imagine all the people

This past week I experienced whole other world in our world. I went to Morocco and felt like I stepped back in time at least 1000 years. It was a very overwhelming and intense week for me. My eyes were defintely opened to other people and places that I really can't believe exist.

here are some moments to help capture this experience:

First we went to Fez, this is the "oldest city in the world" (that's what someone told me...I believe it though, because they seem like they haven't really moved on since the time they first estabished themselves.) We were walking through the "madina" which means old city, the center city and it was ancient feeling, dirty and filled with people selling anything and everything. I felt like images and senses were flying at me as we were walking, so to be funny and to some how express the overwhelming-ness of it all I just started saying every image I was seeing, it was like this, "sight and smell of cooking snails, donkey carrying propane, used shoes for sale, mosque, rugs, women with head coverings and face masks, smell of fish, man killing chicken, underware being sold on the street, man with pots and pans hanging off his outfit, dead hanging cow and other unidentifiable animals..." it was sensory overload.

Monday morning our group took Arabic class for about 3 hours. So that evening we all went into the "new city" of Fez and went up to people and practiced our Arabic with them. We found some nice girls and sat and talked with them for about half an hour. It was fun trying to commuincate with the different languages, since we had more or less of each, Spanish, English, Arabic and the 2 words of French I know and our hands. They were very welcoming to us. Another day in Tetouan I met an older Muslim women, I began speaking to her in Arabic and found out she knew Spanish (which was very refreshing to speak again) So we talked for a long time. She invited me to her house, she wanted me to meet her daughters my age. But I didn't have time, so she got my information and we said maybe next time I am in Tetouan.

One day we were in a Mosque and I saw an image that will stick with me for a long time. There is this fountain in the middle of the mosque, but no water is flowing, it was just standing shallow water. And when we were in there the call to prayer came on. The call to prayer happens five times a day. It is so loud and scary sounding. It sounds like depressing moaning over loud speakers for the whole city. Every time I heard it I was like "make it stop". I am not a fan of call to prayer time... Anyways, while we were in there I saw two men preparing to pray. It is tradition for them to wash their faces, mouth, hands, arms, and feet before they pray... I guess to be clean before God. I couldn't get over how ironic it was that they were "washing" themselves in this disgusting, filthy water that everyone spits in and washes themselves in (and they are pretty dirty after slaughtering all those dead animals). Some how after smearing unsantinary, bacteria filled water all over themselves they feel worthy to come before God. Then I realized I do the same thing in a sense when I start to believe my good deeds make me right before God and I can earn His love rather than depending on the righteousness of Christ to cover me and cleanse me. It was a humbling moment and made me see how we are all in the same desperate need of Jesus, the only one who makes us fit and truly clean to come before God.

On our way home we took a taxi from the hotel to the border, we left at 6:30 in the morning. On the way there we were were talking about how old this taxi was... maybe made in the 70's? To prove our doubts in the stability of this vehicle we got a flat tire. So all the men got out to change the tire. About 20 minutes later we got another flat tire. Luckily another taxi driver pulled over and gave us his spare! Isn't that sweet? As the guys are changing the tire the second time I look behind us and the police men stopped the traffic so a heard of cows could cross the highway! hahahahhaha I was just like, "I am in a strange world... get me back to Espana"... Twelve hours later we arrived in Granada and I feel more at home here than ever!