It seems ages ago that I left the
United States. I wonder if I have died and entered a dream landscape
that has turned generations of pages. First, the land of the Pharoahs
and pyramids put a spell on me, and now Morocco with its Kasbahs, and
life straddling the old world and modernity. Arab societies are
culturally quite different from America—mosques replace churches
and the call to prayer wails out from loudspeakers at regular
intervals throughout the lands. Most women are covered in dress from
head to foot, and in Morocco, often it is the way females play in the
ocean at beaches; covered in clothing.
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An Egyptian family, Luxor, gypt |
I often as not find I cannot speak with
people because of language barriers. In Egypt it is Arabic that is
spoken and in Morocco, Arabic and French. Since I speak neither, hand
motions and charade is the best understood language.
Mostly, I have not sought to buffer
myself with exclusivity but walk the worn tracks of common man. I get
lost, and chance sometimes is not in my favor. Perspective and
consciousness is everything. I replace frustration with wonder, fear
with trust, bewilderment with amazement. Because I do not have
barriers of belief or feelings of superiority and privilege, the
world is open and I pulsate with life on many levels. Being open to roaming and surprise, I have found myself
in places where I was asked into family homes. In Egypt among the
earthen homes on back roads, I was made to feel like a brother—part of the
family, with a place of honor at the table. Yes, the table was a
simple piece of wood with short legs brought out and set on the dirt
with a straw mat to sit on, but I felt perfectly comfortable and the
food was delicious, and freshly prepared. Animals roamed about,
children came and went, and the simple life satisfied my spirit and
calmed me.

Now I am in Assilah, along the Atlantic
coast and have been here before. I like the relaxed atmosphere and
the old medina that is perched along a seawall. It is known for an
art festival each summer, and many of the walls are hand painted with
artwork. I feel at home.