Just the middle of the journey

Tonight we leave for America. Unlike in Casablanca, our exit visas have already been obtained and are safe in our passports. Even though we will soon be in another country, the work has only begun. Gathering data is one thing, and processing it is quite another. Nevertheless, this is an ending of sorts, and this morning I took my last walk along the plagette (corniche/boardwalk). I have my modest little "no elbows, no knees" suit in which I join all the other walkers on the plagette at 6:00am. There are quite a lot of people out walking in the early morning, some in "sport hijab" and others less covered up. There is a quite the determined elderly person who is quite round, who huffs and puffs along like a little steam engine in her billowing abaya and burka. Her tenacity is astonishing. There are also twenty somethings how walk or jog along in hijab with a baseball cap on top. Teams of young men run by in tanks and board shorts. I assume they are training for the "peal diving competition" that is coming up soon. One morning I was marching along and I saw six women sitting out on the rocks in the early morning, just chatting away. The walking seems to have gotten in the way of a good chat.


Although it is a source of consternation and dismay in many quarters, I rather enjoyed the stray kitties. On the surface they are quite cute, although I know they life a hard short life. I will go back and pat my no-where-near-as-tough kitty and love these strays through her.


This is such a lovely walk, and there is such good company. I feel like I'm part of some kind of exercise group as we all walk back and forth along the beautiful intersection of earth, sea, and sky.