Vacances

After spending a week in Guinea, my parents and I went to Morocco, for a more..."normal" vacation. My dad says that if you want a luxury vacation, spend a week in Guinea and then go anywhere else in the world. And after a year in Guinea, you can imagine how low my standards have become. I thought Morocco was rather luxurious because you know, there were toilets (with toilet paper!), showers, electricity, paved roads, air conditioning and food that wasn't rice and sauce.

It felt a little weird to leave Guinea. Of course, as we boarded the plane from the tarmac it was pouring rain (Conakry gets more rain than anywhere else in west Africa during this time of year). It took a few days to get used to the dry heat of Morocco and the different atmosphere. It was strange to be a tourist and to see other tourists. I really wish I could speak Arabic, as that would have made the experience more fulfilling I think. At least in Guinea I've learned a few Arabic greetings and sayings that were mildly useful.

It was not as easy to strike up a conversation with Moroccans as it is with Guineans ( I think Guineans take the cake as the most easy going/approachable people on the planet). The Moroccan women seem to have a very different place in their culture than do men, and it was almost impossible to talk with them. And chatting up Moroccan men (as a woman) probably isn't seen as super kosher in their culture either. However, I did get to talking to a few Moroccans here and there to learn about what life is like there. I wanted to talk with people to learn about what everyday life is like - and I realized that my vacation in Morocco would have been very different had I not currently been a Peace Corps Volunteer. Speaking of which, two Moroccans I met, after chatting for a few minutes, asked me if I was a Peace Corps Volunteer, without me saying anything (!). I'm not sure what tipped them off, but something about Americans who can speak French who live in Africa and don't have electricity seemed to be all the information gathered to make that conclusion. One of them was a ceramics vendor who had learned his English from a Peace Corps volunteer back in the day and another one was a guy working in a restaurant who had lived near some volunteers in his village. I honestly can't say how proud I felt when these guys and other Moroccans knew about Peace Corps or had been influenced or taught by a Peace Corps Volunteer. Big up to Peace Corps Morocco!

When it was time to leave Morocco I'll admit I was a little sad to leave the running water and electricity behind. We arrived in Conakry in the middle of the night and my mom's flight back to the U.S. wasn't until later that day. We bummed around Conakry for awhile and then went back to the airport. I had to say goodbye to my mom at the outside gate because you're not allowed in if you don't have a flight. So, I gave my mom a huge hug goodbye and as she walked away the tears started welling up. Not even 5 seconds later a Guinean women standing across from me ordered me to come over to her. I walked over and she warmly took my hand and told me not to cry. She asked who I had just said goodbye to. I told her it was my mother whom I wouldn't see for another year. At this, she too started to cry and empathize, Ey Allah, ey Allah. She gave me a hug and continued to hold my hand. She asked all about me and what I was doing in Guinea and we continued to talk through our tears for a few minutes and then, after wishing me luck and du courage,  we parted ways. And then I remembered that this is why I love Guinea and that I wouldn't sacrifice the sincerity and gentleness of the Guinean people for any of those luxuries.

Yup, I could settle for this...and then my taxi got a flat tire on the way out of the airport.

Gotta love Guinea.

Here's a few pics from the trip:

Maman and me at the beach in Essaouira

Gettin' some lunch...at a restaurant!!! Oh the luxury

Valley in the high Atlas Mountains (not a good trip for people who get carsick...)

Waterfall in the Ourika Valley

Ait-Ben-Haddou

Berber nomads getting ready to trek into the Sahara

One of our Berber guides

Camel (Dromedary to be exact) trekking into the Saharan dunes