The Lone Cab Driver

Today I got to play in the big room and I had SO much fun. I saw so many familiar faces, Yasir and Ina (whose name is actually Lina) and many other cheery kids. Again Yasir insisted on painting my hand. I met many other new kids and struggled with my Arabic. And I thought I was doing so well...turns out my pronunciation isn't quite right. I'll get there...

I met an 11 year old girl today named Hajar who was so sweet and loved my attention. Every time she needed me she said "Madam!" and tapped my shoulder. She made me feel old! The 16-year-old Mohammed who I met yesterday saw me from a window above the play center and called down to me to say hello. These children do so much for me and I doubt they realize it. Every single one of them reminds me of the importance of the acceptance of others regardless of our differences and how contagious happiness is. If ever I'm unsure of my impact on these beautiful little children, seeing their smiling faces and feeling their hugs remind me that at the very least, I'm making this one day better.

I finished Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert today and it has been such an appropriate book for this trip. Apart from being an incredible writer with such a great voice, Gilbert has reminded me of the importance of self-love and self-acceptance. By having these things she says she has been able to live a happier life. By being at peace with one's self you have better connection to both your "self-spirit" and the Holy Spirit. Truly an enlightening book. To all those who haven't, read it...the movie comes out in August!

After lunch today (we had sandwiches!) we had a cooking lesson. We learned to cook something that starts with a t....basically vegetables cooked in oil with spices and garlic. However, first we made a chicken version of this with onion, lemon, garlic, cumin, ginger, pepper, etc. Khedija, our cooking instructor, explained that she picks the chicken out at a market where they then kill it and skin it, etc. This is where I get slightly pathetic and definitely embarrassed. Upon hearing this I began to cry. I don't know why...I mean I'll admit that I cry easily but if thoroughly disgusted me and mortified me that this chicken, whose ribs I was staring at by the way, was running around and then they snatched it and decapitated it. I mean, really? And all of you laughing at me right now, thanks for the moral support.

Following this traumatic incident, I stayed for the vegetarian version of this dish which I mentioned before, and then left to go to the National Library to see a calligraphy exhibition that I saw a brochure for. No one else was interested so I took my first solo expedition into Rabat. I did much better than I thought I would. I got a taxi, walked into the Library like I knew what I was doing, saw some beautiful, OLD calligraphy (many were pages of the Koran) and then hailed a taxi back.

Now this cab driver was by far the best one I have had yet. I have realized that unlike in the States, people usually sit in the front with the cab driver, even if there's no one else in the car. So I hopped in the front, and guess what...there was a seat belt! I excitedly buckled up and off we went. Now, a fellow volunteer explained the other day that the cab drivers take offense when you put on your seat belt. He had a driver that even proceeded to unbuckle him and say something like "No problem, no problem!" So after I got over my glee of being able to wear a seatbelt, I thought "Oh no, have I offended him..." He said nothing and drove me safely to the acima (the market where I bought some chocolate, of course). Seriously the best driver yet. He stayed in the lane lines, he didn't drive into oncoming traffic, he he stayed more than 4 inches away from the surrounding cars, etc. It was spectacular...maybe he did this because I put on my seatbelt and did in fact take offense, but rather than unbuckling me he just took me on the best cab ride in the history of Rabat. The world will never know...