I met our dear friend Mokhthar in 2007 in Rabat, Morocco where he was our tour guide. We hit it off right away leaving the tour group almost every night and going to the local cafes drinking Moroccan tea and enjoying late night drum sessions. We invited him to visit us anytime and a few years later he had an opportunity to do so when he took a job as a college teacher on the east coast.
In the meantime, he had married and in 2009 he brought his wife Jamila to meet us here in Santa Fe. We fell in love with her as well. She taught me how to make bread from scratch with no recipe the Moroccan way which I still do today.
Upon their departure they left behind a pair of Moroccan sandals that belonged to Jamila. She gave them to me and told me to keep them to ensure they would return.
Since that time, we have visited them on the east coast several times. I was also asked to be there for the birth of their only daughter, and we are her American godparents. They have assured us that they will indeed return bringing their daughter with them.
-Willi
