This has been our view from the rooftop terrace where are staying in Tinghir, Morocco for almost 2 months now. In that time we have gone out to explore the gardens and farms below only 5 times, the rest of the time we have stayed put.
In Morocco, technically, there is only supposed to be one household member that has permission to go out and purchase supplies. This was put into effect only a few days after we arrived here. Our host had to physically go to city hall to obtain a permission slip that he would present to shop owners, showing that he was the designated one.
This, of course, means that we are not to be doing any shopping, and we have adhered to this guideline wholeheartedly, and are just happy that we do have somebody that can go out and get us supplies.
At first this was pretty scary. Knowing that we were 100% reliant on a complete stranger to keep us fed was a bit alarming. But that fear was mixed into so many other fears at the time, that really we just felt happy that we had somebody to do it.
The times that we did sneak out to do some exploring and get some exercise, were fraught with a healthy dose of fear and anxiety. Our host felt that we needn’t be afraid, but when you are foreigners in a foreign land, and the country is on lockdown, and you know full well that you are breaking the rules, well……….
After our last outing, we told him that it might just be easier if we stayed at the house and were rule abiding Canadians. Life in Morocco prison doesn’t look so good. Maybe a far reaching over reaction, but who knows. We feel safe here at the house, we are well fed and taken care of, we really have no need to go out.
But of course, that gets old after a while. We have been on lockdown since March 19th, and we are really starting to get itchy feet.
Thankfully we have had our art projects to sink into, but even doing that for a long period of time can bring creative burnout and a general sense of just not feeling like it. Of course, there are days where we just don’t feel like doing it, so we don’t, and in those days we tend to feel guilty that our host is still running around and doing the things he needs to do to keep us well fed.
The bottom line is that it is time to move on, but we can’t.
We have been in this scenario before. Last year we so desperately wanted to leave an arrangement that we had committed to for 6 months, early. But we stuck it out because we had made a commitment. This time is different. This time we can’t simply move on.
Lockdown is meant to be lifted on May 20th. We have no idea what that means. Will the roads be open? Can we go out to purchase things? Will restaurants be open? Can we travel to a new place?
We really have no idea. Our only option at this point is to sit tight and just wait. Do things to occupy our minds and hope that there is a light at the end of this tunnel sooner rather than later.
In saying all of this, though, I will admit that we are so thankful to have ended up in such a warm and welcoming country as Morocco. The people are some of the friendliest and most hospitable people that we have met. There is no sense of real danger here.
Being a Muslim country means that most beleive in the golden rule “do unto other as you would have them do unto you.” This means that most would never dream of treating another in a bad way. They are not violent people in any sense of the word, and we have been met with nothing but kindness and open hearts since arriving here.
And so, although life is frought with complications and annoyances, we can also see the good side of our scenario, and for that we are extremely grateful.
Sending out love and well wishes to all of you around the world!
What is your situation like? Are you locked down in a foreign country? Tell us all about it!
If you would like to learn about how it is that we arrived to Tinghir, check out my blog post “Let’s Get You All Up To Speed“.
