International Women’s Day – All the Days After

They were handing out red roses to (some) women at Tangier's Ibn Battuta Airport on International Women's Day.  Nice gesture. Just like some organizations – websites, news media, governments, private industry – mark the day, until they get to the next de rigueur event, like Earth Day.  Points on the calendar.  Check. What happens the … Read more International Women’s Day – All the Days After


Ramadan Karim, Ramadan Karcher

Usually, I content myself with wishing everyone a happy month of Ramadan and proceeding to other matters.  This time, living in the medina of Tangier and observing the month of Ramadan as respectfully as a non-Muslim can, I want to carry it a step further.  Which is why we carried out a Big Clean of … Read more Ramadan Karim, Ramadan Karcher


Arabic: Speaking 5, Reading 0

Imagine this: you reach the age of, say, 35, and you’re driving down the expressway with the kids in the back seat. You get hopelessly lost a half hour from home.  You decide, then and there, to sign up at the program offered by the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies, TALIM. The course?  … Read more Arabic: Speaking 5, Reading 0