La Plage

Hello faithful followers! I have returned from my vacation to the beach in Bouznika. The house was just a little ways off the beach, but had a wonderful openness to it because of the large french doors that let in plenty of light and when open allowed the ocean breeze to waft in.

The beach itself was very nice as well, and the weather was perfect, never a cloud in the sky and just enough breeze so that one wouldn't feel as if she was boiling alive as she read "Chasing Harry Winston" and listened to the waves crash. Yes, I felt as if I could be in Florida or Mexico. However, one thing that could not be denied was the diversity of dress in the patrons of the beach. One could look into the ocean and see a group of Moroccan women swimming, one in a bikini, one in a onepiece with her hair covered, one wearing capris and a short sleeve shirt with her head covered, and the last covered head to toe.

On Thursday, Anne and I decided to fast along with the family (when I say fast I mean that we didn't eat any food but we did drink water and I allowed myself a piece of gum in the morning since there was no water to brush teeth with). It was not quite as difficult as I would have imagined it to be. However, had I been in my own home with a fridge begging to be openned, the story may have been different. Regardless, after a day on the beach, I was extremely happy when the call to prayer came on over the television set. We settled down to breakfast, and I ate more than my fair share of dates, pastries, and soup. The family explained that Ramadan had ended in France and the United States and so they waited anxiously for the sky to darken. Moustafa went up to the roof to look for the moon. The rest of us settled in the living room to watch Zombieland in French (Mamoun's choice). Towards the end of the film, Majda came running into the living room, hugging and kissing everyone, yelling, "Tomorrow, we eat!" They had seen the moon, and Ramadan had officially ended!

We spent the remainder of the weekend well fed and happy. We swam in the ocean, I went for runs along the beach, and Moustafa and I took on Mamoun and one of Moustafa's other sons in a game of soccer (which we kicked butt, 3-1...and I scored all 3 goals for our team-thank you kurt!). They taught us pitonc (sp?) which is basically the French version of bocce ball, and one night we even had a dance party in the living room. I had been dubious about leaving the city since we'd been travelling around so much and I was in desperate need of doing laundry and sleep, but now, as I look out across Meknes from the living room of the city apartment, I realize how much I would have missed out on had I not just gone with the flow. No, not only a killer tan, but I also would have missed out on some invaluable bonding time with my host family. Thank goodness I'm too polite to speak my mind!