Aire de Repos

We left yesterday on a vacation to Marrakech and Agadir. It is absolutely beautiful, sunny and warm. Could not ask for more perfect weather. Today we reached Agadir which altogether is about an 8 hour drive from Rabat. We split up the trip and spent a night in Marrakech yesterday and will spend a few days there on our way back.

I'll post some pictures and words about our adventure in Agadir coming up, but wanted to write a quick note about the amazing rest stops in Morocco. The "autoroute" or freeway is a tolled road. The freeway doesn't go all the way across the country, it ends a little past Marrakech. So yesterday we spent a good few hours on the freeway. I wasn't sure how the ride would go for Younis. Sometimes he loves car rides and sometimes it's hellish trying to figure out how to entertain him long enough to get to our final destination without pulling our hair out. Now the great thing here is that there are these amazing "aire de repos" or rest stops complete with delicious restaurants, great playgrounds, gas stations, minimarts and clean bathrooms. I was seriously impressed and we stopped at a few spots where Younis could run around for a while and we could take a break and I have to say it was a really surprisingly smooth ride. It was actually fun and we may be visiting the nearest aire de repos once we return to Rabat because those playgrounds are pretty amazing compared to the others I've seen.

I'm looking forward to exploring Agadir more tomorrow. Lots of tourists here, a big surfing community and other things to explore. Younis being a big fan of the ocean, one of his new words, will have a blast I'm sure and will keep us on our toes.

Imad's Post

Imad requested that I post this one in his honor. There's a big gym by our apartment where sports games and matches of all sorts take place. This past weekend was the national tae kwan do (spelling?) championship. Being a former tae kwan do fanatic as a kid in Morocco, Imad was ecstatic to watch the matches. We saw both men and women's matches. It was free to watch and some pretty fierce matches. Younis enjoyed it too, especially the fighting cries during the match. I was impressed with the women referees and players, definitely goes against our American stereotype of what happens in a Muslim country.

On another note, here's a great shot of Younis throwing one of his sit down tantrums. Hard to take him too seriously with that sly smile on his face.

Malls & Fashion

One of our fun hang out spots to entertain Younis, especially with the rainy weather which has made it hard to spend a lot of time outdoors is the mall. Rabat is home to a huge mall called the Mega Mall and they have this children play area that is pretty amazing. It's full of these huge blow up bouncy toy structures. Younis absolutely loves it.

Another shopping area home to the huge grocery store Marjane just opened a kid play area too. Yesterday when we went they had a huge bubble machine. Unlike the states, no safety measures or precautions, just keep an eye on your kid and let them go wild.

Now for fashion, the look here for women is tall boots with jeans/pants tucked in. It's everywhere I turn. So if you're planning a trip to Morocco and want to blend in, you got the insider scoop.

Younis is making his fashion statement here.

It's Windy

The weather in Rabat has felt crazy to me the past 7-10 days. We have had torrential downpours and blustery winds that have knocked down several trees lining the roads of Rabat. I know I come from the land of rain, but this is a totally different kind of rain. First off, it's warm, probably in the high 60's to low 70's. Then, it's rarely a drizzle but rather a huge downpour then it lets up for a little while and then another downpour.

The wind has been so strong, especially at night. We hear it like we're outside because the shutter on our bedroom window which is also the sliding door that goes onto the balcony is broken. Now, I understand why we refer to wind as howling. If we could close the shutter, I'm sure it would block out a lot of the noise and wind, but our landlord decided that was one thing she would not fix (for a whole 100 dirham, about $12). So we're planning to fix it ourselves (don't worry mom and dad:) , but some things just take longer than we'd like.

The puddles on the streets look like lakes and there is a wetness in the air that is making it hard for all of us to get over our colds and coughs. Everything just feels slightly damp.

We got lucky and our apartment came with a washing machine. Most people don't have dryers and just hang their clothes out to air dry. Most of the year, that works out fine, but then these rare weeks of nonstop rain, it becomes a problem. We hung out some laundry about a week ago and it got stuck in the rainstorms and needs another wash to rid the mildewy stench. Today is the first day where it hasn't rained all day and there's just enough wind to dry our clothes. It's the little things like line drying our clothes on our balcony that I love about Morocco. Driving through some neighborhoods and seeing rows and rows of clothes blowing in the wind, it feels so foreign to my life in Seattle and it's in these moments that I feel so lucky to be having this adventure.

La Cigarette

One thing I wish I could change about Morocco is smoking laws. During my time in Morocco, I've become a regular at the Globe Cafe a couple blocks from our apartment. Since I don't have internet at home, I spend many hours a week there getting my fill of internet time. I've found a few other good cafe spots as well, for the equivalent of about US $2, I spend a few hours drinking my coffee and writing lots of emails. Unfortunately for me, those hours in the cafe are also spent inhaling all the smoke around me. Lots and lots of cigarettes. It makes me realize how much I take for granted the no smoking laws in Seattle and just what a great thing it was that those passed.

Moroccan Clowns

This weekend, we celebrated the 5th birthday of our niece Ghalia. It was by far the most exciting party I have ever been to for an underage kid. It felt a little like a kid nightclub. Hosting the party was a great clown/dj/entertainer/face painter/game facilitator. This guy was good! He played a mix of "tectonic", kid music, Celine Dion, Michael Jackson and other pop music and he played it SO loud, nightclub music loud. We tried to get him to turn it down a few times, but some how the next song was back to original volume. It was seriously a blast though.

Younis got his face painted as a pirate, though he sort of has a beat up pirate look. The cake was one of the most delicious chocolate cakes I've ever had (on par with the chocolate hazelnut cake at Simply Desserts in Seattle). There was so much dancing including a dance off of sorts between all the girls doing the traditional Moroccan "oriental" dancing as it's called, sort of like bellydancing but not quite as much hip shaking. Younis was absolutely loving it. I wasn't sure how he'd handle the clowns, they can be very scary looking, but he totally went with it. He had a great time, just kept on going until the party was over which was a good few hours. All in all, a super fun party, the birthday girl danced her little legs off and everyone had a great time.

Interesting thing to note, a great cultural moment before the party really got started. The clown came early and was setting up his stuff. We were sitting down to eat lunch, a delicious plate of couscous, so the family invited the clown to join us. Meals are eaten communally in Morocco. It was one of those moments that really stuck out as "this would NEVER happen in the U.S." Not that we wouldn't feed the folks doing the entertainment at our party, but it would not be the same kind of welcoming join us in our meal experience.

A few cute pictures from the party and a post party cousin huddle.

Karim's Salon

A couple days ago, I followed in Younis' footsteps and got my own haircut. When I lived in Morocco 10 or so years ago, I had a very traumatic haircut experience that involved trimming hair near my ears that ended up looking like strange sideburns. Anyway, I've realized in this trip how much I've grown up. I've always had a hard time finding a good hairstylist. Anyone with thick curly hair will probably relate to what I'm saying. Most hairstylists either just don't really know how to deal with curly hair or get overly excited and start doing some wild things that in the end result basically in big hair. Well, this past year, I found an amazing hairstylist. I love her! I got a good haircut before leaving Seattle, but it was time to chop it off again.

What I've realized is that I don't have the same emotional reactions that I used to in regards to my hair. Ten years ago, I was sobbing, bawling at what Jamal did to my hair. I was so upset and could not get perspective. So now this haircut done by Aziz at Karim's Salon, well it is by far not the best haircut I've had. For some reason, he left a few areas sort of long in the back and didn't totally get what I was trying to explain to him about decreasing volume on the top, or he didn't know how. It's a decent cut though, not horrible and in the end, it will grow out again. And eventually, I can go back to my favorite hairdresser and she can fix it all up. Instead of feeling upset, it just feels like oh well. Maybe with a toddler too, there's just not the time for me to throw a tantrum.

Now, it feels more like an interesting experience. In Morocco, people love to get "brushings" which is basically hair straightening. So I got a brushing. The experience was feeling like my scalp was burning, very hot hairdryer, actual steam coming off my hair. But I got to practice my Arabic since he didn't speak much French. In the end, not a great haircut, but an entertaining 45 minutes and only $8.

Medina

Yesterday, we wandered the Medina in Rabat, which means city in Arabic but refers to the old part of the city now. It rained so the streets were very slick, hadn't rained in a long time. Younis loved the Medina. He went racing down the narrow streets. Total joy for him and slight anxiety producing moments for us running after him. Luckily it wasn't too crowded.

Afterwards, we went out for dinner at a great restaurant near our apartment, Ouazzane, where we had harira, a delicious Moroccan soup. We sat outside under the awning and watched the lightening and thunder. It was warm rain by Seattle standards, chilly by Moroccan standards. It rained again this morning, but now is beautiful and sunny. This part I could definitely get used to.

Mac vs. PC

Right before leaving for Morocco, the Mac won me over and I made the switch. I couldn't resist the lure and appeal of the Mac. Now, in Morocco, I was depending on getting a mobile modem that you can find anywhere to access internet. I didn't think twice about it, but turns out, all 3 Moroccan phone/internet companies do not have mobile modems that work with the latest version of Mac's operating software.

So, for all the Mac lovers out there who may be traveling abroad in the near future, be sure to do a little research. Luckily, there's a great little cafe a block from our apartment with wifi, so we'll make it through. It's the little things you don't even think about beforehand that you wind up getting hung up on later.

Sharing a Room

We never thought we'd do it again, but we are sharing a room with Younis. It's amazing how when forced to, you just adapt to new situations. Of course, Younis loves being right next to us and lets us know that bright and early. However, unlike in Seattle, when we get him out of his bed and into ours, he usually can sleep another hour or so which is great. I sometimes dread what it'll be like getting him used to his own room again.... but I'll save those thoughts for another time.

For a few weeks, Younis was totally anti-sleep and would scream his head off when we put him into bed. He's not as upset these days, but talks a lot about "lie lie". Who's going lie lie, when he's all done lie lie, no lie lie, etc. We wanted to make his bed look really comfy and appealing so decided to go lie lie with Younis for a change and crowd up his bed.

We Have a Home!

It took a good while, but we finally found a home here in Morocco. What we thought would take a week turned out to take a month! Here’s a quick overview of what our apartment search looked like.

Go for a walk around the neighborhood we liked and ask the apartment “concierge” if there are any openings. Every two or three we’d get lucky and either there’d be an opening in that building or the concierge’s side job is rental agent and through word of mouth he knows about a few other spots. He says, it’s just down that sreet and around the way…. 10 blocks later we arrive at the spot. He calls out to the concierge of the apartment building with a rental, if we’re lucky he’s there and has the keys and can actually show us the place. More often than not, the concierge isn’t there and we have to come back later or he’s there but doesn’t have the keys.

In those lucky instances, we get to see the place. Again, more often than not, the apartments are not tidied up to show potential renters. We don’t consider ourselves picky, but I mean we do have some basic sanitary standards. We did find a few spots we liked, but then came the part of negotiating with the concierge his commission so we could get the owner’s number. When we finally called the owners, we were too honest at first. Most owners don’t want short term renters and want some kind of proof that you work in Morocco, so that threw us for another loop. We learned that stretching the truth is a necessity.

We (and mostly Imad) spent more hours than we’d like to share walking the streets of Rabat meeting one and then another concierge. Finally, literally our last hope before we were going to rent a place a little far from where we wanted for a month until we could figure out a better situation. We had heard of a furnished apartment in Agdal, where we want to live. We’d driven by the spot where the concierge who told us about it sits but he was never there. As we’re driving down a street, Imad spots him, Omar, out of the corner of his eye. So Omar hops in the car and we drive to the building….. and of course, concierge isn’t there. Later that night, Imad goes back and lo and behold there’s the concierge. He checks out the place and liked it! The next morning, we all go back and yes, it’s the one!

Now, to talk to the owner. We call the owner, an older woman and we decided just to be totally honest with her. It was destiny because she had rented several times to people on a short-term basis. Now we have a home! It’s furnished and has everything we need. It’s a small spot, a one bedroom, so we’ll learn to be very tidy and minimalistic, something we’ve been striving for a while now.

We have a big traditional “salon” so guests are welcome!! The cushions are very comfortable and meant for overnighters, so small space does not mean no room for visitors. We’re located by la Place Bourgogne next to Bab Marrakech, a piece of the old city wall that is still standing. Here are a few photos of the view from our neighborhood and the salon. I have to say the best part, sunshine. We get great sunshine in the afternoon which heats up the house for the cool nights and it feels so good. Vitamin D does wonders.

Weekend in Ifrane

We spent the past weekend in Ifrane, a town in the beautiful Atlas mountains with the family. It's about a three hour scenic drive from Rabat. Clean air, quiet relaxing town. Lots of city folk come for the fresh air, and I've been told doctors even used to prescribe a trip to Ifrane along with medication because of the fresh environment.

We took many a long walk with Younis and Ghalia preferring to push the stroller than ride in it.

Not sure what the deal is with the lion, but everyone takes pictures by it so why not.

And the cute little lake.

Ghalia and Younis have been getting along really well. Of course there are many a fight over who gets to push the stroller, play with the toy, etc. etc., but all in all more happy moments than stressful ones.

We went to the Sunday souk, market, where you could find pretty much anything you would need. Love the mounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, spices, herbs. A very memorable temper tantrum ensued here. Younis wanted to push his stroller more than anything. When he didn't get what he wanted, full on lie on the dirty dusty ground kicking and screaming. But eventually he got up and we moved on with a few more mini tantrums along the way through the aisles of used clothing, toys, kitchen supplies, food and more.

Then for some final excitement on our way out of town, we went to Le Cedre Gouraud, a famous tree on the road to Azrou. The area is mostly known for all the monkeys running around. I've been to Morocco many times, but had never seen the wild monkeys. After spending many afternoons at the Woodland Park Zoo this past spring and summer, it was quite a trip to see monkeys hanging out right next to us. We even got to witness a full on monkey battle, a few were chasing eachother up a tree screaming and showing their big teeth.

Ghalia and Younis loved it! Especially the horse ride around the forested area. Younis now has mastered the words horse and monkey.

Haircut

Younis got his first haircut today. For the fifteen minutes or so that it took, he sat quietly in the chair with a skeptical look on his face. They did a full do with hair dryer and a little styling. His favorite part, the hair dryer, loves the sound of pretty much any machine.

Dryin' and stylin'.

Post due and enjoying a croissant at a cafe after the big chop chop.

Younis' First Day of School

Unbeknownst to us, Younis started his first day of school today. Imad's sister sends her daughter to a really nice child care center so we wanted to go check it out for little Nouni who we could tell was itching for some more action with others his size.

We left around 8:30 thinking we'd go take a look, see what we thought. Through my work, I've learned more than I want to know about child care centers and what makes them high quality (shout out to any SOWA folks reading this). We could tell right away that this was a really nice place where Younis would be safe, have fun and learn lots of new things first and foremost language since it's all French and Arabic speaking. We went on a tour and then the director said, "ok, vous revenez dans 2 heures, on verra comment ca se passe." Basically, leave Younis here for a couple hours to test it out and we'll take it from there.

Imad and I were not expecting to drop off Younis. We thought we were going to take a look then would make a date for the trial run then settle things after that. But that's just not how things work in Morocco. The motto just do it fits well half the time here. The other half things linger on for what seems like forever. In this scenario, it was a just do it moment. The teacher brought out a big box of lego blocks, Younis was in heaven. He gave me a quick glance as I blew a kiss goodbye and then got back to business.

Imad and I spent the couple hours looking around for an apartment (more updates on that in a post to come). Around 10:30 we headed back to the center. We went in the room and little Younis was sitting with the other kids listening to a story. When he saw us, he came running over to give a big hug. That has to be one of the best feelings! Everything went really smoothly.

For all the working parents out there, this next part will make your mouth drop. For this child care, which is way on the upper end in terms of cost, you pay approximately $90 per month for 10 full days, $160 full time including meals. Now this is expensive. Other child cares cost between $20 and $40 per month full-time. Some things in Morocco are surprisingly expensive like rent, but then others it's just hard to believe how cheap it is.

Trains and Bread

There are many things we love about Morocco. Two things that Younis absolutely adores are trains and bread. Imads family lives across the way from one of the two train stations in Rabat so every day we hear many choo choos going by. Younis often will stop what hes doing to acknowledge the choo choo before moving on and spends lots of time creating different kinds of choo choos with his toys.


The bread! In Morocco, bread accompanies every meal and Moroccan food is meant to be eaten with bread not utensils so it can soak up the sauce. The bread is delicious and in abundance everywhere we go. Even when Younis was sick, he kept up with the bread. It is good stuff!