According to googletranslate's Arabic, bousfer means "bousfer," aka not a real Arabic word. بصفر is "with zero" and بسفير is "with ambassador." In Darija, the dialect of Arabic that Moroccans speak, بوسفر (bousfer) means something entirely different, and perhaps it doesn't exist in Modern Standard Arabic. I didn't even know this word existed in Darija until tonight. Perhaps I have the spelling of the word wrong, but the neighborhood confirmed بوسفر to me.
So what is bousfer? I'm still not quite sure. My friend, Karima, has bousfer. So she went to see a lady who does bousfer. Having bousfer is not something one is ashamed of because it's quite common. When we broke fast together, Karima took western medicine that seemed to target her stomach.
The very country-looking lady who does bousfer learned her trade from her grandma. Not everyone can do bousfer; it takes a special person to be qualified. A bousfer is kind of like a doctor.
Bousfer entails Karima to see this lady three days in a row. Yesterday, Karima bought a razor blade, which the lady keeps in her small coin purse. The lady sucks on what looks like a flat, plastic, mini-donut. Karima removes her head scarf, and the lady hisses/spits on her arms, neck, and legs. Then, she pokes Karima's legs and hands with the razor blade. Karima's face shows pain during this process.
If Karima bleeds, her bousfer has left her. Last night, she bled a lot, and she showed me her tiny scars. Before knowing what I'd witness, I thought, Oh, perhaps this is some sort of traditional acupuncture. She didn't bleed tonight. She will return to the lady's modest home on the outskirts of town tomorrow.
The lady offered to do bousfer on me, but I politely declined. After this session, Karima assured me that the razor is just for her, and it will be discarded tomorrow night (check, mini-health lesson completed). Apparently, I'm not able to learn how to do bousfer.
So, that's bousfer. The neighborhood wants to know what we call bousfer in English. Any suggestions on what to tell them?
10 August 2011
08 August 2011
T Minus 3 Months
Three months left, and time here continues to surprise me. Despite temperatures in the high 30s (C), I “fasted” and spent the afternoon in Haymr. On my way there, I walked through a few dust storms, which turned into hail. Yes, hail. First time I've seen hail or any icy product from the sky in Btown, in both the winter and summer. Cheers to global warming.
In February, I revised my "Action Plan," projects and goals I hoped to accomplish before I COS and their timelines. This meant consolidating and cutting many projects out. This week with Ramadan going on, I re-adjusted my plan (aka cut more things out). Am I a slacker? Or less idealistic? Daily harassment from strangers aside, I am enjoying my time here and plan on doing so until I leave. Relationships mean more than a stellar-looking resume. So here's the new plan:
1. New product development training with the Nasim girls.
2. Computer and internet training with the Nasim girls. One goal is to get the girls set up with facebook (their request).
3. Grant writing workshops and 2 applications with the Nasim girls.
4. Translate the Marketing Mix game into Darija/French for 3 associations to "play."
5. Correspond with my 4th WWS class, aka my cheerleaders.
Personal tasks include:
1. Souvenir shop: Prob spent over 10,000dh already! It's only strange to me when I compare RIM to ROC and what "souvenirs" I could pick up there.
2. Finish reading the Koran in English, "Islam in Morocco," and "Do it Herself."
3. Complete 2 more LSAT practice tests.
4. Update the resume and send it out to BD fields.
5. Lose 5 pounds: NOT happening with Ramadan. Instead of eating 3 meals during the day, I have 2 or 3 meals at night and maybe 1 meal during the day. Fried fat with onions in oil, with warm homemade bread to soak up the sauce, is absolutely delicious!
Perhaps I'm sharing these goals on my blog to hold myself to a higher standard of accountability (not much of it goes on in PC, but that is another blog entry). We'll see how I do come November!
(My food baby and I pretending to be a statue in Italy. Used up the last of my vacation days on this trip, and it was definitely worth it!)
In February, I revised my "Action Plan," projects and goals I hoped to accomplish before I COS and their timelines. This meant consolidating and cutting many projects out. This week with Ramadan going on, I re-adjusted my plan (aka cut more things out). Am I a slacker? Or less idealistic? Daily harassment from strangers aside, I am enjoying my time here and plan on doing so until I leave. Relationships mean more than a stellar-looking resume. So here's the new plan:
1. New product development training with the Nasim girls.
2. Computer and internet training with the Nasim girls. One goal is to get the girls set up with facebook (their request).
3. Grant writing workshops and 2 applications with the Nasim girls.
4. Translate the Marketing Mix game into Darija/French for 3 associations to "play."
5. Correspond with my 4th WWS class, aka my cheerleaders.
Personal tasks include:
1. Souvenir shop: Prob spent over 10,000dh already! It's only strange to me when I compare RIM to ROC and what "souvenirs" I could pick up there.
2. Finish reading the Koran in English, "Islam in Morocco," and "Do it Herself."
3. Complete 2 more LSAT practice tests.
4. Update the resume and send it out to BD fields.
5. Lose 5 pounds: NOT happening with Ramadan. Instead of eating 3 meals during the day, I have 2 or 3 meals at night and maybe 1 meal during the day. Fried fat with onions in oil, with warm homemade bread to soak up the sauce, is absolutely delicious!
Perhaps I'm sharing these goals on my blog to hold myself to a higher standard of accountability (not much of it goes on in PC, but that is another blog entry). We'll see how I do come November!
(My food baby and I pretending to be a statue in Italy. Used up the last of my vacation days on this trip, and it was definitely worth it!)
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