Road Trip to Volubilis Satuday 27/1/14

On Saturday, Doris and I took a road trip to the tomb of Moulay Idriss, the founder of Islam in Morocco and the ancester of the current King,  and Volubilis, the ruins of an ancient Roman town which was located on the edge of the Empire.  The photos that I have attached are of the town of Moulay Idriss, the ruins at Volubilis and the Middle Atlas Mountains near our home In Ifrane.  Every weekend in Morocco is a vacation - love living here with Doris.

Ifrane, Morocco - winter wonder land!

Doris and I had to move to Africa to experience winter.  I uploaded some photos in the previous blog of a snow covered Ifrane.  There is suppose to be 4 inches this weekend.  Today is Saturday and it is well on the way of reaching that goal.

There was no job for me this semester in the Language Center but I will be teaching 4 classes in critical thinking and academic research in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.  I have become by default an accidental academic.  So far, I have 71 students but drop and add is not over yet.  It should be challenging and fun since I did not know which classes I would be teaching until this week and classes start of Monday. 

Life here in Morocco is still good.  I can't believe how lucky I am to be here with Doris who is also incredibly happy to in Ifrane and at AUI.  I can't think of a more stimulating environment for us to be in. 

Winter in Africa - photos!

 

 

Winter Vacation in Germany

While we were in Berlin, we attended the Shabbat service at the Neue Synagogue. When we arrived at the Neue Synagogue, we were questioned by a Berlin police officer in the foyer as to the purpose of our visit. I showed the officer my passport and explained that we were there for the Shabbat service. We then through a security process that was identical to that performed at the airport. The officer was professional and courteous. It was gratifying to see that protection was being provided for the synagogue but it was a sad reminder that anti-semitism still exists in Germany and the rest of the world.

The service was not in the main synagogue but in a small chapel on the fourth floor. It was a Reform service. Normally, the service would have been performed by Rabbi Gesa Ederberg who is the only female Rabbi in Berlin, but this Friday the service was performed by a visiting cantor who was there for a wedding. The sermon was given by Rabbi Ederberg who gave us a warm welcome in flawless English when we arrived but the sermon was in German so I can't comment on its content or quality. The service was simple, warm and familiar – a bit of home in a foreign country. The Neue Synagogue is located in what used to be the Jewish Quarter in Berlin. It is a large, elegant structure with a large dome that distinguishes it from the rest of the buildings around it. If you are ever in Berlin, you should visit the Neue Synagogue which is primarily a museum – be sure to go up to the dome for a view of the city.

The Jewish Community (Jüdische Gemeinde) is growing in Berlin but there is a serious but what I find as a slightly humorous debate between the various Jewish communities as to who is “the real Jew”. This debate has been generated by the immigration of a number of Orthodox Jews from the East, especially from Russia, who conflict with the more liberal German Jews. Does this sound familiar? In a sense, this is as much about money as it is about theology since the German government provides financial support for the legal representative of each faith community – Jewish or Christian. Unlike the U.S., Germany does not have separation of church and state. Everyone in Germany pays a church tax which is then divided among the various churches and synagogues – I'm not sure if this includes the Muslim community or not. If a German citizen does not want to pay this church tax, then he or she must file a petition with the state for an exemption. The petition basically states that the person is not a member of a faith community and should not be forced to financially support other peoples' religious institutions by the state. It is ironic that Germany where there is no separation of church and states is much less religious and much more secular than the U.S. which has separation of church and state. Most Germans are what I would call “cultural Christians”; they only go to church on Christmas - much like “cultural Jews” who only go to the synagogue on the High Holy Days.

I always enjoy being in Germany. I like the people, the food and the cultural. Berlin is one of the the great cities of Europe. It is considered one of the best cities for young people in Europe along with Barcelona and Prague. It is the least expensive of all the major cities in Europe where apartments are still affordable for students, artists and young professionals. It is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city with numerous cultural and artistic activities. In some sections of Berlin, it is hard to tell that you are in Germany because of the incredible ethnic diversity. It reminds me in many ways of the cultural and ethnic diversity of New York but with its own unique Berlin ambience. I could easily live there. Fortunately, we have friends and family who live in Berlin so we have additional incentives for visiting Berlin frequently.

After Berlin, we drove back to Frankfurt and picked up some friends who flew in from Colorado and went down to the Black Forest in southwest Germany – not far from Strassburg. It was unseasonably warm in German while we were there and it rained, rather than snowed while we were in the Black Forest. This turned out well. We needed some down time and it was great hanging out in the sauna, getting a massage and lounging around the indoor pool. I did manage to take some short hikes through the forest and plan to come back for some longer back packing treks some day. I also walked into Freudenstädt, the closest town. It is a beautiful, small town nestles in the mountains of the Black Forest. It was friendly with very good restaurants. The Hotel where we stayed, the Langenwaldsee, was delightful and again the food was excellent. There was even a small “lake” where we could take a bone-chilling cold plunge after the sauna. The weather may have been unseasonably warm but the lake wasn't – brrrrrr. It was the perfect place to relax and hanging out with good friends.

We are now back in Ifrane - good to be home. It turns out that there is no job for me in the Language Center this semester. There are only enough students to support classes for the full time staff so I will either find another job or enjoy a semester of hiking, self-directed study, being a house-husband and individual reflection. In other words, I will hang out and have some fun. It's good either way.

Hotel Langenwaldsee

We are staying at the Hotel Langenwaldsee near Freudenstadt, Germany.  It is a spa located in the Black Forest - very beautiful. It has been unusually warm in Germany with lots of rain the last few days so it's a perfect time to enjoy lazy days of massage, sauna and relaxing.  The food is also incredibly good. We will leave for Frankfurt tomorrow and fly back to Morocco on the 7th.  It has been a great vacation with family and friends.

New Year's Eve in Berlin - Happy New Year!

We spent New Year’s Eve in Berlin with friends.  We walked to a hill near their house at midnight and watched the fireworks from throughout the city.  Nothing was organized but people were out everywhere shooting off fireworks.  A shroud of smoke hung in the air.  It seemed like s scene out of Clockwork Orange…World War III…the end of the world.  The sound of the fireworks was deafening, like a monsoon on a tin roof.  An ancient pagan ritual in the middle of modernity meant to banish the evil spirits of the past year to the nether regions of the subconscious.  It was incredible experience…ordered and purposeful chaos.  When we walked back to the house, people appeared like zombies out of the smoke.  It was a totally surrealistic scene out of Dante’s Inferno or grade B horror movie.  I kept expecting the fireworks to end…10 minutes…30 minutes…an hour.  When I went to bed at 1 am, the fireworks were undiminished in intensity.