The Trip (Le Trajet)*

I like airports a lot. They are where random people are herded together like cattle, thought lines and various other holding pens. Unlike cattle - no disrespect to them - everyone in the airport has a story to tell. Wedding or funeral, vacation or visit, love or lounging. While so many situations put us around these people (say buses & elevators), fewer are the ones that give us the right framework to start up a conversation with a stranger. Waiting for the flight you are both taking, or stuck next to someone as the plane idles on the tarmac. I was reminded of this as the airport was the start to my adventure this summer.

On my way to Togo, I planned a couple little escales (stopovers) in Morocco and New York since my first flight left through JFK and took me through Casablanca en route. NYC was great - stayed with my good friend Noaufel and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the city as I saw some of my other friends camped out there.

Then, I headed to Rabat, via Casablanca, to see my old stomping grounds (see blog posts below fron 2007!) and a couple of my friends who are from there. My plan was to get into Casa and hop on a train to Rabat. Easy enough, right? That would soon change.

As I sat strategically placed on the floor with my back to a column that happend to have an outlet in JFK airport , charging my iphone like the consummate travelling Gen Yer, a middle-aged woman wearing a Hijab asked for my help in broken English. She was in way over her head, travelling by herself with three kids under four including an infant and a bunch of bags. It turned out to be a facsinating story. She was a winner of the green card lottery a few years ago who lives in upstate NY with her husband and 3 kids. However, for some reason her husband couldnt join her green card so he is in the US illegally. So, she was travelling to visit her family with her kids for the first time in 4 years by herself because if her husband left he couldn't return. But, my goodness, was it a tough trip for her - what a saint! An infant on her back and a 3 and 5 year old scampering around. Through security, baggage claim, lines everywhere...a very courageous woman!

Anyway, to her question I responded in similarly imperfect French, telling her I'd be happy to help, having no idea where this would lead me. It turns out her family in Morocco lives in Rabat. As she found out my destination, in typically Moroccan fashion she offered me a ride. I hestitated at first knowing how much stuff she had but she strongly insisted. So, we arrived in Casa and we embarked on the drive to her house. But the kindess did not stop. Not only was I given the front seat on the drive, I was welcomed as the guest of honor even as her family had not seen her for 4 years. They served me a full meal of prune and beef tagine, couscous (it was friday, the day when everyone in Morocco has couscous), salad and some delicious, very sweet carrot juice.

One gesture that showed this generosity concerned the TV. Upon my arrival they showed me to their modest apartment and into the TV room. Of course they had satellite TV so the grandfather of the kids flipped on the TV and surfed over to France 24 in English. Surprised, I told him that I didn't know he spoke English. Turns out he doesn't, he put that on just for me, some stranger who he met an hour ago.

But it is this attitude of genorosity that I've found throughout the developing world on my travels and it continues in Togo. I arrived a couple days ago and my next post will be about my arrival to Lome (hopefully with pictures!), so keep tuned, but the first and most salient thing as I try to process the sights and sounds and put pen to paper about them has been this openness of spirit and friendliness. It really has me in awe just how willing people are to be just plain nice to you, the stranger. I know most people say that about the places they visit, especially those off the beaten track, but I want to find out whatùs in the water here (in the best of the expression)! Until next time!

*I'm loving working on my French so my apologies in advance for the French words that will sully this blog!