Teapot Jalaba Man

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Saba Al Noor (Bright Morning)
So I've gone native. I bought a Jalaba yesterday in Sefrou. For those of you who don't know about the Jalaba, its an ankle length robe with a pointed hood that the men wear here in Morocco. I like quite like a Hobbit really and I feel very mysterious when I wear it. The closet thing I can think of is the brown robes worn by those the little sand men in Star Wars with the luminescent eyes. The best thing is that when I walk through the medina, most of the carpet salesmen automaticaly assume that anyone in a jalaba is Moroccan, and rarely take the time to look at my face. If I pull the hood all the way down I can be completely anonymous.
I had to learn to change my walk when I bought it: my distictively American strut was giving me away at first. Now I lean forward just a few degrees (but not too much) and look down a few degrees (but not too much) and shift my gaze up and slowly from left to right with my hands in my pockets (via the pocket shaped slits in the Jalaba). This really does the trick. If I really want to play the part, I clasp my hands behind my back as I walk. All I really need now is a berber bag to replace my backpack and some Moroccan shoes and the costume will be complete.
I've also picked up a nickname: Teapot. You see 'Brad' when written in Arabic letters comes out as B-r-r-r-r-raaaaaad with a rolling 'r' which is the Moroccan word for teapot. I first I resited this by using the American pronounciation, but after all the Moroccans consistantly forgot it my name, I figured it was easy just to go with it. Some of the Americans here have picked up on it, and occasionly call me 'Teapot' for fun.
Arabic classes are going well. We've learned the whole alphabet and have started conjugating verbs and putting sentances together. Its painfully slow to try and read or write anything, but with practice, In Shallah, I will learn. I've been looking for apartments too, rent is so cheap here, that I figured I'd find a nice little apartment with a great big terrace on a rooftop somewhere. At that point you all will have no excuses for not coming to visit me.
B'Salaama (with peace)
Brad
P.S. Photos will come soon, I swear.

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Comments

[willzie]

jalabas 4eva
i recently returned from morocco equiped with my very own jalaba. me and my group of buddies have been hard at work trying to spread the good word, we have visited the popes very own vatican in our trusty jalabas, regular visits to spainsh supermachodos jalaba style and not to mention a huge pub crawl in rome mingling with some of the worlds most fashion finatical wearing nothing but, you guessed it our jalabas. but these bad boys r undoubtably at there very best on a seedy sunday with a cold class of cordial, feet up on the couch, letting it all hang out. LONG LIVE THE JALABAS