I'm so glad you asked! Happy Valentines Day! I was glad to see that February 14th dawned with bright blue skies, and though I carried my umbrella all day, it wasn't needed at all. La vie est belle when the sun is shining! I was surprised to see heart-shaped boxes of chocolate in my local grocery story (the Carrefour). It was an endcap, sort of like a a promotional display, but there they were. Adil and I talked about it at my Darija lesson. He says Valentines Day is a pretty new thing here, and that many people aren't too happy about it. "Some people say it's nice and it's fun and why not. But others say why should we take on the holiday of a culture that is not ours? We don't believe in St. Valentine." Well, I told him, there are mixed feelings about it in the US, too; it's what I call a commercial holiday. And so I could see throughout the day the creeping evidence of Valentine's commercialism. At the flower market that I passed, they had lots of red roses, opulent sprays, and small bouquets in vases ready for sale. At the restaurant where I had some dinner tonight, the tables were decorated with floral centerpieces. I took a survey of the customers (OK, I didn't ask them, I just attempted to perceive their reasons for being there tonight.) All of the women were wearing western clothing: A pair of Gal-entines having dinner together; two families with young children taking Mom out so she didn't have to cook, and one For Real Date-- a couple very dressed up and flirty, and the woman took pictures of the courses as they were served. Perhaps she expects this to be a date to remember. But as I walked by the tea room on the first floor of my building, I could see that it was packed with men--all men--watching a soccer game on TV. Even now I can hear the play-by-play and cheering in my apartment. Maybe they already gave their wives flowers and chocolate. Bouquet in vase: $5.00 In the Agdal neighborhood on February 15-- sadly, the concept of the half-price sale has not immigrated to Morocco.
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Marcie StutzmanTeacher, Researcher, Adventurer, Explorer; Maybe crazy; Possibly too old for this Archives
October 2018
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