Thomas Education

One of my two phones today reflected a timezone change, as it is set to West European Summer Time, which falls back one hour on Sunday the 27th.    However, we are in Morocco, not Western Europe.  Reportedly, last year Morocco decided to spring ahead one hour in the summer, and stay that way (except for the Holy Month of Ramadan, but that's a different story!).  So, during summertime we follow West European Summer Time; but in the fall, we are on West African Time ?  or is it Central European Time?  Which name would our tourism & marketing department prefer to use?   There were rumors that Morocco would suddenly decide to fall back again, as had happened a few years ago -- but evidently not.  Son Excellence Le Roi is apparently opting for stability.  I agree, stability is better, where clocks are concerned.  The E.U. has declared that every member nation should decide on its single timezone by next year.  I'm sure that'...

Today, October 22nd, is the first day of serious rainfall in Rabat since May.  It stifles our outdoor activity a bit, but is a welcome cleaner of streets and sidewalks.  Americans do not realize the important cleaning function of regular rainfall.   While I was working in the Fulbright Commission’s library last week, they brought in a book recently published by one of their alumni, about ceramics in Morocco.  Then separately I get an invitation to attend his book talk at the American Legation in Tangier. We attend the book talk on Thursday evening (yes, we bought his expensive book), in the stunningly beautiful rambling old Legation building, and I urge Barbara to walk to the other side of the Medina to a notable café -- googlemaps can lead us through the Medina, surely. Narrower and narrower alleys, with stray cats and young men standing warily, then a group of young men in the alley ahead arguing loudly...we beat a hasty retreat to our hotel by the t...