Welcome 2010
A week of contrasts - a Christmas present and my rug in a bucket
After a month of roaming Morocco with my backpack, I have returned to Larache. It’s good to be back.
Over the past 4 weeks I met lots of inspiring people, helped a new kids’ centre get started, was a tourist for a few days and had a multi-national Christmas and New Year. I also experienced a range of temperatures requiring use of thermal underwear near the mountains and warmth enough to swim in the sea in the south!
If my first week back at base is indicative of an average week in 2010, it’s going to be interesting… All of the following incidents could be expanded in much more detail!
Highlights…
- I received some Christmas cards and presents from the UK! And New Year gifts from mothers at the centre here. Woo!!! Hamdu-llah.
- I think we have persuaded a mother to keep bringing her child (with cerebral palsy) to the centre. She had been mulling over acceptance of the way her child had been ‘given’ to her (by Allah) and a fatalistic mindset about his potential.
- We visited the local hospital with a particular mother and child as I was certain we shouldn’t be doing treatment with her! Thankfully, the doctor agreed and the x-rays showed dislocated hips.
- I started at the ladies’ gym ‘Cleopatra’ which is on my street. Hilarious. I didn’t seem to have the freedom to choose my own programme, but was directed by a gym instructor (shouting ‘Aston!’), who sat in a plastic garden chair and watched my every move for 90mins.
- At passport control yesterday I got tested for H1N1 by having a laser gun pointed at the middle of my forehead.
Challenges…
- My windows are not rain-proof without shutters… Argh!
- Everything seemed to go wrong on Friday when we urgently needed to write a letter in Arabic – our centre’s computer stopped working, the phone broke, we spent ages trying to find an internet cafe that was open and had a computer that worked etc…!
- Visa run yesterday. A bit nerve-wracking.
