Post to blog 2
Continued from blog 1
It is now near midnight, and we've just eaten our second dinner. Yeah, I'm talking about food again, but that's the focus around here, even when you are not eating. After Hind got Salah off to school, she and I took the Petit Taxi down to the medina. At the entrance, we were offered a guided tour, and had we had more time, it might have been a good idea, because it is truly a labyrinth! The gate is a beautiful arch of blue mosaic that leads into a spider web of pathways, so narrow that when a donkey is driven through (and there were many of them!) you have to duck into one of the thousands of shops and then you are subject to prods of “Madame, madame...” I am so obviously American, not only because I wore blue jeans and a t-shirt, but with my blond hair and blue eyes, I stick out like a sore thumb. On more than one occasion, Hind and I were separated, but then she'd grab my hand and pull me along. I can hardly believe how well we get along. I feel as if I have known her forever. We talk all the time! (I know that's not so hard to believe) may nous nous entendons tellement bien! I bought nothing, just drank in the sounds and smells and sights. The sounds were of people crying out their wares, copper, silver and brass being pounded, street musicians (very different stringed instruments/almost like a banjo but longer with a crooked fret), and calls to prayer (there are mosques in the medina). The smells were intense. In the area where spices were sold, the smells were pleasant, but the tanners were another story. Aargh! Very sharp! And the sights: silver teapots and trays, djellabas of every conceivable color and decorated in either beads or embroidery, copper trays, pottery, food, electronics, plastic containers, shoes, rugs, postcards, you name it; it's there! Mostafa only had two hours of class, so he picked us up close to 2. At that point, I downed a luna bar and some water to keep myself going. How do they go for 18 hours?????????? I thought I was doing well going from 8 until 2! Mostafa drove us up to look over the city, then we picked up some groceries, exchanged a piece of porcelain for Hind (I could get a set of 12 beautiful Provence decorated blue and white porcelain plates for $13.00!) and then they showed me the apartment they are having built. It's going to be beautiful, overlooking the city in a lovely neighborhood, and it's costing them about $45,000. I think it's more like a condo in that they will own it outright once it is completed. We returned to the house, after picking Salah up from preschool where at age 3 he is already learning French. Mostafa took Salah with him to see his mother, I listened to some music and then joined Hind in the kitchen. I actually made some nem which are Vietnamese rolls made with phyllo dough stuffed with ground chicken, herbs, rice noodles, and garlic and fried. We broke the fast at 6, then had a somewhat awkward exchange about Salah who clearly rules the roost and plays his father against his mother. I really need to stay out of it, I know, but I talked to them (especially Hind) about setting boundaries and being consistent and making joint decisions about what behaviors are acceptable and which are not. At any rate, Mostafa and Salah fell asleep watching TV while Hind cleaned up from the Iftar and then started cooking the second meal (fish, shrimp salad, olives, more nem, yogurt, fresh fruit), hanging out the wash, and then went over the introduction to her thesis on African British female writers of the 18th century...all written in research language. Whoa! We awakened Mostafa at about 11:30, ate and now I'm off to bed, very very tired! I miss everyone, but this is truly the experience of a lifetime.

October 14, 2006
Yesterday morning I caught up on the day before, so I didn't realize until now that nothing was transcribed of my day Friday the 13th. In the morning, Mostafa took me to the post office (I had written a number of post cards to school and family) and to the notary (so much of the government reminds me of the French system...evidence of Morocco's colonization) and then to see the king's palace (bigger than the Louvre) where I took some pictures. We passed the Jewish Quarter and then stopped at an overlook near the luxury hotel we'd seen from the other side of the city the day before. Once again I took pictures and there were some bushes filled with butterflies which caught my eye.We were returning to the apartment when we saw Hind en route to take Salah his lunch at the school, so we drove her there. The result was that I got a chance to see the preschool that he attends. The classes were very small (only 5-6 children in Salah's class, fewer in the “creche” and a few more in the class of four year olds). In the four year old class, they were learning French: months of the year, days of the week, how to write their names, etc. They were also learning how to cut and paste. As a result, when we returned to the apartment, Salah cut paper for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I stopped and had a salad and then, due to the heat, I retired to read a bit. The rest of the day went like that, and I discovered that the lack of activity made me feel more tired than I had felt in a long time. (It's also the heat...man, I certainly brought the wrong clothes!) By the time dinner came around, the day had passed
and I had relatively little to show for it! After dinner I decided that I would not stay up for the second meal since I would be getting up at the regular time for school.
I could hear Hind and Mostafa in the process of preparing dinner and outside my window, the activity that doesn't seem to end at night during Ramadan: people calling out to one another, music, the Quran being chanted, etc. I put in earplugs which reduced the noise, and around 3 am took them out as a calm settled. Then at about 5 am, the call to prayer began. Because of the number of mosques in the city, the noise is overwhelming for this country mouse who is lulled to sleep with the sound of crickets in summer or who is blanketed in silence during the winter.I didn't dare put the earplugs back in because I was afraid I wouldn't hear the alarm, so I just meditated and luckily fell back to sleep for another hour and a half.
At 7:30 we left for Mostafa's school which is nearly 45 minutes away. We stopped to pick up 3 other teachers who commute from Fes and arrived there some time after 8 am. Mostafa's first class wasn't until 9:30 am and only lasted 45 minutes. It was a second year class, and although the students were extremely shy at first, after showing them the pictures of the school, they began to ask a few questions. I was impressed by their mastery of the language for second year students (would that mine were that good). And they were so polite. “Sir!” “Please” “Thank you” “May peace be with you”. I noticed that many of the teachers and students I was introduced to touched their heart after shaking hands. It seems this is a sign of respect and the wish for well being. I found it charming. I also noted that many of the students knocked once on the door before entering the classroom. And there was a scramble for who was to sit with whom (the desks were two person desks arranged to face the front of the classroom). After class, Mostafa had a break, so the headmaster let us come to his home so I could grab a snack (I'd brought a piece of bread and cheese and the headmaster's wife provided me with flan which I didn't need but which I devoured with relish!) The second class was a group of first year students who were extremely enthusiastic! They went over the alphabet, reviewed the days of the week and the months of the year. I was once again impressed by their motivation to succeed. I don't think I've ever seen that many hands raised. They WANTED to be called upon. Imagine that! And watching the dynamics between some of the girls and boys (one “couple” in particular) I was reminded once again that teenagers are teenagers everywhere you go! Mostafa seemed to have a very good rapport with the students and the respect of his peers. I begin to see why he was selected. He will have much to offer us and much he will be able to bring back to his school.
The school itself was the center of the community we entered. It covered quite a wide area surrounded by olive trees with a lovely view of the mountains in the distance. The school, like all schools I have seen so far, is surrounded by a wall. The entrance gate is locked when students are not present and there are two men who are in charge of “security” and “administrative” issues such as running attendance to the director. From what I could see, most of the teachers are male. Classes were finished at noon, and we headed home. I was supposed to go into town with Hind this afternoon, but she became tied up and she came home quite disappointed with her school schedule. So now it is 5 pm all of a sudden and I must decide what to post to the blog. Ramadan is on the countdown to the end, it seems, and from what I can gather, no one is disappointed.