The Ant Rescue Team: Sky Cargo guy, Nezha (Sky Cargo), Me & Ant, Mohammed (Clearance Agent), Tofek (Bewildered Driver)
A comparison of the offices inhabited by the Deputy Police Commissioner of Qatar and the Director of Customs, Casablanca [the two most senior officials I have met and hope EVER to meet in either country, god willing] reveals that, while they may be equal in terms of their mobile phones, pens, and watches, the Head of Casa Customs needs to make immediate use of his position to upgrade his carpet. Synthetic dyes. Dear god. In this country?
Customs Boss to me: Francais?
Customs Boss to me: Espanol?
Me to Customs Boss: Japanese?There is, fortunately, a universal language and as I pass my [infinitely cheaper] Nokia over to Customs Boss for an Arabic translation of my crisis I continue to cry at him.
Don't worry. He deserved it.
Get this: Ant is booked in at Dubai to fly to Casa. Dubai does NOT put live animals on planes until it has confirmation that the receiving airport knows a live animal is arriving, and is ready to undertake veterinary clearance.
Dubai receives written assurance of veterinary clearance.
Dubai puts Ant on plane.
Moroccan Flora & Fauna Fact 1: National Geographic states that mosquitoes range in size from 0.3 to 2cm. National Geographic clearly needs to get its bottom down to Morocco because the ones coming into my house are gargantuan. National Geographic released their insect based recipes via Facebook today. The organisation has gone down in my estimation.
The Moroccan Mega-Mozzie genus prevalent in Ifrane. No I didn't take this photo. The only photographable mozzies in my apartment are squashed and fully dead.
Simone hires car [cost OZ$170, US$160, AED580].
Simone is driven to Casa. Again. This is the THIRD time in less than two weeks I've made this 4 hour (one way) drive.
Vet has taken day off. Vet is two hours away in Rabat.
Simone is very very pissed off.
Moroccan Flora & Fauna Fact 2: Donkeys abound in Morocco. When not working - as pictured below - they can almost always be seen in acts of flagrant, gleeful disobedience, tails a-swishing, breaking into or out of wherever they are supposed to be. An animal to emulate!
Simone, the wonderful Nezha (Sky Cargo), Mohammed (Customs Clearance) try various alternatives.
Grovel to senior officials in other buildings.
Ring vet in Rabat.
Talk to customs manager about notarising document copies.
Nothing doing.
Customs manager to Simone: This is not our problem.
Fine, I think. You asked for it.
Customs manager revises his opinion on what is and isn't his problem, and within 20 minutes we are queued outside the Director of Customs' office.
At the top of the queue, since the Customs manager is not alone in thinking sobbing Simones are best given a wide berth.
Director of Customs caves. Customs people and vet suddenly helpful. The utter relief. I await clearance with Ant, on the floor on the massive Casa cargo warehouse. Terrified by the clanking and banging, the 9 hour flight from Dubai, and sitting in her own urine, she is one happy cat when I reach into the cage and let her out.
And so the drive home, but not before the other item of manifest cargo arrives beside Ant and I in the warehouse. I so hope that grieving family did not have to cope with what I did to retrieve their dead loved person. And I was so relieved by the last minute decision by the relevant customs official not to open the coffin in front of me as he so clearly intended.
Note to self: Avoid bringing cargo of any sort into Morocco in future.
Moroccan Flora & Fauna Fact 3: Oleander grows wild in Morocco and the highways from Meknes to Casa are lined with it: Pink, White and Crimson growing down the centre of the road. Was concerned that donkeys might eat said oleander which is poisonous. But no. That's why it's only allowed to grow in the CENTRE of the road, Simone.
Ant is home and extraordinarily happy. She has been totally spoilt by Matthew and his wife and expects cuddles every five minutes. Lack of construction noise is welcome but wind is a confusing concept. Ripples in water bowl. What are they? Repeated dabs with paw at water yield no answers to date.
My 'orientation' at work starts tomorrow, and next Monday I start teaching. Not sure what. Hard to care. Mohammed Akkoui has taken care of the orientation I need, and since Ant is now home, so am I.
Much love and thanks for your good wishes,
Simone the (Soon to Be) Settled.
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