When one only has 13 minutes before one's cyber cafe closes, one finds writing in list form to be most effective:

1. There's this man who guards the apartment building next to my favorite cafe.  The first time he said hello, he engaged me in the typical Moroccan greetings - "Asalaam Aleykum.  Labas?  Bekhair?  Korshimzien?"/"May Peace be with you.  How are you?  Fine?  Is everything good?" - and delightedly smiled and put his hand to his heart.  The next time I saw him, in the hanout down the street, he went through the process again, giving me the same wonderful smile.  Then today, the third time, after greeting me, he held his hand to his heart for a long time and almost tearfully waved to me as I left, smiling.  He's not an old man, he has no reason to be grateful for my "friendship."  He's not a poor man - guarding an apartment has to be one of the better and easier jobs in Morocco (especially considering that rent is probably free or very subsidized).  So his kindness has no ulterior motive.  I think that this particular man has somehow restored my faith in humanity.

2. "Wisdom tooth" translates directly into Arabic.  I explained to my Intermediate students today that I had a tooth coming in, the kind one gets around end-of-college-age.  I told them that getting these teeth somehow signifies adulthood.  Then I told them that my lower left wisdom tooth popped through the gum today.  One of my students, in earnest, asked, "Does that mean that during the last class, our teacher was a child?"  Anyway, it hurts.  Teething hurts.

3. The peer pressure to submit to Islam is getting to me, but I've decided once and for all that I can't let it.  Every day, the faithful are called to prayer five times, and every day when I hear those five adhan, I know they're not for me, and for some reason, that sort of breaks my heart.  But what I struggle with is this: I believe in the Oneness of God, but so do (arguably) Christians, Jews and Muslims.  So, if three worldwide religions all believe in that one aspect, how can only one of them be right?  I can't seem to rectify this in my head and so am doomed to remain agnostic, believing in the same one God but not adhering to any particular faith.

And that is all for today.