A SPECIAL "I LOVE YOU!" Azrou revisited, Part 1. I traveled to my training site to assist with a training session for the new volunteers, and went a day early to see my community-based training family of two years ago. I have had no contact with them since then, and tried to phone the day before I traveled to their home, but the number wasn't working. So I just showed up; I knocked on their door, and there was much laughter and joy in seeing each other again. The father even gave me a kiss and hug, which is highly unusual for Moroccan males with non-family members, but then, this was an unusual family. Three of the daughters were there, as well as the parents. We had tea and visited; they were so pleased with my language skills, limited as it is. A bit later we had tajine and their very good homemade bread. I was there about four hours. When I left, the old man again embraced and told me I was like his daughter, which started the tears, then I kissed the mother goodbye, and hugged all the daughters, (and I mean hug!)and just looked at them and told them I loved them, and asked if they understood. They said yes, and told me in English that they loved me, too.

You see, this is the neat thing: No false promises of, "We'll come to America and see you," or "I'll come back to Morocco and see you again." I know that we all felt that we had simply created a special bond between two very different peoples and countries, but that we are just God's children who were meant to care about one another. Pretty awesome.