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Tag Archives: US Embassy

Say YES

24 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by seejanesblog in Morocco, Uncategorized

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

best friend, bff, documentary film, emmy award, film, filmmaker, filmmaking, inn, Kickstarter, Laurel Lindahl, marrakech, Mokhtar, Moroccans, Morocco, riad, sahara desert, say yes, tourism, travel, US Embassy, video, visa

I’ve said it before on this blog, but I’ll say it again: if you keep saying yes in life, it’s hard telling what will happen or where you’ll end up. Take for example these recent doings. Since I love Morocco and have an interest in pretty much everything surrounding travel, new cultures/people, and real estate, I decided to pursue my plan to buy a riad, or guesthouse, in Marrakech. A real big deal, but only one part of this story.

Here’s another part. My best friend, Laurel Lindahl, is a producer/director and writer, among other things (like jokester, comedian, brownie-batter-eater, etc…). She recently won her second Emmy Award for a documentary film, linked below.

http://vimeopro.com/ebenandelle/the-ketchikan-story-project

So she knows what she’s doing. And she’s good at it. That got the two of us talking. Since I’m interested in buying a riad and she has experience with documentary filmmaking, why not film the whole riad-buying experience? Why not make it into a marketable piece of film for some such use down the road? We got excited about this so loosely laid out a plan where we would travel to Morocco in November 2014 and bring a filmmaker with us to capture some footage.

And then things progressed even more. Mokhtar, my friend in Morocco, wants to visit the USA so last week went to the US Embassy to interview for a visa. They kept his passport, which is a real good sign that they’re going to allow him to visit. At least that’s what we’re thinking. So that’s another part of the story.

But there’s more. Since I’m going to Morocco over Labor Day weekend (next week!) to check out riads, why not bring a filmmaker along for a few days to film the experience? And why not ask the one filmmaker whom you have heard so much about and with whom you really want to work? And besides, he lives in Amsterdam, which makes the flight so much more manageable. So we quickly devised a plan and emailed him asking if he was available. He is. We asked him if he wanted to work with us and if he would provide costs involved. He does, and he did. And now I’ve booked his flight and we’re making plans for an entirely different trip than I originally planned!

And also, on this end in the States, we’re going to meet with another filmmaker and storyteller who will create a video for a Kickstarter campaign so we can get the film funded. And since Mokhtar will presumably be visiting in the next month or so, we will be able to work with him during his visit for the Kickstarter video and for a film we will do about his life as well as the lives of other Moroccans.

We came up with this idea a few months ago, but all details have transpired in less than 24 hours. The project has already evolved into more than we thought and we will keep moving forward with our ideas as long as things are falling into place. We will keep saying YES and see where we end up. More here as it happens!

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Embassy! Sweet!

23 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by seejanesblog in Morocco

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Ambassador Kaplan, embassy in morocco, politics, Rabat, US Ambassador, US Embassy, us embassy in morocco

My friends and I have been invited to have tea at the Moroccan residence of the US Ambassador to Morocco! I just heard from Mrs. Ambassador Kaplan. She says they are scheduled to be in Rabat at the embassy during my visit in September and that I should let her know specific dates I will be in the city so we can firm up the plan for our visit. Things change on a dime for them, though, so there’s a chance that it might not work. But still! I’m thrilled. According to her brief email, they love Morocco and view it as an adventure every day they are there. She is looking forward to discussing the upcoming election, as am I. But my travel companions are Republican so they might rather to discuss something else. I’m walking on air now!

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If I had a nickel…

15 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by seejanesblog in Morocco

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Tags

Ambassador Kaplan, Morocco, Rabat, US Ambassador, US Embassy, us embassy in morocco

…for everyone who has told me that I live near the US Ambassador to Morocco, Ambassador Kaplan, in the last few days, I’d be a very rich girl! Now you all tell me? You mean I could’ve been in contact with him well before this?! Still no word from the I’m assuming very-busy-Ambassador, but I’m not giving up hope. After all of the great things I’ve now heard about him from every tom, dick, and harry in NE Minneapolis, I can’t imagine not meeting him to at least say ‘hello.’ I just hope I don’t go crazy like a friend of mine did when she met Arnold Schwartzeneger and yelled out, “We looooooovvve you, Arnold!”

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Morocco is everywhere!

13 Sunday May 2012

Posted by seejanesblog in Morocco

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Tags

Ambassador Kaplan, dirham, gang, hoodlum, Moroccan, Morocco, Muslim, neighborhood, US Ambassador, US Embassy, us embassy in morocco

You know how it is when you get something new and suddenly you see it everywhere? That’s how Morocco is for me. Everywhere I go I see or hear something about Morocco. From hair products to food to a movie set to music, it’s all related to Morocco. To top it off I found out that the US Ambassador to Morocco under President Obama is Samuel L. Kaplan, my neighbor! He lives about 1/2 mile from me and I’m on a hunt to find him. I am planning to go back to Morocco and wouldn’t it be cool to have made contact with the guy? It’s worth a try.

I can’t get Morocco out of my mind. I’m entirely focused on the place and the people I met. This place, above all others ever, has really affected me. It opened up my view on this culture and to this place I’ve never known that much about. I always thought Morocco was a dangerous place for some reason. I don’t know why. And based on the comments I received before my departure it seems I wasn’t alone. Nearly everyone who knew I was going (if they weren’t confusing it with ‘Monaco’), warned me about my visit there. I remember the morning I left I said good-bye to my friend Debbie and commented, “This is probably the most dangerous place I’ve visited.” She agreed. We hugged each other extra hard.

Why did I feel that way? In hindsight it’s probably because it’s a Muslim country. I can’t think of any other reason because I really knew very little about the place except that. So what else could it be? Whatever the reason, I was wrong. Not once did I feel afraid. And the fact that the place is Muslim had no bearing on anything for me. I was just surprised in general how friendly and kind everyone was, but not because it’s a Muslim country. I was surprised just because it was so notable.

I’m not naive enough to think there’s no bad that befalls tourists or others, but I just never felt anything unnerving. The closest I came perhaps is when I was walking on our street to the car with Mokhtar. He was carrying my luggage and a guy I had seen many times before approached him and started talking to him and grabbing for my luggage, ignoring me the whole time. I couldn’t understand what they were saying but could tell by body language that Mokhtar wasn’t keen on the guy. Finally, appearing to be under some pressure to do so, Mokhtar handed my bag to the guy and we walked to the car. There was a split second that I wondered what was going to happen and debated about what I should do. Then the guy started dusting off the car, helping me in, wiping off the windshield, all for money. Mokhtar gave him a few dirham and we took off. “Remember his face,” Mokhtar told me. Turns out the guy is the gang leader for that area and as Mokhtar said, it’s better to just go along with him so that in the future he will help you out vs fighting him. So while we most likely weren’t in any danger, I was right on my interpretation of the situation just by reading the body language and was on the lookout for him later.

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