The inspiration

I took this photo in the Anti-Atlas mountains on an aimless walk through the arid landscape (think Arizona, not Lawrence of Arabia). Coming upon a small cluster of houses, I saw this spray-painted word that sums up my experiences in Morocco: Merhabkum. It means, “Welcome to you all.”

Being able to read this was one reward for teaching myself the Arabic script, although conversational Moroccan Arabic (Dareja) still eludes me once I get past greetings and shopping at the souk. When I stood in front of this wall, trying to sound out the letters, a rather stern-looking man emerged and stood next to me. Had I been in many parts of rural United States, I would have been fearful that I was trespassing and would be told in no uncertain terms that I should leave. Instead, the man shook my hand, told me, “Merhba” (the singular form) and invited me into his house for tea.