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Simply a Happy Ending
Monday, April 27, 2009
Puppy following surgery
Providing Hope Among the Suffering
 The last call for prayers in Fez is around 8:30 p.m.; afterwards the city becomes very quiet and peaceful. Tonight the crescent moon is seen off in the distance. Alicia and I are slowly realizing we have to leave tomorrow and reluctantly start to pack up our things.
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A German Shepherd puppy
recuperates after his eye was
removed several days ago. | Our last full day was filled with surprises. The owner of the young German Shepherd puppy, who had his eye removed Friday, returned today to take his dog home. Needless to say, everyone was happy for the ending of this story. At almost the same time, however, a small, young dog with a probable mite infestation and horrible eyelid inflammation was abandoned by a woman who no longer wanted her. We accepted the dog into our Fondouk and will be providing her with the treatment she needs in the hope of finding her a good home.
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Dr. Frappier
examines an
abandoned dog. | There are many true stories here in Fez of animals who find their way to the American Fondouk on their own to receive food, shelter and care. They walk or fly through the large gated doors knowing there is a place they can come for respite from the harsh reality of living in a big city. It sounds a bit far fetched however once you have been here I am sure “word gets around” to the animals that the Fondouk is a good place to come.
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A kitten is examined
at the Fondouk. | I have signed each correspondence on this trip “From paradise” but have in my own mind struggled to define exactly what paradise means. Is it having everything you want? Is it a place where there is no suffering and no one has a need for anything? At first I thought I was being a bit romantic; after all I was visiting an exotic place where there is a need for the services that I can offer, that is to help sick animals without asking for anything in return. I soon realized that Fez is a wild place filled with life, death, emotion and action everywhere you turn. The Fondouk is only a small part of that, but it is a part that cannot be taken away.
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A boy awaits care for his horse
at the Fondouk. | To me, paradise is not the utter fulfillment of one’s desires and the absolute elimination of every bad thing; rather it is the act of giving and receiving, exchanging our gifts to one another no matter how great or small. Paradise is ensuring that we are an active participant, to the best of our ability, in this sometimes crazy world and consciously soaking it all in along the way. No matter how one defines paradise, I feel that part of the definition is the wish for paradise to endure.
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A Fassi family
brings their goat
to the Fondouk
for an examination. | Alicia and I were invited by a Berber family for dinner and company tonight. A man who sells carpets, a complete stranger we met only the day before in the medina, had us over for chicken couscous, tea and conversation. His wife and two teenage daughters were there and the oldest daughter made henna designs on Alicia’s hands and arms. Henna is a beautiful ornate art of India and Arabia that goes back centuries. We talked of family and work, and shared the meal from a single large bowl as is traditional in Morocco, each of us using our own spoon.
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Dr. Biros at the
Fondouk's horse
stables. | The apartment was modest but had everything one needs, a kitchen, family room and sleeping quarters. It also provided a fine view of the medina from the rooftop, where you felt a bit like a bee in a large honeycomb. As we looked out at the labyrinth of the city we realized how very welcome we are here and at the very same time how very far away from home we found ourselves. How often would something like this happen in Boston? The whole evening was mesmerizing and as dizzying as it was comforting. This is paradise.
Until we write again,
M’a ssalama (peace and goodbye)
Dr. Biros
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