Throughout my 3 1/2 years spent in Islamic countries, one expression has entered my ears more than any other except "Enshallah" (God willing). This oft-used phrase is "Arab time." Embraced by many of my Arab counterparts, I typically welcome it with a grain of salt, as it implies that minutes, hours, days, etc last just a little longer on an Arab watch than on my Timex.
When I hear the mention of this "phenomenon," I know to expect my Arab counterparts will be late for our meeting or take a little longer to get something done. Three "western days" equate to five "Arab days," my tanned buddies have been eager to inform me. It's a little frustrating at times, but those frustrations haven't shown up too often during this, my most recent foray overseas.
So, in the spirit of "Arab Time" (and admittedly writing this report a little late), I won't hesitate to claim this report covers my first six months rather than the seven it truly represents. It's time again for a little reflection, as I've done at the 1-week, 1-month and 3-month marks of my time in Morocco. Today, I'll take a look at some of the goals that I've set for my time here and how I think I'm doing at obtaining them. I classify each as mid-range goals, as I have about two years to accomplish them, and this is the last you'll hear of them until the one-year mark...western time (Enshallah).
Broadly derived from the Olmsted Foundation's mission statement, my goals are to (1) achieve fluency in Arabic, (2) obtain a graduate degree from Al Akhawayn University, (3) understand Moroccan cultures, and (4) return to the Army better equipped to serve as an Infantry Field Grade Officer. So, today I ask, "Am I off to a good beginning?" Using a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the worst), I'll use a loose "issue, discussion, recommendation" format that hopefully provides a reference point to current and future scholars as well as some general information for those of you who are just plain interested or curious.
1. Achieve Fluency in Arabic - 5 / 10. This is my lowest score, and I don't know if I'm being hard on myself, the deck's slightly stacked against me or I'm just not working hard enough - probably a little of each. Regardless, this is the "big one," and I think I need to do three things to complete it: (1) Carry on conversations in Arabic with locals about most non-technical subjects, (2) Watch or listen to Arabic news and standard programming while understanding about 75% of the details, and (3) Read and write in Arabic at a high-school level.
Feeling confident about Goal #1's start has been difficult. Regarding the first sub-point, it's been rough-going to practice a true "give-and-take" conversation exclusively in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Though a few reasons exist, the most prescient is that some Moroccans actually scoff at speaking in anything other than French or dialect. Not able to understand either, this has made it difficult to engage in meaningful conversations with the majority of the population. A few of my friends make a good effort to communicate only in MSA, but unfortunately their efforts are few and far between. Fortunately, I anticipate this situation will significantly improve when I begin classes in September.
I feel more confident in my ability to do the second and third sub-tasks due to a couple factors. Not involving "speaking," they are more individual in nature and involve skills in which I have excelled since beginning my studies almost two years ago. First, regarding listening, I have plenty of opportunities to hear MSA and attempt to understand high-level subjects, as there is no shortage of Arab news channels and programming finding their way through my satellite receivers. Though some of them are broadcast in Egyptian, Iraqi and Syrian dialect, the majority are exclusively in MSA. These channels have been free as well since my landlords have "included" satellite payment in the rent. Another asset has been the radio; typically used only during long road trips, Moroccan radio is about 50/50 MSA and typically covers relevant regional and national news.
The last part - reading and writing - has been an individual endeavor where I've relyed on weekly circulars and old DLI textbooks to continue improving my skills (yes, nunchuck skills). With the various dictionaries and Google translate assisting this effort, it was my strength in California and remains the strongest of the three sub-tasks thus far in Ifrane. Further, the periodicals are cheap (usually costing $1.50) and assist my familiarization with the Moroccan government and its current political climate.
Recommendations / "Improves:" Speak daily with locals and convince them to speak in MSA. I've not done this enough, and my conversations have continued to revolve around a few familiar topics. Find a one-on-one tutor and meet with him or her weekly, focusing on verbal communication. Again, I've not done this and probably could've benefited from it.
2. Obtain a Graduate Degree from Al Akhawayn University - 8 / 10. Though I haven't started my first class yet, I've completed all admissions requirements and only await orientation to begin in a few weeks. Until then, a few extracurriculars have helped while a few have been missed but could have been pursued. First, I've kept in contact with my primary adviser throughout the past year and a half. Though this contact has been limited, I believe that it's kept me on course with admissions requirements and reading recommendations that will assist me once I begin my classes.
These recommendations lead me to my one acknowledged negative, as I've not been able to access them yet. Therefore, his advice remains only another task on the "to-do" list. Back on a positive note, the Office of International Outreach has been invaluable in providing student information through Facebook, covering everything from arrival coordination to first-year recommendations.
Recommendations / Improves: Maintain an active dialogue with three university sections: Admissions, International Outreach (if available) and your future department. Arrive at your host country with a good computer able to access professional and academic resources. Having purchased a computer abroad, I've had to jump through digital hoops to set the thing up and still need to download / upload more software before class begins. It's been a small headache, but an avoidable one nonetheless.
3. Understand Morocco's Cultures - 9 / 10. Though I don't want to imply that I "know" Morocco's cultures and am able to differentiate between the various Berber, Arab and French influences, I think I'm onto a good beginning and one that I wouldn't be able to begin during the school year. The main reason why I think this is because the only way to do it is to travel around the country and see it yourself. This, I've done to a good degree. As a result of this thinking, I've prioritized travel over structured language training and physical fitness (in most cases). Knowing the country's features and how to navigate through them is a large part of understanding the people who live in them.
One may be able to read about Arab hospitality, but it is entirely different experience when you're at the receiving end of a flat-bed truck ferry over a flooded causeway. Further, reading about festivals and celebrations doesn't include the actual sound of the music, smell of the food or feeling of a muggy sunset on your skin. Thankfully, I've had time prior to my studies to form a foundation of experiences to build upon. I have a long way to go before I'll feel comfortable describing the differences between the plethora of cultures in this country, but that should be easier to do with concrete memories!
Recommendation / Improve: Travel as much as possible and see the things that you may not get the chance to explore while working on an advanced degree! Tons of resources like the Lonely Planet series and "Trip Adviser" are easily accessible and quite helpful. However, treat them as a guide and not ground truth (as they tend to lose relevancy and may be written through biased eyes).
4. Return to the Army better equipped to serve as an Infantry Field Grade Officer - 6 / 10. I've found that this goal requires the most individual determination and has been the most difficult to devote time to toward the beginning of my tenure. Fortunately, I also believe that some of the sub-tasks required can be put off at the beginning of this experience. This goal consists of three sub-tasks: (1) Understand how to relate the experience to my next (and future) jobs, (2) Prepare for my future job technically and physically, and (3) Keep in touch with the Infantry community.
Regarding the first task, it's not too early to start thinking generally about how my Moroccan experience can positively influence my future duty assignment; however, with two years remaining, it's still a little early to start consolidating and making sense of individual experiences - I still need to understand the governmental and cultural aspects of my host country far better than I do now.
I've started to continue chipping away at the second task, incorporating the "Military Monday" segment of this blog. This has already paid some dividends, as I've forced myself to crack old field manuals and look through operational and logistical presentations and documents. Regarding the physical component, participating in organized races has been helpful, but I've not placed a high premium of staying in "elite" shape due to conflicting travel itineraries cutting into a good routine. This is one of those aspects where I believe there is still time to get in better shape before returning to the land of "Follow Me!"
The last part of the fourth goal calls for keeping in touch with the Infantry community, which has been one of the more enjoyable "tasks" thus far, as it involves emailing / calling / meeting with old friends and mentors as well as setting up future training and assignment opportunities with my branch. I've never regretted choosing Infantry as my branch some nine years ago, and maintaining a close bound with it only comes naturally.
Recommendations / Improves: Keep a journal or blog to keep up on experiences; as for me, I forget too much unless I write it down. The blog has been the one lasting technique that I've ever used to somewhat accomplish this overlooked part of development. Once a week, get back to your roots and start preparing for the next job. No one should begin the preparation process on the first day - there just isn't time to do it!
When I hear the mention of this "phenomenon," I know to expect my Arab counterparts will be late for our meeting or take a little longer to get something done. Three "western days" equate to five "Arab days," my tanned buddies have been eager to inform me. It's a little frustrating at times, but those frustrations haven't shown up too often during this, my most recent foray overseas.
So, in the spirit of "Arab Time" (and admittedly writing this report a little late), I won't hesitate to claim this report covers my first six months rather than the seven it truly represents. It's time again for a little reflection, as I've done at the 1-week, 1-month and 3-month marks of my time in Morocco. Today, I'll take a look at some of the goals that I've set for my time here and how I think I'm doing at obtaining them. I classify each as mid-range goals, as I have about two years to accomplish them, and this is the last you'll hear of them until the one-year mark...western time (Enshallah).
Broadly derived from the Olmsted Foundation's mission statement, my goals are to (1) achieve fluency in Arabic, (2) obtain a graduate degree from Al Akhawayn University, (3) understand Moroccan cultures, and (4) return to the Army better equipped to serve as an Infantry Field Grade Officer. So, today I ask, "Am I off to a good beginning?" Using a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the worst), I'll use a loose "issue, discussion, recommendation" format that hopefully provides a reference point to current and future scholars as well as some general information for those of you who are just plain interested or curious.
1. Achieve Fluency in Arabic - 5 / 10. This is my lowest score, and I don't know if I'm being hard on myself, the deck's slightly stacked against me or I'm just not working hard enough - probably a little of each. Regardless, this is the "big one," and I think I need to do three things to complete it: (1) Carry on conversations in Arabic with locals about most non-technical subjects, (2) Watch or listen to Arabic news and standard programming while understanding about 75% of the details, and (3) Read and write in Arabic at a high-school level.
Feeling confident about Goal #1's start has been difficult. Regarding the first sub-point, it's been rough-going to practice a true "give-and-take" conversation exclusively in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Though a few reasons exist, the most prescient is that some Moroccans actually scoff at speaking in anything other than French or dialect. Not able to understand either, this has made it difficult to engage in meaningful conversations with the majority of the population. A few of my friends make a good effort to communicate only in MSA, but unfortunately their efforts are few and far between. Fortunately, I anticipate this situation will significantly improve when I begin classes in September.
I feel more confident in my ability to do the second and third sub-tasks due to a couple factors. Not involving "speaking," they are more individual in nature and involve skills in which I have excelled since beginning my studies almost two years ago. First, regarding listening, I have plenty of opportunities to hear MSA and attempt to understand high-level subjects, as there is no shortage of Arab news channels and programming finding their way through my satellite receivers. Though some of them are broadcast in Egyptian, Iraqi and Syrian dialect, the majority are exclusively in MSA. These channels have been free as well since my landlords have "included" satellite payment in the rent. Another asset has been the radio; typically used only during long road trips, Moroccan radio is about 50/50 MSA and typically covers relevant regional and national news.
The last part - reading and writing - has been an individual endeavor where I've relyed on weekly circulars and old DLI textbooks to continue improving my skills (yes, nunchuck skills). With the various dictionaries and Google translate assisting this effort, it was my strength in California and remains the strongest of the three sub-tasks thus far in Ifrane. Further, the periodicals are cheap (usually costing $1.50) and assist my familiarization with the Moroccan government and its current political climate.
Recommendations / "Improves:" Speak daily with locals and convince them to speak in MSA. I've not done this enough, and my conversations have continued to revolve around a few familiar topics. Find a one-on-one tutor and meet with him or her weekly, focusing on verbal communication. Again, I've not done this and probably could've benefited from it.
2. Obtain a Graduate Degree from Al Akhawayn University - 8 / 10. Though I haven't started my first class yet, I've completed all admissions requirements and only await orientation to begin in a few weeks. Until then, a few extracurriculars have helped while a few have been missed but could have been pursued. First, I've kept in contact with my primary adviser throughout the past year and a half. Though this contact has been limited, I believe that it's kept me on course with admissions requirements and reading recommendations that will assist me once I begin my classes.
These recommendations lead me to my one acknowledged negative, as I've not been able to access them yet. Therefore, his advice remains only another task on the "to-do" list. Back on a positive note, the Office of International Outreach has been invaluable in providing student information through Facebook, covering everything from arrival coordination to first-year recommendations.
Recommendations / Improves: Maintain an active dialogue with three university sections: Admissions, International Outreach (if available) and your future department. Arrive at your host country with a good computer able to access professional and academic resources. Having purchased a computer abroad, I've had to jump through digital hoops to set the thing up and still need to download / upload more software before class begins. It's been a small headache, but an avoidable one nonetheless.
3. Understand Morocco's Cultures - 9 / 10. Though I don't want to imply that I "know" Morocco's cultures and am able to differentiate between the various Berber, Arab and French influences, I think I'm onto a good beginning and one that I wouldn't be able to begin during the school year. The main reason why I think this is because the only way to do it is to travel around the country and see it yourself. This, I've done to a good degree. As a result of this thinking, I've prioritized travel over structured language training and physical fitness (in most cases). Knowing the country's features and how to navigate through them is a large part of understanding the people who live in them.
One may be able to read about Arab hospitality, but it is entirely different experience when you're at the receiving end of a flat-bed truck ferry over a flooded causeway. Further, reading about festivals and celebrations doesn't include the actual sound of the music, smell of the food or feeling of a muggy sunset on your skin. Thankfully, I've had time prior to my studies to form a foundation of experiences to build upon. I have a long way to go before I'll feel comfortable describing the differences between the plethora of cultures in this country, but that should be easier to do with concrete memories!
Recommendation / Improve: Travel as much as possible and see the things that you may not get the chance to explore while working on an advanced degree! Tons of resources like the Lonely Planet series and "Trip Adviser" are easily accessible and quite helpful. However, treat them as a guide and not ground truth (as they tend to lose relevancy and may be written through biased eyes).
4. Return to the Army better equipped to serve as an Infantry Field Grade Officer - 6 / 10. I've found that this goal requires the most individual determination and has been the most difficult to devote time to toward the beginning of my tenure. Fortunately, I also believe that some of the sub-tasks required can be put off at the beginning of this experience. This goal consists of three sub-tasks: (1) Understand how to relate the experience to my next (and future) jobs, (2) Prepare for my future job technically and physically, and (3) Keep in touch with the Infantry community.
Regarding the first task, it's not too early to start thinking generally about how my Moroccan experience can positively influence my future duty assignment; however, with two years remaining, it's still a little early to start consolidating and making sense of individual experiences - I still need to understand the governmental and cultural aspects of my host country far better than I do now.
I've started to continue chipping away at the second task, incorporating the "Military Monday" segment of this blog. This has already paid some dividends, as I've forced myself to crack old field manuals and look through operational and logistical presentations and documents. Regarding the physical component, participating in organized races has been helpful, but I've not placed a high premium of staying in "elite" shape due to conflicting travel itineraries cutting into a good routine. This is one of those aspects where I believe there is still time to get in better shape before returning to the land of "Follow Me!"
The last part of the fourth goal calls for keeping in touch with the Infantry community, which has been one of the more enjoyable "tasks" thus far, as it involves emailing / calling / meeting with old friends and mentors as well as setting up future training and assignment opportunities with my branch. I've never regretted choosing Infantry as my branch some nine years ago, and maintaining a close bound with it only comes naturally.
Recommendations / Improves: Keep a journal or blog to keep up on experiences; as for me, I forget too much unless I write it down. The blog has been the one lasting technique that I've ever used to somewhat accomplish this overlooked part of development. Once a week, get back to your roots and start preparing for the next job. No one should begin the preparation process on the first day - there just isn't time to do it!
It seems to me that you are doing well on the language thang. Meaningful conversation is difficult. I would think that understanding 75% of the news is great. Being the great procrastinator that I am, I'm impressed with all your goals.
ReplyDeleteAh, I wish I felt the same, BB. From today, I'll share a quick experience...
ReplyDeleteTwo guys from the phone company come to the westerner's place to make an adjustment on his internet connection. After a 10-minute exchange between the two parties, the adjustment is completed and the servicemen depart. As they make their way down the white man's steps, one jokes to the other how the dumb white guy couldn't speak a lick of French and just as little Darija. Overhearing the two chuckleheads, the foreigner felt pretty foolish, even though he knew there was nothing to get upset about...