on culture shock

my family recently spent some time with me in morocco and i was reminded of how painful parts of my adjustment were here, as well as given the opportunity to see the extent to which ive adapted to life here. interesting to note because many changes ive made have been so gradual, or made out of necessity rather than conscious decision, that they have not been acknowledged. touring with my family opened up an opportunity to practice these cultural adaptations, whether i was conscious of doing so or not, and gain a perspective of morocco from eight eyes taking in everything for the first time. the flow of language that swirls in a confusing stream, the accusing smells that attack your senses, aggressive vendors and taxi drivers who are simply doing their job, flavors unfamiliar consumed in an unknown manner, not always having access to clean bathrooms or sanitary foods. all these factors i accept without question, but for visitors they can seem invasive and uncomfortable. to the extent of my observation my family enjoyed their time overseas, despite possibly feeling overwhelmed or unprepared at times. i do feel slight guilt over not having prepared them more adequately - i toted morocco as 'having much nicer living conditions that you probably imagine'. but i made an assumption both about their imaginings of my life here, as well as their definition of nice (which is probably quite different than my definition). nonetheless, they were able to see much of the moroccan countryside, compare village life to the city scene, cram into a grand (debatable) taxi, learn some arabic phrases, ride camels on the beach, eat the large variety of foods available (including snails and fresh figs), and most importantly, obtain a more accurate picture of my life here while appreciating family time. there were no serious illnesses or injuries, and if the trip was different than anticipated, 'mushki mushkil' as melita would say in her interesting interpretation of arabic. (i know shes saying 'wait - thats not right? ive been saying it to david all week! how do you say it?'). its 'mashi mushkil' and means 'no problem' - the main thing is the experience of a different culture and the application of that knowledge, rather than whether expectations meet reality. it was a wonderful experience for me, and the family time as well as the new perspective on morocco was very valuable and appreciated. but maybe those of you planning on visiting should call a family member of mine before venturing out to my second home.