On the desert road through the Atlas Mountains

The Atlas Mountains loomed in the distance like ancient gods, silent and unmoved, watching my bus snake its way up and over their jagged spines. Every curve was a gamble. Every oncoming bus a reminder that mortality often rides on four wheels and has questionable brakes.

Suddenly a young woman on the seat behind me collapsed onto the floor and was unconscious for five minutes before we managed to bring her back to life. Since I was one of very few foreigners on the bus there were some barriers with language and culture, but the whole bus got engaged and helped out, she soon got better. For a few minutes, all nationalities and languages on the bus became one.

In the Atlas mountains.

I caught myself thinking of a scene in the movie Babel where a woman got shot through the window. She was a tourist passing through these areas by bus and the scene was shot in this area of Morocco. The title of the movie alludes to the Tower of Babel, the original poster boy of language confusion.

It’s easy to understate how much the use of language means to us all in everyday life. My Arabian knowledge is laughable but even an initial “as-salaam alaykum” greeting and a “choukran” ending will give you much better situation than croaking something in broad American English like a New Yorker on springbreak.

In the Atlas mountains.

It can be difficult to learn new languages, but don’t give up since it will help you to better understand and learn from other cultures.