The Cheap Cultural Cacophony of Ryanair

Ryanair has revolutionized international travel. There is no doubt about it.

Before baggage handling and peanuts were free. Now they are not. Before there were assigned seats; now there is a frenzied dash. And perhaps most importantly, areas of Europe and northern Africa that were prohibitively far apart are now connected by flights costing only a few hours' pay. Unless, of course, you want to take anything substantial with you...then it costs a few hours' pay more.

As I boarded the flight to Dusseldorf in Fes, the couples around me bore witness to what this phenomenon has done for cross-cultural marriages. At least half a dozen Moroccan-German couples were standing in line with me. One German girl was speaking in the phone in fluent Darija. After a quick vacation with in-laws in Morocco, they were headed back home.

The cultural cacophony grew once we boarded the plane. People pushed and shoved and hustled past each other. German, Darija, French, and English could be heard simultaneously.

After everyone got settled, the chaos and confusion continued. The Slovakian stewardess's accented English blared through the sound system to a mostly uncomprehending German and Moroccan audience. A 5-year old Moroccan child blew right past a stewardess in the aisle knocking her sideways. She tried to reprimand him in English, but he ignored her admonishments.

The scene repeated itself returning to Morocco, but it was slightly more organized. A Moroccan-looking fellow sat down next to me. I tried speaking Darija to him, but he just switched to English.

"Are you American?"

"Yeah, and you're Moroccan?"

"No, I'm Dutch."

"Oh, you immigrated to the Netherlands."

"No. I was born there. My dad is Moroccan and my mom is Serbian."

He was headed back to Morocco to visit his grandparents. I have almost spent more time in Morocco than he has, and so I spoke Darija better than him.

I asked him how his parents met.

"Well, immigrants often lived in the same poor neighborhoods and they all got to know each other. My parents met at a wedding....of a Moroccan and a Serbian." He smiled.

I also asked him if he considered himself Moroccan, Dutch, or Serbian.

"A little bit of everything," he answered.