In America (at least in my family) there was an inherint taboo about nap taking. This taboo was so strong in my house, that my sister Claire and I used to hide in the walk-in closet during “cleaning” Saturdays growing up, just so we could catch a nap. It is really only socially acceptable to nap from the birth to 1st grade, and after retirement. For the entirirty of your life where do you don’t fall into the category, you are expected to work endlessly thoroughout the day, no napping allowed. I have consulted with my fellow PC volunteers in Morocco, and their experiences have been similar in regards to the napping policy in the States.
In Morocco, this couldn’t be further from the truth, at least for the villages I have lived in. This trip to Sidi Ifni with the Argan Cooperative serves as a perfect example. Ever since the first day I have been in Africa, everyone is always asking if I am tired and want to take a nap. At first I was slightly offended, like do they really think I am that lazy that I need to nap all the time? Turns out it’s a pretty socially acceptable practice, and they just wanted me to know that napping is an option.
Yesterday, insteading of eating with the lunch with all of the women at the little festival, we headed to one of the ladies relative’s house for lunch. No surprise to anyone who has been in Morocco for any amount of time, but we ate a mound of Cous Cous for lunch. I ate as much as humanly possible and then was naturally feeling sleepy. In America we use coffee, soda, walks, music and anything else you can think of to counteract this feeling, in Morocco they just embrace it. All 8 women that were there were sleepy, so they grabbed some blankets and we all picked a ponge and took a little hour nap. It was like exactly what I needed to get moving again and it was a nice break from fighting it all the time.
Experiences like this have happened on numerous occasions and frankly, its one of the best parts about this new culture. Mind you, I love the food, the importance of personal relationships and the amount of time just hanging out, stress free, but frankly the napping is great. I know that when I return to America two years from now, this will not be an option any more, but for now, I will embrace this cultural norm with open arms and just face the harsh reality two years from now.
Alright well im off to eat lunch and take a nap.
Love you all.
oh shush... you KNOW that you took afternoon naps in Columbia all the time.... or maybe that was just me. Hmm.
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