"I remember when I was in university I studied history, and there was this one major historian of the Third Reich, Ian Kershaw. And his quote was, 'The path to Auschwitz was paved with indifference.' I know it's not very funny being a comedian talking about the Holocaust, but I think it's an interesting idea that not everyone in Germany had to be a raving anti-Semite. They just had to be apathetic." (From the latest Rolling Stone interview with Sacha Baron Cohen).
(UPDATE: After reflection, I'd say the best movie about the Holocaust is the Italian comedy "Life is Beautiful.")
November 28, 2006
November 23, 2006
Ahh, I heard last week that my mother didn't win Kansas Teacher of the Year at a Saturday banquet. She's still honored as District 1 Elementary Teacher of the Year. Mom, I'm happy for you. The light of recognition doesn't always shine on the righteous, so I'm glad you've been rightly honored. I thought of you recently when reading a line from the poetry of Wislawa Szymborska, in which she says "you're small, but you fly with mighty wings." Happy Thanksgiving!
Above is a photo outside the preschool in my site. I enjoy how the photo captured the hug and eyes closed.
Reason #1 Toubkal National Park
I'll give you 10 reasons over the next couple weeks as to why you should visit me. And it's not because the weather is becoming bleak and I'm beginning to suffer from sensory deprivation. That's not the case; the weathers chilly, but nice and my site is green.
This is Toubkal Nat'l Park, located in the Atlas Mountains, which is in the South between Marrakech and Ouarazate. Thousands of Berbers live within its boundaries.
Photo courtesy of Nate St. Amand.
November 13, 2006
Visiting Me
For those who may visit me next year, here’s a itinerary that we might follow. Morocco has recently been brought into European air space, allowing travelers to find cheap budget flights from airlines like EasyJet or JetBlue. I heard one person found a round trip ticket from NY-Mellila for $500. That’s more likely a one way price.
*Mellila- Fly into this Spanish provence on the Mediterranean coast.
*My Site- Drop off 30 lbs of peanut butter, oatmeal, and ranch dressing, 40 books, and spend 3-4 days in my community.
*Taza- home to some of the largest caves in Africa
*Fes- a UNESCO world heritage site and the cultural capital.
*Sefrou- Jewish community
*Azrou/Ifrane- beautiful hiking and waterfalls
*Volubilis- ancient Roman ruins
*Rabat- the capital
*Tangiers- international city. Europe is visible across the Strait of Gibraltar.
*Chefchaouen -- a small, old city in the Rif Mountains.
*Essaouria- best beach city with white sand.
*Marrakech- most well known tourist destination; diverges all of Morocco’s cultures.
*Merzouga- one of the doors into the Sahara. Home to large sand dunes. Camel riding
*London/Madrid- If you take a return flight from either city, I hope you’ll let me bum along, paying for my hotel room and my $4 cup of coffee.
Most of the traveling can be done via train, which is nice and safe. Otherwise, there are nice buses available to all of these destinations. One of the attributes that I like about Graham is that he likes to travel but he doesn’t like to travel. While Josh could spend all day climbing rocks and camping in trees, Graham and I are in agreement about taking it a little easier. Hiking is nice when you can look forward to a hotel room at the end of the day. So if you want to visit and put me up in hotels with mints on the pillows for most of the trip, I won’t complain.
*Mellila- Fly into this Spanish provence on the Mediterranean coast.
*My Site- Drop off 30 lbs of peanut butter, oatmeal, and ranch dressing, 40 books, and spend 3-4 days in my community.
*Taza- home to some of the largest caves in Africa
*Fes- a UNESCO world heritage site and the cultural capital.
*Sefrou- Jewish community
*Azrou/Ifrane- beautiful hiking and waterfalls
*Volubilis- ancient Roman ruins
*Rabat- the capital
*Tangiers- international city. Europe is visible across the Strait of Gibraltar.
*Chefchaouen -- a small, old city in the Rif Mountains.
*Essaouria- best beach city with white sand.
*Marrakech- most well known tourist destination; diverges all of Morocco’s cultures.
*Merzouga- one of the doors into the Sahara. Home to large sand dunes. Camel riding
*London/Madrid- If you take a return flight from either city, I hope you’ll let me bum along, paying for my hotel room and my $4 cup of coffee.
Most of the traveling can be done via train, which is nice and safe. Otherwise, there are nice buses available to all of these destinations. One of the attributes that I like about Graham is that he likes to travel but he doesn’t like to travel. While Josh could spend all day climbing rocks and camping in trees, Graham and I are in agreement about taking it a little easier. Hiking is nice when you can look forward to a hotel room at the end of the day. So if you want to visit and put me up in hotels with mints on the pillows for most of the trip, I won’t complain.
Q and A: Safety
“Do you continue to make smart choices with your safety in mind?”
Yes, I think I’m safe. I’ll answer this in three parts- the role of my parent org Peace Corps, what I’ve done and do to protect myself and how I feel others decisions have affected me. I’ll veer off course too.
First, I play it smart when it comes to my safety, but even if I didn’t, PC Morocco has many safety policies via Washington lawyers to keep us in check. “Safety and security” is the slogan here, and the preferential treatment it receives I believe often overshadows the IGOs role as a development agency. I disagree with this, but can understand the reasoning.
I think the safety restrictions are overkill, but I’m also not responsible for the lives of other volunteers. There are a few countries, Morocco included, that I feel PC is in for diplomatic reasons first, development second. Jordan and China are two others. To clarify, Morocco is a 2nd world country, 3rd world in some areas. It has real needs, but I consider these infrastructure improvements, not like in some areas of sub-Saharan Africa. This diplomatic role pleases me and I think development and good will are synonymous.
In my site, I feel completely safe. I’m someone’s neighbor, friend, or brother and I know I now have people looking out for me, much less watching me with curiosity. I’m more afraid of mentally unstable dogs. In my market town of Jerada, I am fairly safe, although I’ve got some hard looks. It is a tough place, a burned out mining town. However, the best defense I’ve found is well timed eye contact and a smile. Beyond that, being male helps.
The biggest safety risk here is transportation. Thailand has tuk-tuks and Vietnam has riskshaws. New York has yellow taxis and London has black ones. Morocco has the white 1985 Mercedes Benz 240 SL, or “death on wheels.” It’s not the vehicle, but the drivers ambitions and a lack of law enforcement on the highways that make for a fast, reckless ride on the highway. Seven people die of automobile fatalities everyday in Morocco. My Grandpa Collins once said that when riding a motorcycle, you should sing “Near My God to Thee.” Maybe that applies to my taxi rides.
Finally, I want to reflect on how international politics effects on my life here. But I want more time with this and will return to the question later. I’ve been boning up on Arab and Islamic history as well as reading “idea” books on global politics that are applicable. I’d like to do as as W.B. Yeats said, "to hold in a single thought reality and justice."
Yes, I think I’m safe. I’ll answer this in three parts- the role of my parent org Peace Corps, what I’ve done and do to protect myself and how I feel others decisions have affected me. I’ll veer off course too.
First, I play it smart when it comes to my safety, but even if I didn’t, PC Morocco has many safety policies via Washington lawyers to keep us in check. “Safety and security” is the slogan here, and the preferential treatment it receives I believe often overshadows the IGOs role as a development agency. I disagree with this, but can understand the reasoning.
I think the safety restrictions are overkill, but I’m also not responsible for the lives of other volunteers. There are a few countries, Morocco included, that I feel PC is in for diplomatic reasons first, development second. Jordan and China are two others. To clarify, Morocco is a 2nd world country, 3rd world in some areas. It has real needs, but I consider these infrastructure improvements, not like in some areas of sub-Saharan Africa. This diplomatic role pleases me and I think development and good will are synonymous.
In my site, I feel completely safe. I’m someone’s neighbor, friend, or brother and I know I now have people looking out for me, much less watching me with curiosity. I’m more afraid of mentally unstable dogs. In my market town of Jerada, I am fairly safe, although I’ve got some hard looks. It is a tough place, a burned out mining town. However, the best defense I’ve found is well timed eye contact and a smile. Beyond that, being male helps.
The biggest safety risk here is transportation. Thailand has tuk-tuks and Vietnam has riskshaws. New York has yellow taxis and London has black ones. Morocco has the white 1985 Mercedes Benz 240 SL, or “death on wheels.” It’s not the vehicle, but the drivers ambitions and a lack of law enforcement on the highways that make for a fast, reckless ride on the highway. Seven people die of automobile fatalities everyday in Morocco. My Grandpa Collins once said that when riding a motorcycle, you should sing “Near My God to Thee.” Maybe that applies to my taxi rides.
Finally, I want to reflect on how international politics effects on my life here. But I want more time with this and will return to the question later. I’ve been boning up on Arab and Islamic history as well as reading “idea” books on global politics that are applicable. I’d like to do as as W.B. Yeats said, "to hold in a single thought reality and justice."
November 10, 2006
Hope Springs Eternal
For my two parents and my third reader, I apologize that I haven't written much in the last month. Stuffed from Ramadan and in a funk after an Ayn Rand novel, I have taken some time off to continue my english teaching, start up squash and chess with Graham, and shuffle back and forth to the Parks dept 40 km away. It's mid November, but I'm still swimming in the river at my site, which is currently flooded from heavy rains. It's as green now as it was in May. The temperature at midday is probably 70 F, with it dropping down to maybe 50 in the evenings. Anyways, I promise to post more next Tues.
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