http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/JC44/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from JC44 en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:42:18 +0000 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:42:18 +0000 I almost walked to the churchmdashto see if pastor Brown not Wald III was theremdashbut then I realized that that would be choosing to talk to a pastor rather than write. Irsquom not sure itrsquos even enough that I chose to come here to Arab Caf where I have been at least 50 times because I considered going to a pastormdashgoing to a pastormdashat all. But so Irsquom just goin http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-270501.html I met this guy Nabil when I was in Granada. He was talking about terrorism and immigration when I met him about how Morocco has one policy towards both groups adopted from the US and Europe one and the same but he really looks like he's a big 12. He is very clean and nice and speaks perfect Spanish though he himself is from Rabat and the other day I was sitting in Le Grand Comptoir and right http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/blog-267775.html I've been putting this one off. But my mother is convinced that peoplemdashi.e. the three of you reading thismdashwant to read my ill inward looking thoughts about being in Spain coming from Morocco. For better or for worse I really did see Western Civmdashrepresented by Spainmdashin a light I had never seen it in before. But I can only do it in snippets 1 On the top of the steps of so http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-267392.html On my way to write this I passed a protestmdashon my way to write this I walked out of my way to pass the protest my friend Alex texted me about. This one was unusually stationary compact. A mass of people were stilly standing directly across from parliament waiting. The state police unable to run at a block of people had made a perimeter around them that was clearly not rehearsed. Theyrsqu http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-267304.html On my way to meet Abbas at home this Wednesday I passed bymdashor really walked throughmdashanother protest. Theyrsquove been getting really bad lately. You can tell this not from media coverage or anything which is nonexistent but because the watching crowds are getting bigger on Mo V because if yoursquore in the old medina and you hear intermittent screams or police sirens you see se http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-265396.html Me and my friend Sarah who is halfIranian halfLouisianan and socially Barsquohai had been talking about going to synagogue in Rabat since we got here. On Sarah briefly superficially her father who she says looks like George Clooney when he her dad doesnrsquot shave fled Iran because he was Barsquohai at the onset of the Revolution she says and the Ba'hai save the Jews from pe http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-256737.html Before I write about this past weekend about women woman dead dogs and saints I need to write about this.There are protests on avenue Mohammed V nearly every day. They're pretty pro forma which is not to say that the men and women protesting aren't serious or that they don't badly need the attention but simply if you live in Rabat you see a protest almost every day. Usually you hear t http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-255120.html On Friday night we our friend Sheffia who works at the LrsquoHotel Majestic which we stayed at our first week Michael from Minnesota Leungo from Botswana and Williams college Jude who writes for alJazeera and is from the south of England and Sheffiarsquos two friends Jawad and Sufyan the former the owner of the ldquobeach houserdquo for which we were destined went to Mohamm http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-251940.html Said my sister's husband the one who is threatened by the possibility of being threatened by me who works for the Moroccan ambassador i.e. greets Frenchspeaking important peoples at the airport invited me and the two shlumpy midwesterners living with us to go to his hammam with him last night. The one he's been going to since he was old enough to walk. His mother's house is a stone's throw http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-251389.html Steph I already told you this butmdashfinally my brothers and me are speaking gibberish. When I come home if it is Omar and Reda who opens the door we grunt and mumble at one another in an imitation of the ceremonial greetings adult Moroccans exchange. It is I think even more fun for them than it is for me.And then the other day Omar and me were taking a walk and he put his hood up and beg http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-251380.html The other night Omar motioned for me to put down my book and get out of bed. Downstairs he motioned for me to follow him to the door he motioned for me to hurry up y'allah and then like that we were in the alley outside our home. Omar putting a finger to his head motioned for me to wait went back inside and returned in moments with a black umbrella. Then like that me Omar and Hal a Wi http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-248333.html You're allowedduring offprayer hoursto go into the Grand Mosque of Hassan II in Casablanca. We did that this Saturday. The Mosque is on a promontory jutting out over the Atlantic. It is one of the biggest in the world etc. You walk across this dizzyingly wide and long courtyard the kind that tilts which courtyard is busy with but not filled by lots of children let loose and pairs of old http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-247958.html I was playing with Reda in the indooroutdoor courtyard in our house yesterday. I'm not sure I know how to describe what went down. First though let me describe what happened immediately preceding that with my sister who is turning 21 the same day as me as in we were born the same day in world history as in as my mother here put it there will be food and joy from wall to wall. She is the s http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-246562.html As I write this I am watching television with a woman who I don't know who she is. The Ninja Turtles of course are on. Ninja ninja she says to me. How else do I respond turtleNow she is watching a daft punk music video I've never actually seen this video they do a lot here I stopped doing a long time ago like Super Mario and drinking milk though I have taken shots to its beat at school http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-246548.html A few days after the hammam Yamine who is Michael's 30something brother who is the only one of his four brothers not to emigrate to Europe who lives in a narrow tower of a threestory house with his parents both of whom are bedridden with diabetes took usme Michael and a guy on my trip from Botswana Leungo who goes to Williamsto a sheesha bar. You found this bar of course through http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-246540.html I went to the hammam for the first time last week. This is like the public bathhouse though it's not quite that less adornment more implied luxury where if you are the typical Moroccan you go once a week to clean yourself. Separate ones for men and women of course.The one my brother Abbas and my little brother Omar took me to was a few blocks from our house you got in as you get into http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-246525.html Twinkling is an American situation. That is according to this guy Shafie who I am teaching Spanish in exchange for Arabic and French and who occasionally tells me with the sincerest most curious smile to read the Qu'ran it will improve you...just by reading it this I think is a distinctive Muslim belief ...that is that it can almost physically change you without your understanding i http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-245206.html The first weekend with the family the Blidis.Three brothers 17 11 6 a sister 20 who has a daughter 5 mos which daughter lives with us though the sister does not she lives with her much older husband who is very protective of her though never touches her...though she is an English major my year at Mohammed V university and does not wear the veil or anything and would hate to have live http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-245128.html Amendment I miss feeling the presence of women. I don't even think I mean sexually. I mean being able to form myself in response to them. You can feel women here more even but don't see them. It is kind of dramatic.Blogging makes you write too fast so I am amending this sentence.More importantly I just met my brother my mother and my other little brother. Like my younger blood brother th http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-244245.html Comes on every night in the old medina at 8 pm.I have not heard jugs in a long time.Some regression is blissful. Not Dally Partion I mean.Jugs.Why do they like her hereYou can't say it takes time for culture to travel anymore can youCan I use this She was good American. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Sal--Zemmour-Zaer/Rabat/blog-244199.html