I have been remiss in keeping up my blog since our return to France on June 11. Upon arrival, Jean Marie spent three days at the hospital in Aix where doctors determined that he had already had the necessary care in Morocco. Since then we have been at home at our apartment. Jean Marie is…
We are now back in France after what will hopefully be our last medical adventure for sometime. Jean Marie is settled in the pulmonology service headed by his brother at the hospital in Aix-en-Provence. He will be in anti-Covid confinement for two weeks since we arrived from outside the European Union. His health had already…
Food / Travels / Uncategorized
John Wylder is a classmate of mine from Lexington High School. He prefers to tell stories (his video memoirs are available at Wyld Stories on Facebook), but he kindly accepted my request to write about confinement in Oregon for my blog. Lyn Wylder picking up wine the safe way. On March 8, 2020 my wife…
Hello. This is Nan Yamada in Japan, where I’ve lived, mostly, since 1973. Joyce and I went to high school together and recently have been back in touch, even Zooming with another classmate in Massachusetts. Joyce asked about life with the virus in Japan so here goes, at least regarding my corner of Tokyo. A…
Ramadan is more than half over. This year, with confinement and a curfew from 7 p.m. until morning, it has been an unusually quiet time. Ramadan is celebrated during the month when Allah handed down the Quran to Mohammed. For devout Muslims the fasting sets aside the concerns of the body and is accompanied by…
I had planned to write a series of blogs on life in Morocco now, and I may still do so, but suddenly I had to get out fast. One of Morocco’s key strategies for fighting Covid has been to seal off the country. Faithful readers will remember how Jean Marie and I were stuck during…
I was anxious about returning to Morocco alone a year and a half after Jean Marie and I left in trying circumstances during the Covid lockdown. But Morocco has been doing its best to seduce me back. The day I arrived at the Agadir airport in mid October after a stressful departure from Paris, I…
My husband, Jean Marie Jacqueme, died on August 14 during a biopsy procedure at the hospital in Aix-en-Provence. So our medical journey is over. Jean Marie was always an adventurous and curious traveler. I hope some new adventures await him in whatever is out there after life. We will be commemorating his life with a…
Marilyn Campbell is a friend and writer who divides her time between Wales and Aix-en-Provence. We are both members of an on-again, off-again writers group in Aix called The Plumes. Here is her report from Wales. We live in the United Kingdom but just now, it is in some ways less United than ever. Our…
This report is by Richard Hathaway. Richard was my boyfriend during high school at Lexington High (Massachusetts). He was the sports editor and I was the editor of our high school newspaper. We’ve gone our separate ways but have maintained our friendship over the years. Richard and his wife live in a special place. Here…
When we first started spending time in Marrakech in 2005, we rented and then purchased a small apartment in Gueliz, the neighborhood planned and built by the French when they ruled this section of Morocco from 1912 to 1956. We have returned to the neighborhood now to be near to the clinic where Jean Marie…
Guest Post: by Dr. Maria Hobl in Munich Today we have a guest post by my friend and walking partner in Sidi Ifni, Dr. Maria Hobl. In the winter we enjoy long walks on our town beach, often followed by sitting at a beachfront cafe to watch the sun set over the Atlantic. Maria and…
Rebelote is a French word that means “once again.” It is used as an exclamation as in: Jean Marie is having cardiac and respiratory problems so we have returned to the Clinique Internationale in Marrakech. REBELOTE! I have always liked the sound of this word. It is totally appropriate for our situation. Jean Marie had…
Guest Post by Carol Swenson in Capitola, California Perfectly distance benches for viewing the Pacific Ocean I’m taking on Joyce’s request to describe life here in California with the coronavirus. First, it’s important to remember that there IS no unified response in the US, and that the president is ignorant, power-grabbing, and devoid of either…
The Covid 19 triage tent, so far unused in Sidi Ifni Today is a good day to congratulate Morocco on its successful effort to contain the coronavirus despite having poor health care infrastructure. As of yesterday, the Covid 19 transmission rate fell below 1 for the first time, according to analysts at the Media 24…
Reluctant Traveler 