Hiding Under a Rock

Well, folks.  Welcome to my life as a writer. . . non-existent.  When I started this blog, I vowed I would write daily--bi-weekly--weekly--monthly. . . and even THAT has not happened.  My apologies.  Although I've had plenty of time to write this summer, I've spent my days in a "lazy" fashion.  It was the first summer off from teacher, and what a wonderful time I've had!  I totally dig the whole "work for 9 months and get 3 months off" thing--although the paycheck fits right along with that schedule too. :)

I don't even remember what I wrote last...and as part of the "lazy" thing I didn't even check before I started writing this.  Oh well.  I do know that it was before the end of school.  Amicitia officially finished classes June 15th, and it was a busy race to the finish (I've been watching too much of the Olympics this week!). Every weekend was packed with school Activities--speech & debate, the elementary production of Oliver, high school plays, and graduation.  I was happy to attend all activities, and even was asked by the Senior class to give a speech at graduation.  What an honor!  And how terrifying for a first-year teacher.  If I felt they didn't learn anything during the school year, how in the world can I impart wisdom on them in a 5-10 minute period??? However, it all went well.  I was proud of each one of them as they walked across the stage to get their diplomas, and I was that much closer to home. :)

Fast forward.....

While I haven't been hiding under a rock, I have been a mixture of super busy and super holed up at mom and dad's. I arrived back in the States via Detroit on June 18th--just in time to visit my grandmother and aunt before they headed out to the Canadian Rockies for a trip.  Apparently my family is made up of a bunch of travelers! I was able to kick jet lag right before I headed down to Memphis for two weeks.  It was WONDERFUL to see all my friends in the South.  I was a bit worried about catching up with people since our lives are completely different, and we haven't talked much over the past year....but the Lord is good, and we were able to pick up right where we left off.  It was two weeks filled with lots of good food, laughter, hugs, movies, good books, and fantastic, supportive friends.  I'm so grateful to the people I've met in Memphis and can't wait until I see them again.

After two weeks in Memphis, I was back at mom and dad's in Ohio for a week.  I think I sat on the couch the entire week watching old t.v. show reruns on Netflix.  Incredible!  Then, it was back to traveling with mom and dad--this time we headed to Kentucky to see my aunt, uncle, and cousins.  We had a great time enjoying nature (we saw deer every night), eating s'mores, and being with family.  Then, when we arrived home, David came back for a mid-deployment break from Afghanistan.  Brother and sister reunited again!  I haven't seen him in over a year, and it was great to be laughing and arguing with each other once more.  The 4 of us headed up to Lakeside for a relaxing getaway earlier this week.  We ate Toft's ice cream, sat by the lake, ate perch, played shuffleboard, had more Toft's, watched the Olympics, went to the Marblehead lighthouse, and had even more Toft's. It was great! 

 I've also cooked a few Moroccan dishes since I've been home.  It's been fun, but it's been frustrating as well.  It's not easy to find the right types of meat or prunes when people here don't make those types of dishes.  Almost my entire family came up last Sunday to see David, and I made a chicken & onion tajine, and a beef & prune tajine.  While they probably weren't my best, it was fun to make lots of food & enjoy time with family.  It was great to see everyone, and it's crazy to think how much time flies between visits!

The last 2 days, I went to Findlay to visit with my grandma and aunt again, and to spend time with my "baby" cousin who heads off to college in a few weeks.  I can't believe how time has flown by.  We had a great time with pedis, Pixar, and . . . . I can't think of a 3rd "p" word. . . . but we ate a lot of food too.



That about should catch you up.  This next week I'll spend more time with David and begin packing things to head back.  The following week I'll be in Nashville and Columbus, and then I head back on the 20th.  I've been super excited to be home and relaxing.  I'm already having mixed feelings about going back to Fes.  Even since I arrived in the U.S. I've wanted to be back in Fes--I'm missing my friends and some great Moroccan food/fruit.  However, the longer I've been here, the more at home I feel again.  Now that I know school is starting soon, there's a part of me that wants to head back early--set up my classroom, see my lovely roommates, meet the new teachers, and catch up with old ones (not literally old. . .  :) ), but there's also a part that wants to stay in America--here with my parents, my extended family, Target, a car to drive whenever I want!  I've definitely go multiple-personalities going on here.  Ah well.  The life of an overseas ex-pat. 

 
One more tidbit.  Before I officially return to Fes, I get to spend about 5 days in London with my friend Emily. I can't wait to travel around the area, see the Olympic stadium, and quite possibly have tea with the queen.  Here's hoping!

It's that time of year!

We've officially hit the best part of my year--the time when I fall in love with the place where I'm living!  I remember this happening in undergrad at ONU, grad school at Memphis, and now here in Fes!  And, it always seems to occur around the same time.  I suffer through the long winter months, and make it to the beginning of spring. . .and BAM! I offically love the place where I live.  I love the food, the culture, the people, the friends I've made--I feel at home.  Yes, it's still hard to live here (and it's actually becoming unbearably warm already), but I'm actually looking forward to coming back next fall.  I have high hopes for my classes, and there are so many more trips I want to take, places I want to see, people I want to meet, and languages I want to learn!  So--two thumbs up for Morocco!  (This revelation came last weekend while I was riding the bus to visit a friend in Tetouan.  We were driving through beautiful, lush coutryside, and I just realized how much I like it here.) (*I would like to add another side note: this was originally written last weekend, although I'm just publishing it now.  The euphoric feeling about Morocco has lessened this week as we reached temps in the 100s.  I still like Fes, but the heat makes it hard to love anything at the moment. . .)

So, what have I been up to, you may ask.  Last week was our 2nd spring break.  I traveled with a group of 14 people to the Sahara desert, although we all traveled in different ways.  I went through Marrakesh (did a lot of shopping in the medina), and then we rented a car and drove the looooooooooooong drive to Marzouga, Morocco. 

While I've been told, and have kinda sorta learned, that nothing happens in Morocco the way you think it will, I still was surprised that, of course, things didn't turn out as expected when we went to the desert.  The trip we thought would take around 7 hours from Marrakesh took us about 10-11 from start to finish.  We picked up a man whose car had broken down and drove him into Ouarzazete (the "Hollywood" of Morocc, as many movies have been filmed there).  My brain was fried by the time we arrived from trying to speak in Arabic with him, but he kindly invited us into tea for helping him (gotta love Moroccan hospitality!). When we got back on the road we were told we had 4 more driving hours to Marzouga.  By the time we got to Marzouga, it was dark and I was exhausted from riding in the car.  Men in turbans swarmed our car, since we were obviously tourists, asking to take us to whichever hotel they were promoting.  We promptly replied we had reservation at the Palms hotel and were dismayed when they told us it was an hour back up the road in Erfoud (we had seen the hotel they were talking about). After a lot of miscommunication in Arabic, English, and French, after calling the other vehicle that was coming directly from Fes and finding out they didn't know the address but were just planning to "ask around" when they arrived in Marzouga, after handing the phone off to a Moroccan to speak with someone else to get directions, we finally found someone who knew where the hotel was.  We followed him 20 minutes back the other direction until he pulled over by a bunch of road signs and pointed out into the darkness.  (Oh, and in the midst of all this, the hotel kept calling, asking where we were; of course I had no idea what to tell them when we were in the middle of nowhere and didn't know how to say "unpaved road" as you'll see in a moment.)  We took a chance and started out into the dirt/desert/unpaved "road," following the tracks we could see in the dark, worried that the Peugeot rental car was going to fall apart at any minute. We drove more and more, unsure where we would end up, bouncing around in the backseat like rag dolls as we bottomed out over many bumps in the road.  Luckily, we kept seeing signs for the Palmerais Hotel (Oh yes, we even had the name wrong). At least we were travelling in a semi-correct direction.  The hotel called yet again, and amid the constantly cutting-out phone reception--we're in the desert after all--he said he was coming to get us.  Coming to get us???  We don't even know where we are!!!  But, like the weary seafarer who seas the lighthouse in the distance, we, sure enough, saw headlights about 10 minutes later.  Praise God!  It was a 4x4 come to rescue us and lead us the rest of the way to our hotel.

The rest of the desert trip is really quite uneventful.  We road 4x4s around the desert the next day, traveled by camels to an oasis the day after that, and spent two nights in Berber tents camped in the dunes close to the hotel (with running water and toilets!).  It was hot, but it was beautiful.  What a crazy, small feeling to be surrounded by looming sand dunes, unable to see anything else but sand.  What would happen if we were trapped out there? It was an insane, unrealistic feeling that I can't even describe.  Sitting on the sand gazing as the sun sank below the horizon in front of us and the moon rose behind us what more incredible than anything I've experience traveling thus far.  I can't wait for my next adventure!

Much love to you all.  Thanks for following my adventures with me.  Praying for blessings and peace on you.

The Countdown Has Begun

1 day. . .

Tomorrow one of the Arabic teachers is getting married.  It will be my first Moroccan wedding, and I'm excited and nervous.  I went to a Kaftan store with my friend Lauren the other day and we tried on multiple Kaftans--this is the traditional Moroccan dress for fabulous fancy parties like weddings or Sboas (baby naming ceremonies).  We picked one, put some money down, and will go back to pick them up tomorrow, the day of the wedding in the afternoon.  Then, we'll go to the wedding place around 8-9pm. They don't really perform a ceremony (that I know of), but there will be dancing, eating, coffee, tea, and LOUD music until. . . 2 or 4 in the morning???!!!!  Pictures will definitely be following shortly!

8 days. . .

Until the desert!  We're almost through with the 2nd week of 4th quarter--we're just cooking right along (literally and figuratively as I've been cooking with Amy for the past 4 weeks or so). Every day I look at my calendar and think "Oh my gosh! How am I going to get through everything I need to with my students?  Oh well.  Guess we just won't get to it."  And then I feel lazy because I feel like I have senior-itis and I'm ready to check out.  My countdowns probably don't help. . .

Anyway, this will be my first in-country vacation.  The first weekend of break I'm taking a MUCH NEEDED break. I'm not going anywhere. . . and although I'd like to say I'm not doing anything, I'm going to try to finish the rest of planning for the last 6 weeks of school.

During the actual week of spring break, I'm heading south.  First stop will be Marrakesh with Marcy where I'm hoping to do a bit of shopping--always a plus!  The last part of the week, we'll be making our second stop at the edge of the Sahara Desert.  Then, as part of a birthday trip for one of the Amicitia teachers, we're heading into the desert for a few nights, a few camel rides, a few delicious meals, and a few outings of sand boarding!  Should be a blast!

23 days . . .

In approximately 3 weeks, I'm going to make an attempt at traveling alone in Morocco.  A friend from Memphis just moved to Tetouan, a smallish town about 6 hours north of Fes.  She's teaching at an American Language Center, and she just arrived at the beginning of April.  Because of her first week of teaching followed by our spring break, I won't be able to head up that way right away; however, I'm super excited to go and help her set up her apartment and maybe spread some of my sweet Arabic language knowledge her way!

XX days. . .

I'm possibly trying to keep the date my arrival to the States a secret for various reasons. . . but I'm happy to announce that we're into double digits.  Plane tickets have been purchased and various in-state travel plans have been made.  I've never been more excited for a trip (including Christmas in Paris and spring break #1 in Italy).  I've been reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" with my Honors class the past 2 weeks, and there's a reference to an event the protagonist has been looking forward to for five years that may not exactly meet with the expectations and illusions he created in his head.  UNLIKE, Jay Gatsby, I'm pretty sure that this summer is going to ROCK!  I can't wait to visit some of my best friends through Ohio and Tennessee, spend time with my awesome family members, have some catch-up and much needed time with my brother later in the summer, and generally spend quiet evenings eating good food, drinking sweet tea, talking, and watching movies with my parents (with the latter two not occurring simultaneously, if dad has anything to say about it).  Also, the cooking I've been doing will hopefully transfer to the States as well, and I can't wait to try out various Moroccan dishes for mom, dad, family, and friends.  I've already planned to fill my time with driving in a country where local traffic laws are regularly followed, daily trips to Dee & Gee's for ice cream (and Jerry's for snow cones in Memphis!), piano/singing dates with mom, "helping" dad at the office (which may or may not involve me sitting in his office staring at him while he works), catching up on reading the "classics" as well as working on future lesson plans, and generally being lazy & basking in the sunshine, as I enjoy my time with my parents.  Being overseas has definitely taught me how much I value my family and my time with them.

* * *

Well, those are the 3 big events that will be happening in my life soon.  The month of May should fly by as every weekend we have a big event at Amicitia--a talent show, prom, debate tournaments, science fair, and elementary and high school plays.

I'm hoping to write a blog soon about what I've learned (or haven't) and how I've grown (or haven't) this year.  I can tell that my outlook on life has definitely brightened now that the weather is warming up again, and even though I've had a rough week learning that many of my friends won't be returning next year, the fact that the end of the tunnel (at least this year's tunnel) is visible--or semi-approaching quickly--helps brighten my life and has made me much more optimistic this month.

As ever, warfare issues are ever-present, but God has been gracious and is constantly giving me reminders of his faithfulness, and so many of my friends here have been generous with their time, listening to my heartache, and their wisdom, giving me great Godly advice.  I'm so blessed to be here with people I trust and cherish.

* * *

Much love to you all.  TwHeshtik bezeff, walikin ghrunshufik qareb! (I miss you a lot, but I will see you soon)

Running Around Like a Chicken with Its Head Cut Off

I'd like to start this blog with a story:
I've currently taken up cooking - something that will be discussed later - and decided that I wanted to try my hand at making Chicken Tortilla Soup, having been giving the recipe from a friend who made it last week.  The soup calls for a whole chicken, bone and all, to be boiled in water to help make the broth.  Then, you pull the chicken apart, discard the bones, and put the meat back in the broth will lots of vegetables and cilantro. Sounds super easy, right?  Well, I went to the local grocery store, and of course, there were NO whole chickens!  (Because nothing in Morocco ever happens the way you want it to)  I quickly called Amy to find out where the next closest place was to buy a chicken.  Apparently, across the street was a. . . chicken shop. Perfect!  You know you don't live in American anymore when you walk into a Moroccan chicken shop.  This place smelled like chicken and had a bunch of live chickens hanging out eating seed waiting to be picked for dinner.  I told the owner I wanted 2 kilos of chicken, so he walked over to the coop, pulled one out and set it on the scale.  I think this chicken knew what was coming--he didn't go into the back quietly.  As I listened for the sound of the chicken to be silenced, I noticed a bucket of chicken feet next to the back sink.  This place was legit!  Pretty soon, the guy came back with a headless, footless, featherless chicken, plopped it in a bag, and handed it to me.  B'saHa--to your health.  I wanted to immediately call dad (because I thought he would think it was cool), but calling America is expensive--and usually impossible--so I called Amy for a 2nd time.  She showered me with plaudits (and mentioned that one of the few Moroccan hurdles I have left to jump is the squatty potty).  I was feeling uber confident by the time I walked into my apartment.  Washed my hands, emptied the sink, stuck the bag of chicken in it, and opened it up.  Ewwwwwwwwww.  What was I thinking????  This thing still had it's neck on it! And when I pulled it out of the bag, blood poured out of it down the drain.  Grossssssssssssssssss!  And there were still organs inside this chicken--this poor chicken that was alive only a half hour ago.  I made a THIRD call to Amy for guidance on how to prepare this thing to go into the pot of water, receiving lots of assurance that I could just cut off the rest of the neck, pull out the liver and heart, rinse the thing off, and it'd taste great after it was cooked.  And guess what!  It did! I'm proud to say that Morocco didn't beat me in this round (it wasn't a difficult round to win), and that I feel much more accomplished and hardcore after the "chicken experience."

So now to update you as to my whereabouts and activities from the past 1.5 months:
I honestly can't even remember what I did in February.  We celebrated my two roommates' birthdays with a trip to the local Asian restaurant Kai Tai and a surprise birthday for one of them who was turning 30.  I don't remember much else, but I know that we ate, and we at A LOT.  We had cookies, and cakes, and candy, and cakes, and ice cream, and cakes, and sweets, and cakes.  I think I gained at least 5 kilos--hence the current attempt to cut down/eliminate sugar from my diet. The weekend after all the birthday celebrations, Collete, Kirsten, and I traveled to Casablanca to visit their old roommate Katie.  We visited the Hassan II mosque--the largest outside of Saudi Arabia--and gawked, oohed, and ahhed over the size of the structure and the beautiful tile.  Then, we went to the newly opened Morocco Mall.  It was fun to be there, but I left with a lonely, empty feeling, as the mall was that much closer to feeling like I was back in America with its food court, Starbucks, American Eagle, and Gap.  As lovely as the day was, it was nice to get back to Fes and feel like I was back to reality rather than once again wishing my time away; also, the traffic was much lighter and nicer when we got back to Fes.  Taxi rides in Casa are crazy!

March began with spring break #1! Humdullah!  I had tackled Paris for Christmas, so this time in was off to Italy!  My friend Marcy and I flew from Casablanca to Milan, then from Milan to Rome, then we took the train from Rome to Florence, rode the train from Florence back to Milan, and finally flew back to Casablanca.  It was beautiful.

Rome:
After having been to Rome, I definitely want to read up on more of the history of the city.  I feel like I knew about the famous places like the Colosseum or the Pantheon, and I have heard of and read the Shakespeare play about Julius Caesar, but my little store of knowledge wasn't enough for this trip.  There is so much history there! It was incredible to see these structures that were built in 72 A.D. and are half standing, still standing, or completely demolished.  As we walked across the Forum, it was mind blowing to think that Julius Caesar and Cassius and Brutus had walked across some of these same stones.  Trevi Fountain was huge and beautiful, the Spanish Steps were huge and beautiful, the Vatican including St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel were huge and beautiful--it was all incredible.  The marble and stone everywhere--I was at a loss for words thinking about all the wonderfully skilled artists who helped make these monuments and buildings. 

Florence:
Florence and the Tuscan area were definitely my favorite of the trip.  The Duomo (or church) in Florence was really neat, covered with lots of colors of marble.  We were able to make it to the Accedemia museum to see Michelangelo's sculpture David.  Amazing!!! Our first day (out of two) in Florence, we were able to climb a hill outside of the city that overlooked the city and surrounding area at sunset.  Although it was chilly, it was incredible (as the entire trip was).  The last day in Florence, we decided to take a bus tour into the countryside.  The trip took us 12 hours, and we visited Sienna--home of the oldest bank in the world, an organic farm and winery for lunch, San Gimignano--home of World Famous Gelato, and Pisa--home of the leaning tower (so cool!).  It was well worth it with beautiful views, delicious food, and a chance to see the leaning tower of Pisa! 

Now:
We are finishing up our final week of 3rd quarter this week.  We have a short 3-day weekend (I'm headed to southern France for a few days at the beach) for Easter, and then hit the books again for 9 weeks.  I'm heading into novel season, working on Frankenstein, Great Gatsby, Fahrenheit 451, and The Odyssey (Senior-Freshmen) with lots of planning, grading, reading, and discussion.  I'm excited, but know that life will be busy & exhausting in these last 2 months.  I'm also learning to cook a few Moroccan meals to share with friends and family back home, and will be heading to the desert at the end of April.  Stay tuned!

Prayer requests:
1) Grace that as we get closer to the end of the year that I don't try to pile a ridiculous amount of work on my students or continually get down on myself for not going through everything I think we should have gotten through
2) Travel mercies to and from France and to and from Marrakesh/desert area
3) That I'd begin to hear God's voice and earnestly seek Him daily
4) As year one draws to a close, that I would hear clearly from the Lord what plans He has for me after year 2 of teaching--whether that be Morocco, elsewhere in the world, or back to North America


Much love to you all!
 

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Well hello friends. I feel like I always start my blogs postings with the same idea: it's been a long time. Unfortunately, time has passed, whether quickly or slowly for all of us, without me taking the time to update you for a very long time.  A day or week here in Morocco feels like months sometimes; so, because it's been a month and a half since the last update, it feels like 6 months have gone by since I shared my life with you.

This post is hopefully appropriately named.  Just a caution before we begin with the whirlwind of details I'm going to share, I may complain a lot in this post--know that I am not truly unhappy here, and you don't need to worry about my sanity or health or safety (ok--you may need to worry about my sanity), but instead, it's all just part of learning to adjust and adapt to a new culture and a new life.

January:
I can say in all confidence that this was the most miserable, rotten, rough, horrible, no good, very bad month I've ever had in my entire life.  Ironically, it began and ended so well, but the events and feelings that developed during the middle section (roughly Jan. 3 - Jan. 29) were some of the most painful I've experienced.  My parents left promptly on January 1st--why is it that I'm the only person who misses a plane in the family--and I was able to feel like an awesome person having the experience of driving a manual car through the countryside of Morocco. *Clarification: mom and dad flew out of Tangier, a four-hour drive from Fez, so we ended up driving to Tangier (clarification again: DAD ended up driving to Tangier), and I drove back home. I thought that their leaving would be really rough on me, but I actually handled it well.  Of course I didn't want them to leave, but I think it was much easier for them to go back to Ohio than for me to have been in Ohio and travel back to Morocco alone.

Starting back to school was. . . interesting. I really did miss my students, oddly enough, but the old adage that people who need a vacation are the people who were just on vacation is so true.  I was exhausted after the first day back!  Teaching four English classes is not easy (although you may be surprised to hear it)!  However, after the first few days back to school, it seemed that everything caught up with me.  The nights were freezing cold, and even though I have a gas heater in my room, it just wasn't enough to keep the house from being an icicle.  Going to bed and waking up and being able to see your breath inside makes a person crazy.  Then, half way through January, I got the flu.  So on top of being cold already, I had the chills, felt super weak, was frustrated with classroom issues that have been going on since August, and was ready to pack up and move home.  Let's just say I was in the peak of Culture Stress.  Even though I knew I couldn't really leave, and I don't really dislike Morocco, any place would've been better than Fez during January.  I did have a glimmer of hope halfway through the cold, busy, stressful month.  My roommates and friends from school threw me a surprise birthday brunch, took me for smoothies in the Medina, went shopping with me, and made me dinner.  I was so thankful for their love and friendship on my first birthday overseas.

 25th birthday smoothie @ Clock Cafe

Thankfully a dear friend from Memphis came to visit the week after I was sick.  The month's hardships and the frustration of being sick and missing school seemed to dissipate when Emily arrived--I took her on a tour of the Medina, we ate lots of good traditional Moroccan food, caught up on life events, and I was able to vent to her about how frustrating life in Morocco can be and remember how there can be wonderful moments here too.  She was only here for four days, but we had a blast; I was so grateful to see a familiar face. She was a blessing!

February:
This month has been so much better already--actually it was so much better than January within the first few days.  The temperature in the middle of the day has been back into the 60s, so even though it's freezing cold inside and at night, it's still possible to go for a walk in the middle of the day, soak up some sunshine, find a bit of warmth and thaw out a bit.

While I still feel inadequate at school, get frustrated when my students don't turn in their homework, or when I feel like we have hardly learned anything since September, there have been a few positive moments this month.  I'm taking Arabic lessons with a friend of mine twice a week.  It's really difficult and hard to remember, but it's fun to take what we practice and class and go out and try to use the language.  The first weekend in February we spent all day Saturday and Sunday practicing the language--we went to an underground market to buy fruits and vegetables, a pastry shop, and grabbed some tea in the Medina.  It's fun to be able to talk to people, and even though I don't understand half of what they're saying back to me, learning some of the language is definitely making it more enjoyable to be here.
That same weekend we were invited to a Moroccan family's for dinner.  Here's a recap of the evening:
Our friend from the school lives with the nephew of the family, and so they invited us for dinner.  Lauren called and said we would be there around 7, and they insisted we should arrive around 5.  Well, since we had gone to the Medina to work on school stuff, we didn't get there until 6:30--still too early!  Apparently, when Moroccans tell you to arrive at a certain time, they really mean 3 hours later.  Eek.  Anyway, our friend from school wasn't even at the house yet, so we sat downstairs with the women in the family--3 aunts and 2 cousins, all hiding underneath blankets to stay warm.  We talked a bit in our limited, broken Arabic, but mostly tried to listen and laughed when everyone else was laughing.  Jess and Youssef arrived, and we ate "dinner" around 7:30.  The family brought out pastries, bread, butter, jelly, meat slices, cheese, cookies, cakes, nuts, and tea.  I thought it was an interesting assortment of food for dinner, but who was I to judge someone's eating habits when I've been known to eat cereal or popcorn for dinner??  Well, they keept telling me "zeedi" and "cooli"  (more and eat), so I did--I filled up.  When we were done, they cleared the table and mentioned soup.  Excuse me??? This wasn't actually dinner??  Oh no!  This was just the meal before the actual meal.  Well, Lauren and I were stuffed, so the family and we decided to take a walk. . . at 9:30 at night. . . in the freezing cold! :)  We walked off our stuffed stomachs, and I thought we would eat as soon as we returned.  After all, it was past 10p.m. and that seemed a bit late for dinner (good thing we didn't have school the next day!). When we returned to the house, the lady of the house (mulet-dar), took Lauren and I upstairs to show us something.  She proceeded to pull kaften after kaften out of the closet and insisted we try them on--including jewelry!!  (A kaften is a fancy. . .over dress. . . that women wear for special events like weddings) It was like playing dress-up only better!  Lauren had on a kaften that cost nearly 1000 euros, and I had on a 20,000 durham gold necklace!  It was so much fun!  We finally made it back downstairs and had dinner--delicious soup, fried potatoes, and meat--around 11:45 p.m.  By the time Lauren and I made it home (after declining their many invitations to spend the night), it was nearly 1:30 in the morning!!!  However, it was really neat to spend time with a Moroccan family, practice our Arabic, eat delicious food, and try on such neat clothing!

 Kaftans #1

I'm wearing a black Abaya from Saudi, Lauren's in the expensive kaftan that had beautiful crystal flowers all over it.  

 Lauren's favorite--she loved the sleeves :)

 Hello, tiger fur!

 My favorite: green with a snake skin effect

I also received some belated packages and cards for my birthday--present from America ALWAYS help cheer me up! :)  Although I think I'm starting to get another cold, there were a few days this month where I felt healthy, and it was nice to feel normal again.  We're working on Shakespeare in two of my classes, and even though the students may not be getting everything and they still don't want to participate or turn in their homework, I'm so glad that I love the subject I'm teaching (and I do love my students too. . . ).

My roommates' birthdays are also this month.  This week we went to a restaurant in the Medina and had some yummy food.  Tonight we're going to an Asian restaurant in the city, wearing traditional Moroccan kaftans.  I'll make sure to post a picture or two later.

As always, warfare is a big issue here.  I think that's most of the reason I've been having a hard time the past few weeks/this winter.  Please continue to pray for me--my teaching and how I view my abilities, my relationships with other teachers and people outside of school, plans for the summer, and what the Father wants for me for next year.

I miss everyone so much, and I'm looking forward to coming back to the U.S. in mid-June.  Thankfully we have a much needed spring break coming up in 2 weeks--hopefully it will be a relaxing time away from teaching.  I'll be headed to Italy (Milan, Rome, Florence) for 6 days & can't wait to fill you in on that experience!!! xoxo

Warm Wishes for 2012

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I hope that your holiday season was filled with family, fun, warm memories, and good food! I'm sorry that it's been a while between posts.  December was a packed month. 

We finished school on Dec. 16, and 3 days later I was on a plane to Paris with 2 other teachers.  (This is just one of the many blessings I've received here.  One reason I love teaching here is because of the friendships I've made with other teachers.  I feel that if I was teaching in America, I wouldn't be as close with colleagues as I am here.  Because there are only so many ex-pats here, we tend to stick together.  It really is fun to work, play, live, and eat together.  We know so much about each other, help each other with problems in and out of the classroom, and are each others' support system here. I am so blessed that I have not only good colleagues, but GREAT friends because of my job here!  But I digress. . . ) We stayed there a week, and I don't think I've ever had such a fun vacation!  My feet and back were killing me daily by 6p.m. due to the amount of walking we did, but we saw the Louvre and D'Orsay museums, the Eiffel tower more than once, Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, Versailles Palace and Marie Antoinette's private escape, and spent Christmas Eve at not one but TWO services at Notre Dame cathedral! (The actual plan was to go for the midnight service, but we got there at 6 to have a seat and ended up sitting through 2 masses in French. Thus, we decided that was enough. :) )  We ate crepes, Indian food, had an American style breakfast at a diner, and cooked ham, potatoes, and green beans for Christmas Day lunch.  It was lovely just walking along the Parisian streets, soaking up the holiday spirit in the air, pretending as if we belonged in the beautiful city.  Even though the skies were gray most of the time, the air was crisp and wintery--it was so fantastic!  I thoroughly enjoyed having a warm radiator to turn on indoors, and feeling the need to take off my coat once inside (seeing as it wasn't colder indoors than out). The trip to Paris was one for the books!

 Outside the Louvre Museum

Marcy, Katie, and Me near the Eiffel Tower

Although it was hard to think of returning to Morocco, the fact that my parents would be here upon my arrival made the transition much easier.  Mark picked us all up from the Tangier airport, and we were busy, busy their entire trip.  When you only have 4 days in the country, you pack as much in as possible!  A slight (or major) water leak in my apartment kept us busy as soon as they arrived, but we were able to go have dinner at Amicitia's founder's home their first night--beef & prune tagine.  Yummmm! (Dad's favorite too :) )  Wednesday morning we unpacked everything they brought.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your generous gifts and notes.  It was like unpacking a piece of home.  You all were so thoughtful, and it helped me feel not so far away for a moment.  After a yummy lunch with Mark and Amy, we headed into the medina for a bit of shopping.  Of course, we couldn't fit everything mom wanted, so Thursday we went back sans a fluent Arabic speaker.  I had the "honor" of being guide and translator for my parents.  My limited abilities got us through asking for specific colors and prices.  However, I'm not a haggler, so we probably overpaid for everything we bought!  Lebanese food was on the menu that night, and if nothing else, mom and dad can say they were well fed during their time here!  Friday morning we headed to Tangier with Mark, Amy, and the boys, making a short pit-stop at Volubilis.  It's a Roman ruin from the 3rd or 4th century!  Very amazing to see these stone ruins that used to be a fairly large city & think about how much has changed since then.  In Tangier, we went to the beach, drove in ridiculously bumper to bumper traffic, had lots of laughs, and finally said goodbye to mom and dad on Sunday.  I was so blessed to have them here, even if it was for a short time.  Their presents and their presence (not necessarily in that order) warmed my heart and gave my spirit a lift.  It will definitely be hard to not see them again for 6 months.  

 Dad makes his driving debut in Morocco!

 At the Volubilis Roman ruins

 

The first day of the 2012 school year starts tomorrow.  It's hard to believe that Christmas and New Years are over.  I've been told that January and February will be the hardest months here.  Partially because of the weather, partially because we won't have many breaks or days off, partially because we're still adjusting to living in Morocco.  I'm praying that my spirits will continually be lifted by His spirit, and that these next two months will actually be the best months yet!

I just wanted to leave you with a well-known verse that's so appropriate for the beginning of a new year: "For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."(Jer. 29:11).  I know so many people make resolutions at the end of December and beginning of January, but I tend to find that I don't keep them and then feel uber guilty for not following through with whatever workout plan or reading schedule.  This year, I am only making one resolution: I resolve to not workout or read my Bible X hours a day; instead, I just want to draw nearer to the Father and learn more about His heart and His plan for me.  2011 was a GREAT year.  It was filled with new adventures, new friends, and trips around the world.  Yeah, lots of it was scary; yeah, lots of it involved leaps of faith (and not jump over the trickle of water leaps, but jump over the massive river/ocean leaps). But however awesome 2011 was, I'm hoping for even more in 2012.  Sure, I'll be taking trips to other countries over spring break, and I'll hopefully be back in the States during the summer, but I'm hoping for more in relationships as well.  I'm praying that He will do a major work in my heart & help continue relationships in Morocco.  I'm praying that He will make my path clear (at least for this calendar year), and I'll see more of Him than I ever have.  I can't wait for what will happen in the next 12 months, and I hope that you're just as excited for all the new possibilities, trials, experiences, and adventures this year!

Sending much love to you all! xoxoxo

Christmas Time is Here???

Well, it's been a few weeks hasn't it???  I've been keeping busy planning, grading, lounging, etc. This past month has been the coldest of my life. The weather during the day gets up to about 60--it's beautiful!  But at night, it gets into the 30s, and without insulation, indoor heating, and the amount of tile in the houses, it's FREEZING!!  I finally bought a budda heater last week.  It's a gas heater that uses a gas bottle to heat.  I have to make sure not to leave it on when I'm sleeping and to crack a window when it's open, but it is so amazing and wonderful.  I can finally feel my toes again! :) I have a feeling I'm going to go through a bottle of gas per week!  Amy also let me borrow an extra rug form her home.  This means no more walking on cold floors, and it adds a nice homey, warm touch to my room.

It's hard for me to believe that it's almost Christmas.  I don't know if I've tried to suppress the knowledge of this or just haven't thought it about it.  I've only had one day this month where I truly realized that I wouldn't be with my Ohio or Memphis friends and family for Christmas.  Most of the time, there's nothing to visually remind me of Christmas. There are no windows decorated or stole sales; no houses covered in lights; no mall or street corner Santa; no collecting or giving money for charity; no Christmas songs being blasted from every radio across town. It's crazy! It's like the movie Groundhog Day. . . only I feel like I'm living days in October over and over again.  The weather is beautiful during the day (outside) and freezing at night (inside).  No insulation, indoor heating, and houses covered with tile make for chilly living. Thankfully I was able to get a gas heater this past week, and I've been slowly thawing out.

I've been meeting with some of the teachers the past few weeks and we're discussing where we are in life (and in the world).  Sometimes I forget that I'm teaching in Morocco, and when I remember I say "I'm living in Morocco?!" in either two ones. One: I think it's the coolest thing ever. Two: I think it was the worst decision of my life.  We've been talking about what a blessing it is to be here and be lights for others even if we (especially me) get frustrated by the constant obstacle and hurdles here: students who refuse to speak in English in class, students who can't write complete sentences, walking down the street and getting harassed by men, the inability to find necessary items for cooking "normal" meals (a.k.a most canned food items), the fact that laundry takes days to dry hanging outside, when the water pipe breaks and you can't communicate with the person who's supposed to fix it, having to have someone constantly translate anything for you, not having a car and having to walk for 30 minutes to someplace it would take 2 to drive to. . .  just to name a few! :)  It's always nice to have conversations with other teachers and remember that we are here for a purpose, even if were not exactly sure what it is.  Please continue to pray that I feel at peace and can look at this obstacles as what they are--ways people do things in other cultures--rather than road blocks that continually get me down.

Miss you all.  Can't believe I won't be home for Christmas, but trying to embrace the fact that I'm gaining so many new experiences. . . and will be breathing Parisian air and WILL get to see Christmas lights and trees in Paris for Christmas! :)  xoxo