Words of Encouragement from my Memere & Predeparture notes

I received this from my maternal grandmother via email earlier today:

Dearest Mely, WOW! am I envious? you bet!! how things have changed in just 2 generations.

If I had attempted this at your age the fallout from my family would have been, well just let me say when I announced to my parents during senior year of high school that I wanted to go on the stage the silence was deafening! Then your great-grandfather Tate remarked that only whores went on stage and the subject was closed. And what a lovely soprano voice I had...

Then I said "what about law school?" and that was shot down, as was nursing, horrors!!! I would have to view men's privates, no way! So Virgie says what? and HE replies, will only pay your tuition to college if you major in education or business, (these are ladylike occupations) so it was business, which did come in handy when your grandfather Henry decided he didn't want to be married anymore after 21 yrs. & 5 children (shall I write a book?)

But oh, my darling, go out into the world and do what your heart tells you, and be assured that while I can't support you monetarily my heart and soul are with you... If only I had had your opportunities, who knows? Will follow you on your great adventure! All my love, MeMere...

It is interesting to note that the women in my family have always rather progressive... I'm the first (that I know of) to journey to the Arab World. I realize that there are challenges to be faced by the fact that I'm American (not to mention female) but I'm prepared. It's a whole new world.

In other news, I finally got my Rough Guide (so much fun) and a few other books listed to the right of this column. I'll be updating what I am reading/skimming/using as a pillow as I go. The Berbers book was a total yawn, but Mernissi has a great writing style. Very hit-or-miss on finding stuff for Morocco. I really wanted to get ahold of some Ben Jelloun but he's not exactly the easiest guy to find published (which is slightly maddening since he's hailed as "the most internationally recognized Moroccan French-language intellectual" and his stuff has been translated into English; maybe I'll have better luck at the American bookstore in Rabat?). I suppose the thing I'm tickled pink about is having 8 books in a row of the Legacy of the Force series (Star Wars). I've read the first one already and had to resist the urge to pick up the next because I still have books checked out from the library that I need to get through. Bah, humbug. I'll bring as many as I can stuff in my bags, and keep the next one (or two) in my carry on for the flights & layovers.

Quick Note: the time stamp on here is local Rabat time. If you live in the Central time zone, subtract 5 hours for your local time, or learn to use a world clock like me *wink*

So, I've made my packing list and, by extension, my shopping list. Yay. Now to actually do the work. Other stuff I have going on before departure:

• Girls Night Out - Dinner and a Movie (Sex and the City) with my friends from high school - the "Bosom Buddies" later today
• Visit with Lisa?
• Spending time with Matt from Thursday night til Sunday morning
• Matt's brother Phillip's HS graduation Saturday (assuming I'm all packed up and ready to go)
• Writing a letter to appeal the charge of replacing carpet ($375!) in my apartment for the past semester
  
• Receiving delivery of a new loveseat on Friday (the Sofa is back-ordered)
• Donating our old sectional, clothes, and other miscellaneous furniture/stuff by pickup to Salvation Army on Friday

And that's it. This time next week I will be waking up at the Hotel Berlin in Rabat.

/freaks out