I can't say what?

I know that I am not done with my adventures in Israel, but, realistically, I am not going to finish.  There is too much to write and I don't have the time.  So, lets sum it up by saying I met some wonderful people, I heard some great speeches, and I am very grateful to my husband for letting me go.  If you ever get a chance to go to Israel, I would highly recommend it.  It is an amazing place with history as you will never see anywhere else.

Today my thoughts are geared more for what we take for granted in America and what we assume everyone gets to enjoy.  I have a friend here who also writes a blog.  A recent entry she made has caught the attention of several people here and she has been asked to remove it.  What could be so terrible that she would be asked to take down her own thoughts and experiences?  I'll tell you, it is that she made an entry about the king that some people consider inappropriate.  There is a law here in Morocco that you can not make fun of the king or do anything which could be construed as ridiculing him.  In her blog she poked fun at the fact that every store has a picture of the king doing something that relates to what is being sold at the store.  One example is a picture of the king with chickens at a poultry store or where eggs are sold.  Personally, she finds this amusing.  And that is what she wrote in her blog.  Now she has been asked to kindly remove the post.  Worse case scenario, if the government feels it is warranted, her family will be asked to leave Morocco to return to the states.  I doubt it will get to that point, but she has no intention of taking it down, either.

As I was listening to her tell her story I began to really think about what it means to have freedom of speech.  Never in history have people every been able to say anything they would like against those ruling over them.  Talking ill against the government would get you fined in the least and killed at the worst.  In fact, in most countries today the same still applies.  There have been stories coming out of North Korea lately about what kind of hell people go through whose families are accused of berating or even whispering about their government.  Obviously here in Morocco it will get you jailed.  In China you just disappear.  In Cuba you are sent to a reeducation camp.  During WWII in Germany you were whisked away to a work camp.  Even here in the US, there have been several times where rights were taken away in the name of "National Security."  See http://www.faqs.org/espionage/In-Int/Intelligence-and-Democracy-Issues-and-Conflicts.html

Today we have "Occupy _______" going on all over the country.  People are out exercising their right to say whatever comes to their minds. Many of those down there think our constitution should be done away with and a new form of government should be installed.  Not all, but many.  And when asked what they would replace our current government with, socialism and communism seem to be the most popular choice.  This begs the question, do those people really understand how those types of governments run?  The very liberty used to voice that opinion is the FIRST freedom that will be taken.  To have total control mean that there can be no dissension.  Any threat to power must be done away.

We have spent the last 200+ years being able to speak our minds (minus the times we weren't).  We have been able to have political discourse.  People have been able to protest.  And we sit back and can not grasp the fact that we are alone in that arena.  Since we have those freedoms we assume everyone else does, too.  That is just not true.  We are the ONLY country that freedom of speech is guaranteed without repercussions.

My final thoughts.  If you are accustomed to a certain way of life you think it will be like that forever.  We are accustomed to freedom of speech.  We assume we will always have it.  But rest assured, with the right people in power, it will be the first thing to go.

My Journey in Israel part 4 - Bethlehem

David and Me at Glenn Beck's the Courage to Remember

Monday was our first real day to go out and see the pilgrimage sights for Christians. Our first stop was Bethlehem. There was a time difference between Israel and the West Bank because of Ramadan, so we had an extra hour before we could enter anything. The solution to this was to first go souvenir shopping. We were taken to a shop co-owned by 4 or 5 families (I can't remember which). They sold a lot of Christian memorabilia and, my favorite, olive wood carvings. I had told Jake before leaving that the one thing I was planning on buying was a piece or two of an olive wood nativity set. I said a piece or 2 because I believed that each of the pieces was going to cost $200 or so. I was happy to find that I could buy an entire nativity for just a little more than that. So I spent most of my time ogling over hand-carved nativity sets. I settled on 2 that both cost around $300. I knew it was more than I had told Jake I was planning on spending, so I had to walk around and buy the kids their olive wood Christmas tree ornaments while I thought about it. In the end, I did get the one that I wanted, which, of course, meant I bought the one that was a little more expensive. I decided to ask for forgiveness. And just as a side note, Jake was glad I got it and didn't even complain. I love my husband. :)

When the Church of the Nativity opened we headed over there. It is on the top of a hill and the church is where "tradition says" Christ was born. This location was where Jews who followed Christ used to come and worship after he was killed. Hence, "tradition says." Now I am about to give all of you a history lesson that will blow your mind. Here goes. Back 2000 years ago, people in Bethlehem used to establish their homes in caves. If they had enough money, they would build an external structure either on top of or in front of the cave. I can't remember what the structure was called if they built it on top of the cave, but if it was built in front it was called an inn. And if the family had the extra structure the cave was then used to house the animals - the stable. So here you go and see if you can follow. Most likely, Joseph still had family in Bethlehem, probably his parents. When he returned home for the census he probably went home, but there was no room for him and Mary in the house (inn), so they were put in the cave behind the house (the stable), where Mary gave birth. Reconcile that with the images of them going from hotel to hotel and being turned away. When I heard that I had an "ah ha" moment.

Now for some more history. Everything in the area that has a church has a history that goes something like this: A church is built, the area is taken over by someone else, the church is destroyed and a new one is built. That group of people are then conquered, the church is torn down and a new one built. This goes on and on through 2000 years. But during the Ottoman empire, the emperor in Turkey had a brilliant idea. He would sell all these "Christian sights" to these different churches and make money. On a few of the most important sights, he sold the same plot of land to ALL the different churches who were interested, which has caused a lot of tension between the churches ever since. The Church of the Nativity is one of those that was sold to the Greek Orthodox, Franciscans, and Roman Catholic and each of the churches has their own section dedicated to their faith. The main area where they believe Christ was actually born and the manger they believe he was laid in is shared and each church takes their turns keeping it and holding worship services. It makes for some interesting architecture with the Greek Orthodox taking the cake for opulence.

We arrive at the church and get a little history lesson (which I just gave you), and then we are able to go in. Here is the door you go through to get in. They made it that small to keep out soldiers who would otherwise enter to desecrate the churches. You enter into a stone "entryway" before walking into the Greek Orthodox Basilica. There are very ornate lanterns hanging from the ceiling and at the front of the church are statues and paintings depicting Christ's birth. Everythig was gold plated (or straight gold, for all I know). We had to wait in line as people went downstairs to the place where Christ was born - into a cave. When we made it down there we gathered as a group into the back and one of us from the group, who had brought her bible, read the account of Christ's birth. It was a neat experience. We left there and quickly toured the Catholic church. It was much more subdued, yet beautiful. (I will post all of my pictures at the end of this post because of the disaster the last one was.)

The Mosque across the courtyard in front of the church

The teeny, tiny door you go through to get into the church


Inside the Basilica

The place they believe Christ was born

The manger they believe Christ was laid in

Reading the Nativity story in the cave Christ is believed born in

"Original" mosaic floor of the Basilica

The inside of the Catholic church

In front of the baby Jesus used during the Nativity at Christmas (Catholic church)

Statue in courtyard outside Catholic church. Can't remember who it is, sorry.

After the Church of the Nativity we went to the Shepherd's Field. This is where a group of archeologists spent time studying history and geography to find a place which would likely be where the shepherds were when the angels came to announce the birth of Christ. The garden is beautiful and well maintained with trees and flowers. 2000 years ago it would have been a field covered with short grasses. There is a small chapel there, a cave, and an excavation site. Inside the chapel there are 3 paintings depicting the announcement of the birth of Christ. It was beautiful. And to make it even more special, we sang "Hark the Herold Angles Sing." The acoustics in there were perfect for singing. Then we entered the cave while our tour guide, Claudia, gave us some more history. When they looked for this field, they chose a place with a cave because that is where the shepherds would have taken their flocks to keep them away from wild animals. Something very important back then. Caves were very important 2000 years ago. The one thing that caught my attention more than anything is its location in relation to the city of Bethlehem. It is definitely on the outside of the city, and sits lower on the hill than the city. So when, in the scriptural account, the shepherds went "up" to the city of Bethlehem, they quite literally had to go up. I used to think the use of the word "up" was used merely as a relative directional reference meaning just "go." But it really meant they went "up" in elevation to get to the city. Interesting.

Painting 1 inside the chapel


Painting 2 in the chapel

Painting 3 inside chapel

Inside the cave

Some of the excavation

Some of the grandmas loving on David.

Following that we had lunch down the street and then we went back to Jerusalem to the Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane. Most of the trees on the Mt. of Olives no longer exist. Now there are many buildings the cover the hillside. But a few of the trees that existed 2000 years ago are still there and still producing olives. They are kept behind a wall adjacent to the Church of All Nations and they are amazing to see. Gethsemane means the place they pressed the olives for the oil. They know this is the right area because ancient oil presses have been found here. They, of course, do not know WHICH tree Jesus prayed at, and inside the church is a stone, which I'm going to assume is where those who built the church think Jesus prayed. It is a beautiful church and a beautiful garden. And it is amazing to think that you are standing on holy ground where the ultimate sacrifice for our sins took place. It is a reverent place to be.

The view from The Church of All Nations

The Church of All Nations

2000 year old olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane


More of the grove of 2000 year old olive trees

The rock inside the Church of All Nations

Ceiling inside the Church of All Nations

Next came the 2nd Glenn Beck event: Courage to Remember. By the time our bus arrived most of the seats were full, so we went straight to the back. On each seat was a water bottle and a little LED light. Some were white and some were blue. I'm not sure if they were meant to spell something out, or what the purpose of the blue ones were, because the only mention of them was toward the end and we lit them up during a song. Anyway, we sat down and someone pointed and said, "There's John Voit." Sure enough, he was over near the entrance signing autographs and taking pictures with people. I have this funny thing about celebraties. I tend to leave them alone because I think they are normal people and I know I would be annoyed if everyone was always asking me for a picture. So, I stayed back, used my zoom, and tried to get his picture. By the time I was ready to hit the button, he had moved and was behind people. So its hard to see him, but he is there.

This event focused on the Holocaust. There was a panel of people on stage and they discussed different topics. One of which was how the head of the Corrie Ten Boom foundation said never before in history had Christians banded together in support of Jews. There had been a few throughout history, but overall most Christians had seen the Jews as "Christ killers" and had been the cause of much of the Jews horrific past. Now there was a growing group who vows to never again let something like the Holocaust happen. And I am proud to say I am one of them!

There was also a video shown of a woman who filmed her grandfather returning to his childhood home in Germany. He had left Germany at 15 and gone to Israel alone during the war. His parents were later rounded up and killed. He had never had a desire to go, but his granddaughter was persuasive that it was time to heal the wounds. It was a very emotional piece. Originally she shot the entire trip as simply a way to remember and to catch her grandfather's feelings as a family record. After watching it she realized she had something more and wanted others to see it. David was tired, hot and fussy, so I spent a great deal of this time standing in the back and bouncing him. as I was doing this a woman walked up to me and said she was a reporter for an online newspaper based out of Boston (she told me the name of it, but I can't remember what it is) and can she interview me. So that was fun. I don't know exactly what was said in the article, but if I was mentioned in it at all it was probably that I was a mother of 6 who came from Morocco with a 5 month old baby. That seemed to be what a lot of people focused on.

The event had some beautiful music and a great spirit. And I always have believed that you can not stop talking about the Holocaust and all that lead up to it, as well as what followed it. I am glad I was there.

My view of the stage

John Voit (he's the grey haired man in the back behind everyone else)

My Journey in Israel part 3 - museum day cont.

So to begin where I left off, after Yad Vashem we went to lunch. Nothing too exciting about that. And then after lunch we were off to the Israel Museum. We had been told all day about a miniature there of what the "Old City" looked like at the time of Christ. Now to go back a little bit, at the airport there is also a miniature of the Old City. It's about 1 m squared and includes all the important little things. So, I was expecting something similar to that. Um, no, that is not exactly what the "miniature" was like. As you can see, this is a little bigger and more involved than that. To quote one of the men in my group, "This is one heck of a lego set!" Take a look!


The Temple Mount





The NW corner of the Old City ->















The South end of the city - mostly residential






The North Gate Christ carried the cross through
->










The Southern end of the temple mount where they are excavating now.




















Amazing, isn't it? And the real thing is simply breath-taking. We spent several minutes walking around while our guide pointed out all of the important sites, including where we think certain events took place. Some things we know exactly where they were, but some things are "tradition tells us . . ." I'll get more into that later as we go through different sites.

After we saw this amazing miniature we were taken inside to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. Yea, you read right. I've seen them! Well, I've seen some of them. I could tell you what I remember of the story of the scrolls, but I think you would be better to look it up on Wikipedia. I'm bound to have forgotten details and so would not do the story justice. But the basic story is that a group of Jews left the city and set up a type of scholarly school in the caves around the dead sea. The scrolls are their "textbooks," you might say. But, like all the other groups throughout history in that part of the world, eventually they were all taken captive and lead out of the country, leaving these scrolls, all contained in ceramic jars, in the caves where they went unnoticed for 1500 years. Then one day a shephard going after his lost sheep threw a rock into a cave and broke a jar. He couldn't read but knew the leather it was written on was valuable, so he took it to a leather worker in Bethlehem and sold it. That leather worker could see it was important and took it to someone, who in turn sold it to someone, and anyway, after being sold several more time, was put on the black market in the states. Someone read about the sale in the newspaper and started collecting and translating them. Now we have them preserved, as best we can. One of the difficulties with the keeping everything in jars, is that the jars were on wooden shelves, and they were heavy. Over the years several of the shelves broke, dropping the jars and then, of course, the jars broke. Many of the scrolls are in pieces and they are attempting to reconstruct them like a puzzle. Others have sections that have just deteriorated over time. Others were in pretty good condition and fairly easy to read. But looking at them is simply amazing. It really is a piece of history.

After those amazing sights, we boarded our bus again and headed 2 hours to Caesarea, on the coast. Now, this has nothing to do with the event, but I just want to say, Caesarea is HOT AND HUMID!!! When the sun went down I thought, oh, good, it will cool off. Nope. HOT, HOT, HOT! Ok, back to the original story.

We arrived and the bus driver took us real quick by some of the Roman ruins in the area. There is an aqueduct there as well as Herod's Palace. Neat, but we weren't able to walk around so no pictures. He then parked the bus and we were off to the event. I grabbed a pictures of some of the tour buses that were there, but as we came out, I realized what you see is only a small portion of the row of buses that ended up parked there.

And although the event did not procure all of the tour buses in Jerusalem, the estimate was about 85-90%. Amazing.

















The theatre is quite large. I think someone told me it seats about 2000 people, not including the floor. The theatre is not the original, but some of the original foundation still lies there. It is made exclusively from the same white limestone that all other buildings are made of there (and that is no exaggeration because there is a law that all buildings must be made of the white, Israeli Limestone). We were pleasantly surprised, then, when we went through the entrance and found that Glenn has purchased pads and water for all of us to use. They gave me 2 pads and I was grateful because that limestone is HARD! And I was very grateful for the water, considering how HOT it was.


The even itself was very uplifting. Of course I don't remember everything that was said, but I did want to share what stuck out to me.

One of the themes reiterated over and over again was the importance to love "the other." Who is the other? It is anyone different than us. Their religion may be different, or their culture, their skin color, or their language. Whatever sets them apart as being different from us. But in loving the other, we can not put people in a group. It is when people are grouped together that hating becomes easy. It is easy to group all Muslims together, and blame them for terrorism, for example. It is much harder to look at each person individually and judge them on their character. Instead, when we look at each person individually, we end up saying, not all Jews are __________. Not all Muslims are ________. Not all black people are ____________. Not all white people are _______________. Get the idea? God judges us, not as a whole, but as an individual, and that is how we must judge each other. And in doing so, we will love each other and be our brother's keeper. It is the responsibility for each of us to be our brother's keeper in whatever capacity we can. Here are 2 more pictures of the event.



I believe this is Rabbi Shlomo Riskin. An amazing man with an amazing message. If you have time I suggest you go to YouTube and look up his address (or rather, I believe it was a blessing, not sure, they kind of run together).













Good 'Ol Glennie!



After the event we boarded our buses and headed home again. It was after midnight before we made it to the hotel and the next morning started early. I'll write more about that later.

My journey in Israel part 2 - The holocaust museum

Warning: This is long!

Our first day on the tour was museum day with the 1st "Restoring Courage" event in the evening. We went to Yad Vashem (the holocaust museum) and then The Israeli Museum. So, first, my impressions of Yad Vashem.

When we lived in Germany we visited Dachau. That was one of the concentration camps in the Southeast of Germany. I have seen the dormitories with the wooden bunk beds layed next to each other to maximize the number of people they could cram in. I have seen the meat hooks they used to hang people on to "punish" them. I have seen the ovens they used to cremate the bodies. Although most of the prisoners in Dachau died of disease, not gas chambers, the atmosphere was still very dark and sad. And because I have seen this, I was afraid to go into the museum. As I was about to go in they told me no babies, and I will say I was a little relieved. If David couldn't go in, then neither could I. But our tour guide, Claudia, told me she would take him and meet me at the exit. Now I was out of excuses. So I made up my mind to go through as quickly as I could and meet her at the exit to get David. I had no idea what awaited me.

First thing, the museum has one entrance and one exit and to get to the exit you must walk through the entire museum. Also, no pictures were allowed inside, so I only have photos of the grounds, which I will include a little later. Having been at Dachau, I thought Yad Vashem would be similar. Not at all. It wasn't scary with horrifying pictures or anything like that. It was stories; it was history. You begin your walk with the election of Hitler to the Prime Minister position in the German government. They actually start you right at the beginning. You then pass through actual posters claiming Jews were not human, board games about getting all the Jews out of Germany, and other little newspaper articles grouping all Jews together and then blaming them for all of German's woes. And that is how propaganda works. You don't start by telling everyone to kill, you start by taking people, grouping them together, and then belittling them until the majority of people hate them and will do to them whatever you desire. It was so interesting to see how it all played out - so methodical, so perfect.

As you wind through the different areas they have stories told by survivors of the different periods throughout that time frame. From isolation and boycotts, to wearing the Star of David, to being rounded up and living in the ghettos. Then testaments from Rabbis forced to put together the list of people to be put on the trains to work camps (death camps later on). There were stories of "The Righteous Among the Nations," who were those who put their lives in danger to protect Jews and to feed them. One of those stories that caught my attention was a farmer who hid a family in his root cellar. The neighbors found out and told the SS. The Jews were taken, he was beaten, but he did not give up. Instead he dug a hole, covered the entrance, and hid several more Jews there, feeding them, until the war was over and they were safe. That man has a place secured for him in Heaven, I am sure.

There was an area for the Kristallnacht, Auschwitz, the trains, and also for, and please excuse my lack of terminology here, the rebellions which began to take place inside the ghettos. But there were 2 things in the museum that impacted me more than anything else. One was a large pile of shoes, covered in glass, that you had to either walk over or around. Most people walked around. And after talking with others, that was one of the most impactful displays for several others on the bus. The other was the room of records. There is a large, circular room with book shelves that start well below where you stand and go well over your head. I'm a terrible judge of height, but sufficeth to say, the bookshelves were large enough to hold the tens of thousands of books with the names of nearly all 6 million Jews killed. They want to make sure there is a record of everyone killed - by name. And the bookshelves are not yet filled because there are still thousands of people who have yet to be identified. It is a very sobering thought and a very solemn place to stand.

So, when I originally thought I would hurry through and go to my baby, I ended up being in there a full 1 1/2 hours. And, really, I just brushed the surface of the things in there. You could spend an entire day in there, or even more, if you stopped to read everything and listen to each and every story. I will say, though, that I was very impressed that they focused on the history behind the holocaust rather than simply the atrocities. Because you must understand how it began in order to stop it from ever happening again.

And on top of just the main museum, there were 2 other buildings we went to. The first was The Hall of Remembrance. The names of each of the camps are engraved on the floor and there is an eternal flame. This is where dignitaries go to lay wreaths to honor those who died. The other building is even more sombre. There is an entire memorial dedicated to the children who were killed - The Children's Memorial. Again, no photos were allowed, but I took this at the entrance. The memorial is done by lights and mirrors. The room you walk through is kept dark while mirrors reflect little white lights and names of children and their ages are read in Hebrew and English. I really believe it is a fitting tribute.

As you exit there is another sculpture that I thought caught the emotion of the children killed. This is in remembrance of Janusz Korczak. A Polish doctor who worked at an orphanage. The children were sent to the ghettos and he went with them. They were ordered to be exterminated at Treblinka and he went with them. He was offered immunity, and was even told not to go into the ghetto with the children. But he would not leave them. Even in the end he was offered a way out, but he would not leave his children, and died with all 192 of them.
All along the grounds there are sculptures depicting different events done by different artists, and there are trees planted in remembrance of "The Righteous Among the Nations." Here are a few more of the pictures I took at Yad Vashem.

David and I outside the exit of the main museum.

















One of the sculptures in the gardens. There are 6 points on the sculpture, representing the 6 million Jews killed. You find things done in 6s all around Jerusalem representing those killed in the Holocaust.















This is the tree planted of Oscar Schindler. It was one of the last trees planted because they were unsure how to salute this man appropriately. In the end, they decided a tree, along with all the others who saved a Jew, was the right thing. It is a pepper tree, as many are, and grows pepper corns each season. My understanding is that he was a simple man in life and did not wish to bring any undue attention to himself, so they decided honoring him the same as everyone else is what he would have wanted.

Since this ended up being so long, I will wrap my day in another blog post.

My journey in Israel part 1

As Thursday night approached the anticipation of going on an international trip alone with a 5 month old grew. The children made a little video for me, I took some pictures of all the kids, and the good night routine lasted just a little longer than usual. But at last all the kids were tucked in, my bags were packed, and it was time to get a little sleep. 4:30 am comes awfully early.

Jake was nice enough to agree to drive me to the airport with a (supposed to be) sleeping 2 year old in the back seat, at a little before 5 am. This is a huge sacrifice on his part because he still had to come home and go to work, as well as get the 5 kids up and dressed. But he did it anyway. I won't go into great detail about the waits in airports and plane rides. We've all done it and we all know its extremely dull. So, suffice it to say, I spent the next 20 hrs or so waiting. Waiting for planes to take off, waiting for them to land, and waiting in lines to get checked into countries. A long, dull day. The baby, however, was fantastic. I could not ask for a better experience with a baby.

So here is where the story gets fun. First, I must tell you some interesting things about just flying into Israel. They are so tight on security they have some laws that just seem over-the-top. One: once you are in Israeli air space you can not walk around the cabin. I understand that. They worry about people hijacking planes. We've had that happen to us (9/11). Two: when on final approach all main cabin lights must be extinguished. This one is a huh? So the lights were on, then off for 5 min, then back on once we touched the ground. Again, huh? But there must be a reason. These were 2 things I took note of and thought interesting to share. I hope I didn't just breach some security protocol. lol.

Once on the ground the airport staff were very helpful and friendly. One man went out of his way to assure I didn't miss getting the stroller off the plane. He then took me out of the passport check line and took me and another family traveling with a baby to a separate booth and we sailed through border control. If you haven't been to Israel before, be prepared to answer lots of questions. They want to know why you are there, if you know anyone, and where you are planning on visiting. They have all been trained in reading body language, so its just best to be honest. Tell the truth and you're fine. Lie and you may be turned back. Just FYI.

So we got through border control and the same man helped me get my bag, and out into Israel we went. My instructions were to find the person with a Voyager Travel sign and they would bring me to my hotel. If they weren't there, move off to the left and wait, someone will be there shortly. Well, no one was there, so I sat in some seats and waited. Now would be a good time to mention that my plane landed at midnight and it was now 12:45 am. I sat there until 2am. No one came. I had no phone number to call, and didn't know how to call Jake, so I did the only thing I could think of. I went out and got a taxi. Yes, by myself, in a foreign country.

This is when I found out that Bethlehem, where my hotel was, is in the West Bank. Did you know that? I didn't. This is also when I found out that taxis can't cross the border - either direction. No one from Bethlehem could come get me and the taxi at the airport could only take me as far as the check point. I started to cry. So the plan was, the taxi would take me to the check point and then the baby and I would walk to the other side and I would have to find another taxi to get me to my hotel. It was 3 am by the time we got there. But I received a tender mercy from the Lord. There was another woman in the taxi (really it was an airport shuttle) who was also going to Bethlehem. Her friend came to the check point and picked her up and agreed to bring the baby and me to the hotel. I was so grateful.

We arrived at the hotel and the man at the desk couldn't find my reservation. Later, come to find out, he just wasn't looking in the right place. Anyway, I begged him to find me a room. At that point I was willing to take a janitor's closet if it had a bed for me and David. He got me a nice room with a king size bed and they brought in a crib. David and I slept till 10:30. Tomorrow I will continue my adventure as I finally meet up with the tour group.

You live where?

You see it on TV all the time. You hear it talked about whenever they talk about poor areas, but to see "shanty towns" with your own eyes changes your life.

The city of Rabat could be compared to DC. It holds the country's parliament building, foreign embassies, the main Royal palace is here, as well as all other major governmental buildings. The standard of living is relatively high here with new buildings and shopping areas being erected all over the city. Yet, hidden behind many of the new buildings or in places tourists do not usually go, are, in some cases, large areas of shanty towns.

The first time we passed one as we drove around I will admit I was a bit surprised to see it nestled between 2 not-so-poor looking buildings. I have come to find out they dot the city; growing in empty fields or any place not being taken over by housing or business. I was, of course, expecting something like this when I heard of where we were heading (North Africa), but until yesterday I did not truly understand the depth of the poverty that is hidden in this city.

I told Jake after getting some ice cream at McDonalds yesterday that I would like to get a picture of the shanty town just down the road a little from the shopping area for this blog entry. He slowed and I got my first picture. Then he asked the kids if they would like to take a little drive. We headed toward the coast, to the poorer part of town. And there, the kids' and my eyes were open as never before. We drove past old apartment buildings that looked like they could fall at any moment. Clothing hanging from drying lines along balconies and rusted satellite dishes dangling off the sides of buildings. And then we hit the coast.

On our right was the beautiful cliffs that make up the coastline of Rabat. Their jagged rocks breaking the waves and causing sprays of water high into the sky ("Look, Mommy! Whales!" said Jackie. "No, honey, those are just the waves," I replied). On our left, a wall. You could just make out over the top of the wall the roofs of the metal "buildings" that were homes to many of the poorest of the poor. (I managed to get a few pictures, but keep in mind they are from inside the car and we didn't want to stop and take pictures. I think that would be rude in any country, any language.) Every so often the wall would have a break in it and you could grasp the enormity of the size of these hobbles. The were several miles long and at least a 1/2 mile wide and the shacks were right up against each other. In a place like this, there is no sanitation, no extra comforts, just the will to survive to the next day.

The reaction of the kids was what was most amazing to me. We have been telling them for years how blessed they are . How there are children all over the world that go to bed starving every night. Last night they saw those children and the places they live. Their immediate response was compassion and action. They wanted to lift those families out of poverty to a better living. We, as parents, tried to explain the complicated issues surrounding cast systems, hard work, government aid, and the inability of America to just come to the rescue.

So, how does seeing these areas change your life? For one thing, it is humbling. The first time I felt truly humbled was when I found out our housekeeper doesn't even have a washing machine. I have taken for granted for so long that everyone I know has, what we consider, basic appliances. Here, however, there is no such thing as basic anything. If you have the money, you can buy appliances, but most people don't have the money. We are considered middle class in the states. Here we are rich. We have a washing machine and dryer. We have a dishwasher. We have cupboards full of food. That is something many people here do not have.

Another way my life changed? I have realized how petty the things are we worry about in the states really are. Children freak out when their parents tell them they can't have a new iphone. Adults, too, have tantrums when the newest electronic isn't available immediately. Here, food is what is important. Sure, there are iphones here. There are some very wealthy people here. But I have never felt the focus on food as much as I have felt it here. You do not need electronics to live, but you do need the fruits, vegetables, and bread they sell on the streets. I will never look at food the same way again. I will never take it for granted again. And because this is a blog all about me and my opinion, seeing as what is happening in the states with the downgrade in credit rating and the stock market tanking, may I suggest instead of buying the new iphone, you keep your old one and use the money you would have spent to make sure you have extra food saved in your house. Because, after all, you can't eat an iphone.

So, my final thoughts. We, in America, see so little poverty, and I mean true poverty, that we tend to forget it really exists. We have become a nation prideful above all others. We are the most charitable nation on the planet, it is true. But at the same time, we take for granted all the blessings we have. We take for granted that we can drive a car a few miles to a nice grocery store and buy foods from all over the world. We take for granted that we can wash our clothes in a washing machine, not by hand. And we take for granted that we have a roof over our head and shoes on our feet. These are things that I will no longer take for granted.

To Answer Your Question . . .

I was hit with so many follow on questions that I thought I would just do a post with all the answers. If you find your question, consider yourself one of the blessed ones. lol

Q: Is the furniture our or does it come with the house?
A: The furniture is not ours. But it doesn't exactly come with the house. That would just be too easy. Each department within the embassy has its own "furniture pool." We are with the Foreign Area Officers, so all our furniture comes out of the pool of furniture for all the FAOs. How much you get and what you get depends on the size of your house, the number in your family, if there are any school age children, etc. At the present time, we are still awaiting another family to move out so we can get more furniture. The family that was in here before us was a different department, so all their furniture was removed when they left.

Q: How do you get around?
A: We have shipped over our minivan from the states to drive here. However, it has not arrived yet, so we are driving a vehicle that belongs to the embassy. I should say Jake is driving, because I am not authorized to drive the embassy vehicle. Boo hoo.

Q: Where will the kids go to school?
A: There is the Rabat American School (RAS) here that all the embassy kids attend. All instruction is in English, and all the kids will learn French and I believe also Arabic. But I'm not 100% sure its both. It may be one or the other. The website is www.ras.ma if you want to take a look.

Q: Will I have help to keep the house clean?
A: We wasted no time in hiring a housekeeper. We moved in on Friday and she started on Monday. Her name is Aicha (Eye-sha) and she comes 3x/week. I take great comfort in knowing that for the next year I will not have to do laundry, wash the sheets, scrub floors, or dust/polish. Ahhh.

Q: Is Jake here with the government or a church assignment?
A: Jake is still in the Army. We are here, really, for a year's worth of training for him in language and diplomacy. Then for the rest of his career we may bounce back and forth between the states and the North Africa/Middle East area.

Q: Are the cockroaches just down in the basement or do they come upstairs?
A: To my great dissatisfaction, they do come up on occasion. I've been told that in Aug/Sept the government sprays the sewers and gutters with insecticide, so the cockroaches get worse as they come in to avoid the poison. Oh yeah, I can hardly wait. I'm sending Jake back to get more killer. We put all of it in the basement, but obviously need some upstairs as well.

Q: How are the kids adjusting?
A: I have found, as have other military parents, that the more positive the adults are in the move, the easier adjustment the kids have. And our kids have done amazingly well. Other kids here had heard of us coming and were excited for us to get here, so we were welcomed with open arms and instant friends. It has been very nice.

Q: What is church like? Is there a group you meet with?
A: There are about 8 other LDS families here in Rabat, and other members who travel here for business. We meet in a member's house each Sunday and church consists of the Sacrament, one talk, and then Sunday School. The kids get a short sharing time and then break up into 3 classes based on age. After church there is a pot luck lunch every week. It is really fun to be with such a small group. And before you ask, its at the same house every week because not everyone's house is large enough to accommodate everyone.

Q: Have all your things arrived?
A: No. We have 2 shipments of things coming. One is supposed to be faster than the other. The fast shipment was supposed to have arrived in Morocco last Thursday, but we haven't seen anything yet. And Ramadan is starting next week, so chances of us seeing anything until the end of August is slim to nill. (Ramadan is the Muslim fasting month when they don't eat/drink/smoke during day light hours. Because of this, not much strenuous labor is done. You know, nothing that would make someone thirsty.)

Q: What is the food situation like?
A: We have shipped over a year supply of most non-perishable foods and that is because the value of the dollar makes things very expensive for us. There are several grocery stores here so we can get eggs, milk, bread, fruits and veggies, and all the perishable stuff no problem. There is also a "commissary" here where you can buy a few American items, like Doritos and sausage. Gotta love that pork!

Q: Do you feel safe on the streets?
A: If at all possible, I won't cross any busy roads on foot. To me that is just suicidal with the way people drive here, and there are no clear cross walks that drivers actually pay attention to. But as far as walking in the neighborhood goes, I do feel safe. I don't think I would let the kids run rampant through the streets, but to just go out for a walk in our neighborhood with an adult is fine. I also feel safe shopping (because they have shopping centers. Only Jake has been brave enough to venture into the land of the open markets).

Q: Are American's treated well?
A: I believe you are treated as you treat others. If you are making an effort to speak the language and follow the local customs, then you are welcomed. If you try to be the loud, obnoxious American, then you are not welcomed. Its all about fitting in. But on the whole, Moroccans are very gracious people and love children. Mothers are very well respected here.

Q: Do women wear burkas? Do I wear one when I go out.
A: I do not wear a hijab (head covering) when I leave. And there are people dressed in all manner of dress here. You see some girls wearing tank tops and short shorts, others wearing regular pants/long sleeved shirts with a head covering, some wearing the clothing cover I think looks like a house-coat with the hijab, and I saw one woman so completely covered not even her eyes were showing. It all depends on their interpretation of modesty, or fashion. But I do not feel uncomfortable wearing jeans and a t-shirt here, at all.

Q: Are Jake's assignments secret or can he talk about them?
A: Jake's trips will be to meet people and learn about the culture and political atmosphere in different countries and here in Morocco. I'm sure that he will be privy to some top secret information, but his trips will not be, in and of themselves, top secret. And when he goes on a fun trip I'll have him update the blog so you all can hear.

Q: How can we get a hold of you?
A: Good news. You can call us on my cell number and reach us just fine. We had the 801-649 number switched over to Vonage, and with the hard internet line hooked up, we are rockin' and ready to go. We only ask that you keep in mind that we are 5-8 hours ahead of you depending on your time zone, so please don't call us at 8 pm your time. We'll be asleep. If you do, we may return the favor. ;)

If there are any other questions you have, just let me know. I will do my best to answer them.

Our New House

So, here is our adventure with our home, here. When we arrived the house wasn't ready yet. The last tenants couldn't leave as early as they had wanted to, so the embassy was in a scramble to get things ready for us. We began our journey here in an apartment in a busy area of Rabat called Agdal. The apartment was as big if not bigger than our place in California had been. It really wasn't bad. But I was still relieved when we were able to get the go ahead to move into a house on that Friday.

My first impressions of the house was the size of it. This place is enormous! Our house in Kansas was 3,000 sq. ft., and that has nothing on this place. It is 2 floors with a basement. The main floor has a large entry way, living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, play room and office, as well as 2 half-baths. The 2nd floor has 5 bedrooms, 2 full baths, and another 1/2 bath. In the master, there is a walk in closet that has its own hallway. Even on my best day I don't have enough clothes to require that much room. The basement has a 2nd full size kitchen, but is not equiped with a stove. That is where the washer and dryer and deep freeze have been put. There is a room that resembles the dining room and another room we don't really know the purpose of. I may put my quilting frame down there later. In the back is an old steam room that doesn't work any more. The woman showing us the place said its not good for anything other than a bug trap now (and oh, how right she is). There is also another 1/2 bath down there. Like I said, this place is huge.

So, here are the long awaited pictures of the house. Let me know what you think.






The first photo is of what our house looks like from the street. This is what it looks like from inside the gate.






This is the front yard. The yard actually encircles the entire house. There is plenty of room for the kids to play. And, yes, that is a badminton net and basketball hoop you see.











Once you come in the front door the sitting room is on your right.












The dinding room is the most beautiful room in the house. It is done in tiny pieces of hand crafted and hand laid tiles. Above the tiles begins the inticut carvings and paintings. The windows are stain-glass and the floor, of course, is marble tile. It is just awesome (in the real, not slang, use of the word).

















The wood working in the house is amazing. Here is the hand rail for the stairs leading up to the 2nd floor.












This is the upstairs kitchen. The only thing it is missing is the dishwasher. But we have put in a request for one and they said as soon as a plumber can come hook it up it is ours. Yeah.











At the top of the stairs, this is your view. Behind the doors are the older boys' room on the left and Rachel's room on the right (which has its own entryway).










I'll add more pictures later, but mom duties are calling.