“A man may live in many places and still not call them home.”(Harold Robbins, Stiletto)
Dearest family,
Today is february19 and it’s 21:31. I am in my room now at the University Inn, Kent. It’s windy, snowy and cold outside and I am by my own. The TV behind me is harping on about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s war of words in American primary elections.
I am unmindful to that because it’s the same thing all day long and because I miss you back home in Morocco. It has dawned on me that "East or west, home is best". It has only been almost a month and a half but I can’t stand it anymore and I miss you.
I miss you my family terribly. I miss you my wife because you have been special to me since the moment I met you. This is the first time that we've been apart for so long since we've been married. Now I discover that we cannot live without each other and that we always took each other for granted before. We have been through so much. We had our ups and downs, highs and lows, joys and sorrows like everybody else but we've always brought our differences to a happy ending.
I miss you my daughters because you are the greatest kids on earth and no daughters have ever been loved, cherished and wanted more than you have. I miss getting up in the middle of every night to put you back to bed and cover you again. I miss reading to you and listening to your jokes and your school stories. I miss your fights with each other, your complaints about your Mom not letting you go out to play with your friends in the street.
Dearest family,
Today is february19 and it’s 21:31. I am in my room now at the University Inn, Kent. It’s windy, snowy and cold outside and I am by my own. The TV behind me is harping on about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s war of words in American primary elections.
I am unmindful to that because it’s the same thing all day long and because I miss you back home in Morocco. It has dawned on me that "East or west, home is best". It has only been almost a month and a half but I can’t stand it anymore and I miss you.
I miss you my family terribly. I miss you my wife because you have been special to me since the moment I met you. This is the first time that we've been apart for so long since we've been married. Now I discover that we cannot live without each other and that we always took each other for granted before. We have been through so much. We had our ups and downs, highs and lows, joys and sorrows like everybody else but we've always brought our differences to a happy ending.
I miss you my daughters because you are the greatest kids on earth and no daughters have ever been loved, cherished and wanted more than you have. I miss getting up in the middle of every night to put you back to bed and cover you again. I miss reading to you and listening to your jokes and your school stories. I miss your fights with each other, your complaints about your Mom not letting you go out to play with your friends in the street.
My friend Lahcen, God bless his soul, once told me that it would be selfish of him to leave his wife and daughters for more than a month. Now I understand the deep meaning of his wise words.
Though I am always in touch with you, dearest family, by sending you emails, by IMing you, by calling you almost everyday, I still miss you. None of these can be a supplement to the face to face family reunion. None of these can heal my homesickness.
None of these can compensate for your love, your hugs, your smiles, your warmth, and collective family life.
Because I miss you I find it hard to get uninterrupted nights’ sleep and I find it hard to concentrate on my work …
Because I am homesick I lack motivation and I feel isolated and lost.
I wash, I eat, I pray, I go shopping, same as I do back home but I am not back home and I miss home.
I miss my friends, the shopkeepers, the artisans, the beggars, the shoe-shines, the street vendors, the road sweepers…I miss my colleagues at school, my students (those who email me and those who don’t), my supervisor who keeps me updated with news and funny stuff from home by email on all but regular basis.
I miss hanging around with friends and watching soccer together in cafés, sipping coffee and swearing at the players and coaches and calling them names at times and praising them other times. I miss reading Almassae -my favorite newspaper- at Patio cafe every day before going to work.
I miss Friday family gatherings over Moroccan Couscous after prayers. I miss green tea with mint, I miss Harira, I miss Tagine, I miss Kefta in Kamuni village every other Sunday, I miss all the Halal food.
I miss driving on the winding roads to my parents’ in the country during our many national holidays while listening to Berber songs on my CD player. I miss the hills there, the forest, and the sheep and goats crossing the road in front of my car.
I miss everyone and everything back home except our politicians's policy because that's what pulls us backwards.
Though I am always in touch with you, dearest family, by sending you emails, by IMing you, by calling you almost everyday, I still miss you. None of these can be a supplement to the face to face family reunion. None of these can heal my homesickness.
None of these can compensate for your love, your hugs, your smiles, your warmth, and collective family life.
Because I miss you I find it hard to get uninterrupted nights’ sleep and I find it hard to concentrate on my work …
Because I am homesick I lack motivation and I feel isolated and lost.
I wash, I eat, I pray, I go shopping, same as I do back home but I am not back home and I miss home.
I miss my friends, the shopkeepers, the artisans, the beggars, the shoe-shines, the street vendors, the road sweepers…I miss my colleagues at school, my students (those who email me and those who don’t), my supervisor who keeps me updated with news and funny stuff from home by email on all but regular basis.
I miss hanging around with friends and watching soccer together in cafés, sipping coffee and swearing at the players and coaches and calling them names at times and praising them other times. I miss reading Almassae -my favorite newspaper- at Patio cafe every day before going to work.
I miss Friday family gatherings over Moroccan Couscous after prayers. I miss green tea with mint, I miss Harira, I miss Tagine, I miss Kefta in Kamuni village every other Sunday, I miss all the Halal food.
I miss driving on the winding roads to my parents’ in the country during our many national holidays while listening to Berber songs on my CD player. I miss the hills there, the forest, and the sheep and goats crossing the road in front of my car.
I miss everyone and everything back home except our politicians's policy because that's what pulls us backwards.
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