Vikki the Vet Meets Monty the Monkey
Monty the Monkey is a macaque monkey.
A Barbary macaque.
Barbary macaques should not be mistaken for mandrill monkeys or for common marmoset monkeys.
Barbary macaques live mainly in Morocco.
Monty the Monkey lives in Marrakesh.
Marrakesh, Morocco.
Monty the Monkey lives in the medina in Marrakesh.
The medina is the old fortified city in the middle of Marrakesh.
It dates back to medieval times, and it is nearly a thousand years old.
Now you know:
Medieval is just another way of saying the Middle Ages.
Nowadays, the medina in Marrakesh is a major marketplace.
It is a maze of alleyways and market stalls.
And it is easy to get lost.
Even a map won’t help you navigate the maze that is the medina.
You have to use landmarks and also ask for directions.
Or else the Marrakesh medina will quickly turn into a morass.
Monty the Monkey is Monica’s pet.
Monica works in the medina.
She works at her mother’s marketplace stall.
Monica goes by the nickname Millie.
It is what you would call a pet name.
Just the other day, Vikki the Vet was in Zambia visiting Victoria Falls.
Now—Vikki the Vet is making her way home.
The journey from Victoria Falls to Virginia Beach is a long one.
It requires multiple stops.
And one of the stops is in Marrakesh, Morocco.
While in Marrakesh Vikki the Vet could not pass up the opportunity to visit the world-famous Marrakesh medina.
So here is Vikki the Vet.
She is meandering around the Marrakesh medina.
While exploring the medina Vikki the Vet stopped at Millie’s marketplace stall.
“Good morning,” said Vikki the Vet.
“It’s a fine morning,” answered Millie.
“Do you have any tea on?” asked Vikki the Vet.
“Yes,” answered Millie.
“I have Moroccan Mint and Earl Grey on.”
“Which would you fancy?”
“Moroccan Mint, please,” answered Vikki the Vet.
While Millie prepared Vikki the Vet a cup of tea, Vikki the Vet checked out the wares for sale in Millie’s market stall.
While looking around, Vikki the Vet was startled to see a monkey eating a mango.
“A monkey!” said a startled Vikki the Vet.
Whereupon, Millie said, “Oh! that’s Monty—my Monkey.”
“And if he keeps overindulging in mangoes he’s going to turn into a chunky monkey!”
“Do you own this monkey?” asked Vikki the Vet.
“Well … I take care of Monty, but I wouldn’t say that I own him.”
“Good answer,” said Vikki the Vet.
As Millie served Vikki the Vet her Moroccan Mint tea Vikki the Vet introduced herself to Millie.
“It’s nice to meet you,” said Vikki the Vet.
“My name is Vikki Vega.”
“And I am Monica,” said Millie.
“So Monica … is this your shop?”
“No. This is my mother’s market stall.”
“I am in university.”
“May I ask what you are studying?” asked a curious Vikki the Vet.
“I’m a math major,” answered Millie.
“Oh! How marvellous!” said Vikki the Vet.
“And what is it that you do?” Millie asked in return.
“I am a veterinarian,” answered Vikki the Vet.
“My friends call me Vikki the Vet.”
“And my friends call me Millie,” said Monica with a smile.
After a short visit, it was time for Vikki the Vet to start heading back to the Menara Airport.
“I am looking to make my way back to Prince Moulay Avenue,” said Vikki the Vet.
“Any suggestions as to which of these three paths I should take,” asked Vikki the Vet.
“Only one will get you there,” Millie said mysteriously.
“Is it that one to the left?” asked Vikki the Vet.
“Well … I will tell you that it isn’t the path to the right.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Millie continued with a mischievous look in her eyes.
“Let’s make a deal.”
“If you can explain to me which path you should choose I will give you your tea for free.”
“Well … it’s either the one to the left or the one in the middle,” said Vikki the Vet.
“So it’s a 50/50 chance. Isn’t it?”
“Based on the information I’ve given you, one choice is definitely better than the other,” Millie answered.
“But there are two equal choices! That’s a 50/50 chance!”
“Looks like you’ve got yourself a classic Monty Hall Problem,” said Millie.
“Excuse me?” said a perplexed Vikki the Vet.
“It isn’t intuitive, but there’s only one choice you should choose.”
“It doesn’t make it the right choice, but it definitely is the more probable choice.”
“And in this case, the more probable choice is also the correct path.”
“Are you sure?” said Vikki the Vet.
“What’s my monkey’s name?” Millie asked Vikki.
“Monty,” answered Vikki the Vet.
“Exactly,” said Millie.
“And would you care to guess where I got the name from?”
“Okay, I hear you,” answered Vikki the Vet.
“My intuition is telling me it’s a 50/50 chance and that I should stick with my original choice.”
“But you’ve told me that the correct answer is counterintuitive.”
Now you know:
Counterintuitive means that what is actually true is the opposite of what you feel is true.
“So if you are correct, and this is an honest game, I should choose the middle path,” mused Vikki the Vet.
“Quite the quandary,” Millie said mindfully.
“Well Millie the math major, I choose to trust you.”
“I choose the middle path.”
“Is that your final answer?” asked Millie.
“It is,” answered Vikki.
“Good choice,” Millie answered cheerfully.
“It is the middle path.”
“And here’s why.”
“Each path had a 1/3 chance of being the correct choice.”
“You chose 1 path.”
“So you had a 1 in 3 chance of being correct.”
“That means that the other 2 paths combined had a 2 in 3 chance of being correct.”
“But I eliminated one of those 2 paths for you.”
“So then the odds on that remaining path doubled.”
“Your initial choice had a 1 in 3 chance of being correct.”
“While the middle path had a 2 in 3 chance of being correct.”
“And I also told you, the better choice was also the correct choice.”
“Sounds strange,” said Vikki the Vet.
“You better get going,” said Millie as she looked at her watch.
“You don’t want to miss your flight.”
“But look it up when you get home.”
“I assure you it’s true.”
“The mathematics prove it.”
“Nice to meet you, Monty,” said Vikki the Vet as Monty the Monkey looked on in amusement.
“And really interesting to meet you, Millie.”
“I hope your studies go well.”
And with a wave goodbye, Vikki the Vet headed down the middle path.