Back in Kelaa Sraghna

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I suppose I’m still at the starting line. I’ve spent the past few days lazing around Maryam’s house, my old home, playing with her daughter Salma, catching up on the events of the past year, talking with the neighbors who stop by and reading a travel memoir about kayaking in the Arctic. I’m not headed that far north, but in a week or so I do need to start heading north.

For now I’m content to relax, to feel like the school year is over and I really am on summer vacation, and to enjoy being back in Morocco. I joked with Maryam that I enjoyed my ten month vacation in America and now I’m back home in time for the summer heat of the Sahara.

Morocco has welcomed me back with arms wide open since I stepped off the plane. The brother of a friend works at the Marrakech airport and made sure I was whisked through customs and my bag given to me without any hassle. Maryam was waiting at the airport to drive me home. After 48 hours in transit I was so grateful to be well taken care of.

I haven’t gone far on the map, but any good trip needs good preparation. I’m taking this week to re-immerse myself in Moroccan culture. I’ve picked up Arabic right where I left it, am spending my days chatting with the neighborhood women and drinking tea and eating all the amazing Moroccan food I missed while I was in the US. Yesterday Maryam and I made rfisa for lunch and I drank so much mint tea I couldn’t sleep for hours after I went to bed. Then again, perhaps it was the heat that kept me up. It's going to take some time to re-adapt to the heat here.

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