I finally figured out what that guy said to me three weeks ago.
I was paying for my meal at bus stop on the way to Rabat. The waiters were very nice and chatty, and I was flattered when they asked if I was Syrian (we were speaking Arabic.) As I said good-bye, one of the waiters said what I thought was "Welcome to Islam". Not sure what to do or say, I just smiled piously and hurried onto the waiting bus. I immediately told my roommate and travel buddy Mary that I think I had been extended a welcome to Islam. As the bus continued, I become more puzzled by the man's comment, and wished I had asked him to repeat what he had said or clarified somehow. By the time we arrived in Rabat, I was pretty convinced I had misunderstood the man, but still had no idea what he actually meant.
This afternoon I went out to do a little shopping. As usual, I greeted the store keepers with a friendly "Assalamu 3laykum", to which they invariably reply, "wa 3lykum assalam." On the way home, I repeated this call and answer to myself, practicing the sounds and enjoying the difficulty of pronouncing them. I began thinking of other phrases that contained the word "salam" (peace). There are many, but one in particular popped into my head. "Tariq Assalam". Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Then man hadn't welcomed me to Islam. He had said, "Tariq Assalam. Marhababik", which means (drum roll please!) "Bon Voyage. Welcome (to Morocco)."
I was paying for my meal at bus stop on the way to Rabat. The waiters were very nice and chatty, and I was flattered when they asked if I was Syrian (we were speaking Arabic.) As I said good-bye, one of the waiters said what I thought was "Welcome to Islam". Not sure what to do or say, I just smiled piously and hurried onto the waiting bus. I immediately told my roommate and travel buddy Mary that I think I had been extended a welcome to Islam. As the bus continued, I become more puzzled by the man's comment, and wished I had asked him to repeat what he had said or clarified somehow. By the time we arrived in Rabat, I was pretty convinced I had misunderstood the man, but still had no idea what he actually meant.
This afternoon I went out to do a little shopping. As usual, I greeted the store keepers with a friendly "Assalamu 3laykum", to which they invariably reply, "wa 3lykum assalam." On the way home, I repeated this call and answer to myself, practicing the sounds and enjoying the difficulty of pronouncing them. I began thinking of other phrases that contained the word "salam" (peace). There are many, but one in particular popped into my head. "Tariq Assalam". Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Then man hadn't welcomed me to Islam. He had said, "Tariq Assalam. Marhababik", which means (drum roll please!) "Bon Voyage. Welcome (to Morocco)."
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