirting, one might say--and couples walking arm in arm on the sidewalks. We see none of this here in Jordan.

Finally, while maybe not the most groundbreaking thing to point out--but to us nearly as amazing as male-female interaction--was the presence in both countries of lines. By this we mean that when we were involved in an activity that involved the intricate process of taking turns, an orderly line actually usually formed, instead of the disorderly, every person for themselves blob that usually forms here. I will never forget the long, peaceful line I stood in to buy train tickets in Morocco, which was breathtaking simply because of the mere existence of the line itself.

These are just some small observations about our time in North Africa; certainly there are other observations to be made. We enjoyed our time, and enjoyed learning a little about a different part of the Arabic speaking world. We'll have new pictures posted this week, so enjoy!!!