I’m writing this in between the two longer legs of this journey. Best thing I can think to do at this point is go all “Things They Carried,” so this post is dedicated to Tim O’Brien.
With me now, in my carry-on, I have my laptop, laptop and cell-phone chargers, two spiral notebooks, one medical info folder, one first-aid kit, one set of earphones, seven pens, one travel wallet, two CEPs (clothing essential packs, basically just underwear wrapped in an undershirt and held together by a pair of socks), one Arabic-English dictionary, one book of Rumi poetry, one book of Neruda poetry, one journal, one already written in moleskin notebook, and one spare moleskin notebook.
In my checked bag, I have seven CEPs, nine buttoned shirts, two t-shirts, two pairs of khakis, one pair of exercise shorts, one pair of swim shorts, one pair of house slippers, one toiletries bag, one sweatshirt, and two jars of marionberry jam, gifts for my home stay families.
On my person, I have the makings of a CEP, a buttoned shirt, a pair of khakis, black tennis shoes, a leather jacket, a baseball cap, my cell-phone, my wallet, my passport, and all my boarding passes.
I still have two more flights: New York to Paris, Paris to Casablanca, and then I will actually be in Morocco. Not much longer now. I am excited; I didn’t sleep last night because of the jitters. Each minute brings me closer to being there, and I’ve been thinking about being there for more than a year now. I am ready.
My next post will be in a week. It’ll be longer, and have the highlights of my first week. I’ll talk to you then, inshallah!