Wafa Faith Hallam: Day 1 - June 11, 2012

Avenue Mohamed V - Rabat, Morocco

Weeks before our departure from Sag Harbor, James could hardly contain his excitement at the thought of a long vacation in Morocco. This was his first trip to a foreign country other than Canada or Mexico. He laughed off his family's concerns about going to such a distant place, a Muslim, Arab land, with who knows what kind of dangers and diseases lurking everywhere. He was an American after all…Don't they hate Americans in those countries?

He could only think of the exotic land awaiting him, the kindred spirit of his inhabitants, the birthplace of the woman he loved... Morocco! He remembered well the large cargo ships crossing the ocean with that word painted across their sides. The word alone sang in his head, he had no doubt he’ll be taken by the magic of its culture and history.

The only thing that worried him was the long flight to get there. What a relief to find that was really not a big deal either.

“It felt like a couple of hours!” he told Emma, his teenage daughter.

Arriving in the early morning the next day after a seven hour overnight flight, we were met by my sister and her driver at the airport. On the way home to Rabat, under a gray sky, the first impression was none too enchanting. What’s with the many unsightly shanty towns and hideous low-income housing along the highway, the garbage scattered by the wind everywhere, the cows and goats and stray dogs here and there…

Rabat

“T.I.A. “ chanted my sister, “This Is Africa, my friend,” she said quoting Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamonds. “Or rather, T.I.M., This is Morocco, as Sophia wrote during her last visit to Morocco in the summer of 2010.”

“Remember, Morocco is a third-world country.” I felt compelled to say.

“Developing,” my sister corrected me laughing.

“Developing for fifty years,” I added. “Still, Morocco is a land of contrasts and harmony, of glorious history and present disarray, of abundance and poverty. Be prepared to witness the centuries-old and the new, the modern and the traditional. Expect the unexpected! If you can help it, do not judge or condemn, just enjoy and be present. You’ll have the time of your life! I promise you.”