I can't believe it is 2010 and I haven't posted anything since October!  Where did all that time go?  It's winter now, much colder, but not so rainy as last year.  That is a relief.  You can do something about the cold, but you can't stop the rain.

So recently I read a short article by a student about being a teen in Fez.  I had to laugh because I grew up in a sleepy, out of the way town, too.  My teen years weren't a whole lot different - school, family, and wishing there was something more interesting to do.  The Moroccan teen author seemed to feel his/her problem was strictly due to being Moroccan. 

Admittedly, the culture here is stricter for some teens.  Families don't allow girls to go out as often as boys and they are usually chaperoned in some way or another.  Boys have a lot more freedom to do what they want, but that amounts to just hanging around the street or a cafe.  There are sports clubs and activities, but it is expensive to join these organizations.  There are the same kinds of challenges - too old to enjoy their childhood pastimes, but not old enough to join the adults. 

Some things are universal and never change.