A call to prayer: Chefchauen

Sunset in Essaouira

Please shower with your pans on.

This is what the campus-wide e-mail read this past week, but the message was intended for me. For those of you who don't read Moroccan English, "pans" means "pants", but in this context it is specifically referring to bathing suit bottoms. So, the background . . . well, I'm officially a member of the Al Akhawayn swim team (one of two women on the team), and after a rigorous practice one Monday evening, I hit the showers. Now I won't go into extended detail about my shower routine, but part of it does consist of removing my bathing suit and rinsing out the chlorine. Well, I should have known something wasn't kosher when upon doing this I received a wave of stares, whispers, and 'discreet' pointing from the other women in the shower. Now, I understand women need to cover themselves in public, so that men may not be tempted to lust after them, but I assumed that this rule did not apply to women with other women. And, I assumed wrong. Immediately after this incident, everyone received a strongly worded e-mail asking pool users to shower with their pans on. They might as well have just sent the e-mail directly to me, but reprimanding for any wrong doing seems to be a public event here. So, a word to the wise . . . women, keep your pans on . . . and men, don't remove your pots.

A venture up the coast to Asilah

Some things you are guaranteed to see driving up the coast of Morocco:

1. Roadside stands selling a tasty combination of onions and melons

2. Highway patrol officers stopping traffic to ask for a cigarette

3. Jars of honey carefully balanced upon a tower of rocks

4. A shepherd, staff in one hand, cell phone in the other

5. More honey

6. Flamingos

7. Camels "re-fueling" at the gas station

8. Two men walking along the shoulder of the highway, in the middle of the desert, nicely dressed, and carrying nothing but a silver tray with a complete tea set

The Donkey and the Mercedes: My first impressions

I live in a little town named Ifrane. To those who have visited Morocco for a few days or even a few weeks, you may have not ventured to Ifrane or even heard of it. However, to wealthy Moroccans and many Europeans it is hardly unheard of. It is the summer vacation spot for those who cannot bear the heat of Fez and Marrakesh. It is the destination for those who want to sit in sidewalk cafes sipping mint tea and talking over tajine. It is the hotspot for young, affluent Moroccans wearing tube tops and head scarves. It is a unique little place, somehwhat similar to Disneyland with its manicured lawns (which no one is to walk upon), tidy streets, and even a small train carrying tourists from the central square to the local market. However, walk about five minutes outside of Ifrane towards Fez and you will find yourself in a land similar to images seen in the movie Babel. Rocky, dry farmland, sheep herders living in tents, and Berbers walking alongside their cargo-carrying donkeys.

It should also be mentioned that the university in which I teach sits high on a hill overlooking this little economic oasis and apparently was funded by money given to Morocco by a Saudi King. Apparently a Saudi oil carrier had a little accident off the coast of Morocco, spilling vast amounts of oil along the shorline. Well, the Saudi King dished out money to tidy things up, but the money was never used thanks to the strong Altlantic currents sweeping the mess to someone else's shore. So where did all that money go? Ding ding ding . . . you guessed it! Toward building Al Akhawayn University (meaning Two Brothers University, named after the the Saudi King and Moroccan King Hassan II). So it's no wonder that as I walk down the flower-lined walkways and past the Gucci -sportin' , English-speaking students of this campus, that I have to remind myself that I'm in Africa.

A Soldier's Welcome

Is that a drum or are you just happy to see me?

You can imagine my surprise and utter pleasure when I stepped off the plane and into the small lobby of the Casablanca Airport and was immediately greeted by loud cheering, a band of horns, and a group of Moroccan men in matching green robes and Fez hats encircling me with a little jig. At first I thought they must have mistaken me for Hilary Clinton, but after realizing the caliber of this welcome celebration I think it must have been Julia Roberts. However, my dreams of being mistaken for the "Pretty Woman" were immediately crushed when the dancing circle abandoned me for the next Joe Shmoe to disembark the plane. I'm still not quite sure what or who the huge fuss was for. Maybe it's their job. All I hope for is that my farewell is just as exciting.

Ode to cold

They told me once,
They told me twice,
Three times they told,
but I did not heed their warnings
about the cold.

So here I lay in bed,
my fourth day in a row,
on a diet of rice and
tea of something I don't quite know.
Half the town has visited me
bearing gifts of oranges and wine.
By the way they all stare at me,
once would think I might die.

It all began four nights ago,
in the mountains there was snow.
I layed bundled in my bed when
I realized i couldn't feel my toes.
I pressed my feet against the gas stove,
burning with a heat so red,
yet I couldn't feel a thing, not a sting,
my feet were dead.

Now it seems to everyone that
I have a death wish of pneumonia,
because in a week I shall travel south
to the land of the Patagonia.
At a cozy 4 degrees i will board a ship
used to transport cattle,
where the primary means of staying warm
is to drink whiskey straight from the bottle.
For 3 days i will float past glaciars
to the southern most tip of land.
I'll be sure to take lots of photos,
though I probably won't feel my hands!

They told me once,
They told me twice,
Three times they told,
yet I still won't heed their warnings
about the cold.