Travel Preparations

Seriously, I have to have a sense of humor about all of this. Not that I think anything about the travel ban is funny; I think it's disgusting, and today I received emails from both of the colleges where I teach, advising us about how it could affect our students -- many of whom come from the named countries, some of whom are members of our military -- and suggesting that we not travel outside the U.S. anytime soon. I am NOT cancelling my trip! In case you didn't know (and I didn't until I decided to travel there) Morocco is a predominantly-Muslim country. I don't think the citizens are particularly political, and I'm hoping all of this doesn't press their hand. I want to go -- but I also want to come home. Maybe I've said some of this before.

Since I've never traveled out of North America, I've been educating myself on international travel in general and Morocco in particular. Some of the advice I've encountered is amusing, but that doesn't mean I disbelieve it. For example, it's especially important (according to several sources I've read) that women with red or blond hair cover their heads with scarves. I hadn't thought about it, but I guess most people there have dark hair, so certainly blond or red would stand out. Another thing I read was that a woman traveling alone should "act married", going so far as to carry a picture of her husband. I'm having fun with this part. The only relatively recent picture I have of myself with a man (other than one of my sons) is with my friend who died a few years ago. It's a nice picture; we were enjoying a beautiful day in Tarpon Springs and the marina is in the background. Because this was the first picture of "a husband" I thought of, and it was saved to my desktop, I sent it to Walgreens Photo to have a wallet-size copy made. You may find this morbid, but I love it. My friend would love it too. He was quite the world traveller, and now I get to kind of take him to Morocco with me. I'm also going to wear my mother's wedding ring. Maybe all of this is over-dramatic, but I'd rather play along than have my throat slit or end up in Moroccan prison.

I'm leaving two weeks from today! There is so much to do: watch Casablanca again and any episode of any show I can find that takes place in Fez or Marrakesh. I have to go through my closet and find loose-fitting clothes, not an easy feat since I've put on weight. I did get an amazing pair of walking shoes today that will be great for when I'm teaching too. I don't plan to buy a whole new wardrobe, and being in three different cities I can re-wear any good outfits I put together. I drew up a schedule for myself, week by week for the next month and a half, but I didn't do anything I'd put on for today. On the plus side, I wrote the tasks in pencil so it won't be a problem to move them around.