Picture of the Day

Neighbors

The Best

Street Vendor in Essaouira

The Brit told me about the best hash.
Remember him? From Taghazout? Well, here in the Essaouira medina, all of the little kids play soccer or chase each other in some odd variation on Hide and Seek. Made me think of The Brit's story.

I am always intrigued by a subculture, regardless of their raison d'etre, and the town of Chefchaouen (sheff-shao-en) has been described as a candy store for hash lovers. My friend Lili describes it as a "town covered in sugar." She is referring to the buildings drenched in white plaster. In the sun, these frosting riads, reveal a light blue hue.

The Brit told me that the little boys have the best hash. When the marijuana fields are in full bloom, the little boys strip naked, and run through the fields. They duck through the fences. They evade the armed guards. They run, using their bodies as collecting devices.

After the insane sprint through the fields, they literally roll their merchandise off of their bodies. Who needs school when you can use your body to collect drugs.

Picture of the Day

Is this safe to pick up?

Picture of the Day

Picture of the Day

Essaouira, My Friend

I ARRIVE

The two Germans from the bus followed the Danish couple who followed the man with the cart. I join this caravan that leads to Dar Assan (Dar means house, and Assan is the owner's name). 

AND THEN
This week, I have begun to work at Dar Assan. The house is a confluence of culture. The guests are younger, European.  I meet the tourists at the two o’clock bus and the six o’clock bus, holding a sign, and help to entertain the guests in the evening.

My writing has begun altering itself to these new vibrations.


WE MAKE PARTY


Dar Assan: beers served individually in patterned mugs that are small pitchers.

Couscous in two big platters for the twelve of us.

Brisbane.

Lisbon.

Berlin.

London.



Marrakech.

Safi.

Fes.

Seattle.



The one we call Ben Muhammad:

"You are Algerian my friend. No American- you are African. "

IN THE MEDINA


The camera captures doors, vendors, walls, boats, djellabas.

A half-djellaba, black with a stripe

A boat, stoic beneath heaped and stained nets

A little boy, a man in a sweater, an old man with a cart: "hashish?"

A wall, stressed and cut by salt and sun

A vendor, three teeth like a trident: "desert trek, rugs, necklace?"

Two Moroccan men kiss as a greeting: cheek to cheek, one, two, three, four



JOB: I HOST GOOD DINNER. WE MAKE PARTY EVERY NIGHT
Contu and Slom say,

 'Djellaba Dan'

The German girl says "lah-tine" for Latin so that it rhymes with "Valentine"

Room laugh for this
I put up pillow boundary, say

"Berlin Wall"

She laugh

I say,

"You east, me west"

She laugh, take banana, say,

"No. Me west you east. We have banana."

I laugh. I go. I give three beer. I sit.

She say,

Really.  I from east, we no have banana that time.

MOT JUSTE

My American English fades into an amalgamation of British English, broken English, Spanish, bad French, and Medina Vendor. Often, it is as if I am speaking in translation.

Pluralality is cut away, a rising inflection is added.  I begin a sentence with,

"Have you,"

or say,

"No. You east. I take you banana."

Words are chosen for economy. Statements stripped down to essence.
The multisyllabic is less resonant than a gesture.


Medina Vendor-speak:


Hashish?



Have a seat, my friend.



Don’t think. You buy. You make experience.



You support caravan, my friend.





WE GO TO BEACH

On the beach an old man draws circles with a stick.

The little girl takes her stick and draws patterns inside of the old man's circles.

Wave take half the circle.
Dig into sand. Is good.

Friends take Arabic names:  Anwar, Assan, Rashida, Rashid.


Man come for us. We dry off from ocean on beach. He balance cardboard tray of cookies on his head. Man say,

"Space cakes, cookies. So good, my friends. Here. You try. Ees Free."

I have carefully crafted a standard response. It dissuades, conveys an amiable energy, and  leaves them confused. 

I say,

"Not my style, man."

This seems to be working.

Picture of the Day

Picture of the Day

Picture of the Day