Back in Seatown

We are back in Seattle, home sweet home. I have to say one of the things Imad and I were both struck by is how much we love our home. We'd forgotten what a nice place our house is and we did so much work with remodeling and cleaning/organizing before we left, it was nice to come back to such a comfy, pleasant home. We also lucked out with a great renter that left the place in perfect condition. Lucky for us, the weather here is beautiful so it is making our transition much easier, especially for Imad who got in the habit of obsessively checking Seattle weather the past few weeks.

The trip home and the jet lag thereafter were and continue to be a bit on the painful side. The day before we left, airports in northern Spain including Barcelona, our first destination were closed due to the volcanic ash. We kept our fingers crossed and luckily the airports did open by that night, however, because of the closure the day before, we had a delay of about 4 hours that we didn't know about until we got to the airport. The funniest part to me though is the company, Jet4U a low-cost Moroccan airline sent us an email notifying us of the recent daylight savings time in Morocco and that our flight would be running on the updated time. However, in the email they sent us the original flight time so needless to say we were confused. When we get to the airport, the flight is scheduled to leave an hour later. Now why wouldn't they have put the actual departure time in the email? A quintessential Moroccan moment when it comes to time. Anyway, we were in line for 2 hours when we finally got word that the flight is delayed but scheduled to depart which for us was a relief. We just needed to get to Barcelona so we could catch our next flight the following day to Seattle via London.

After a LONG day (including no naps for Younis), we made it to Barcelona and got some rest at the hotel. The next morning was hard for all of us to get up so we were running late. We made it to the airport, checked in, had an awful experience with the check-in counterperson, I won't go into details, but it meant us rushing through the security and running to catch the plane. We made it to London where we had a 4 hour layover and finally boarded our plane for a 10 hour flight back to Seattle. Again because of the volcanic ash, the plane had to take a little detour adding some time onto the flight, oh joy! In the moment, it felt like time couldn't move any slower, but we made it through. Younis did not sleep much, but I have to say he was really good during the whole trip which made it a million times easier. Now we're in jetlag limbo, up during the night, trying not to sleep too much during the day. Again, just trying to remember that this too will pass. Here are Younis and Imad enjoying a nice deep sleep.

Some of the things I've been struck by since our return to Seattle:

Everything is so calm and orderly

You don't hear honking all the time

Store clerks are super friendly (this one may just be me getting into all these conversations with people because I miss random conversations)

Target is its own insane little world that has everything one could need

It's easy to spend a lot of money

Seattle is beautiful! The mountains on a clear day are spectacular and it feels like there are endless things to do with kids

I'm sure they'll be more things as we get more settled and get over our jetlag.

Younis is loving rediscovering his toys and seeing Mamou, Papou, Auntie Shawn and will get to see all his Seattle friends in the coming days. It's good to be home, but I do miss Morocco and see how we'll always be a little here and a little there, especially for Imad and probably more for Younis as he gets older.

I hope to continue my blog in some form or another so stay tuned and thank you for joining along in our adventures and journey over these past 6 months in Morocco.

Heading Home in 3 Days

We will arrive in Seattle in 3 days via Barcelona and London. We leave from Morocco on Sunday and will spend a night in Barcelona. We found this great cheap ticket to Barcelona back last fall and bought it thinking oh, on the way back maybe we'll spend some time there etc. It's turned out to be a bit of a pain because of course, we want as much time as possible here in Morocco and now will have just a night in the hotel before leaving bright and early Monday for our trip back to Seattle. I guess one more little adventure before we get to home sweet home.

Imad celebrated his birthday here which he hasn't done in years. He was very happy to be surrounded by his family. Here are some fun shots from his birthday celebration. Birthdays definitely are not as big of a deal here as in the states, but I know he was happy to have a little party, and as is tradition here, we relit the candles MANY times so all the kids had a turn to blow them out.

Younis will miss all his cousins who he's gotten to know really well. I'm sure just like his Seattle buddies, they'll become the main characters in his books and we'll have lots of nice conversations about their daily activities everyday.

Tangier

Last week, we were planning to spend a few days in Marrakech, but unfortunately our housing situation fell through so we headed instead north to Tangier where Imad's cousin lives. One of the things that I both love and that drives me crazy is the plan making process here. I feel like we spend so much time making various plans and most often those plans are altered several times before something finally happens. Insha'allah, god willing, is how everything happens here. While at times it drives me crazy, because I just want to know what the he** we're doing, at the same time, I like the spontaneity and not knowing exactly where, when, how, why etc.

We made it to what are called Hercules caves where through this African shaped viewing point you can see where the Mediterannean Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet. At age 2, Younis has seen the most northwestern point of Africa, that's pretty cool. Tangier is a border city. You feel the hustle and reliance on a tourist economy in an intense way. It's a beautiful area, the city is built on hills and has a nice big beach area and like all of Morocco I'm realizing, rapid development of housing, hotels, resorts, etc.

Here's Younis with his Mamie and doing a little happy dance, he LOVES the ocean.

We ate lunch in the old medina one day and saw several huge groups of tourists come through with vendors following them, pushing them to buy and sticking merchandise in their faces. May not leave the best memories for these tourist groups, especially if Tangier is just one stop on a cruise or the only experience in Morocco. But as Imad's cousin said, people have to make a living somehow and for a lot of residents in Tangier, the tourist economy is a way to do it.

A lot of Moroccans and Africans from sub-saharan Africa cross over illegally to Spain via boat as it's only about 8 miles away. Just like dangerous crossings from Cuba to the states and other "south to north" borders, many people don't make it across or are met by immediately by police and sent back.

Here's a shot of the ferries (for those with visas or the right passports) that cross over the straight of Gibraltar. The boat ride takes about 30 minutes. You can see Spain in the distance.

Younis made his first solo purchase on the boardwalk. Imad gave him a couple dirhams and off he went to the snack vendor to buy some peanuts. Yum. He was a very proud kid walking back with his purchase. Imad had to nudge him to hand over the money, but aside from that, a very smooth purchase.

We are now in our last week in Morocco. It's so hard to believe! In exactly one week, we'll be back in Seattle. Culture shock here we come. I never think it'll hit that hard, but it always does. Bittersweet days as we near the end of an amazing 6 month adventure!

Earth Day Morocco

Rabat was selected by the Earth Day Network to host one of the world's premier Earth Day Celebrations this year. A week of activities and awareness building throughout the country led up to a big celebration on April 24th in Rabat. Morocco's King and government are pushing a serious campaign to raise awareness of ways to protect the environment. I have seen commercials on TV, a green band on water bottles with a message on the environment, banners and signs around the city. In honor of earth day, the King announced an unprecedented National Charter for Environment and Sustainable Development, the first commitment of its kind in Africa and the first in the Arab World. Morocco is such an ecologically diverse country with mountains, desert, valleys, Atlantic ocean and Mediterranean Sea coast. Such a beautiful country and I'm impressed with the commitments being made here to protect its beauty and nature.

After a sluggish day with all of us feeling a bit under the weather, Imad, Younis and I ventured to the big Earth Day party, mind you a FREE event. Some of the big name performers and speakers that we didn't stay long enough to see included Seal and Jesse Jackson. However, we did see some great music and speakers. One of the first acts which I enjoyed included a bunch of well known Moroccan singers who showcased their individual styles. One singer named Oum is a sort of jazzy, hip hop, folksy style that I love. Here's a link to her website to listen to some of her music www.oum.ma. Another fun group was Hoba Hoba Spirit which combines the sound of traditional Moroccan Gnawa music and other sounds with reggae, ska, funk. Here's a link to one of their songs from their latest album: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E5CK_gYi3k&feature=related.

We took a little break to hop in a taxi and grab a sandwich then head back up to listen to a little more music. Imad's parking luck was in full force (some of you know what I'm talking about), so we found a perfect spot and didn't want to lose it going to grab a bite to eat. This morning, out of the blue Younis says, "taxi ride, eat french fries". I love when he remembers things that have happened in the past and talks about his experiences, so adorable. And he does these amazing hand motions to go with it.

Another cool side note. Imad's brother-in-law was hired to make the podium, boxes and stools on stage and the logo on the side here. He's done more work with individuals on a smaller level, so exciting to get a job like this on a larger scale for future opportunities.

Behind the Wheel

This blog would be incomplete without some photos and commentary on driving. Aside from freeways, I have not driven the streets of Morocco during our stay. I'm scared. I am such a passive Seattle driver, it's not so much that I'm scared of Moroccan drivers, but of my slow reaction. Either I'd get rammed into, or I'd be sitting at a stop for a very long time waiting for my turn which wouldn't come until I made it happen. I've been feeling more confident lately that if push comes to shove, I could do it. If we were to stay here longer, I would just bite the bullet and get behind the wheel because not driving has been a bit of a drag. We've done well, but I'm sure Imad is ready to no longer escort me around and I'm ready for the freedom to jump in the car and drive myself where I need to go.

Here are a few fun street shots.

This guy was rollerblading getting a free ride holding onto the truck right in the middle of a busy downtown street.

Check out Moroccan tow trucks.

Nice parking!

Weekend Visitor

This weekend, my college friend Amber came to visit from Madrid where she currently resides and where I went on my mommy vackay as we call it back in January. Of course the trip was too short, but we made the best of it and had a great time together. Amber almost didn't make it because her poor mom who was supposed to travel to Belgium then eventually home to the states is stuck due to the historic volcano craziness. Luckily, Amber was able to come down for the weekend and enjoy some sand and sun.

Amber and I indulged at the hammam and got ourselves sparkling clean. It was wonderful and something I must do at least one more time before heading back to Seattle. We had an impromptu couscous, tea and little dance party at Imad's parents house which was delicious and fun.

In the afternoon, we wanted to show Amber a little of Rabat so we went to the old medina and did a little shopping. Morocco is putting on a big earth day celebration that actually lasts the entire week. On Saturday, no parking was available because of an exclusive event happening near the old medina. Imad had the adventurous idea to go over the bridge to Sale and park by the boats that take you across the river back to Rabat. It's a really quick trip and something we've been wanting to do with Younis and hadn't had the chance to yet. Younis fell asleep in the car and managed to stay asleep as we transferred him to his stroller and took him over a rocky, sandy shore to the boats. He woke up right before getting into the boat and looked around a bit lost and confused but mostly intrigued and ready to move onto this next adventure. It cost less than a dollar for all 4 of us to cross over the river. Some people on the boat joked that it felt like they were making the trip from Morocco to Spain where many cross illegally to get to Europe, oh Moroccan humor gotta love it.

Yesterday, more earth day activities with a big group of kids doing a beach clean-up. Unfortunately there's quite a lot of trash on the beach so it was great to see this big clean-up effort happening.

We were all sad to see Amber go and Younis especially missed "mama's friend Amber" as he called her. We spent the ride home from the train station making one pretend call after another to Amber. With all the excitement and movement, Younis took his naps in the car. Here he is on the way back from dropping Amber off at the train station, one tired dude.

Beach Happenings

Yesterday, we hosted a weekly music group called Rabat Tunes that Younis and I have enjoyed so much during our time in Morocco. We will miss Rabat Tunes! Younis loves to sing and I've seen it develop more and more each week with Rabat Tunes. Now that we're at the beach, we're a little out of the city but finally have a big enough space to host. The weather yesterday was beautiful. The kids of course did not have much patience for singing and we had to hold them back from running down to the beach. We did an abbreviated Rabat Tunes and headed for the sand and waves.

I continue to be amazed at Younis' pure love for water. He is a true Aquarius, no doubt. He has no fear and every morning wakes up ready to head for the ocean. Yesterday, he kept busy trying to emulate an older friend splashing in the waves. Younis fell down a couple times and got his face wet which at first bothered him a little, but when I asked him if he wanted to go home he yelled wa wa and ran straight back to the ocean. It's also amazing how he has no fear but at the same time sets good limits and seems to know when to stop (don't worry, we're always just a couple steps away).

Here are some shots of Younis' water adventures (thanks again Livy for the amazing photos!)

Not exactly sure what Younis is doing here, but he held this pose for a while and some natural yoga moves.

Imad went out of town for a couple days with a friend. His sister and her daughter are keeping Younis and I company and staying with us, but today Younis and I spent the day alone at the house while they went to work and school respectively. The weather was gorgeous when we woke up so by 8 we were on the beach running in the ocean. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was, really warm and perfect. We played for a couple hours then headed back to the house. By 12, clouds were starting to roll in and we were getting ready for nap time. I ended up snoozing too but was awoken about an hour or so later by the loudest thunder and downpour. It rained and rained.

How to entertain a 2 year old when it's pouring rain and you're stuck at home. Not an easy task. Every activity we did lasted about 5 minutes with a few exceptions. We ran around the house, danced, played hide and seek, drew pictures, threw blocks into bowls, talked on skype with Auntie Shawn and Mamou and Papou. Younis asked several times for water, not to drink but to play in, but it was a no go with the weather situation. Luckily, our guests came home by about 5:30, perfect timing! Younis got to play with his cousin and let out all that energy and I got to have some good company and a little relaxation time.

Funky Mood

I'm in a bit of a funk today. I don't usually use my blog for real journaling, but after a long walk on the beach and sorting through all these thoughts racing through my mind, I figured why not. Our departure date is nearing. I realized during my walk that I'm feeling conflicted about it which explains in part my funk. I'm so excited to go home. I miss my family, my friends, my home. I miss jumping into the car and driving to what now seems like a plethora of fun kid friendly options of ways to spend an afternoon. But, home as I know it will be different with this experience. I like change, but always with moments of thinking ahead to what it will be like and how we'll adjust.

This morning I woke up feeling trapped. I know, I know, who wants to listen to me who gets to sit by the beach complain about feeling bored and antsy. For the most part, when I have these moments of feeling isolated, I quickly remind myself of what an amazing opportunity this is, how fortunate I am to get this time and get over it and move on. But today, I just couldn't shake it.

I think as I get closer to returning home, I almost feel more homesick and more frustrated with the parts of life here that have been challenging. During my walk, I felt so joyous when a woman and I exchanged a smile and bonjour when passing eachother. Usually, when I walk by myself I look around every now and then to make sure noone's following me. The beach here is fairly isolated and even in the states we need to take precautions, but I feel like there are more eyes on me here. As much as Seattle gets a negative rap for being superficially friendly, I miss the smiles and hellos with strangers. In Morocco, I learn to look straight ahead and not make eye contact while at the same time continuing to be amazed at how people have no qualms about staring and following you with their eyes. For the most part, I haven't felt too bothered, but lately these little things have been weighing me down more than usual.

While I have these frustrations, as I mentioned above, I also feel so lucky to be spending this time with my family. Part of the lesson for me here is enjoying moments as I live them rather than thinking to the past or jumping to the future. Time moves so quickly, and as cliched as it sounds, you never know what the future holds making it all the more important to take advantage of the present. Also, because this voyage has been full of ups and downs, especially with a strong-willed toddler in tow, I've learned the importance of taking things lightly. Sometimes I become so wrapped up in my little world here and appreciate the time I've had to actually stop, think, process and then time moves on.

Ahh, I do feel better now getting these thoughts off my chest. Writing has always helped and it's a curious thing to know there's folks reading my words.

On another note, Younis had his second haircut, this one thanks to Imad. I was a little skeptical at first of how it would turn out but was thoroughly impressed with the end result.

Sefrou

Earlier this week, we took a little trip to Sefrou, the hometown of Imad's father located right outside of Fez. Sefrou is a beautiful town, not a village, but definitely a smaller city with a much more traditional Moroccan feel. The last time Imad visited Sefrou was believe it or not with me over 10 years ago. So the family all reminisced about the places we'd visited that many years ago. We again went to the famous waterfall of Sefrou and the look out point where you see the rolling hills and beautiful landscape surrounding the city.

Younis' favorite activity these days is "throw the rock in wa wa" as he says translated as throwing rocks in water. Usually shortly after waking up which is often painfully early at the crack of dawn, Younis is ready to run down to the beach and start throwing rocks, shells and wet sand in the ocean. When we got to the waterfall in Sefrou, Younis was overjoyed when Imad's cousin took off his shoes and put him in the water surrounded by a million rocks. It was a challenge tearing him away from all those rocks when we had to leave. When we got back to the house, Younis got nice and dirty discovering the joys of throwing gravel in the street... Yay!

Imad's cousins live in a traditional Moroccan house in this alley. From the outside, it looks unadorned and plain, but when you go inside the doors, there are traditional ceramic mosaic tiles on the walls and beautiful Moroccan couches. Younis spent most of the day kicking the ball and running around the alley with his cousins. One of the things I love about Morocco is how people let their kids play and run free without worrying because the older kids learn at a young age to look out for the little ones. Of course, I was worried and kept checking on Younis and everyone kept telling me don't worry. Even the adults hanging out on the street keep an eye out for the kids. The communal culture here is such a beautiful value that I will truly miss.

Younis learned some great "futbol" moves from his talented 3 year old cousin. This kid knows how to kick a ball. Younis and his cousin got along great and had so much fun playing. Younis also fell in love with his older 6 and 8 year old cousins and the neighbor girls who showered him with attention.

As is custom, we ate extremely well. Imad's cousin Layla made delicious Harira, Moroccan soup that those of you who came to the restaurant probably tasted. Most of the family only spoke Arabic and limited French so it forced me to practice my Arabic. The kids especially would talk and talk to me to see what I understood. They kept asking me to say things in Arabic and whether I understood this or that, I think it was an amusing game at my expense! It was hilarious though after eating the harira, Layla asked me how I would rate it. I said it was delicious and gave it a 10 out of 10. I said it half in Arabic and half in French so another cousin translated. Layla's reaction was one of surprise that I only gave it a 10 and didn't like it more! Her cousin said but no, 10 out of 10 is the most, it could be 100 out of 100 or a million out of a million and it would be the same thing. Everyone was laughing. I think no matter what, I would never have been able to rate it high enough.

The next day, we left in the morning and met Imad's father and brother in law at Moulay Yacoub to enjoy the natural healing waters. There was a daycare on site which was great so Younis hung out there and played while we went to the pool. I had been here many years ago before they built the fancier center. The first time I went it was a big pool with men and women separate more like a hammam experience. In this newer spot, there's a mixed pool and a women's pool. The women's only pool is small and not as nice so we all went to the bigger mixed pool. The waters were wonderful, nice and hot and smelling of sulfur. The downside was that it was majority men and it felt like all the eyes followed my every step, despite the fact that I was there with my husband. It might have just been at that moment because as we were leaving a huge group of French tourists arrived which would have created a different ambiance. It's just hard to relax when you're feeling watched so I think I'll head back to the women's hammam soon for what I know will be 100% relaxation.

Eleben and Elephants

It's pretty adorable watching Younis learn his ABC's and 123's. We're pretty impressed with his singing skills so far. We go to a weekly singing group called Rabat Tunes and while not a huge fan at first (he preferred playing with the cars), he now always looks forward to singing and often asks about Rabat Tunes each time we get in the car. We have this mini chalkboard and the other day Imad had his mind set on hearing Younis count from 1-11. I'm not sure why we go to 11 and not stop at 10, but in the end it's a great thing because Younis LOVES the number 11. He gets so excited and will start counting and usually by about 6 or 7 screams "ELEBEN" with the b. Here they are working hard. He can almost get through singing the alphabet, but also tends to jump ahead cause he can't wait for the WXY and Z.

It's hard to believe, but we actually leave for the states in only 5 weeks. Time is starting to fly by and I feel a mix of excitement and anticipation to see my family and friends and be back in my home while also leaving the lovely life we've created here. I know this is only more intense for Imad being from here and being so close to his family. We are so lucky to have had this experience, so no complaints, but it will be a rough transition back to our life in Seattle as much as I look forward to it at the same time.

Yesterday, we ventured back to the zoo. I still can't get over how close you can get to the animals, the gates are minimal. Look how close we are to the elephant and lion, and this is not a zoom lens trick. While this is incredible to see the animals so close up, it's also slightly frightening at times. The elephant really looked like he/she was about to jump across the little mote thing separating us and crush the gate to get to the sunflower seeds we were snacking on and that leads to my troubles with the zoo. You can eat anywhere and these animals are so used to being fed. When we got to the elephants, one of the poor guys was stuffing an empty chips bag into its mouth and successfully ate it. That's sad to watch. Probably unfair of us to tempt the elephant with the sunflower seeds to, but even if we weren't eating, I think they watch us as much as we watch them to see if we have any treats to throw across the gate.

We're still very much enjoying our time on the beach. It's so beautiful here and I'm getting accustomed to falling asleep to the sound of ocean waves and finding sand in every piece of clothing and in Younis' hair and diapers everyday. I will miss Morocco.

Family Time

Younis got to hang out with a bunch of his cousins this weekend. He had a blast running around in the sand, water and playing with his mostly older cousins. All things considered, limited fights and battles to break up. Here he is with the group during a down moment coloring pictures.

La Carnaval chez Taimount

Today Younis participated with his class, la toute petite section de la pre-maternelle a l'Ecole Taimount, in the school wide carnival parade. The school goes from pre-k (starting with 2 year olds) through elementary school. Each class had a different theme and had amazing costumes made, really high quality. The street in front of the school was closed off so each class had a turn to go out on the street and show off their costume, do a little routine and march down the street.

Younis' class was full of teletubbies. I am so unfamiliar with that cartoon as of yet, but these kids looked pretty adorable despite the fact that their costumes looked somewhat like snowsuits and it was probably in the high 70's by mid-morning. They were hot teletubbies. I was asked by the director of the school to help as a parent volunteer in Younis' class. My first official parent school volunteer duties!! There must have been about 15 or so kids in his class. At any one time at least a third were crying or having some sort of tantrum, but somehow we managed to get them all out on to the street to parade their costumes and show off their moves. I love the look of overwhelmed, confused 2 year olds trying to make sense of their surroundings. It was adorable.

And what would a carnival parade be without High School Musical. Here they are showing off their moves. I think this is probably the oldest class, one of the U.S.' great exports.

After we paraded, we went back into the school and had to change all the kids back to normal clothes. Once we finally got back out, Younis was so excited by all the music and dancing, he couldn't resist joining in on some of the older kids' performances, here he is imitating the Bollywood dancers.

Bouznika

Yesterday we ventured south to another beach about a 15 minute drive away in the town of Bouznika. It's another beautiful beach, a little more high class it seemed with fancier houses, a golf course in a private community. We spent the morning discovering the joys of what it feels like to have our feet sink into wet sand and getting soaked running away from the ocean waves.

I love people watching at the beach. Especially at our beach in Skhirate you see all the fishermen, groups of men playing soccer, young boys doing their jumping tricks and flips, families with young children, surfers and boogie boarders, people exercising, tanning, building sand castles, girls and young women in bikinis then women wearing djellabas (the traditional Moroccan full-length loose fitting dress with a hood that both men and women wear over their clothes) some with hijab others not.

There is such misunderstanding and misconception in the US about Islam. Like all religions I know of, there are so many interpretations of Islam and what it means to be Muslim. What is so fascinating about Morocco is that there is space for a diversity of interpretations that coexist. The US mainstream media does such a poor job of presenting a realistic view of the diversity within the Muslim world. When I first lived in Morocco, people loved Clinton and there was a real positive view of America. It changed after 2001, Bush and wars in the Muslim world. People here in general seem to support Obama, but there is still mistrust, especially around Iraq, Afghanistan and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Morocco has always been an ally to the US, but it will be interesting to see more on the ground level how people feel about Americans over the coming years.

Younis is getting close to singing the entire alphabet. We were practicing writing the alphabet in the sand and jumping on each letter while we sang the song. I especially love how he sings LMNOP. He used to be obsessed with the letter X but has now moved on to the letter W as his number one favorite letter.

We brought some sand up to our patio so he could have a little sandbox, just in case he got tired of all the massive amounts of sand on the beach:)

Rock Climbing

This morning Imad and I went for a nice long walk on the beach. At low tide, you can climb on the rocks pretty far out to the edge where lots of fishermen go in the morning. The rocks are covered with sea creatures, especially tons of mussels. They are everywhere and on the main road heading out of Skhirate, people sell boiled mussels ready to eat from the side of the road. I consider myself an adventurous eater, but don't think I'll be eating the boiled mussels anytime soon.

The ocean rocks look to me like moon craters. They are sharp and a challenge to maneuver around. We were wearing our running shoes, bad choice, and eventually just gave in and waded with our shoes on through the water to get to the edge.