NoGoRocco

Back in Seatown

2010-05-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-07T00:31:00.001-07:00

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

2010-05-03T08:11:00.001-07:00

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

2010-04-26T01:46:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-22T05:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-19T06:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-12T05:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-08T01:46:00.001-07:00

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

2010-04-03T04:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-22T01:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-19T03:50:00.001-07:00

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.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2010-03-18T01:20:00.000-07:00

GOOD: Yesterday Imad and I went for our first real swim in the ocean. We've done a lot of wading our feet in the water and running after Younis who if it wasn't for his parents running after him, would go running straight into the waves. Skhirate beach is known for big waves and yesterday they were really strong. We see a lot of surfers and boogie boarders and yesterday lots of people were out so we got inspired to take our first plunge. It was cold for sure, but it felt so good and we look forward to more ocean swimming before we head back to the states.

BAD: Younis is having a rough time with sleep these days. He's been fighting a cold and we can see how exhausted he is, yet it takes a good one to two hours to put the kid to sleep. He just fights it and fights it and rolls around, up and down and kicks and screams and eventually finally falls asleep but it's a painful process. He's been through so many transitions over these past 6 months and I know it's not easy changing beds and environments so often, but in the moment, it's not easy to keep our calm. Younis is a strong-willed boy. He doesn't let down easy. I often just wonder how he can function with so much energy on such little sleep, but he just keeps going and going. Hopefully one of these days he'll have a nice long 12 hour night sleep and make it all up, that's what we keep hoping, gotta keep the hope alive!

UGLY: The first day at the beach, I started seeing lots of friendly little creatures roaming around the house. There are about a million ants in and around the house, they are everywhere! As far as critters go, ants are relatively harmless as I've learned from Imad who has a soft spot in his heart for these hard-working little wonders. I'd prefer they stay outside, but on the positive side it's forced us to stay extra tidy. However, yesterday things got uglier. I woke up (bright and early, thank you Younis!) and wandered into the main room to find a BIG cockroach dead on it's back. Don't want to know how it got there, just hope it's a one time occurrence. Now, for the ugliest, this morning I woke up. My eye was feeling a little funny. I go to the bathroom look in the mirror and take a double, triple take. Check out my eye! I tend to have pretty intense reactions to bug bites, not sure what kind of bug this was but hope it doesn't come back to visit me.

More Beach Bliss

2010-03-13T06:58:00.000-08:00

Ok, this might become my title for every post the next 2 months. The beach is so beautiful and as promised in the forecast, is beautiful!! Some friends came over with their almost 3 year old son to play in the sand and ocean. Younis and his buddy had a blast throwing rocks, kicking the ball around and running away from the waves. For lunch, we ate delicious fresh from the ocean sole. So good.

Since it's the weekend, more people are at the beach than during the week, especially since it's sunny, but it's still pretty quiet. During the summer, it gets totally packed so it's nice to be here when it's getting warm, but not as crazy as it could be. I wanted to share some of the fun activities we've been watching from the sidelines. I love watching these kids who are literally right in front of our house where I guess the perfect jumping rocks are located. Just hope they don't give Younis any ideas.....

Beach Bliss

2010-03-11T00:47:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, we moved for our last two months in Morocco to a beach house in Skhirate, just a little south of Rabat. The house is not anything spectacular, but it is literally right on the beach with a big terrace and amazing view. Plus the house is bigger than our one bedroom apartment so Younis has ample space to run around and he has his own room. Of course with a 2 year old, adjusting to sleeping in his own room and own bed is not a simple feat, but we're getting there and I'm proud to say he slept alone all night in his big boy bed (no more crib) last night!!! May not happen again, but at least it happened once, hooray.

The fishermen go out to sea early morning. We saw them heading out about 6:30 am. It has been pouring down rain most of the morning, here we see the fishermen coming back with their load. The ocean is pretty agitated today, but I love the sound of the waves, it's like a natural white noise machine for Younis. Yesterday we went for a long walk on the beach. That boy loves water and sand. We had to hold him back from running into the ocean, still not quite swimming weather but the forecast says 70's next week!

Laundry has been the challenge of Morocco for me. Now, we don't have any machine, washer or dryer, so it's wash by hand. Not so fun with a 2 year old who like all kids spills every other bite or drink. But, Younis is a good helper, he could not stand to see his baba washing his clothes all by his lonesome. And here they are hanging out to dry. I won't lament on the fact that since the sunny day yesterday, it has been pouring rain and those clothes are still in their same spot on the line outside.... oh well, as I already said, sunny weather predictions around the corner (fingers crossed).

We're Going to the Zoo, Going to the Zoo, Going to the Zoo Zoo Zoo Zoo Zoo

2010-03-10T03:53:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, we took our first trip to the Moroccan National Zoo a little outside Rabat. First off, it is so green and beautiful right now. It's been a very rainy winter, but then these days of amazing sunshine and nearly 70 degree weather come out and all else is forgotten. Our trip to the zoo was one of these full of sunshine days. We got there around 10:30 or so and not a person in sight. The ticket vendor was hanging out in his car and slowly got out and wandered to the ticket booth when he saw us. Once we got inside we did see a few families and in a way, the less crowded pathways were nice. We saw monkeys, tigers, lions, panthers, flamingos, elephants and more. The zoo is actually a lot nicer than how I remembered it when I last lived in Morocco and they are currently expanding it to twice the size so better things to come. I had memories of totally depressed, lethargic tigers in these cement boxes. There's still a bit of that, but it seems like the animals are being better cared for and they just looked healthier.

It's interesting seeing the gates, which are not much compared to American zoos. Not much of a barrier separating you from those lions and tigers. It's also very clear that the animals are used to being fed by visitors. Pretty much every animal would instantly come greet us at the front of their living area and wait a few minutes to see if we had a treat, then when they got nothing, seemed to give us the cold shoulder and move on. Especially this one elephant who came slowly walking to the front, lifted its trunk waved it around for a few minutes then wandered off back to the others. We also couldn't help but laugh at the image of massive construction behind the elephants. Goal of this zoo is not to hide the city life happening around it.

My favorite part was the little lake with beautiful birds. The color of the water was amazing and perfect place for a picnic. Oh and by the way, if you go to the zoo, don't expect to eat at the cafe/restaurant. Not currently open:)

Live Music

2010-03-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

A couple nights ago I went out to the theater with Imad's mom to watch traditional live Moroccan music. There were three different styles of music: Andalusian, Isawa of Rabat and music from the north mountainous region of Chefchaouen. The video below is the Chefchouen and Andalusian musicians playing together at the request of the audience.

The theater was sold out, but in true Moroccan style, the performance started about 45 minutes latae. We arrived at 7:30, a half hour before start time because there weren't assigned seats so we wanted a good place. There were probably about 20 people max in line when we arrived. Finally, they opened the doors at about 7:45 and it was hilarious to me because even though very few people were there waiting in line, everyone was still pushing to get through the door and running to the theater to get the best seats. A line is not a line in Morocco without pushing and forcing your way to the front. Imad's mom told me to run run run to get to the theater first because she overheard another woman saying she was going to get the best spots and reserve a bunch for her friends. So I ran and I was probably the 8th person in the theater so needless to say, we got good seats!

I loved how lively the performance was, people singing along to the music, clapping and enjoying every moment. The music was religious, it was recently a Muslim holiday celebrating the birth of the Prophet Mohammed, so many songs paying homage to him. Music, as in most cultures I know of, is so important to Moroccan culture. People love music and dancing. For the most part, you would rarely see men and women playing music together which is why I loved this performance the best where two of the groups came together and for this song it really felt like everyone in the entire theater was singing along.

Paris Transport

2010-03-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

I love Paris public transportation. It was freezing in Paris, but we thoroughly enjoyed metro, bus, tram and taxi rides.

Au revoir la France

2010-03-01T02:43:00.000-08:00

Younis and I made it back to sunny Morocco after a long 9 days on our own traveling in France. I must say that the travel days were a challenge, but Younis charmed everyone along the way and had so much fun once we reached our final destinations. Just to make sure I had enough stories in my pocket to share once we got back to Morocco, our flight in Paris was delayed due to the Air France strike, but luckily only by an hour. However, Mr. Younis was so exhausted by this point and wound up, he started playing a fun game of running away from me at the airport. A parent's worst nightmare!! Especially with my ridiculously heavy backpack full of valuable items. Thank god the delay was short. I had mentally prepared for the worst and just knew Younis wouldn't sleep which was accurate. He finally passed out about 20 minutes before landing. He was so exhausted going through customs, he didn't even want me to hold him and just sat on the ground, yuck. When we finally got through and saw Baba, Younis was so excited. He gave him lots of big hugs and kisses and just to make sure we all knew kept saying "Baba there."

On our last day in St. Galmier, we went to a zoo not far from Lyon where they had tons of monkeys, Younis was most excited about the "baby monkeys" and made friends with one monkey who looked particularly lonely and eager for some attention.

We ate extremely well in St. Galmier and enjoyed fresh baked goodies. A young Swiss woman staying with my host-family for a week was an excellent baker and helped me make cinnamon rolls, yum! Younis also got to eat his first French crepe which he of course thoroughly enjoyed.

Back in Paris, we spent our last couple days with good college friends, Ashleigh and Amber and Ashleigh's adorable daughter Stella. It was so wonderful to see good friends and spend time together. Younis was especially excited to meet Stella's papa who became "daddy". I think Younis was missing male energy so gravitated towards him when he was around.

Now we're back in Morocco and settling back into our life here for the next couple months. We move to a beach house for our last two months here next week. We're really excited to spend time right on the beach, definitely feels like a once in a lifetime experience to wake up right there, pictures to come.

CARBIGTRUCK & St. Galmier

2010-02-22T04:57:00.000-08:00

Younis and I are in central France in a beautiful town called St. Galmier where I lived for a year as a foreign exchange student when I was 17. I haven't been back for years. I'm staying with my host family and we are having such a nice time, especially being away from the hectic big city life of Paris, which I love but quickly discovered can be a challenge with a little one. We are in the country here, surrounded by green rolling hills and right outside is a little river and nice grassy field for Younis to run around, this is about as perfect as it can get with a 2 year old. I love spending time with my host-mother, though sadly my host-father passed away suddenly this past year and I can feel his presence everywhere. I miss him and wish he could've met Younis, I know they would have had so much fun together.

Not only is it a beautiful setting here, but on our first day, what should my host-mother bring out from the closet but a bag full of cars and trucks. Life could not get better for Younis. It's hilarious how he will play and play with his cars and trucks with such focus and then do something else for a while and suddenly shout CARBIGTRUCK really as one word. It's like he just wants to make sure the world does not forget about these important motor vehicles. Since we're in this new environment we're sharing a bed and I stay with him until he falls asleep. I don't know if it's having me nearby but he goes wild before finally crashing. He rolls around the bed, on top of me against the wall and pretty much has a massive release of all his words just shouting one after another and then all of a sudden bang, he's asleep. Imad headed back to Morocco to be with his family. Younis definitely misses Baba. When the phone rings, he says Baba and at other random moments throughout the day. We'll both be excited to see him when we get home on Saturday.

It's so peaceful here, I'll be sad to leave at the end of the week. My host-family here hosted several students from all over the world and my host-mother now volunteers for the exchange organization. This week, she has a Swiss student staying with her because she is in the process of changing host-families. She's a sweet 18 year old; however Younis has taken to calling her, along with a majority of other people he sees, little girl. I encourage him to say her name, but what has stuck now is big little girl. He talks about big little girl eating, big little girl sleeping, it's pretty hilarious and luckily she finds it funny and cute as well.

I don't have access to my computer now so will post more pictures later. I was missing my blog having gone a week without an entry! We're here until Friday then back to Paris for a night and finally back to Morocco on Saturday. Will have lots more to report once we're back of our travels in France.

Paris Pigeons

2010-02-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

Today we ventured out to le Jardin du Luxembourg in the still fairly cold weather. Younis had fun chasing the pigeons, a favorite pastime of mine when my family lived in Paris when I was 3. It's in the genes. The water at the fountain in le Jardin was frozen over, poor duckies. While Younis looks pretty happy here, it was post major temper tantrum because he did NOT want to put on his jacket. It's just been one of those days.

We've had a really nice time visiting with family and exploring a little bit of Paris everyday. Yesterday we went to le Centre Pompidou where they have a children's exhibition area. While Younis enjoyed that area, more fun was chasing pigeons and going up up up the escalators.

Parisian Toy Stores

2010-02-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

Everything in Paris is so darn cute and delectable, both literally and figuratively. I just went out for a little stroll on my own while Younis and Imad nap. I walked by a toy store that at first was closed, but then opened on my way back home. I couldn't help but go in, everything was so adorable and.....so expensive. Tons of wooden toys, eating ware, art supplies, books, stuffed animals, each item perfect and so cute. Realistically I know once you bring the stuff home, it gets torn up, drawn on, ripped apart or somehow doesn't stay so perfect, but I couldn't resist. I convinced myself that I needed to buy Younis a little ball to kick around in the park, a must buy. I only spent 5 Euros, damage could have been much worse. It just felt good to buy Younis something in the most ridiculously cute toy store. Ahhh, Paris.

Cold!!!! Brrrr....

2010-02-11T05:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday evening we arrived in the very cold city of Paris, well very cold compared to where we've been the past several months. We got in fairly late and went straight to the apartment we're staying in with my parents for the week. Younis was exhausted from a long day with no nap. Luckily, on the airplane we sat behind another boy a little younger than Younis and they became fast friends. He was French speaking, but of course they both speak the language of toddlers. Younis enjoyed sharing his books and teaching him about all the different trucks... excavators, bull dozers, tractors, rollers and BIIIIG trucks. Younis would put his arm around the little boy, tilt his head and call out all the different types of motor vehicles, a budding teacher.

This morning, after putting on all the layers of clothes including Younis' first pair of mittens which he finally agreed to wear after seeing us all with them on, we ventured outside. We were all hit by the cold, but poor Younis looked like he was in shock. We didn't make it too far, especially after Younis ripped off the mittens and started saying cold and doing a little shivering dance. From now on, we'll have more of a strategy before venturing out and a plan of where we're going - and possibly a stroller to borrow from a friend here (thank you ashleigh!).

I love being in Paris. Even if it's cold and we're traveling with a 2-year old. It's beautiful and being half a block from a boulanger/patissier where we had a delicious sandwich on fresh baguette with a mouth watering dessert, one can't complain. Imad and I have decided that we will take full advantage of Parisian foods with no guilt and burn it off with jogs on the beach in Rabat. Mmmmmmmm.

Before heading to France, we spent a couple days in Assilah, a couple hours north of Rabat. It was beautiful and fun to explore another part of Morocco with my parents.

Younis is 2!

2010-02-06T10:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Younis' 2nd birthday!!! The most exciting part was having Mamou and Papou (my parents) here along with all his Moroccan family to celebrate Younis turning 2. When they arrived a few days ago, Younis had an initial shy moment when he saw his Seattle grandparents, but very quickly fell back into his routine with them and now asks in the morning before we see them "where Mamou go?" and "where Papou go?" And they have been added to the list of people Younis inquires about on a regular basis.

We started out Younis' big day with a tricycle ride at La Bouregreg, a nice promenade that is part of new development in Rabat. We saw a cute boy playing soccer with a bottle cap with his mom. Younis of course was drawn to them right away. Why are we so obsessed with spending so much money on toys in the states, while some of them are great, sometimes just a simple coke bottle cap will do. Imad and Younis eventually started playing with them then they had to leave and left the cap. We looked over and saw Younis running to catch up with the boy to return the bottle cap... such a sweet moment.

Thank god Younis took a 3 hour nap! I always hope that he'll take a long nap at the right moment and it seems to work about the half the time... this was a great nap day. When Younis woke up he was ready to party and that's what we did. We went over to Imad's parent's house and had a very festive birthday celebration with lots of music and dancing. I think Younis didn't really get that it was his birthday until the candles on the cake were lit and the happy birthday singing began. Then he seemed to realize that this party was about him. It's amazing to watch how quickly kids understand the concept of opening presents. Younis was so happy with his new cars, trucks and books. All in all a great birthday and now our little guy is a big 2 year old. Hard to believe and at the same time, he is such a 2 year old.

Some more fun birthday pictures. Thank you Mamie and Papie for decorating your house and hosting Younis 2nd birthday.

Magic Park

2010-02-02T05:53:00.000-08:00

We took Younis and Ghalia to Magic Park yesterday. The pictures speak for themselves. Fun times.

The Perfect Fort

2010-01-31T06:24:00.000-08:00

Younis has entered the age of forts. Imad and I are excited to create that perfect fort with all the pillows in the traditional Moroccan living room. Younis has been enjoying it too of course.

Jamon, Jamon, Jamon

2010-01-30T00:24:00.000-08:00

Spain was amazing. I had so much fun visiting, walking, eating, drinking, touring, sleeping, reading and generally hanging out. It was a much needed vacation and while I was more than ready to see Imad and Younis by the end, I was not ready to leave Madrid. I wish they could've come up to spend some time together in Madrid. It's funny how once you have a kid, you have a different lens to check out your surroundings. I was eyeing the playgrounds and parks imagining what Younis would think....

Even though I'd been to Spain before, I always am caught off guard by the massive amounts of ham.

One of our many tostas, this one from a local favorite spot near the weekly Sunday flea market. I won't tell you which one is mine.....

Beautiful architecture.

Madrid

2010-01-26T00:15:00.000-08:00

My trip to Madrid is coming to an end, I go home tomorrow. It has been such a wonderful time being here on my own, visiting my friend and relaxing, eating, drinking and wandering the beautiful city. I have walked A LOT the past few days but that's what I really love doing most when I visit a new place, just wander around and experience the city. It is amazing how close Morocco and Spain are and while there are some similarities in culture, food, architecture (especially in the south of Spain), what strikes me are the differences. The different state religions of Morocco and Spain make a big difference.

Number one difference, the "jamon", beer and wine. Spanish cuisine has an abundance of ham, sausage and other pork offerings... not to be found in Morocco. Along with the food comes beer and/or wine, beer served in small glasses and very inexpensive. Lots of tapas also big on seafood. While there are lots of restaurants in Morocco, dining as an outing and experience is much more a part of Spanish culture. Around lunch time (2:00 and after), these little bar/cafe/restaurants are packed with groups of people enjoying the gastronomical and social experience of eating and drinking. My friend has taken me to some delicious restaurants, Gallician cuisine, amazing pizza, good strong coffee, yesterday we had to take a break with some lighter salad and tostas because our stomachs were suffering from all the rich yumminess.

As someone who grew up in the United States and has spent a fair amount of time in Europe and Morocco, I always feel a certain sense of freedom in Europe that I miss in Morocco. While Morocco has changed drastically in the past 10 years and especially for women, there is less harassment and such, there are still days where I feel a sense of dread walking around on my own. I still feel watched or followed at times and spend energy focusing on looking straight ahead, avoiding eye contact etc. Again, I want to reiterate that I feel all this much less than in the past, but here in Spain, it's nice to wander and walk around, have a coffee by myself and in my experience feel completely at ease.

I'm planning to post some pictures once I get back to Morocco and will share in more details some of the beautiful sites we visited. I'm so excited to see Younis. Thank god for Skype. We've been chatting everyday. Yesterday was peek-a-boo on Skype popping in and out of the screen. He's been having a fun time with Imad, but I would venture to say that they're both more than ready for me to come home. As my "mommy vackay" as my friend calls it comes to a close, I'm off for a cafe con leche at a nearby cafe. While I miss Younis, it's nice to rediscover what it's like to drink coffee, eat a meal, walk around without interruption!

Going on a Trip

2010-01-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

I'm leaving tomorrow for a solo trip to Madrid to visit a college friend and get some rest from my usual routine. This is my birthday present to myself. I know I'm going to miss my family, but I think it's important for us all to take time for ourselves in whatever way feels right. Younis is constantly asking when Imad or I am gone, even for just a few minutes, "where baba go?" or "where mama go?" so I'm sure Imad will have to listen to that a lot for the next few days. Whenever we go on a trip, we have a little song, "we're going on a trip, we're going on a trip, we're going on a trip trip trip trip trip." I'm sure I'll be humming it to myself on the plane.

Bananas

2010-01-19T12:20:00.000-08:00

Today we took a real live train with Younis for the first time ever. This boy talks about "choo choos" nonstop so this was an exciting moment. I think Imad and I may have been more excited at the prospect of going on a train ride with Younis than how it all played out in reality. We had to go to Casablanca (about 45 minutes by train from Rabat) because unbeknownst to me until yesterday, I had to go in person to purchase my plain ticket to Madrid for this coming Friday! Good thing I called. Side note, Casablanca is nothing like in the movie. It's an overcrowded, bustling, polluted and busy capitol city with some nice areas, but not a historically significant city in Morocco until recently.

The initial time at the train station in Rabat was exciting. Waiting on the quai, exciting. First getting on the train, exciting. But after about 5-8 minutes, the excitement started wearing off and Younis was ready to run around which is easier on a train than plane, but still challenging, especially when everyone was abnormally quiet so it felt like we had to keep Younis quiet too. I hate that!

We only were in Casablanca briefly than back on the choo choo. The ride back, Younis was pretty much over the excitement of the train and we kept him busy with other entertainment.

This afternoon, we had a doctor's appointment for Younis to check his ears (all good!) and then went to Tour Hassan hoping to run around a bit. However, we were unprepared and Younis wanted a banana like nobody's business. Of course, no stores nearby so we headed out in search of nanas.

Traffic was a nightmare so we kept ourselves focused chanting:

What do we want: NANA

When do we want it: NOW

It was surprisingly hard to find that banana, but finally, the moment Younis was waiting for arrived and he downed almost two bananas.

Speaking of bananas, Younis and his cousin Yasmina drove us a little bananas yesterday. The real question, why do we do things that we know are such a bad decision. Yesterday, it was driving with a full car, both of the toddlers and four adults to a mall to run errands in hellish traffic. Why?? Very bad decision, will not do that again!

La Foret Nouzhat Ibn Sina

2010-01-18T02:20:00.000-08:00

Not far from where we live in Rabat, there is a wonderful park called La Foret Nouzhat Ibn Sina also referred to as "la foret Hilton" because it is right next to a large hotel that is now Sofitel but used to be the Hilton. La foret has a loop around that I would guess is about 3-4 kilometers. The park has lush green grass and what I believe are eucalyptus trees that provide shade. There are a couple little cafes, this rock structure for climbing, a little area for kids to practice riding bikes and open areas for soccer, stretching or other activities. This is one place where people can go and be left alone for the most part. When I walk around the park by myself, I don't feel like I have to be as aware of my surroundings or that I'm being watched as I do sometimes on the streets of Rabat, although I have to say it is so much better than when I lived here 10 or so years ago.

Here are a few things that make this park so different from a park in the states:

At the main entrance to the park is a beautiful mosaic structure where people can drink water. There's a metal cup to fill water from the spout. This is a shared cup, yes shared. And people use it. Can you imagine a shared cup among random people in the states? Never.

Not sure if this well actually works, but there is a well next to the water spout. Still need to investigate the function of the well.

This isn't really so different, just a cool addition, this post which says in English, French, Arabic: May Peace Prevail On Earth.

Yesterday was my birthday. I had a wonderful day which started out after breakfast and some morning time with Younis and Imad, with a peaceful walk at La Foret. Being Sunday morning, it was packed!! There were so many people there and it was so alive. This birthday may have been my first birthday ever spent in beautiful, warm nearly 80 degree weather. It was gorgeous. As I was walking around the park, I reached this one spot where there is a stage and a big banner promoting exercise. I'd never seen anything happening on the stage, but yesterday, there was a woman leading stretches and aerobic exercise. As I turned the corner and saw the crowd I was so overwhelmed with emotion. It's these little things that move me because there was this huge crowd of people participating and this loud, fun music and you could just feel the energy. What moved me is the sense of community, that anyone can participate, the more the merrier and it's free to the public. There was a mix of men and women, some wearing the hijab and others not, children, all ages. Can't wait to join in one of these Sundays.

Stand with Haiti

2010-01-15T07:38:00.001-08:00

Tour Hassan

2010-01-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Imad and I went on a field trip to Tour Hassan in Rabat. I copied some background information about this historic site from another blogger (Moroccan Meanderings):

Tour Hassan, or the Hassan Tower, refers to the 44 metre high unfinished minaret that was to be the highest in the Muslim world when it was begun in 1195. Both the minaret and mosque were to remain unfinished due to the death of Yacoub al-Mansour, the ruler at the time. The mosque itself was destroyed by the earthquake of 1755 that also caused so much damage to Lisbon. Besides the minaret, all that remains today are the mosque pillars.

Adjoining the mosque ruins, is the more recently constructed Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the grandfather of the present king, Mohammed VI. Completed in 1971, this ornate marble structure has interior walls covered in zellij where tiny tiles are combined into mosaics that form intricate geometric patterns. Above the domed ceiling has ornately carved wood with coloured glass inserts. Whilst admiring all the wonderful decoration, it is worthwhile looking down onto the onyx tomb of Mohammed V in the centre of the room, while off to the side is his son, the previous king, Hassan II.

Tour Hassan is a beautiful spot with amazing ruins that still feel very much alive in the middle of this vibrant city. Can't wait to bring Younis here to run around the remnants of the pillars. Perfect for some hide and seek. I especially liked the well-dressed guards!

On another note, thinking lots about the heartbreaking events in Haiti. Imad and I have been watching lots of CNN to stay connected and aware, it's not always easy to stay on top of news here. These catastrophic events really put life into perspective. Still amazed and grateful at how the internet and mobile technology make it possible to stay connected, informed and help so quickly.

Little Girl

2010-01-12T11:51:00.003-08:00

I know I'm biased, but this video is unbearably cute. Younis is talking up a storm these days. Lots of words and phrases we recognize, in English and some in Arabic, and lots of Nouni lingo, a babble of sounds that make up their own distinct language.

In Agadir, Younis danced away the evening with an adorable little girl around his age. Most of the people at the hotel were retired tour groups from Germany, England or France. Because of the timing and most kids heading back to school, there were only a few little ones around. They made the most of it though. During those few days, Younis mastered the term little girl and since has started saying big and little for a lot of different things. It's amazing watching him start to put words together into sentences, even in Arabic. Younis says "Aji mama aafek" which means mama come here please. Irresistible!

A Toast to R & R

2010-01-10T06:32:00.001-08:00

I'm having a lazy Sunday at home. I found a wifi connection somewhere nearby that is password free so have been spending way too much time surfing the internet reading random sites and blogs which inspired me to post today. Imad took Younis for the afternoon to visit a cousin who recently had a baby and as Moroccan days go, who knows where else the day will take them. I keep trying to motivate myself to get out and go for a walk, but there is something so nice about being in a quiet home just twiddling around that I can't quite get up and go. Plus, it's another crazy weather day with winds, rainstorms then sunny moments that tease you into thinking you'll stay dry, but I don't trust it.

Even though it's probably about 60 degrees outside, it is cold as he** in our apartment. I took a hot shower and ate hot food and then saw steam from my breath for a good 20 minutes. I have finally acclimated and am steam free now.

I've decided while in Morocco not to drive. I will admit to being a passive Seattle driver that would very likely get eaten alive on the streets of Rabat. I miss driving and at times feel like I should take the plunge and give it a try, which I may someday although our current car being my father-in-law's is yet another deterrent. If anything happened to that car, I would never hear the end of it!

Morocco has les petits taxis which are a great way to get around town. Each city's taxis come in a different color. Rabat - Blue. Marrakech - Tan. Agadir - Orange, etc. etc. I love petits taxis, but on this lazy day am not even motivated to hop in one of those.... I crave time like this, but once I have it spend a chunk of it wondering what I should be doing to take utmost advantage of it. Such an American way to think.

Well, to anyone reading this random post, a toast to rest and relaxation. We all need it and for most of us it comes in short supply so take advantage of these moments when they come.

Freshness

2010-01-09T05:07:00.001-08:00

Mint tea waiting to be served

Calamari, Shrimp and Fish

Shefinge

The Long Trek Home

2010-01-08T03:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we drove 9 long hours back to Rabat, that's including several stops for a certain someone to run around a while. Younis did amazingly well all things considered. The weather was crazy coming home. Sun and intense rain showers that made for some of the most beautiful rainbows I've every seen. I contemplated the pot of gold theory and why a rainbow starts and ends where it does. We returned to rainstorms and wind in Rabat. It feels cold.

We had a lovely time in Agadir. Rabat is feeling more like home now, but I'm realizing that our apartment just will never have that really homey feeling and we're not here long enough to make it feel homier. There was something about coming "home" though that made me homesick for my real home.

Agadir Highlights

2010-01-06T01:42:00.000-08:00

Somehow, we had spent all this time in Agadir without really exploring the beach with Younis so yesterday was beach time. It was a windy day and there were a lot of surfers out. It's an expansive beautiful beach.

We're staying in a hotel more in the central part of the town now. Every night, they have some sort of entertainment. One night we saw acrobats break the hotel chandelier, woops. Then another night was a traditional middle eastern dancer spinning around with drums and a skirt that had lights attached to it.

We have met some travelers at the hotel and spent some time with a nice Irish family that has two kids, one exactly Younis' age. I love the little differences in language. In Irish, diapers are nappies and babysitters are child minders and I was asked if we want to have another go at it meaning another kid. Love it. Younis also met another cute little girl last night that he danced the night away with. They even gave eachother a big hug and smooch so full of passion they both tumbled to the ground.

Check out the sign below. It's our beloved choo choo train. I love finding these interesting translations.

Travel Moments

2010-01-03T07:26:00.001-08:00

In the 1960’s, a huge earthquake destroyed almost all of Agadir except a cinema so the city is all fairly new construction unlike in most other Moroccan cities where you find the old medina. We visited a fortress type area with an amazing view of the city. Younis mostly enjoyed pushing his stroller and getting very upset when we refused him that pleasure. Traveling with a toddler both tests one’s patience and teaches the value of being flexible and open to changing plans and schedules! On the other hand, a nap midday to relax and rejuvenate is not such a bad thing, as long as the nap actually happens. That’s what the rest of the traveling crew is currently doing.

Today, Younis took a train ride. Well sort of, a tour car type train to visit the city. It was pretty cute when we first got on he kept repeating “Nouni (his name for himself) choo choo ride” and pointing to himself. A proud moment.

In Younis’ spare time, we were excited to see his entrepreneurial side emerge. Looks like he has started a thriving fish restaurant and car rental shop.

We’ve decided to stay a few days more in Agadir and not go to Marrakech which is a very exciting and beautiful city, but a little harder to manage with a little one all the crowds and craziness. Agadir is so laid back with big promenades and lots of nice outdoor cafes and restaurants. Cheers to our travels in Agadir.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! To health, happiness, peace and adventures in this coming year.

We celebrated here in Agadir. Younis made it till 10 pm (along with his mama... couldn't hold out till midnight this year). We had a super relaxing day though. Imad's cousin works as the "directrice" at this amazing therapeutic spa complete with a pool full of massage jets and lots of other spa goodies. We got a special deal on the pool and a full hammam treatment which included steam room and scrub. We brought in the new year the cleanest we've felt in months! And today we all had a massage which was a delightful start to the new year.

Last night, at the hotel where the spa is located, they were having lots of new years festivities so we listened to some traditional Moroccan Gnawa music. Younis absolutely LOVED it. You can all see for yourself in the video at the end of this post. He was dancing around the hotel and since it wasn't too crowded yet he was by far number one music fan and got some love back from the musicians. We ventured out for dinner but post spa and hammam, and with little sleep for a couple nights in a row, I was exhausted and literally passed out along with Younis at 10. I don't know if it's being in Morocco and far from the usual routine of life that I'm used to, but this New Years felt more light than usual. I don't feel that same pressure to come up with the perfect resolutions. New Years felt festive, but without all the ads and media messages I'm used to in the U.S. pushing me to make it something I'll never forget.

This morning we were greeted by a family of peacocks, two males and a few females. They are beautiful up close, but I don't trust them. Those are big birds! We went for a nice walk at the marina, any sailors out there, this is a prime destination. We soaked in lots of sun and greeted 2010 ready for more adventures.

Aire de Repos

2009-12-30T12:59:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-27T02:23:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-24T06:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-22T05:01:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-21T01:18:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-16T02:08:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-14T05:07:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-11T03:33:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-12-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-07T02:04:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-03T13:28:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-03T05:29:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-01T05:11:00.001-08:00

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!

Bye Bye Baa Baa

2009-11-30T02:43:00.000-08:00

This weekend we celebrated Eid el-Adha also known as Eid el-Kabir. To honor this holiday, Muslims sacrifice a sheep to commemorate God sending Ibrahim a sheep to sacrifice in place of his son Ishmael. We celebrated in Skhirat with family. For days now, the smell of sheep has filled the air. In our apartment search, we have seen many a sheep hanging out in the apartment corridors awaiting their destiny. Heres a picture of our two guys before they met their destiny. We met our sheep early Saturday morning. In true Younis style, he had no fear and wanted to run up to those sheep who were quite fiesty and ready to attack so we had to hold him back. The weekend was full of baa baa and then post sacrifice bye bye baa baa. No part of the sheep is wasted and Younis was pretty amazing at recognizing all the sheep parts and saying bye bye baa baa to each one we passed in the kitchen. That became the mantra of the weekend.... bye bye baa baa. Needless to say, we ate well!

We got to spend some nice time at the Skhirat beach. The weather is getting chilly according to people from here, but for us it is lovely with sun and easily warm enough to play in water. We did have a pretty wild rain and wind storm Sunday which brought back warm memories of our home sweet home. We miss everyone in Seattle and would love news so please email us!!

Arriving in Nogorocco

2009-11-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

We set off two weeks ago final destination Rabat, my husband Imad’s hometown. Our journey took us through London to Barcelona where we stayed two nights with a serious bout of jet lag. We did get out a little bit to walk by the beach, stroll Las Ramblas and chase pigeons at La Placa de Catalunya.

Next stop Rabat. Poor Nouni (what Younis likes to call himself these days) suffered many a long plane ride and just about lost it on this last leg of the journey, but we made it in one piece. That is, except our car seat which my husband somehow predicted would disappear en route. It only took us hmmmm, about one hour post plane ride to sort out how the heck to get it back once we realized it didn’t come on the flight with us.

Finally out we went greeted by the bright Moroccan sun and Nouni’s Aunties. When we got to Imad’s home, lots of excitement, Younis met his two Moroccan cousins Yasmina and Ghalia. It’s amazing how quickly kids adapt to new people and new situations. Younis has proven, as expected, to be a very adaptable kiddo. He loves hanging out with his cousins and in true Nouni style is sure to give everyone a kiss and hug to make sure noone feels left out.

First weekend, Auntie Loubna’s house in Skhirat by the beach, swimming in the ocean and eating lots of yummy food. Next day, not so fun, Younis got his first stomach bug. He was up most of the night with a fever and discomfort on both ends if you all know what I mean. He had a fever most of the next day, it finally went away the following day and we headed to our first Moroccan pediatrician visit (actually Finnish doctor). Nouni will be ok, a reminder though that all these changes will put our bodies out of whack.

Younis is already learning lots of new words: Bravo, Ti (short for skuti meaning be quiet), agi (come here), dyali (mine, quintessential in toddler vocabulary). Somehow the kids all seem to understand eachother speaking kid language, no need for translation there.