Is your motherland having an election today?

The title of this post is actually part of a text that I received a few days ago. And while the text was referring to the elections held in The Old Country -- Lebanon -- there also happened to be a parade going on in the street below my apartment, in honor of the upcoming Moroccan elections on Friday. It was my first Moroccan parade, and while it was small and contained no marching band, it was still quite an experience.

I've been handed many a flyer in the past few days, but my repulsion for politics, coupled with the fact that I am not a citizen of Morocco, means that this week I'll have to wallflower. The schools, neddi, and other associaton- and commune-run activites have been slowed down or stopped completely for the week, as all energies and resources are going toward the inti7abat. I'm interested in the issues (which include a topic near and dear to my heart: transportation), but I'm advised by PC to remain politically-unaffiliated, both domestically and, uh... internationally.

It's been interesting to experience, so far, as the buzz of the election is tangible wherever you go. This morning, my taxi driver had flyers (or is it fliers?) for a candidate on the dashboard. Last night, my brother and sister entertained themselves for hours with the 40-something flyers they had collected earlier that day. While these kids are five and eight, they can sense that this is an exciting time for the community. It'll be exciting to see what happens after Friday!

On a much less exciting note, I paid rent on my apartment for the first time yesterday, and will pay my electric bill after finishing this post. Nothing to write home about, but it does make me feel a bit more like I am indeed a member of the community, and not just an extended houseguest who insists on trying to speak Berber.