Not Your Average IKEA Trip

Exciting news - I bought a desk for my apartment last Saturday! Ghislaine brought me to Mobilia, which is a lot like IKEA, where I found a desk that is practical, as well as nice enough to go into my living room. Included in the price was delivery and some friendly men who put it together for me! I was supposed to get the desk on Tuesday around 6 p.m, but in true Moroccan style, no one showed. I called on Wednesday and they were supposed to deliver Thursday, but again not so much. I finally went in today and asked about it and there was some issue with my address and phone number. So when I got home, I called Hamid (who spoke English - yay!) and they made their way to my place. In less than half an hour, they brought all the pieces upstairs, put it together and placed it where I wanted it in my living room. It's beautiful - I'm so glad to be using a desk instead of a coffee table! And you can't beat the service included!

6 Hour Lunches

I hate that this picture is so dark. From left to right, these lovely ladies are: Julie (1st grade teacher), Fatima Zhara (PreFirst Aide), Amina (PreFirst Aide), and Fatima Zhara (1st grade Aide). One delightful Sunday, Julie invited us all over for a traditional Moroccan lunch. Since she and I both have absolutely no skills when it comes to cooking, we convinced these locals to help us out. Fatima Zhara (1st grade) is an amazing cook. She created a list of things for Zakia to get on Friday, so that she could show us all the different ingredients. They were set to arrive at 11:30 a.m. and were on time, so we started our cooking adventure. Among other culinary skills, we learned how to chop up a whole chicken, how to store herbs in the fridge to keep them from going bad, and how to serve mint tea - Moroccan style.

We ate our chicken dish with bread off of one single plate (with our right hands, of course). Our salad was served American style. It was delicious. After hanging out on Julie's awesome balcony (with an amazing view of the garbage below), Fatima Zhara taught us how to make and serve mint tea. Our first major faux paus was serving fruit with tea - apparently, we were supposed to serve the fruit after the meal and before the tea.

Julie was a true hostess with the mostest as we took the fruit away and added cookies to our tea party. By then, it was 6 p.m. and our wonderful lunch was dying down. The three lovely Moroccans took their leave and Julie and I marveled at how full we still were after 6.5 hours of lunch! No wonder restaurants don't open until 8 p.m. :) Next up - more cooking lessons from our dear friends and a shopping trip! Apparently, CAS does not provide its teachers with appropriate Moroccan serving dishes and we must find the right ones in order to host true Moroccan fiestas!

Couscous - not out of a box

Before moving to Morocco, the only couscous that I had experienced came out of a "ready in minutes" box at Safeway. Moroccan couscous is a whole different ball game. Couscous is an important traditional dish here - eaten mostly on Fridays. It is so important that I have a special couscous pot that the school provides as part of our kitchen supplies. I don't have a cookie sheet or baking pan, but I have a couscous pot.

Couscous is made by steaming the couscous over a mix of vegetables (most often made with 7 Vegetables). The couscous is put on a large serving dish and the vegetable/meat mixture is poured over the top. The plate is then placed in the middle of the table.

To eat couscous, use only your RIGHT hand. (The left hand is used for other purposes, not eating). Take some couscous and vegetables and form in a ball in your hand. Toss it a little to get good form and then pop it in your mouth. Make sure to only eat from your section of the dish. If you would like something from another section (say you really love the carrots and there's one eyeing you across the plate), you must get permission from the person with that section. As Stephanie, Cinde, Mafhoud, Annike, and I were sharing this plate, we had an extra section that we could also ask each other to take from. It's better not to ask, of course, and stick to your own section.

Seafood Grill

First off, I must say that I love seafood. Sure, hanging out on the beach with a trashy romance novel is a delightful experience. However, my favorite thing about seaside towns is the seafood. Essauoira did not disappoint.

Here's how to have an amazing seafood experience in Essauoira:

1. Go to the fish stalls right by the water where racks of seafood, like this one, are laid out.

2. Point to the fish, shrimp, crab, etc. that you would like to consume.

3. Sit down with your friends and order drinks.

4. The food will be grilled right there for you. As you wait, enjoy the salad and frites that they bring out for you to eat.

5. Savor the flavors of delicious, fresh seafood.

6. Pay your very small bill (shrimp shown above, plus a fish for only $20 - this also includes your salad, frites, and drinks)

7. Last, but not least, blog about it!

PS. If you get the crab, they will make this crab soup for you that is apparently a cure for some sickness. The sickness it cures got lost in translation...Johnna was not a fan, but Marketa (not pictured) loved it!

Moroccan Salon

Every school should have a Moroccan Salon. Traditional homes here have these rooms with couches against all the walls. Our school's is on the third floor, right next to my office and is used for staff meetings, PTA meetings, yoga classes after school, and other exciting events. The walls are lined with couches and pillows so that we can all sit in comfort at staff meetings. During Ramadan, the couches were all full of people sleeping during their lunch hours. The Moroccan Salon can also be used by classes practicing performances or just having a nice comfortable place to learn.

Here's me in my djellaba, enjoying a moment of quiet during Explore Morocco in the Moroccan Salon.

Carpet Making

As a part of CAS Lower School's Explore Morocco week, two carpet makers came to do a demonstration at our school on Monday. The women were from the Meknes area and were making a traditional Berber carpet that they will finish and give to the school. It was fascinating.

The video doesn't even do justice to how amazing these women were! They came with a bunch of wood pieces that they put together and supported with tent stakes and ropes. Then, they used yarn to finish off the loom. Before beginning, they just talked about what they were going to do as a design and each woman seemed to know her part when they worked. To weave, they tied the yarn and both cut it to the same length with a knife.

The final product will be a shaggy style carpet with a traditional berber symbol woven into the middle. The school will frame it and hang it in the school.

What's Under Your Djellaba?

There are no "Denim Fridays" at CAS, which drives me a little crazy, but we do have "Djellaba Fridays". A djellaba is a traditional dress worn in Morocco. There are djellabas everywhere! The wonderful thing about a djellaba is what you wear with it. Many of the "yummy mummies" here at school wear their djellabas with fancy high heels, and designer sunglasses & purses. I love my djellaba (which I bought at the habous with my mum) because I get to wear pajama pants and a tank top underneath. It's pretty much like I'm wearing a bath robe and pjs to school, yet still managing to look professional. Totally my kind of traditional dress!


Here's me in my djellaba, standing on the roof at school. It was pretty windy out, but my djellaba was keeping me warm and comfy!