The Good:
Weddings. Weddings! Who knew I was such a gosh darn sap? Last Sunday, I had the privilege of witnessing two of my good friends from Uni marry each other, on one of the most beautiful days I have ever seen in London. At the Bingham Hotel, in Richmond Upon Thames, Paige & Harish exchanged vows in front of around 50 of their closest friends and family. I had been excited for the day to come for some time, but I hadn't anticipated quite how touching and wonderful it was going to be. I blubbered all over myself during the ceremony & speeches. Thankfully, I remained composed for the rest of the evening. Champagne may or may not have had something to do with that. Reacquainting with friends I hadn't seen for three years, some even six, was a gift in itself. I felt like I was home again, in a country I adore, with the people I love. Since it's still another six months until I get that feeling back permanently, I look forward to July when two of my very best friends get hitched as well, just this time in St Andrews.
Speaking of St Andrews and weddings and people I went to school with - I'll keep it brief, but my God was the Royal wedding beautiful yesterday. I mentioned blubbering before; it was more of a slow and steady trickle this time... But come on! That dress. And tiara. His 'I'm-quite-pleased-with-myself' smirk. The flower girls. And the choir boys singing. And... all of it. I'm a sucker. So sue me.
The Ugly:
Yes I realize I'm reversing two of the adjectives, but stick with me. The ugly should be quite obvious. There was, as I'm sure you all are aware by now, a remotely-detonated bombing at a cafe in Jma El Fna square in the center of Marrakech yesterday. No, I was not there. No PCVs were injured. No, Peace Corps does not have plans for consolidation or evacuation as it stands. Sadly, 16 people were killed, and around 20 injured they say. Among them French, Canadian, British, Swiss, Israeli, and Moroccan nationals. The cafe is known to be a hot tourist spot, one I've frequented in the past myself, so they believe the aim was at foreigners. Though the ministry of the interior says it has hints of Al-Qaeda, no one has claimed responsibility, so blame has yet to be placed. Here are some articles for more information:
The Bad:
Without making this terrible event at all about me, I'm disappointed in it's timing. There is never a good time for someone to cowardly plant a bomb full of nails in a cafe full of people enjoying their country, for someone to die while on vacation, for people to lose their lives for simply enjoying a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, the ramifications of this incident will extend far beyond those present at the cafe. This will strike hard the tourism industry here in Morocco. An industry the local economy relies so heavily upon.
A direct example of this would be the planned of visit of my best friend, her fiance, and her cousin this past weekend. They were due to fly in on Friday morning, and with the explosion having happened Thursday, this quickly made them question their visit. Well-versed travellers and hardly skiddish, they were forced to cancel their trip under the guidance of 'better safe than sorry'. Which I totally appreciate and understand. Unfortunately, in addition to my best friend, my brother has also been forced to cancel his trip this month. He was due to come for my birthday while on his R&R from the Army in Iraq. Yet, it seems Morocco is now listed as a hot-spot and he no longer has clearance to enter the country.
Lame.
So you see, friends, this week has had its ups and downs.
Yay for weddings. Boo for terrorists.
An anthem we all can stand by, yes?
Shall I make tee-shirts?
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