19.09.10 Le Sketch Cafe

Last night was the first night I've been genuinely concerned for my safety since I've been here; I was in Fes, at a cafe. Granted, being with a group of unobservant, good-looking gringas parading around a strange city in the dead of night may have added to the immminent threat I'd built up in my head. We all left our budget hotel to search for a cafe in which to chat. Some Americans from our pogram were sitting on the steps outside informing us that nothing was open, and I think everyone in my group took that as a challenge to fine an open one. We walked down the empty streets and after choosing the best of the worst sat down.

Let me explain something here, all natural instinct is reversed here: people who you want to talk to you don't, and when you want to turn around and see who's behind you it's always seen as a sexual advance (as if walking down the street wasn't considered enough of one). People stare and have no issues with it, and I'm talking stare like a chomo at a public pool, people slow their cars to talk to you while you're walking, and people even go so far as to park their motorcycles in narrow alleyways as to stop you from passing.

I've been followed twice already, and with the hypersensitivity, time of night, and lack of any women around, I became the most paranoid I've ever been. I'm fine now, nothing happened, which, at the time, made me embarassed I became so paranoid, but I suppose if Darwin were a Jedi he'd tell me that The Natural Selection is strong with me. I realized I have no reason to be embarassed because of it and on top of that Kelsey shared my same sentiments on the area.

Le sigh. Crisis averted. Though still slightly embarassed, it was significant enough to shake up my night and blog about, particularly because I promise to blog more than I do.

'slams,

Raleigh