Salam Alaykum!

Sitting here in le cibercafe in Moulay Idriss, we are recovering from our disastrous attempt to follow directions to ask shopkeepers the price of several items; instead, we purchased a child’s hat and a pair of knockoff flip flops. Additionally, we present a list of our mishaps from the last 45 minutes:

• First, we got lost in the labyrinth of Moulay Idriss while locating the first cibercafe.
• (Which was conveniently closed.)
• We asked a local policeman where to buy the spices tarboush and sebat, only to be informed that these are hat and shoes in Darija.
• We nearly were stampeded by a local donkey while flipping through our phrasebook to translate where (trying to find the next cibercafe).
• And finally, here we are, hunched over a keyboard trying to locate the darn comma on this Arabic keyboard.

Counting our failures is both discouraging and exciting, and it solidifies the golden pereption of a set of clueless American tourists. Failures make us flexible, patient, and frustrated beyond belief, but our efforts only bring us closer to the space and each other. All is well, and if at first you don’t suceed, try, try, try, try, try (try) again!

Bismillah!

Meredith, Courtney, and Henry