Are you an Organ Donor?

18 July 2007

Organ donation: Today *“BlogCatalog Community Organ Donation Awareness Campaign” is doing a full court press to raise awareness about the need for organ donation. In other words, I am an organ donor, are you? I mean really, when you are dead why do you need those organs? You aren’t going to use them again. If you insist on an open casket those chaps can fill you with Styrofoam.


Seriously, and it is a serious issue, people die every day for lack of an organ donor. Here are some links for more information. Do give it some thought – as in what if it were your child, husband, mother, sister, brother who needed an organ transplant? What would you do to make that happen?
If you live in the United States, all you have to do is link to OrganDonor.gov.
UNOS
or MatchingDonors.com .

Visit the British Organ Donor Society for known worldwide links.

Once you sign up make certain you discuss your decision with your family. Be sure they know this is what you want, and that they are comfortable with your decision. Read some of the success stories if you have any hesitation. It’s not just the old kidney transplant (albeit that is pretty spectacular) but did you know you could save someone’s sight with a corneal transplant? How brilliant is that?! Come on, sign up, it is the cool thing to do. You can brag about your philanthropic ways at the next Club Brunch over martinis.



And now back to our normal programming….

Last night hearing strange sounds ‘above’ I made way up the stairs to the terrace where I saw our neighbors to the ‘right’ decamping to the roof for the evening. I assume it is now hot enough to bother the Moroccans! They are set up with chairs, lights, and a television – there you have it, the Archers in Rabat catching the ocean breeze.

I want to post a little DISCLAIMER today. I know I have readers from Morocco, Indonesia, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Britain, Italy, American, and France, et al (you know who you are) – I want to make it very clear that this is MY view of Morocco. These are MY experiences here. There was a lot of talk on the Morocco blogs ( you can find the list at this link) some time back about the “incorrect” view, the “tourists’” view, the “unrealistic” view, and the “real” view of Morocco. I think they are all valid. It is the old tale of the blind man and the elephant isn’t it? I mean do you have hold of the tail or the trunk? I am a well traveled western woman, but western nonetheless. Hopefully this is not an Orientallist point of view, but rather that of one who knows her biases, limitations, and has an eager desire to learn and explore – one I have indulged for many years. I welcome all my readers and my Moroccan readers are welcome to always post any difference of opinion or correction. Meanwhile I shall continue to give my impressions and experiences in this wonderful country.


Here are some better photographs of my neighborhood of the Oudayas (Oudaia) than I can take.



Yesterday I was at my New City ‘office’, the Majestic Boulangerie that has some of the best sandwiches in town and a wonderful bakery. The only complaint is that the café’ au lait deliciousness is not consistent. It is one block over from Mohammad V Blvd. where at present there is a world of construction work going on with the sidewalks.
I was working on my story and doing a bit of people watching, like you do. Q came back from her Arabic class and over café au lait we were discussing the positioning of the veil in Moroccan society.

Our observations have been that if she is dressed all in black and the veil is right under her eyes, she is from out of town or Islamist, and is usually young. The newly converted (usually westerners) will have the veil up and tight but will go to different colors at times. Worn by the middle-aged who still bow to convention or habit lays the veil gently across the nose and often is beautifully embroidered. I have not seen the lovely embroidered veils on the younger women. I don’t know if it is no longer part of the trousseau, out of style, or I have just not seen it. Worn by those in the later years who have seen much, the veil is often worn loosely under the nose and even under the chin; these women have either amusement in their eyes or a look that says, “Don’t even think about it.”

There is a place for feminists in Morocco, and you can’t always tell by the veil or the lack of one. The Queen of Morocco does not wear a veil.


We have also noticed in the past weeks we are not the only ones to become more “relaxed” in our clothing choices. As the weather heats up and stays there, the scene in Morocco is more sleeveless and less covered but shorts are rare on this side of town. In Agdal and Souissi it is shorts, sundresses, and t-strapped shirts.

Personally I try to expose the least amount of skin I can stand to the sun here. I saw a group of tourists yesterday that resembled lobsters more than anything else. Ouch!

You can tell the Moroccans and those of us who live here from the tourists by one sure method, the Moroccans will head for the shade even if it means extra steps out of the way. Q and I have begun to take a longer, but shaded way through the Medina to the New City. The tourists walk down the center of the street or look into the shops on the SUNNY side!


I have to go meditate now before I THROW MY COMPUTER AGAINST THE WALL. Which would be illogical because it is the Internet server that is so slow I could be dead for three years before I was able to blog about it! Then to the hammam which should help with the relaxing. Don't forget go sign your donor's card.

Om mani padme hum…