I was sad to be leaving
We left the station and, batting off the many offers of taxis, found the bus stop and waited for the number 2 bus that would take us into the city centre. We had a very cheap hotel in mind, and found it easily. After a quick lunch, we set off to walk to the Grand Mosque. It was further than we thought and we ended up having to run part of the way to make it in time for the only afternoon tour at two p.m. The mosque will be closed to the public tomorrow because it is Friday; the special day when most people attend for prayers. We arrived puffing and panting, just as the tour marched in, but we had not yet bought our tickets. A kind attendant took our money and rushed down the stairs to buy our tickets for us so that we would not miss out. He also bought us one concession ticket, which was a bonus, since the entry price for one person is more than our hotel for both of us for the night.
We all placed our shoes in plastic bags and then we joined the English speaking guide, who was accompanied by a Polish woman translating his words for her tour group. We learnt so many facts about the mosque; that there were 77 architects and engineers, and also the same number of columns to commemorate them. The mosque covers 9 ½ hectares, was built over the sea, caters for 25000 worshippers inside and another
We stood under the minaret, looking up at the ceiling and imagining the weight of the
The Grand Mosque was financed by the people, with a tax being imposed on everyone and some making voluntary contributions. Some Moroccans in El Kelaar des Mgouna told us that the Grand Mosque is referred to as the Mosque of the Poor, since it was built at the expense of the welfare of poor people. They commented that Hassan II said in an interview on television that he made an economic misjudgement with the way it had been financed. Our guidebook says that US$750,000,000 was raised, which temporarily reduced
During the tour, I had met a woman, Debra, who I was talking to at the end. She lives in
We spent the last of the daylight walking in the
Our last stop for the day was in one of the very few craft shops we have seen in which the items have price tags. We chose a couple of little things, and it was so different to have no-one asking us what we would offer, or suggesting an over inflated price.
We decided to have our last dinner out, and settled into the very cheap restaurant attached to our hotel. The TV showed terrible scenes of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip, and all the interviews were on that topic, even though we could not understand them. We discussed how the State of Israel had been set up, and what were options for ending hostilities, and how common ground, or even acceptance of each other’s right to exist and have a peaceful home could ever be found. It was a very depressing topic, and the vision of two little boys, floppy in death from wounds to their chests, was burned into my brain.
Keith changed the topic to our year – to whether it had met our expectations. It was hard to change mental gear for me, but when we both looked at how things had turned out, we were both happy with how it had gone. The long ago tossed out goals had all been met, with lots of extra unexpected bonuses along the way. Wanting to meet people had been well and truly accomplished, but we had not expected to make friendships which will continue to develop. We learnt about cultures and ancient history, and about modern history and issues as well. I hadn’t become fluent in French but we could both use it for communicating so that was a very good start. I had also learnt that language is all about communicating, and that while vocabulary and grammar are important, having a go and making contact with others is what drives language acquisition. We had met all sorts of characters, some for a moment and others for much longer. We had travelled as we wanted to – taking our opportunities and following where they led us. We had enjoyed being with each other, and sharing so many experiences. I was sure that I needed to change my work/home balance, and not just because the family will be living with us, but for our own sakes. We had been free of the regular responsibilities, free of timetables, free of work obligations, free to enjoy being alive. Simple things had given us great pleasure. We knew that we were amongst the privileged few in the world to be able to do what we had done, and that life is very tough for many people. On occasions we were frustrated or uncomfortable with the role of voyeur tourist, relishing the times we had roles such as learner, friend, visitor, pilgrim or helper. I was cured of wanting to live in the 16th Century. Keith learnt that he could survive without being permanently connected to the radio news and current affairs programs since he was experiencing and seeing so much first hand. We had learnt again and again that people have forever been hating each other, that difference is used to create ‘other’, and that ‘other’ is a category which enables people to commit atrocities. We also learnt about, experienced and observed the other side of the coin, the ability for people to reach out and share, the ability to respect and to care for each other. We had seen many natural and man made wonders. So all in all, we are in awe of the magnitude of the world’s blessings and problems, and we are very glad that we spent this year journeying, learning and experiencing life beyond our own shores.
Tomorrow we take that plane and it will all be over.