Where is that you ask? Oh, that's only my hotel room!

My view and my room.












Essaouira, Morocco. (Riad Mimouna)

Castles in the Sand.

It's time for another trip. Tomorrow morning we leave for Essaouira, an awesome town on the beach about two hours west of Marrakech, Arabic teachers in tow. Yellah!! Alls I know is that we will be staying in a zween (phat in Arabic) Riad, Riad Mimouna, and I will have a zween room overlooking the sea all to myself.

Everyone loves Essaouira: Europeans, surfers, hippies, Jimi Hendrix, Moroccans, you name 'em. All the buildings in the town are white with blue detail. There is a beach, not really a zween beach, but a beach all the same. Here are some interesting facts about Essaouira:

1. Essaouira is the windsurfing capital of North Africa.

2. Essaouira has very fresh seafood, especially sardines. (See me and my friend Saadia enjoying some below.)

3. Essaouira is home to the annual Gnaoua Festival. (It also has a restaurant with Gnaoua music which I once danced, see right.)

4. Essaouira is the only place in the world Argan trees grow. (Picture at right is of one of the women's cooperatives which has organized to help local women benefit from producing Argan products which range from a delicious salad dressing to the most effective, sought-after facial moisturizers out there. In pic is a woman from the coop, my friend Saadia from Peace Corps days, and my mom.)

OOC in Sahara and Ait Attou.

I have been totally OOC (Out Of Commission) (also known to be used as Out Of Control) for over a week now, and forgot to give notice before I left. I apologize for this, but don't feel that bad because I'm not really sure anyone really noticed.

After spending a couple days down in the Sahara with my group of students, camel rides and all , down the the Zagora province of Morocco, I split off from my group for 3 days to visit my Peace Corps village and friends and family there.

Travel wise, it was a miserable, miserable experience. Buses in Morocco stop, oh, about every 30 minutes, making what could be a 3 hours trip 6 hours. Reasons to stop: 1.To let someone off in the middle of nowhere or a town. 2. Driver is hungry or thuirsty and decides everyone in the bus should have a THIRTY minute lunch or dinner break. 3. It's a legitimate stop on the way. A 30 minute stop is made in a town to let off passenger and let others on. This time could be used also for food and drink. Not so. Another stop is made about 15 minutes later. The way stops are done reflects the general inefficiency of this country. (Ok to be fair, there could be a actually reason this is done that I do not know about. There ususally is a method behind what appears to an ajenebi (foreigner), madness.)

Anyway, had to rant about that after the ten hour overnight bus ride - over mountains - I took Wednesday evening.
Depart Rich:8:00pm (Rich is the closest bigger town near my village, Ait Attou)
Arrive Marrakech: 6:30am
AC: none
Stops: 352

But it was great to see my friends and family, this is actually the third time I have been back to visit since leaving Peace Corps in 2005. I will post some pictures asap.

But now I am back in Marrakech, the students are back in Arabic classes at the American Langauge Center here. We will be here for 11 more days before a week in Essaouira (teacher sin town; students still have classes!) and then back to Marrakech for 3 days. Back to the States July 26, at which point I will quickly (quickly) resume by Friday night Ribeye steak posting.

More later on Palin, and other news, just a brief update on me.

Something great going on in Morocco.

This is by far one of the most interesting things I've read about in months.

The Wash Post reported last week on the Murshida, female religious counselors. The Ministry of Religious Affairs in Morocco has been training women to be Murshida so that they can counsel women in need. They do house calls, work out of mosques, hospitals, schools and prisons.

The article reveals that a similar movement is going on in Turkey, where there are hundreds of 'vaizes' or women preachers, and that across the Middle East women are becoming muftis, who are experts in Islamic jurisprudence and can issue fatwas.

J-Street challenging AIPAC.

Change really does have to come from within.

Interesting article on the year old liberal Jewish Lobby J-Street; it is now giving all the other boring ineffective alarmist hawkish necon radical Israeli lobby groups - like AIPAC - a run for their money!

"The group bills itself as the "political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement" and argues that the debate over Israel in the United States has tilted to the right despite the liberal sympathies of most Jewish Americans. J Street supports a "two-state solution" for Israel and the Palestinians and generally favors diplomacy over military force, according to its Web site and statements."

It's also different because, "In a break with common practice among U.S. Jewish groups, J Street has not been shy about aggressively criticizing Israeli leaders. This month, the group launched an unusual YouTube video accusing new Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman of running a "racist and incendiary" election campaign and alleging that many U.S. Jewish leaders are "whitewashing what Lieberman stands for."

Example of their advocacy: "While there is nothing 'right' in raining rockets on Israeli families or dispatching suicide bombers, there is nothing 'right' in punishing a million and a half already-suffering Gazans for the actions of the extremists among them..."

Of course all the other Israel lobby groups are whining that they are out of touch with Jewish sentiment, too anti Israel, etc. If they are so out of touch why are they expanding so quickly, I wonder.

Pic from Morocco (where I was in the Peace Corps)

I just found this picture in my old Morocco albums from Peace Corps days and thought I'd post it. Women work hard in the Middle East. (I am generalizing a bit here I know, I know every village in the region or even in Morocco isn't like my village.) But in Morocco I was among the funniest, smartest, hardest working women I've ever met. It gives me a better perspective on how to discuss the position of women in the region. These are wonderfully powerful women who do great things. More on this later.

Morocco cuts ties with Iran

Morocco cuts ties with Iran...In Arabic. I will translate later and report back.