Salam (Hello)! Ana smiti (My name is) Amruta, and I’m excited to take you through my journey in Morocco. I was told that in Morocco, people have four meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and tea. Tea, or atay, plays a significant role in Moroccan culture because it is present at almost every ceremony or celebration. When tea is poured into the glass, the higher the pour, the more welcome a guest is in the house, restaurant, etc. Tea poured from a high angle causes a foamy buildup that serves an important purpose in the south of Morocco. When the sand from the desert and the wind meet, the foam from the tea catches the sand from the top, to prevent it settling in the tea. Tea also reflects the existing value of collectivism in Morocco. Collectivism is very ingrained in daily interactions and community life. Friends walking together in the medina, neighbors helping each other with tasks, or families eating couscous or tajine from one big plate during lunch or dinner. Tea contributes heavily to that value because it plays a role in hospitality and community.
When I arrived in Morocco, I stayed in the city of Rabat in the old medina with a homestay family. During the first week, I felt incredibly homesick because it was my first time being so far from home. I started questioning my decision to study abroad and noticed the feeling of regret had settled in before my month-long journey even started. My rumination of memories back home was interrupted when my homestay mother called my roommate and me into the kitchen. Sitting on the counter was a silver teapot – which is also known as a berrad, dried mint leaves, and two large rectangular cubes of sugar. Although she spoke only Arabic and French, her gestures guided us on how to prepare what was on the counter. She gestured for us to add the leaves into the pot, followed by the cubes of sugar and hot water. She heated the berrad on the stove before moving it onto a large silver plate with multicolor glasses and took them out onto the patio, where we were met with a table of sweets. The rest of the family members trickled in to enjoy the tea and sweets. Their company was warm and comforting to me at that moment. I even learned some Darija by conversing with them, which is the dialect of Arabic spoken in Morocco.
My family and I are from India, and we came to the United States when I was only 5 years old. Even though we have lived in America for almost two decades, we keep the tradition of making Chaha or tea. To make Chaha, we use milk, black tea powder, and sugar. Tea from India can also be accompanied by ginger, cardamom, or other spices. My family and I would always have tea and biscuits and share with each other what we did that day. Although having different ingredients and different preparations, tea brought my homestay family and me closer together and gave me a taste of Moroccan culture. It channeled memories of my family and me drinking tea in our living room. Experiencing the value of collectivism with my host family eased my homesickness and feelings of regret because that dynamic was being reflected miles away from home. This practice deepened my interest in Moroccan culture and society, as well as observing how globalization can play a role in my life abroad. Shukran (Thank you), and I look forward to sharing my adventures with you. Bslama (Goodbye)!
Learn more about the Global Good in Morocco program!