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attention to our conversations, their presence was highly noticeable. Aside from the hover-
ing within arm'slength, they were incredibly clumsy,from over-filling water glasses to the
pointofspillage,tonoisilyclangingthetableware,todropping(andnotplacing)mydinner
in front of me, and eerily of all, staring at me and others when we spoke.
Afterdinner,myhoststookmeforadrivearoundLaayounetocheckouttheairport,
the bank and the Air Maroc travel service. I asked them how I could leave Morocco and
was told that the simplest way was to fly to Las Palmas (the Canary Islands) and then to
Mauritania. So, I made a mental note of the travel service's location and planned to visit it
the next day. My hosts finally dropped me off at my hotel and I went straight to bed.
The next day turned out to be pretty exciting. I woke up early to do my laundry and
went to mass at 8:30. After which I went to Air Maroc to inquire about flights to Las Pal-
mas. As I entered the Air Maroc office, I bumped into Mrs. Paroldi who I met at dinner the
night before. When I told her I was about to buy my airline ticket to Las Palmas, she asked
me why I wasn't flying with the UN on Wednesday. I asked her for clarification and she
explained that the UN had free flights on their cargo planes for UN staff who wanted to go
on leave. She then suggested that I hold off buying my ticket while she looked into getting
me on the flight. She then invited me to meet her at her hotel for lunch.
I arrived at her hotel and was immediately confronted by security. After passing
through several “check-points”, I entered the lobby and waited for Mrs. Paroldi. Since I
arrivedabitearly,anervous-lookingguardaskedmetowaitoutsideforhefeltIwasloiter-
ing. Eventually Mrs. Paroldi met me by the door and we drove me to another hotel for
lunch. However, it had even tighter security and we weren't even permitted in the lobby (I
didn't have a UN card.) We then skipped lunch and she dropped me off at my hotel. She
didn't have a response about the flight just then but said she would give me one that even-
ing.
I left my hotel and took a stroll along the side streets visiting a local craftsman who
was building furniture with two young apprentices. Since I had my camera with me, I just
spent the afternoon photographing the people and the architecture. I eventually returned to
my hotel and met Australian UN peacekeepers who were residing in the hotel. I went to
theirhospitalitysuiteandbefriendedawholegroupofthem.Onecorporal,CorporalTomo,
gave me a small Gideon Bible which I kept for the rest of my tour in Africa. When I re-
turned to my room, there was a folded piece of paper under my door which read, “Yes, it's
possible.”
The next morning I managed to find a ride to CASO Headquarters (MINURSO)
whichwasontheoutskirtsoftown.ThereImetCommanderSawchuckwhohelpedorgan-
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