Untitled Document

3.12.2000

Hello to all,

It's been a while and much has happened. Meetings for 4 days in Fès were dense and productive. We stayed in a luxurious hotel.....hot showers no less. We didn't have any time to sightsee until after the meetings were completed. Fès is a fabulous old city with so much history and atmosphere. A friend from the university took some of us to a "traditional" cafe.....old men in jellabas seated on carpets around the small room smoking kif in long pipes. The Fès sessions ended on a devastating note....the son of our treasured nurse was found dead in his apartment. He was 20, studying classical Arabic in Fès. He seemed to have died of Buta-Gaz poisoning. His mom is the person who trained us on how to use the propane gas safely. There was a memorial service in Fès, then one in Rabat, then the family returned to Rome for the burial. I felt greatly blessed to know I would be hugging Seth soon.

I took the all day train to Marrakech and met Seth the next morning. His plane was late so I asked the agent when to expect it...."maybe today, maybe tomorrow, en'shallah." Seth was immediately immersed in the life of Morocco....his plane one hour late, his luggage lost for 24 hours, plus he witnessed an argument over the taxi fare which ended with the gendarme ushering us into the taxi and demanding that the driver turn on the meter. The driver kicked his friend who was finding the episode very humorous and complained the whole way to the city about having to feed his 3 children. We stayed in Marrakech 3days: exploring, bargaining, eating, visiting with PCV returning from the memorial service in Rabat. It was so much fun to see this kingdom through fresh eyes. Seth kept saying "You live here!" Plus Seth initially bragged on my language skills which was a shot in the arm. Then as his ears became adjusted to the language he realized I was repeating the same key phrases.

We traveled over the Atlas Mts. by Grand Taxi to Ourzazate. Not having a seat belt, a door lock, or a working speedometer as we careened around the switchbacks left Seth clutching the handgrip over his window and offering advice under his breath to the driver as he pulled out to pass a truck..."Don't do it!"

We spent the night in Oz at the most well equipped PCV house....chairs, fridge, oven, hot water. Then we rode in yet another Grand Taxi to El Klaa M'Gouna where we caught transport (a minivan) up to Mary Liz's (aka M'Louda) site in the High Atlas Mts. It was a 3 hour ride of yet more switchbacks on a very narrow "road" with 19 people inside and 3 on the roof. It is incredibly beautiful....red mountains and strips of bold green fields lining the rivers at the bottom of deep gorges. M'Louda lives in a family compound in the tiny village of Tourza. It was a step back in time....mud houses, water from the well, fed the sheep being fattened up for the coming holiday, helped the women weave a rug on a loom like the Navahos, admired the cows, saw the women gathering wood in the mountains and cooking bread in the clay ovens, and ate couscous with the men (only) in the salon for guests only. We hiked to another PCV's village, an hour away and he led us straight up the mountain for another 2 hrs. until we cried "uncle." Another gorgeous view with snow capped peaks, quiet, and fresh air. While we were in the village electricity was turned on for the first time....a few street lights only. Still the stars were incredible. We woke up at 4:30 to catch the transport down the mountain. We spent another night in Oz which was in turmoil because the King was there for the night. Gendarmes and military everywhere.

Once again we entrusted our lives to Grand Taxi drivers...our choices are limited. It was a very social group which made it the longest ride ever....we stopped for a jellaba, meat, deliveries, etc.....Seth is crunched over in the rear seat and appalled that the Moroccans insist on keeping their windows rolled up because of their fear of breeze carried illnesses. He amazement soon turned to anger.

Zagora is indeed what Seth described as a "frontier town"....lots of hustle and bustle but rather lacking in niceties. I tried to give Seth a taste of my life....souq, the line at the post office, a class at the neddie, hanging out with the shopkeepers, cooking with Joe....but we also went into the small dunes by camel for one night (I won't be riding a camel again, thank you.) sleeping under a cloudy sky in a Berber tent. Mom also treated us to a swanky meal at the atmospheric Fibule Hotel where we stunned the tourists by eating couscous with our hands. We also had an extensive tour of the hospital. They don't have the equipment that US facilities have but they also are more concerned with different issues like hygeine and water and health education and sand vipers that are small snakes that bury themselves in the sand with only their antennas showing and strike at movement. Seth had just finished studying "microbats" so washed his hands at every opportunity and made every effort not to touch anything in the bathrooms.

It was all such fun and I was a little weepy during the readjustment period. I've been invitied to houses by neddie friends trying to make me feel like I have family here. But classes are restarting and the big Aid El Kabir holiday is fast approaching. Love to all, Becky

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