"The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" Effect

Moroccan Musing...

April 17—If any of you have read the incomparable Tim O'Brien's book The Things They Carried, you know it’s a short story collection about a platoon of soldiers in Vietnam that might fall under the genre “fiction not fiction.”  He writes about the ways that emotional truth may often look and feel very different from real truth - and even be more true.  A bit of a paradox that many 10th grade Pioneer students have the pleasure of grappling with in their English class.

Anyway, one of his extraordinary stories came up on our Fulbright bus as a couple of us observed our colleague Marc’s attire in the days we’ve been here.  Marc teaches high school-aged students who are working towards their GED in New York City.  See if you notice anything about Marc in the photos below:

It may look subtle, but we’ve all been watching with a keen eye as Marc appears at each subsequent event with a new accessory or article of clothing. Let’s take a moment and break it down.

Marc and Whitney, getting ready to board their plane from JFK in NYC to CDG in Paris.

Most of us first saw Marc in a typical American ensemble, a blue t-shirt and pants, at the airport in Paris for our connection to Casablanca.

Marc on Day 1 in Rabat, prior to our security briefing and welcome statement from MACECE.

​On Day 1, at our first group photo shoot in Rabat, you'll notice Marc is dressed in 'business casual,' donning a button down shirt and slacks.

When we gathered for dinner, after about 24 hours in Rabat, Marc arrived in a shirt and shorts, but with a beaded necklace: “I got it in the Medina last night, “ he told us.

Marc on Day 2 at Roots Academy. Here, he is embraced by Youssef during a cooking class on the roof of the Academy.

On Day 2, Marc appeared with a Moroccan style tunic in earthy colors with subtle stripes and the beaded necklace. “I found this cool tunic last night in the medina,” he told us. We watched as Moroccan men gravitated towards him at the beginnings and ends of our sessions that day to compliment him on his shirt and throw an arm over his shoulder. We listened as Marc switched to French and spoke comfortably with them. We saw how their eyes lit up and how they moved in to listen to him more closely, perhaps place a hand on his shoulder as he spoke.

Marc boarding the bus in Rabat, ready for a day trip to Fès.

The next morning, he waltzed into breakfast with a vibrant blue tunic and his beaded necklace. We marveled once again, and asked about his shirt. “This awesome guy sold it to me in the medina. He gave me a really good deal. Do you like it?” he asked us. We oohed and aahed over the color, then boarded the bus for our next day of visits.

​Upon arrival at our destination, once again, our Moroccan leaders, lecturers, and hosts commented on how much they loved his shirt. “It’s Moroccan blue!” They said to him. “Does it look good?” he asked. Back on the bus, after observing these interactions - whether at a lecture on Islamic education or a visit to the pottery school - I kept thinking about what was happening. Something felt familiar. It seemed like he was slowly becoming one with the world around us. “He’s really blending in,” someone mused. “He really fits in here,” someone else said. And then Tim O’Brien's name crept into my head. “There’s a story like this”, I told my bus mates. “Does anyone know a Tim O'Brien story about a girl who goes to visit her boyfriend in Vietnam and becomes one with the land? It’s about blending in, being influenced by your environment.” Someone chimed in, “I’ve read that book, I can’t think of the title though." I started to remember the story, that the main character's name was Mary Jane and that she wore culottes and a pink sweater.

Needless to say, after a few more rides on the bus (we insisted that we would not Google it) the title materialized: "The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong." It’s a story about many things, but one is the way that your environment can get under your skin and into your mind - and start to take over and change you. Of course our visit to Morocco is nothing like O'Briens story; his content is sophisticated, his message layered, and his metaphor complex and much, much deeper. But the idea that a place you visit can get under your skin and change your behaviors, choices, values, and goals very quickly is very real. Even if it’s just a new shirt or necklace, there’s something transformative about being immersed the way we have been that makes one feel that much closer to the land we are in. Marc hasn’t disappeared into the Moroccan mountains or desert (yet), but his style and shopping choices do make me think a lot about how we adapt and fall into the ways of a different culture. It’s also highlighted the ways that subtle adaptations have been received by our Moroccan hosts with warmth, enthusiasm and gratitude. Here’s Marc with our pottery school tour leader today - who, by the way, also gravitated towards him to comment on his beautiful “Moroccan blue” shirt:

Marc and our tour guide at Mosaique et Poterie de Fès

As we walked around the Mosaique et Poterie de Fès, we noticed that many of the craftsmen were creating "Moroccan blue" tile stars by hand (photos below).  The craftsmanship was amazing to see, and Marc's blue tunic matched the color of the tiles perfectly.

When we leave this coming Sunday to visit and stay with our host teachers for the week, Marc will travel the farthest of all of us.  He’ll fly to Taroudant, a desert town, so we are all so curious what he will come back wearing!  If he comes back.  Just kidding.  Not really.  I mean his name is practically the way Morocco is spelled here, “Maroc.”  He may add that “o” into his name before the trip is over.  Stay tuned.