A Quick Pair of Characters

My mudir- Barely tolerated by the large majority of locals, the director of the town’s youth center is a loud, illogical and rash man who trusts few people and lives by the law of absolutes (everything is either one way or its complete opposite with no in-between). Despite all this, I know that he is a good man; a fact most people have not discovered because the truth only reveals itself after dozens of brutal one on one conversations (something which I would have never participated in were he not the person in charge of my workspace). Being privy to this information, I always felt like I knew the mudir better than most people but recently, I discovered one more thing. In addition to all his aforementioned absurdities, the mudir is also “that guy” in most of the pictures in which he appears (or cameos). After examining the pictures in his office, the evidence was overwhelming. Every picture featured him either sneaking in from the side or creeping up behind a group of people with the same “I'm trying to be super serious and professional but instead I look like a constipated curmudgeon” face. Keep in mind; all of these pictures are the ones he chooses to display, meaning this is the best he’s got. Before I leave I think I may have to take some legit shots of this dude so he doesn't have to show off depictions of people trying to exclude him. That is if he doesn’t drive me up a wall first.

Drama teacher- Locally “famous” for his appearances in various Amazigh plays which air on the national Berber channel (like Moroccan BET except with less viewership and more dramatic close-ups), the High School’s drama teacher is liable to bust out into a semi-rehearsed monologue at any time. In a previous post, I discussed the formulaic and blatantly stereotypical style of overacting employed here in Morocco. Well, with that information in mind, think about the fact that this man is considered among the best in his craft and thus takes himself very seriously. Now imagine him with a shaved head and thin soul patch, slamming his fist and pausing intensely at the injustice that is a temporary lack of milk at the coffee shop. As I said, this guy takes his work very seriously. Since great acting is supposed to be undistinguishable from genuine human emotions, it always seems as though this bro is trying to close the gap by making real life more like the ludicrous plays he performs in, instead of actually attempting to refine his acting techniques. That, however, would require realizing that such a (huge) chasm exists, something which I’m not sure computes. One thing is for sure though; it is never a dull moment around this dude.