The Impact of Coffee Talk

Right now, I’m having a difficult time writing this because my host brother keeps whispering to me, (shiwa, b shwia-which roughly translates to, little by little, and in this context, merely: slowly. He wants me to type slower because apparently I type very fast and it alarms him) 

It has occurred in my time in Morocco that I have been making some friends. For those of you who know me, this is absolutely no surprise and a benefit to me in a new country. This new friend, (who shall now be called Ahmed) brought a fellow PCT and I to his mother’s house for coffee. It is a) amazing how much of an impact coffee has on my demeanor (i.e., it dramatically improves my mood) and b) how much communication can happen in such a relaxed environment.

Ahmed poured us thick, extremely sugary cups of coffee and we spoke of cultural differences. To be honest, I’m still struggling with the cultural differences between Moroccans and Americans, but everyday seems to get a little easier. There’s a saying again: shwia b shwia, and I have made it my personal motto to help me remember to take things slowly. Ahmed, (who speaks almost perfect English) tells me that shwia b shwia, I am learning Moroccan Arabic. He is so kind to offer us coffee and conversation. He is very educated about religion and he wanted to know about American culture and religion. Thankfully I had time to learn about this topic in college and so we spoke about how he felt about Islam. He knew quite a lot about Islam and many other religions and he was not afraid to speak about any of them.

Many PCTs encounter Islam in their day to day lives. My host parents speak to me often about Islam, telling me that there is only one God, and never to drink, and so on and so forth. It has occurred with other PCTs I know that express their religious preference and they receive a strange face from their audience. I felt comfortable enough telling my family my own religious preference and they accepted it and kept teaching me about Islam. But back to Ahmed. He found it excellent that Moroccans were so receptive to anyone who comes into their country. He did want to know how religion worked in America. Could people of different religions intermarry, and if so, how does that work with their families? Are there trends of agnosticism and atheism in the states, and where? Is it common for people to say they have no religious preference? I really liked discussing these topics and he shared with us his personal views. Unfortunately, it is imperative that I keep his opinion protected since he did not give me permission to use his words. Therefore, I can tell you that he has visited other countries within Europe and experienced the religion, or paucity thereof. I can also tell you that it is so important to take the time to have coffee talk with people, because sometimes you can have a moment of cross cultural experience. I felt that this conversation really began to validate my experience so far in the Peace Corps. Inshallah, I shall have a friend so willing to share like this in my permanent site.