Things I Love About Morocco

I know I haven't posted in ages, which is mostly due to a lack of internet access as I had the best summer ever! I finally made it home safely to Casablanca after a massive flight delay in London and it feels good to be home.

Here are a few things I love about coming home to Casa:

• Zakia! - My amazing maid had my apartment in tip top shape upon my return. The furniture was reorganized and I love the way it turned out. She also put Diet Coke and water in my fridge so I wouldn't be thirsty once I got home. To top it all off, I had these beautiful roses on my table to welcome me home.


• Proposals - There's nothing better for the self-esteem than random marriage proposals from local taxi drivers. My taxi driver on the way home from the airport managed to communicate with his limited English and my limited French & Arabic that he would like to marry me. I ended up rejecting the offer, but man do I feel special!
• Friends - It has been great catching up with people and getting exciting news (Julie's engaged - yay!). Off to a school barbecue tonight which should be a blast.
• Produce - took some new hires on a tour around the market today. I love how fresh and cheap all the fruits and vegetables are here. Markets are soooo much better than Safeway's produce section!
• Time Change - Ramadan started today which means that yesterday we set our clocks back an hour. Even though I left London at 8:45 p.m., I still made it back to Casa by midnight!

I'm trying to get back into blogging mode, so keep checking back!

Moroccan Rugs

Morocco is known for its spectacular carpet souqs and I've definitely taken advantage of them.

I purchased my first rug in Marrakech during October Break with Stephanie, Julie and Johnna. It is a traditional Berber carpet from the Atlas mountains. Unfortunately, after more rug shopping around Morocco, I ended up figuring out that I got ripped off on this one. It is my largest rug and looks great under my coffee table in my living room.

Here's a close up of the intricate pattern. Although there are similar rugs out there, each Berber carpet is quite unique.
While in Marrakech the second time with my parents and sister, I had the great pleasure of rug shopping with my dad. We picked out this High Atlas beauty.
This rug is reversible.

We also bought this runner and buying both allowed us to negotiate a better price.

I love that it matches the tile in my dining room, as well as the blue cushions on my dining room chairs. Note that Berber carpets only have fringe on one side - the starting side doesn't have any.

The latest addition to my Moroccan rug collection was this old rug that I found in Azrou with Mike and Julie. I highly recommend carpet shopping in Azrou over Marrakech - the location is closer to the Berber tribes and tourism isn't as rampant, so starting prices are less than half what they are anywhere else. The people were so friendly and Mike was able to negotiate an awesome price - this was my cheapest rug!

The carpet is over 50 years old - you can tell because of its color. The purple and teal were colors brought to Morocco by the French and since they've gone, this color isn't available to use in new rugs. A picture really doesn't capture the beauty of the deep purple and light teal. You'll have to come visit to see how gorgeous it is!

My Home

One of my favorite things about living in Casablanca - my awesome apartment. Not only is it in a great location and I have awesome neighbors, but I've made it pretty homey.

When you walk in and turn to the right, you face my long, narrow living room. I have filled the school provided wicker shelf with knickknacks and photos that I shipped over from home, as well as a few new additions. The wicker sofa is probably the most uncomfortable sofa I've ever sat on, but I'm planning on replacing that with Krista's couch when she leaves in June. Note that the whole far wall is windows, so there is a ton of natural light when the sun is shining.

My desk is in my living room - no room for it in my bedroom or the guest room. Note my new pretty purple rug - bought in Azrou with Mike and Julie. Blurry pic - sorry.

My bedroom's pretty simple - so much better now that I've traded in the school issued salmon colored sheets for Pat's brown set.

No worries - I'm still representing John Deere in the bathroom. Embroidered toilet paper rocks!

My kitchen is a pretty decent size - gas stove, electric oven. And in this picture it is accented with a Christmas towel, murder mystery novel, and 3 pots of food on the stove. I think I'll keep the Christmas towel up for awhile - very functional. My dining room is the central point that all the other rooms face. Check out the awesome rug I got in Marrakech with my parents and Katie - it matches the chairs and tile perfectly!

Aaaah. The guest room. Amazing. Unfortunately, when I decided to take pictures of my house, Zakia was washing the pretty lavender sheets that normally go on this bed. I'm kind of starting to like the fuzzy leopard print. Come visit me and you can sleep here!

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!

Who Loves Me?

I received my first dozen red roses a couple of weeks ago from one of the most important people in my life - Zakia, my housekeeper. I came home from work to my usually spotless house, dinner, and these lovely roses on my kitchen table. I don't know how I'll ever survive without her again!

The Ocean

This is the view of the Atlantic Ocean, about a 20 minute stroll from my home. Some people surf or boogey board down in this area, but it's mostly just a pretty view, especially with the mosque being right there.

Safe Arrival

Despite a 3 hour flight delay in Seattle, I was able to make my connecting flight to Casablanca and arrived safely yesterday. My new apartment is just like the pics below, but I haven't received my boxes yet so it's pretty empty. And of course, I haven't unpacked. I'll get that done eventually.

I live in the neighborhood of Gauthier, really close to everything I might need. I'm a half hour walk from the beach and the famous Hassan II Mosque. And for those of you who were worried for me, I have found Coca Cola Light to be available at numerous stores along my street. :)

I hope all is well with everyone at home. I can't set up my Vonage number until I have internet and I've just found out I'll need my residence card for that, so it might be awhile. I will let you all know as soon as that happens. In the meantime, I look forward to reading emails from everyone!