They didn't Speak Any Arabic

Before I even got to Morocco I knew that language learning would be one of the hardest parts of the whole program. One of the things that I didn’t see coming was my language learning being the focus of so many conversations. In training it wasn’t so bad because they knew that we didn’t know anything. Although once I got to my site everyone wanted to know how my language learning was going and if I knew Arabic yet and if I was going to learn Chillha. I always say I know a little Arabic, because my luck would be that they would use a word that I didn’t know and then I would look like liar. So I have been working really hard to try and learn this language and finally with the help of a few other American’s it has paid off.
In my site we have a small hospital. I don’t really know much about it except for where it is and then last week I went in it for the first time. Last week we had a group of about 20 medical interns (from a America) and 5 doctors (3 from Morocco and 2 from America) at our little hospiltal giving out free medical care. I had was at a training in another city so I had no idea that this was going on until I got off the bus and was stopped and told that there were lots of Americans at the hospital. My first thought was “Oh Dear Lord” my second thought was “Why?” I figure out that every year this university partners with these Moroccan doctors and pick different cities to visit and give free heath care. This way the interns can travel for spring break and get some of their hours in.
I went and had lunch with the group the next day and that is when I realized that the things I do everyday here are very different from the things that I would do everyday in the states. The interns didn’t know any Arabic so every year they hired translators from the university to travel with them. At first it was really awkward for me because I didn’t know who was American and who was Moroccan or who was a translator and who was an intern. (they took their white jackets off because it was lunch time) Americans look like everything under the sun and the last thing I wanted to do was offend someone. Final one of the translators asked “Do you speak Arabic” and with out thinking I started talking to her in Arabic because that is just about all I speak in my little town. It was then that I found out who was an intern and who was Moroccan, because all the heads of the interns turned to look at me and then Moroccans turned to look at each other. Then next thing anyone said was “You speak Arabic!” It was funny!
Now long after the interns are back in The States I still hear about how “They didn’t know any Arabic” and “You speak Arabic really well.” I feel like I need to apologize or thank those interns because every time I have that conversation I make sure to stress (in Arabic of Course) how they didn’t know any Arabic. Now I hear more and more how I speak Arabic very well.