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From alienation to peace at a border crossing
Originally appeared on spirituality.com
My husband José and I had traveled with another couple down the southern coast of Spain and across the Strait of Gibraltar to Ceuta, the Spanish city in North Africa that’s right on the border of Morocco. The four of us had been drawn to the rhythm of the music and the beauty of Arabic design in Morocco, and we decided to cross into that country.
Then José realized he had left his passport behind, and it was too far to drive back. But it seemed like a waste to turn away now that we were so close.
As José and Emilio talked to officials about crossing the border, I sat in the car with Emilio’s wife, Bonnie. The long alley of cement and utilitarian buildings between the border of Morocco and Spanish territory—on the African side of the Mediterranean—felt austere and vaguely threatening as we waited.
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About the author
Liz Mata splits her time between homes in Elsah, Illinois, United States, and Badajoz, Spain.
