...but then I wimped out.
Today I...had an amazing day in Hong Kong. Sort of a surreal day. It is always a bit strange to find yourself on the other side of the world when you live on a schedule that is at best loosely planned 2 to 4 months in advance but never firmly planned until within 2 weeks.
But I was asked to be in Singapore a couple of weeks earlier than the plan ("subject to change without notice" as always) and figured if I absolutely must go through Hong Kong to get there I should really get off the plane and check it out. Have I mentioned that I love my job?
So, in addition to the usual schtick - Harbour Promenade, Star Ferry, Victoria Peak, Symphony of Lights - I decided to go to Mongkok to the Ladies Market on Tung Choi Street. Now, I know that all sounds really exotic but in actuality it was a mere 3 subway stops away from the harbour. The Ladies Market is to Hong Kong what Khan el Khalili is to Cairo and Karama is to Dubai.
It is absolutely packed with thousands and thousands of people. It smells like a cross between incense, rancid tempura, a hypnotic blend of 402 knock off fragrances, and something...unidentifiable. The latter, I later discovered, is the oh so alluring aroma of "tentacles on a stick". Yum. What a tasty snack!
So, I suppose the tentacles on a stick (tentacle kabobs?) are to street meat in HK what the paper cones of pidgeon in a bucket are to street meat in Cairo. Deeeeee-lish!
And I have to say that, while I am really not a big fan of crowds, I love the energy and just full on crazy of these markets! However, the constant barrage of "Missy, missy - you want handbag / wallet / watchy?" was only slightly less aggressive than the Arabic version of "Lady, lady - handbag / wallet". But both were better than the in your face "Ma'am, Ma'am, MA'AM!!! HANDBAG!!!" of the hawkers in Karama in Dubai. How is it that anyone out there is actually buying the real thing? Coach, Gucci, Louis Vuitton...I could start a side business if it weren't for the fact that I am constantly riding the airline weight limits within 2.8 pounds!
I am sure that last paragraph doesn't read as well as it would play if you could actually hear the accents.
And, speaking of which, Erin you and I thought it was beyond hilarious listening to the locals in Houston order Starbucks??? I will work on perfecting "Grande-nonfat-no foam - extra hot - sugar free - vanilla latte" with an Asian accent. I nearly spewed coffee out my nose when the Barrista barked it back at the top of his lungs. It would have made sense to hear it in Mandarin. In English it just seemed so completely out of place. But somehow as much as it was funny I sort of hate Starbucks for taking over the world...and at the same time I love them passionately for being a familiar sight in a very unfamiliar place.
Today I...am reminded that I am the foreigner and I am ever so lucky that the one language I speak has so far been universal in my travels.
Saturday, 3 November 2007
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Today I...may be giving you just a little too much information
So...here is what I love about this blog...people actually care about the fact that I am writing. It sort of blows my mind a little. And so I feel very bad that I had super dodgy internet access in Cairo and couldn't do my usual schtick of crawling into bed at night and waxing either philosophical or hysterically funny depending on my mood.
To make up for lost time I thought I would point form my Egypt experience for you - photos posted on SmugMug for those more inclined to view than to read.
To make up for lost time I thought I would point form my Egypt experience for you - photos posted on SmugMug for those more inclined to view than to read.
- The weather was perfect, gorgeous, clear and sunny and hot and fabulous and consistent. Amazing. Coming from Calgary weather so reliable is almost a miracle.
- The existing hotel - attached to the new hotel I was there to open - was not exactly the kind of property I have become accustomed to staying in. I am spoiled. We have established this. I was mentally prepared. But that didn't matter. I struggled with the hotel to be sure.
- On the morning of my sixth day I was walking down the corridor to the elevator...in my fabulous suit, and my fabulous pumps, with my fabulous swiss army office on wheels...and I had a revelation. "I'm over it. I'm over it. I can deal." When I shared this with my transition / resource team later in the day they collapsed in laughter....even though I had kept all my angst and discomfort to myself they were wondering how long it would take me to accept reality and move on.
- The Cairo "Black and White" Taxi is a cultural experience not to be missed. I will never ever in my life complain about traffic in North America again. There is a wild and innovative and nearly spiritual governance to traffic in Cairo. They make two lanes into four, and four lanes into eight. They communicate eloquently with their horns. And Allah forbid you do not know the unnofficial "rules of the road". For us very white, very homogenous, very North American folk it goes like this: Haggle over price. Agree on what is fair. Get in. Hold on. Trust.
- "If it ain't rubbin' it ain't racin' '" - I believe it was Days of Thunder or some such inane western movie about racing that we all got excited about. Well....that happens every day in a city in Northern Africa that is far more Middle East than African....unless there is a loud thundering CRASH or somebody bleeding, it is just the course of day to day traffic. "If it ain't rubbin' it ain't drivin' "
- Shisha...its herbs. Maybe tobacco. Whatever it is, it smells amazing. It tastes amazing. It is social and connecting. It makes you feel mellow. It melts the entire day away as if it was a mirage.
- The Plague. Let me just hide this little bit of information amoung so many other tidbits, facts, and random thoughts. I got bug bites. My body reacted violently against them. Instead of searching my mini pharmacy (ever present in my luggage) for benadryl I decided to "ride it out". Bad idea. They were persistent and itchy and so frustrating...and then I went to Khan el Khalili....
- Khan el Khalili...you really have to hear me say it, in my best possible Arabic. It is throaty and...well....sort of like hawking a loogie...but this market represented to me a snapshot of life in Cairo that was so real and so cool and yet - so very very very dodgy.
- Khan el Khalili is a market place - a souk - where I thought there would be lots of tourists but I was the only caucasian female. In spite of my three "Infidel Habibis" and one "Arabic Habibi" I got a LOT of attention...and a nasty, scary, third world infection (that I am happy to report succumed to some amoxycillin after 8 days home in North America)
- It is eye opening to be white, and blue eyed, and blonde in such a place....everyone wanted to touch me - know my name - be beside me....I will be forever grateful to my Moroccan Habibi, Fahd, who gave a few Egytpian pounds to the sweet little girls who wanted to hold my hand and in the process broke my heart
- And in addition to a wide open and sad heart I brought home Egyptian treasures from Khan el Khalili...and I brought home the plague. Infection in my right toes and left ankle so bad I worried if anyone laid eyes on it they would not let me fly home....something about that bloke who flew with tuburculosis came to mind. And I selfishly flew home anyway.
- And I was greeted by my friend Greg - and he represented my darling, sweet, dear circle of friends...and he represented HOME...and I don't know if I have ever had a deeper, sweeter sleep in my life than I did that night.
- And now, having had my soul and my body fed...I can't wait to go again.
I love this life I have been granted. I can't wait to see what my passport looks like by January.
Today I...am overwhelmed with the possibility and so grateful for all that keeps me grounded and connected to my home.
Thursday, 4 October 2007
Today I...am shaking the sand out of my knickers...
...and recovering from the mashed potato smack down at Greg & Diana's on the weekend!
I cannot tell you how I was craving some good Alberta farm style cookin'! Clearly not something I am capable of myself so, per usual, I relied on the hospitality and skills of my dear friends and their dear friends and ended up with a heaping plate of Turkey (delicious, perfect, yummy Turkey) and no less than four varieties of mashed potatoes smothered in gravy on my plate and in my very very grateful belly!
I imagine the fact that I needed a four hour nap the following day was more to do with carb overload and sugar shock than an 8 time zones = 8 days of recovery formula.
But, as much as I nearly cried with the joy of getting into my beautiful, soft, delightful bed when I got to return home unexpectedly (two weeks early from Cairo and four weeks early from my original plan)...And as much as I have felt so deeply grateful to hug and kiss my dear friends and look in their eyes and really just see them...I miss the field. I miss the amazing new people I have had the privledge to walk a dry desert road with. I miss the hilarity and adrenalin of a taxi ride in Cairo. I miss the daily wrap up where you can see the accomplishment and pride everyone brings to the table after the longest of long days. I even miss the hazing...well, maybe I don't really miss the hazing. It was painful. But I miss being tested and found to be stronger than perhaps those who sought to call my skills into question thought I would be.
And I miss my new friends as much as I miss my dear, true, lifelong friends when I am away.
So the wonderful thing about that is it tells me - yet again (because I have had so many affirmations) - that I am in the place that is absolutely right for me.
And Today I...am thankful! I feel so rejuvenated by being home and feeling so loved by so many. Today I...am aware that I have a rich life.
Shout out to Joel (who is, and always will be, the wind beneath my wings) for the inspiration for today's blog title.Sunday, 16 September 2007
Today I...am wondering if I should actually be telling you this...
...but I have to because it would just be crazy not to.
The other day I was working away in the Sales office and I happened to glance out the window (yes, they have windows in the office...but if you are reading this and you happen to work in a hotel sales office somewhere else and be jealous of said windows, don't be. The windows definitely do not make up for the rest of the grey environment, the smoke smell, the lack of good equipment, and general disarray I assure you). Walking past the window was a man dressed in dirty grey pants, a dirty striped button down shirt, and scuffed and torn shoes. He had something in his hand.
I took a closer look and said to my colleague from Cairo, "Oh my god, that guy has a gun". She glanced up and nonchelantly said "Meh...he's probably a plain clothes officer". I said "Really? He doesn't really look like one". To which she replied "Well...maybe not in Canada or London (where she is originally from)...but he could definitely be one here".
Alrighty then.
I've gotten used to having to go through metal detectors everywhere I go. Coming into the hotel. The shopping mall. Office towers. And I've gotten used to the 5 or 6 armed guards I see around the hotel every day and the uniformed lads with their machine guns and bomb sniffing dogs at every security check point approaching every hotel I have visited during my competitive set tours. I've even gotten used to the fact that the hotel that I am here to open lists "bullet proof glass" as one of its unique selling features and boasts about it in their local press releases.
But let me tell you what is a bit more difficult to get used to.
The other night during our 6 PM daily wrap up meeting the General Manager of the hotel did his usual "these are the priorities I see for the coming days and I thank you all again for being here" schtick and then he said:
"You are going to think that I am not serious when I say this, but I assure you that I am very serious. Tonight we have staying in our hotel the leaders and senior members of both Fatah and Hamas. They have been invited here by the Egyptian President for meetings. You will definitely see increased security presence around the hotel. I am going to advise you that before you go to bed you should lay out some clothes and your running shoes and ensure your passport is near by. If you hear commotion or an alarm goes off during the night, get dressed, grab your passport, leave the hotel through the back emergency exits and meet on Corniche el Nil, the street that runs behind the hotel."
That brings a whole new meaning to our inside joke about "evacuation outfits" hey Dr. Bonnie? And, to all my peeps at the Sheraton Suites, we've always thought we had the most interesting groups stay with us? I have to say, I never thought I would say that I stayed at the same hotel as not only the ruling violent and extreme political party in Palestine, but that their marginally more sane and peaceful opposition party was there at the same time.
Strangely enough I slept very peacefully that night.
The other day I was working away in the Sales office and I happened to glance out the window (yes, they have windows in the office...but if you are reading this and you happen to work in a hotel sales office somewhere else and be jealous of said windows, don't be. The windows definitely do not make up for the rest of the grey environment, the smoke smell, the lack of good equipment, and general disarray I assure you). Walking past the window was a man dressed in dirty grey pants, a dirty striped button down shirt, and scuffed and torn shoes. He had something in his hand.
I took a closer look and said to my colleague from Cairo, "Oh my god, that guy has a gun". She glanced up and nonchelantly said "Meh...he's probably a plain clothes officer". I said "Really? He doesn't really look like one". To which she replied "Well...maybe not in Canada or London (where she is originally from)...but he could definitely be one here".
Alrighty then.
I've gotten used to having to go through metal detectors everywhere I go. Coming into the hotel. The shopping mall. Office towers. And I've gotten used to the 5 or 6 armed guards I see around the hotel every day and the uniformed lads with their machine guns and bomb sniffing dogs at every security check point approaching every hotel I have visited during my competitive set tours. I've even gotten used to the fact that the hotel that I am here to open lists "bullet proof glass" as one of its unique selling features and boasts about it in their local press releases.
But let me tell you what is a bit more difficult to get used to.
The other night during our 6 PM daily wrap up meeting the General Manager of the hotel did his usual "these are the priorities I see for the coming days and I thank you all again for being here" schtick and then he said:
"You are going to think that I am not serious when I say this, but I assure you that I am very serious. Tonight we have staying in our hotel the leaders and senior members of both Fatah and Hamas. They have been invited here by the Egyptian President for meetings. You will definitely see increased security presence around the hotel. I am going to advise you that before you go to bed you should lay out some clothes and your running shoes and ensure your passport is near by. If you hear commotion or an alarm goes off during the night, get dressed, grab your passport, leave the hotel through the back emergency exits and meet on Corniche el Nil, the street that runs behind the hotel."
That brings a whole new meaning to our inside joke about "evacuation outfits" hey Dr. Bonnie? And, to all my peeps at the Sheraton Suites, we've always thought we had the most interesting groups stay with us? I have to say, I never thought I would say that I stayed at the same hotel as not only the ruling violent and extreme political party in Palestine, but that their marginally more sane and peaceful opposition party was there at the same time.
Strangely enough I slept very peacefully that night.
Today I...wish you all Ramadan Kareem
To which you are meant to reply "Allah akrem"
Which, loosely translated into English means "Teri is getting just a touch grumpy and cannot concentrate because she has been essentially fasting for Ramadan for the past four days and has not had more than a few pieces of fruit between sunrise and sunset and has not had her morning latte since Wednesday!"
So, even though I am clearly not of the Muslim faith, I have been trying to show respect to all of my Muslim colleagues here in Cairo by not eating or drinking in front of them. And perhaps there is something to this Ramadan thing because it has definitely made me think about self-indulgence, what I really need as opposed to what I want, and again about the mystery of why one is born when and where they are as opposed to in a different time and place. My sister sent me this quote the other day and I love it. It completely reflects what I have been contemplating seeing the life of women in the middle east and the poverty that so many people live in here.
"The woeful fright in the coal-smutted face made her suddenly so sorry that she could scarcely bear it. One of her queer thoughts rushed into her mind. She put her hand against Becky's cheek.'Why,' Sara said, 'we are just the same ~ I am only a little girl like you. It's just an accident that I am not you, and you are not me!'"~ A Little Princess, F.H. Burnett ~
So...I shall continue to do my best not to offend but I think I am over the lack of a morning latte already. I just finished my 8th day of work in a row with no opportunity to go out and explore the amazing city I am in. So I figure it is worth a latte to ensure my sanity until I can get some pool and pyramid time hooked up.
Oh...and for those who are curious...Ramadan Kareem means "Ramadan is generous to all" - and it truly is. It is like Christmas for a month. People may be fasting all day but they get to leave work at 3 PM and promptly crash hard when they get home because once the sun goes down it is just one giant feast and a party. The response Allah Akrem means "Allah's generosity is even greater." That one I am not so sure about. He seems like a pretty exacting and unforgiving dude but perhaps my friends here will educate me and I'll come to see him in a different way.
Which, loosely translated into English means "Teri is getting just a touch grumpy and cannot concentrate because she has been essentially fasting for Ramadan for the past four days and has not had more than a few pieces of fruit between sunrise and sunset and has not had her morning latte since Wednesday!"
So, even though I am clearly not of the Muslim faith, I have been trying to show respect to all of my Muslim colleagues here in Cairo by not eating or drinking in front of them. And perhaps there is something to this Ramadan thing because it has definitely made me think about self-indulgence, what I really need as opposed to what I want, and again about the mystery of why one is born when and where they are as opposed to in a different time and place. My sister sent me this quote the other day and I love it. It completely reflects what I have been contemplating seeing the life of women in the middle east and the poverty that so many people live in here.
"The woeful fright in the coal-smutted face made her suddenly so sorry that she could scarcely bear it. One of her queer thoughts rushed into her mind. She put her hand against Becky's cheek.'Why,' Sara said, 'we are just the same ~ I am only a little girl like you. It's just an accident that I am not you, and you are not me!'"~ A Little Princess, F.H. Burnett ~
So...I shall continue to do my best not to offend but I think I am over the lack of a morning latte already. I just finished my 8th day of work in a row with no opportunity to go out and explore the amazing city I am in. So I figure it is worth a latte to ensure my sanity until I can get some pool and pyramid time hooked up.
Oh...and for those who are curious...Ramadan Kareem means "Ramadan is generous to all" - and it truly is. It is like Christmas for a month. People may be fasting all day but they get to leave work at 3 PM and promptly crash hard when they get home because once the sun goes down it is just one giant feast and a party. The response Allah Akrem means "Allah's generosity is even greater." That one I am not so sure about. He seems like a pretty exacting and unforgiving dude but perhaps my friends here will educate me and I'll come to see him in a different way.
Wednesday, 5 September 2007
Today I...had Shish Taouk for dinner...
...so its a good thing I'm not kissing anyone good night because I think I ate a few cloves of garlic!
I don't have a lot to say today other than the fact that I wanted to add some commentary to the photos I posted on Smugmug. Yesterday I got to go for a tour of the Burj Al Arab. For hotel geeks like me that is a big freakin' deal!
This hotel has a PR machine behind it and has really been the first thing to position Dubai as a destination in the minds of most people. They even created a new rating for themselves - they call themselves a 7 Star hotel. Presumably because no other hotel could possibly come close to that level. It is an amazing sail shaped building that sits out on the Indian Ocean just slightly off shore. The building is phenomenal...
...the interior design on the other hand is completely garish and over the top. It is this crazy Arabian - Asian fusion. A mad mish mash of every possible design principle you can imagine.
It needs to be over the top to live up to expectation, but this is just whack. Unfortunately they didn't let me take a lot of pictures in the suite we saw but I did get some great photos of the city (and the haze) from there.
Very cool experience. Very happy to have had that view of Dubai before I move from this desert to another one.
Also, throwing back to a previous post...my nephew made the most astute comment about my Call to Prayer post. I was baffled by how the people who live in these barren unforgiving lands with just killing climates choose to subscribe to a harsh religion. My lovely 12 year old lad said, "But if the land is harsh and the climate is harsh then wouldn't the people assume that God is also harsh?" Not all good looks with that kid I say! I thought that was a pretty insightful observation.
Today I...am not sad my time in Dubai is nearing an end for this trip.
I don't have a lot to say today other than the fact that I wanted to add some commentary to the photos I posted on Smugmug. Yesterday I got to go for a tour of the Burj Al Arab. For hotel geeks like me that is a big freakin' deal!
This hotel has a PR machine behind it and has really been the first thing to position Dubai as a destination in the minds of most people. They even created a new rating for themselves - they call themselves a 7 Star hotel. Presumably because no other hotel could possibly come close to that level. It is an amazing sail shaped building that sits out on the Indian Ocean just slightly off shore. The building is phenomenal...
...the interior design on the other hand is completely garish and over the top. It is this crazy Arabian - Asian fusion. A mad mish mash of every possible design principle you can imagine.
It needs to be over the top to live up to expectation, but this is just whack. Unfortunately they didn't let me take a lot of pictures in the suite we saw but I did get some great photos of the city (and the haze) from there.
Very cool experience. Very happy to have had that view of Dubai before I move from this desert to another one.
Also, throwing back to a previous post...my nephew made the most astute comment about my Call to Prayer post. I was baffled by how the people who live in these barren unforgiving lands with just killing climates choose to subscribe to a harsh religion. My lovely 12 year old lad said, "But if the land is harsh and the climate is harsh then wouldn't the people assume that God is also harsh?" Not all good looks with that kid I say! I thought that was a pretty insightful observation.
Today I...am not sad my time in Dubai is nearing an end for this trip.
Saturday, 1 September 2007
Today I...bought knock off Chanel shades in Karama
I also drank about three litres of water and didn't need to use the lou even once.
It was 43 degrees, but with the humidity felt like about 48 (Hayley, that is like the "windshield" factor, only different). I am definitely getting accustomed to the all over body glow. All I have to say is thank goodness for hotel laundry services!
In the past 24 hours I have experienced two very different sides of Dubai.
Last night I went for drinks and dinner at Madinat Jumeirah - an area that houses two resort hotels, many restaurants, night clubs, wine bars, and Sheesha bars as well as a recently built Souk. But it is definitely the sterilized, air conditioned, westernized version of a souk. The architechture is beautiful and evocative of arabian desert structures, but lets face it, it is at most 5 years old. A lot of expats and young arabs hang out in the restaurants and bars here.
Got a wonderful view of the Burj al Arab - the famous sail shaped hotel that put Dubai on the map as a tourist destination. And actually got to have cocktails sitting outdoors. It had cooled down to about 35 degrees, so the locals thought it was fabulous patio weather. So much for the desert being cold at night!
Then today one of the girls from the Fairmont Dubai took me out driving to see the city. Unfortunately it was so humid that it was incredibly hazy and the lense on my camera kept fogging up and it was just too too hot to stand outside or walk around to take photos so I did not get nearly as many pictures as I had hoped. The buildings here are amazing. And the pace of construction is staggering. On average they complete three floors per week on the big sky scrapers here. They have masses and masses of cheap labour from India and Pakistan and who knows what the building codes are like. Certainly there is little regard for health and safety standards and all workers are on a 6 day work week putting in 12 hours each day. It sure is dramatic to see these buildings rising out of the desert. But I am not sure I'd want to be living on the 37th floor - or working on the 172nd floor of the Burj Dubai when it is complete. Soon to be the tallest building in the world, this monster is going to be a full 200 m taller than Tapei 101.
We also went to a souk in Karama. Where we haggled with a vendor for Pashminas and my fancy new shades. He wanted to charge me 45 Dirhams for one particular pashmina because he could tell I really liked it. In the end I walked away and he ended up coming back with the price we wanted. And then when I got back to the room I did the math...I was arguing over paying him the equivalent of $12 USD for something that usually costs around $80 - $200 USD. Crazy.
But I was so hot and grumpy by that point I actually managed to pull of a pretty good "you're not taking me for a ride because I'm a foreigner" negotiation.
This evening after dinner of Hummus, Fatoush, Sambousek, and Kebbeh in Deira, thinking about the total diquotomy between the very rich here and those who work so hard under inhumane conditions for almost nothing, I paid it forward by tipping a security guard 10 Dirhams for letting us park where we were not supposed to. I asked my friend how much he would make in a month. She said probably not more than 500 Dirhams. Such a tiny amount for me. I can't even comprehend it.
Today I...am tired from a long hot day in a far away land (and am hoping I can find good postcards since my camera lense was foggy most of the day)...am seeing clearly how privledged I am...am curious about what tomorrow holds.
It was 43 degrees, but with the humidity felt like about 48 (Hayley, that is like the "windshield" factor, only different). I am definitely getting accustomed to the all over body glow. All I have to say is thank goodness for hotel laundry services!
In the past 24 hours I have experienced two very different sides of Dubai.
Last night I went for drinks and dinner at Madinat Jumeirah - an area that houses two resort hotels, many restaurants, night clubs, wine bars, and Sheesha bars as well as a recently built Souk. But it is definitely the sterilized, air conditioned, westernized version of a souk. The architechture is beautiful and evocative of arabian desert structures, but lets face it, it is at most 5 years old. A lot of expats and young arabs hang out in the restaurants and bars here.
Got a wonderful view of the Burj al Arab - the famous sail shaped hotel that put Dubai on the map as a tourist destination. And actually got to have cocktails sitting outdoors. It had cooled down to about 35 degrees, so the locals thought it was fabulous patio weather. So much for the desert being cold at night!
Then today one of the girls from the Fairmont Dubai took me out driving to see the city. Unfortunately it was so humid that it was incredibly hazy and the lense on my camera kept fogging up and it was just too too hot to stand outside or walk around to take photos so I did not get nearly as many pictures as I had hoped. The buildings here are amazing. And the pace of construction is staggering. On average they complete three floors per week on the big sky scrapers here. They have masses and masses of cheap labour from India and Pakistan and who knows what the building codes are like. Certainly there is little regard for health and safety standards and all workers are on a 6 day work week putting in 12 hours each day. It sure is dramatic to see these buildings rising out of the desert. But I am not sure I'd want to be living on the 37th floor - or working on the 172nd floor of the Burj Dubai when it is complete. Soon to be the tallest building in the world, this monster is going to be a full 200 m taller than Tapei 101.
We also went to a souk in Karama. Where we haggled with a vendor for Pashminas and my fancy new shades. He wanted to charge me 45 Dirhams for one particular pashmina because he could tell I really liked it. In the end I walked away and he ended up coming back with the price we wanted. And then when I got back to the room I did the math...I was arguing over paying him the equivalent of $12 USD for something that usually costs around $80 - $200 USD. Crazy.
But I was so hot and grumpy by that point I actually managed to pull of a pretty good "you're not taking me for a ride because I'm a foreigner" negotiation.
This evening after dinner of Hummus, Fatoush, Sambousek, and Kebbeh in Deira, thinking about the total diquotomy between the very rich here and those who work so hard under inhumane conditions for almost nothing, I paid it forward by tipping a security guard 10 Dirhams for letting us park where we were not supposed to. I asked my friend how much he would make in a month. She said probably not more than 500 Dirhams. Such a tiny amount for me. I can't even comprehend it.
Today I...am tired from a long hot day in a far away land (and am hoping I can find good postcards since my camera lense was foggy most of the day)...am seeing clearly how privledged I am...am curious about what tomorrow holds.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)