But how are we doing?

At the moment we are in Granada with a friend, taking some rest after 13 days of cycling without rest days. In two days we will leave to Orgiva, south of Granada, where we will work as volunteers on a organic farm for a few weeks.

But how are we doing?
Ouiza: Fine. Growing a lot, getting heavier (bad for Peter), eating, playing and sleeping a lot. She now can run about 3 or 4 km continuously next to the bike. Her biggest bloopers: Attaking a car and getting run over, peeing in houses, getting stung by a wasp on her nose, falling out of the basket, very noisy diarrhoea by night, being chased by a chicken, running into a wall.
What she likes: Boiled eggs, raw chicken feet, bread with butter, cakes, olives, milk, bananas, water melons, playing with cats and turtles, camping.
What she doesn´t like: Elevators, lots of noise.
Peter: Fine. A little bit tired because of cycling with a lot of luggage. He is not only carrying almost all the luggage but also the dog. Fortunately he has no problems with his back. Very happy with the warm climate and the beautiful mountain scenery on the whole trip. Mentally preparing to be a father. Looking forward to work on the farm for a few weeks.
Petra: Fine. Growing bigger and bigger. Cycling up the hills and mountains is still possible but very slowly. At the end of the trip in Morocco (7 weeks) she had some problems with islamic culture. Happy do be in Spain now. Very happy with all the nice food (especially fruits and vegetables) as well in Morocco as in Spain, the sun and the Mediterranean Sea. Is trying to find a lift back to the Netherlands at the end of June or beginning of July.

Moroccan friendship?

We met Lahcen in Tighassaline, a small village about 200 km south of Fes. Lahcen is about 35 years old and a farmer. He has 6 cows and lives together with his parents and one sister (he has 10 brothers and sisters) on the farm. They live very simple in beautiful but old houses, don´t have electricity, have to get drinking water from a water well and wash the clothes in the river. It´s not possible to have a warm shower there (like almost nowhere in Morocco) but they have their own private hammam, kind of a small little sauna with buckets of hot and cold water. They also have goats, donkeys, chicken, cats, dogs, a big vegetable garden, grain fields and olive trees. Every evening they milk the cows. They make all kind of milk products at home, they make about 600 liters of olive oil every year and they make their own flour.

Lahcen is the only one of all the children who studied. His father didn´t even want him to go to school but he just went. He seemed to be quiet smart and made it to university. Unfortunately he couldn´t finish his study in geography because of financial problems. He went back to the farm and started helping his parents and sister. He is now busy with finding a wife (Moroccan men apparently marry between the age of 25 and 40) and founding a family.

We met Lahcen while we crossed his village, he was also on the bike. His French and English was really good in comparison with most of the Moroccans we met and he wanted to practice a little bit with us. We had the feeling that he was really interested in us and that he was not one of the guys who wants to sell something to tourists. He invited us to his house and we accepted. We stayed about 5 days with him and got to know is day to day life.
Lahcens mentality seemed different to other Moroccans. We had long and interesting conversations about Europe, Moroccan culture, religion, relationships and more. His views on these topics are not conservative but more like in Western culture.

After the first few days, which we really enjoyed a lot, his behavior changed slowly. Already the first evening he told us about his failure to marry a French woman he loved. Suddenly she wasn´t interested in him anymore. He seemed hurt a lot by that.
But the last few days we got more and more the feeling that the only thing he lived for was to get into Europe and that he found an opportunity through us to realize this dream. (To get a visa is extremely difficult for Moroccans, especially if they don´t have a lot of money.) He was directing almost all the conversations towards this subject: his attempts to get into Europe and his big dream to get there. That´s all he ever wanted in his life. Finally he asked both of us dozens times if we know a nice woman who would be interested in him or if we please could find such a woman for him. All the inital intersts in Europe and us were gone.

Now we are wondering if everything was fake, if our initial friendship is true or false. He really felt like a friend to us, extremely hospitable, interested and kind. Did he from the beginning plan to 'use' us or did it just develop while time passed? Or is there just a difference between Moroccan friendships and Western friendships? Perhaps they can´t have friendships without expectations?

Anyway, we wish Lahcen the best and hope that his European dream will come true. We exchanged adresses and phone numbers and for sure we will send him some pictures like he asked for. And who knows, perhaps he will call us one day and say: ´Mes amis, je suis en France!´

Ouiza in Europa!

Dear human friends,
I made it to Spain! I passed all the security checks and customs, although the drug dog barked at me. I am with Peter and Petra in Europe! Nothing can stop me now to go to my new home in The Netherlands. Thank you for all your support and information on how to take me across borders. See you in a few months in Utrecht.
Ouiza

Our new companion

Name: Ouiza (pronounce as 'Louisa' in French but without the L)

Sexe: Female
Age: 3 Months

Weight: 6,21 kg
Nationality: Moroccan (Berber) - Dutch - Austrian

Occupation: Guardian

Goal: Getting into Spain without any problems at the border. At the moment she is busy with vaccinations and updating her passport.