My first visitor

I have a friend who has spent most of his life living outside of the states. He was in the Peace Corps, he’s lived all over the world, he travels constantly. He says that the first time someone comes to visit you – as in buys a ticket to fly across the ocean to see YOU – is very important in the course of your life in a new country. In a sense, it makes it all real.

Of course, it’s true for everything in life. Everything is better sharing it with someone you love.

For me, there was no better first guest than my dear sis, Rach. Here we are, circa mid-nineties. I looked at this picture in the weeks leading up to her arrival as I felt it perfectly captured my sentiments on the subject.

The anticipation of her visit and the subsequent visit itself was the perfect thing to break the typical January doldrums.

When Rachel arrived, I was still in the midst of finals craziness so our travels were built around my schedule. We traveled to Fes, Meknes and Volubolis then returned so I could give a final on Monday. We left for Tangier for a few days until I had to give another final on Friday. Once I was done we packed up and headed to Marrakech. The last week she was here, we stuck around Rabat so she could get a taste of my daily life. We got to spend time with all of the people who fill my life here. I took her to all my favorite places. But most importantly, we hung out like we always do. Everything we did was accompanied by a lot of laughter.

It was all almost too good to be true.

Fes

Volubolis

Tangier

Marrakech

At home in Rabat