Noura explores the moroccan medical system

OK now i have been so bad about posting. Sorry about that but the last few months have been busy. In January we discovered that Noura had tonsil stones. Of course Moe was out of town so as soon as he returned we headed to the Dr. They told us they has to come out. Wanting a second opinion we got an appointment at his SILs brothers private hospital. A longer drive but we knew she would receive the best care available from his staff. We took her in and had her home the same day. I really hate not being able to talk to the Dr.s but Moe and his family did everything they could to help out. All went well and after a few days she was doing great. So our plan to surprise Mom and Dad was a go.
We got my dear friend to help us out and we flew in to DRU and she picked us up and took us to Mom and Dads. It had been a long day but well worth it. The trip was an adventure but it al worked out as we were home with family. Mom and Dad were shocked but happy to see us. You know parents, first they asked what was wrong and were we back for good LOL!
Well we are back packing up now and getting ready to sell the house. We made it in time for the kids to play in the snow and now we are enjoying the warm weather and having yard sales. Gosh you can really accumulate a lot of stuff over the course of a life time.
Adam if finished with school and did great. Noura is working hard to get it all wrapped up. This online school is great and really challenges the kids. I must say they both have gotten great grades and i am so proud of them.
Well we hope to finish up soon and get our stuff shipped to morocco were we can finish setting up household. Moe is still there holding down the fort and we miss him a lot. it is great being back in NC and seeing family and friends.
I will try to be better about posting and adding more photos.

Sunset

Living at the beach gives us a chance to get some awesome photos. Just thought I would share a few. So these are all photos taken just a few short steps from our home in DarBouazza Morocco. It is hard to believe the big city of Casablanca is just a 15 min drive away.

Local Market

Well Moe took Adam and I out to a small town about 30 min away. It was market day and the town was alive with activity. We parked along the busy street and paid a couple of young boys to keep an eye on the car. Walking up to the market there were crowds of people and trucks piled so high with hay they looked like they would tip over. We walked close behind Moe as we made our way through the crowd to the vendors. The first part of the market made me want to turn around and leave as there were people selling old trashy furniture that looked like it needed to be burned and not used. The one man was selling bread that was piled on a dirty tarp and green with mold. I was told it was to feed to the cows. We walked through the muddy paths seeing stall after stall of items for sale. People looked at us like we did not belong. I am sure it did not help with me snapping photos left and right. After snapping one photo of 2 men sitting among the nuts and dries fruit another man yelled out hey to the one guy what did you do wrong you know that photo is for the paper.
We picked up a few things but mostly enjoyed seeing all the colorful people and stuff.The last part of the market we walked though was the meat section. They had all parts of the animals available to purchase. Even the cow feet neatly crossed on scraps of cardboard in the mud. Yuck! Yes the meat was fresh and the chickens could be purchased live or they would kill it on the spot for you.
This market is so large you could walk all day and not see every thing but the thing i dislike is how they tend to charge us more when they see I am American. One example is when Moe asked the price on a flashlight and they told him 30DH but the man next to him told us they had just told him 20DH for the same item. Yes we walked away and picked one up from another vendor.

Christmas in Dar Bouazza

It was good to be together as a family once again for Christmas. We came with just our suite cases so no room for decorations how ever we did find a few things at the local shops. I could not bring my self to pay over $100 for a tree brought in from Spain that had to be the worst examples of Christmas trees I have ever seen. SO it was off to the local garden shops in search of a potted plant. Moe was a goods sport and took us to quite a few shops before we found just the thing we needed. So a Charlie Brown tree was what we got. I love the hand made clay pose in Morocco so we stopped and picked one up. I was happy . Less than $20 and we were set i got a potted plant to enjoy all year to boot. Adam worked hard making signs for the wall and fire place saying Merry Christmas and added paper snow flakes.Noura and Adam made gold and silver origami birds to decorate the tree just like i did when i was Noura's age in Japan. In Mareef (the local shopping area) we found a small party shop with the greenery and stockings to decorate the fire place. A few of the Moroccan cut glass teacups with tea lights and we were set. The weather was warm and so no fire on Christmas but we tossed a few candles in the fire place to give us the feeling of Christmas.
A few days before Christmas we were invited to a cookie exchange with the expat ladies in our area. We had warm cider and snacks and enjoyed sharing Christmas memories. We came home with plates of cookies to share. Of course the best part was being with others.
On Christmas we had presents in the morning and enjoyed the company of Laura and her family for dinner. We decided on Mexican food. We found out about 2 little Hispanics nuns who sell corn chips so we had some with our home made tortillas. Yes we are learning to cook lots of things we took for granite in the States. It has been fun and a good bonding experience for the kids and I.
As youcan see in the one phote Moe decided he would light things up and was lighting sparkelers in the Christmes tree. The kids loved it but as you can guess he got in trouble with me. Oh well kids will be kids I just hope he does not burn down the house.

Sheep Day

Well living in Morocco allows us the chance to celebrate both the American and Moroccan holidays So the Saturday after Thanks Giving we had our first Eid Al Adha (sheep day). On this day each man who is married is expected to purchase a sheep and have it killed to show his faith. So a few days before the holiday Moe came home with 2 sheep. One was for our family and one for his brother as he is in an apartment and does not have a place to keep it. The kids were excited and wanted to take the sheep for a walk. That was not a option though as they were sure to run away. Oh and we would have been the talk of the town. At night you could hear the sheep calling to the others around the neighbourhood.
On the big day Noura was in tears not wanting the sheep to be killed. We told her how the sheep would be food and it was the Muslim tradition. WE would not watch the slodder but it still bothered her. So as we drove to Nana Rocco's house for lunch Moe picked up the phone and told then to pardon our sheep and to give it to his uncle. The tradition done not say he must kill it so the fact that he got it and gave it was good enough. We all enjoyed a yummy lunch of lemon chicken and stayed in the apartment while the others went to the roof top for the sacrifice of the other sheep.
The drive into Casablanca was interesting with bond fires on the street corners where young men would cook the sheep head for a small payment of a few duhams. You could see streams of bloody water in places and the corners were lined with the heads and the horns in piles as well as the pelts. The Moroccans were having fun and even the youngest children were not bothered by seeing the sheep being killed. I had to pass on that as I was too much for me.

Thanks Giving 2009

OK so I have been bad about keeping up. But after doing the online school with the kids all day the last thing i want to do is get on the computer. Hope all our family and friends had a wonderful Holiday season.

Well our first Thanks Giving in Morocco was an experience to remember. We got our turkey just a few miles up the road. They have then all lined up and you just pick the one you want and they kill it rigth there. I guess you can't get fresher than that. But i must say finishing up the gutting it was an experience. Thanks to Moe he did most of it. Not quite a butter ball but it was tasty.

Adam was happy with his BIG slice of pumpkin for his pumpkin pie.

The little expat community got together that night for a bond fire and songe down on the beach. It was nice to be among other Americans and we all enjoyed the frendship. This little beach town we are in has a great group of expats making it feel more like home.

Moe and Adam cleaning the fresh bird.

A few days in Marrakech.

Well Moe had some work in Marrakesh so we decided to tag along. That is a great thing about the on line school we can be flexible. Too mad we did not have a good Internet connection in Marrakesh but we can make up the days this weekend. We drove over and spent 2 nights. It was nice. The area is growing fast but it is still one on my favorite cities in Morocco. Hope to move there soon.

The kids and i walked to Jama Ifana (the big market) both nights. The first night we went down a little too far and did not take the shortest route. No biggie but the kids kept saying we were lost. No problem as we could always take a cab. But after stopping a lady and asking directions we made our way to the center of town. It is always a wonderful feeling walking through the ancient walls of the old city. The crows, sights, smells and sounds are so different than anything I have experienced in the US. I could just take a chair and sit all night watching everything. Adam made friends with the man at the orange juice stall number 19. He went twice and had the big glass of fresh squeezed OJ. It was so sweet and cool. When we went back the second night he remembered Adam and gave us both an extra 1/2 glass of OJ for free. Heck it is only 3 Durhams a glass or about $.39. Not bad at all. We walked around a while and then headed back to the apartment. The Taxi Gave us an inflated rate and did not use the meeter. We did get him down to 25 DH but should not have been charged more than 10DH. Heck after all the walking we did it was worth it. We did better the second night and got the ride for just 10 DH. I am getting better at knowing what they should charge so it is thugher for them to take advantage of me.

Moe took us on a drive to the lower Atlas Mt.s and we had lunch on a roof top patio over looking all the olive groves. In some spots along the drive you could smell the fresh olives being pressed for oil. Wish we could have seen them doing the pressing. The smell was wonderful.

Our stay in Marrakesh was short but nice. The weather was warm and sunny. We could not have asked foe better weather to enjoy the sights. I look forward to going back soon and hope to look at some houses when we go next time. I did find a listing for a Riad in the Medina but i am sure it would have needed too much work and living in the old city like that the traffic would be bad and we might not even have driving access to the house. Would have been fun to look though. Maby next time.

Well we are now back in DarBouazza and the kids are working to get their schooling done. Moe left yesterday for Fez on business but we needed to stay home to get caught up. The weather is still nice. Cool at night and in the lower 20 C in the days. Great to have the windows open. Wondering how it will be when winter hits as we only have a few space heaters and this house is all tile and concrete with high ceilings. Guess we will be wearing layers :o)

To all our friends in Raleigh we miss you! Have a great Thanks Giving.