December 12 -- Casablanca, Morocco

Hello everyone,

It’s been a while since I’ve written, so this email may be kinda long.  It’s also my last email from this voyage.

It’s hard to believe that this incredible journey is ending.  In a way, I’m looking forward to it.  I’m a bit worn out by all the work.  We will have completed ten 9-minute pieces in 100 days, that’s one every ten days… I don’t think I’ve ever produced that amount of work in such a short time.  I need a vacation!!! :)

I’ve been happy with everything we’ve done though.  Some stories are better than others, but I think overall, they’ve all been educational, engaging, and eye-opening for the students.  I’ve received two letters from 7th grade students in Pennsylvania who say they find the stories “very interesting.”  It’s great to know that people are watching and learning.  I think this trip has made me realize that I want to continue to produce educational programming.

Since my last mass email, we have visited Egypt, Turkey, Croatia, Italy - and now we’re in Morocco.  I have to say we’re not getting as much out of the second half of the voyage as we did from the first.  Our stay in Egypt only lasted 36 hours, so we didn’t have time to do a really substantive piece, but we got a really fun story out of our visit to the pyramids, which I think will inspire kids to want to make the trip themselves.

We tried to do a story in Turkey about Islam, but weren’t able to talk to anyone interesting.  We spent hours waiting to interview an Imam, only to be turned away at the end.  It’s all because of the European security conference, I think.  There were too many heads of state and parts of the city were shut down.  In a way, it was good we didn’t get a story because we don’t really have time to edit it.

I was really nervous about Dubrovnik, Croatia because there didn’t seem to be much there.  Our guidebook had only four pages devoted to that city.  But we focused on the war, so everyone we met had a story to tell and many were very eager to tell it.

If you’ve never been to Dubrovnik, you should.  It’s a beautiful town, very medieval.  We spent the first day just walking on the city walls that surround the old town.  It reminded us of Disneyland in a way.  We were able to talk to some students about the war.  Many were reluctant to discuss it, but we met one student (Marko) at a bar who took us to his house and showed us pictures of what it looked like during the war.  The top floors were totally bombed out.  It took them two years to repair the damage.  Since he had volunteered to talk to us, we thought he was comfortable with the whole topic, but when we started interviewing him, he got really emotional, almost on the verge of tears.  He kept telling us how horrible it was during that time, how it made him tougher and more mature. 

We weren’t too far from Bosnia, where most of the fighting took place, so on the third day, we rented a car and drove towards the border.  We weren’t sure where to go, but both Dave and I had heard about Mostar from our coverage during the war, so we headed in that direction.  We got to Mostar at night.  Even in the dark, we could see that many buildings were in ruins.  It was kind of eerie actually.  We thought we were in a ghost town.  After driving several blocks on the main road, we finally came to a hotel - probably the main hotel in town.  There were very few people there - most of them were probably wondering what we were doing in Bosnia, since no tourists go there anymore.  After settling in, we walked around town to try to meet some local people, but we didn’t have much luck.  Everyone would just stare at us, and no one would smile or give us an indication that they’re willing to talk.  When we try to stop people to ask for directions, they would just walk past us.  We were starting to feel really uncomfortable, so we returned to our hotel.

The next morning, we left our hotel at dawn and walked around the neighborhood to see some of the damage.  Many of the buildings around us had been shelled extensively, so most of them have been abandoned.  You could still see refrigerators, washing machines, pots and pans in some of them.  One of our students made the comment that it seemed like the war had happened yesterday, not four or five years ago.  Again, walking down the street, everyone would just stare at us - it almost felt like a mean stare.  We decided we shouldn’t linger in any one place for too long.  I was more careful there than any other place we’ve visited because I know the police in Mostar were probably paramilitary units during the war, and they probably don’t have anyone to report to.

We drove across the river and eventually found an 18-year-old Muslim kid (Deni) who spoke English well.  He told us the city today is divided between Muslims and Croats, and both groups tend to stay on their side of the river.  They had joined forces to fight the Serbs in the beginning, but after the Serbs were pushed back, they started fighting each other.  Deni told us the lesson he learned from the war was that “People isn’t same.”  It’s hard to think that that should be the legacy of this war.  For them, when they say that people are different, they mean it in the worst way possible - that people are so different that they should separate themselves from each other.  I came away with little hope that Serbs, Croats, and Muslims can learn to trust each other anytime soon.

Driving back from Mostar, we got to see how beautiful the country is.  I think it’s safe to say it’s the most beautiful place I’ve been to.  And it’s strange to think that even in this paradise, life can be hell.  All the Croats and Muslims we talked to still harbor resentment for the Serbs or for one another.  And they don’t just hate the politicians, they hate the people - even their own neighbors.  I think my experience there showed me how important it is for the international community to be involved - if SFOR leaves, I’m certain they will go on slaughtering each other.

Italy was a nice change of scenery.  We didn’t do a story there because we needed time to catch up on our work.  I went into Rome one day to see the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica, and then spent the rest of the time on the ship to write and log.  I didn’t feel bad about missing Italy - I’m sure I’ll be back some other time.

In Morocco, we’re following random students to see how they’re spending their time in the last port.  Most of them are just trying to be with their friends one last time before we end our voyage.  So it’s a good opportunity for us to talk to them about the last 87 days, what they’ve learned, how they’ve grown, etc.  We already got one crying session on tape.  I think it’s going to be really sad when we get on the gangway for the last time tomorrow.  I know I’ll be sad.  It’s been a lot of work but a lot of fun at the same time.  I don’t think I’ve had an experience quite as rewarding as this round the world voyage. And I’m sure I’m going to miss it the day we leave the ship.  But I’m already thinking of ways to come back - in some other capacity, of course.

I’ll save my concluding thoughts for my next email, which I’ll send after I get back.

In the meantime, take care.  And see you soon.

Charles

p.s. i will be back dec 23.