Pronounced (kwi-ee-yah fay-cheat meek-hee ma-nyah)
Loosely translated to: who has done great things for me
This is one of the lines in one of my favorite Latin prayers; the Magnificat. It is the prayer of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ in thanksgiving to God for the great mercy He showed in choosing her to be the mother of His Son. I learned this prayer listening to people at church do a call and response after mass at the Catholic Church I attend in Lagos. It’s a prayer that resounds within me when I think of all the great things in my life. Especially in Junior year, when I have to apply opportunity cost in choosing the interests to pursue in the short time I have left at Kenyon.
For my second to last post from the Maghreb (I leave on the 14th!), I thought I’d write a guide to something that is an essential skill here: bargaining. I have yet to master the art of bargaining, which essentially amounts to the right combination of charm and disgust*, but I’ve come a long way since the beginning.
I realized the other morning, as I was drinking tea on my terrace and looking out over the ocean, that I’m going to miss Morocco when I leave. It was the first time I wasn’t wrapped up in being challenged or where I was headed next, and I got a serious feeling that this country had finally gotten under my skin. Maybe it’s the freedom and independence I have now that my two-month homestay is over, or maybe it was the gloriously red tomatoes I saw in the market today, but something made me suddenly wish I could rewind to that first night when I couldn’t sleep because of all the strange noises.
On Monday, former CIA Deputy and Interim Director Michael Morell visited Kenyon and spoke about his three decade-long career.
It was awesome.
In the last week I’ve experienced two key cultural aspects of Morocco, both of which I was previously afraid. This first was going to the hamam, or public bath, and the second was the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), during which families kill and eat a sheep, goat or sometimes camel.