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Bedroom
My bed. I slept very comfortably. My new home is one of the oldest Arab cities in the world, and no kidding, this home is in the oldest part. My silly two bags had to be carried through the ‘streets’ that are sometimes only one-lane; that is, one walking lane. The distance from the taxi to the home? At this moment, I can’t even estimate, but I am certain not more than a quarter of a mile.
I arrived in Fez by train, having left Casablanca at 9:15am. The four-hour ride, during which I slept and read Rosemary Taylor’s amusing book called Harem Scare’m, brought me to my final destination during the three-hour lunch break. I found a taxi and waited at the language program’s campus until the housing coordinator returned. He told me how fortunate I was to have been early for the summer courses because I had my pick of families and locations. Although he asked my preferences, I essentially followed his lead and was placed with a family in the old city of Fez, about thirty minutes walking from classes. I have met Meryem, who came to meet me, and apparently a young woman about my age, probably younger, trained in computers. She
Bedroom II
Standing on the corner of my bed, this presents the other half of the room. lives with her mother, father, brother, and younger sister. They have hosted students for about two years –I am nothing novel.
The home has a tiled courtyard open to the sky through the two floors of living space. My spacious room is on the second floor, via a 360 degree winding staircase. I need to duck through the home’s entry, along the stairs, and in the bathroom; otherwise, the ceilings are all very tall, perhaps 15’. Colored tiles cover a lot of wall and floor space, and low-lying couches with pillows furnish the rooms, along with a bed in the bedrooms. It’s very comfortable. The kitchen in designed for standing, as opposed to Benin’s typical sitting kitchen. There is a tall fridge, though not as big as the usual American, a sink with a faucet, and a gas range top. A small corner of the kitchen, separated by a door, has the bathroom. It is Turkish-style –squatting – with a shower head as well as faucets to fill a bucket. There is hot water, although I’m told that in the heat of summer hot water is not desired. It has been raining, but it doesn’t generally rain everyday, Meryem
Above
The open 'roof' to the 'courtyard' of sorts. I don't know if the plastic is there because of the current rain, or if it's always there. told me. A tall curtain serves as my door, and one lone florescent light bulb provides sufficient light.
Soon after my arrival in the home, I was welcomed with hot, sweet, mint tea, popcorn, and pastries. Yes, I like mint tea. I also tasted some plain bread dipped in olive oil –the olive oil has a very strong olive flavor! After a while, I returned to my room and had a volunteer nap (much like volunteer flowers in the garden, which we generally welcome, right?). Meryem invited me back out into the town to revisit the path to school, and to see a couple more corners of the neighborhood. We walked through Bab Boujeloud and its endless stalls, filled with people selling leather sacks, metal jewelry, shoes, books, etc. We walked through the food section that holds shops selling fresh beef, squawking chickens, and containers of various olives and crates of fruit –dried and fresh -, along with herbs and vegetables. It smelled, looked, and sounded like everything a market should be.
Dinner, after watching some television, consisted of a large omelet with potatoes, a potato-olive stew, and tomato-onion salad on separate dishes, eaten with torn pieces of
Below
To the right is the entryway, and the left the kitchen, followed by the bathroom. bread. I had dessert of banana flavored yogurt. After falling asleep again in front of the t.v., I went to bed. I have the weekend to acquaint myself with whatever I choose, and classes begin Monday.
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Nancy
non-member comment
still want more pics :)
glad to hear you have a decent space to relax. Hope school goes well on Monday!