Journaling on the rooftop at sunset. I can’t help but smile. The bright orange sun is sinking behind the dark outlines of hilltops in the distance. The air is filled with squawking blackbirds and the streets flow with cars. White rooftops at eyelevel abound with a weed patch of satellite dishes and colorful clothes lines. In the distance the tops of buildings and mosques glow a slight orange with the light of sunset. A solid breeze fills my lungs with fresh air, fills my ears with the rush of wind, fills my shirt with the playful spin of air, fills my hair with fluid life and volume. And now the sun has dipped behind the hill, leaving a glowing afterthought and hint of creeping darkness as the moon grows persistently brighter over my shoulder and the trees begin to blend together in a shadowy monochrome. Amazing and dramatic. There is life here. No dullness or stagnancy; rather a subtle vibrancy as I overlook the city and am reminded that I am somewhere great; that I am in Fes. A place where the thick whitewashed buildings with a random patch of color seems not unlike the modestly flowing fabrics of the women here with the occasionally flashy sandal or painted nails. A place where the intermingling of French and Arabic tongues seems symbolic of the unique position of Maroc; poised somewhere between the African, European, and Middle Eastern worlds. A place where the call to prayer winding its way through the streets and ringing off building walls reminds one of the sacred religiosity that rings in so many hearts here. A place where a single frozen scene of a rough, wrinkled elderly hand being aided by the young and strong seems indicative of all that Morocco has been through over the ages, the hospitality that dominates, the strength that prevails, and the importance of family and respect so culturally ingrained in the society. It is at once both different and marvelous.
And now the sky has darkened and the shadows dominate where light was so shortly ago. The colorful city lights crop up brightly and mystically through random dark patches of trees…
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