Back in Seatown

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

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

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

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

Everything is so calm and orderly

You don't hear honking all the time

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

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

It's easy to spend a lot of money

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

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

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

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

Heading Home in 3 Days

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

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

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

Tangier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Earth Day Morocco

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

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

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

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

Behind the Wheel

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

Here are a few fun street shots.

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

Check out Moroccan tow trucks.

Nice parking!

Weekend Visitor

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

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

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

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

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

Beach Happenings

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

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

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

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

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

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