Morocco at last!

Hello everyone from Morocco! I have been here for a week already, so i apologize for the delay in my blog. Lots to fill you in on I guess!

The flight here was uneventful and I had 2 seats to myself - although after waking up at 4:30am, I still didn’t manage to get much sleep. But I was more than happy to keep myself entertained watching Harry Potter 7.1 in anticipation for when the next one comes out in a few months and for which I have already planned a special trip to England to see!

Arrived into the airport where I got my 6^th stamp into Morocco and after the longest 30 minute train ride in the history of the world, I was finally in Casablanca station where Karim was waiting for me! Another 4 hours on the train and we were both in Fes – my new home. Karim had been very secretive about the apartment he had arranged for us, but even if he had told me I don’t think I could have imagined it how it is. Even now I don’t really know how to describe it – so I hope the photos do it justice! Firstly, its big. Especially compared to the dingy hotel rooms we usually stay in. There are 4 living rooms – each lined with traditional couches and cushions. One has a TV and we spend most of our time here. I have already found all the English language channels out of the 300 or so channels we get from the satellite – and Oprah is on at least once a day which is great news for me as a budding housewife. There are 2 other smaller salons, one with just leather furniture. And then a huge one where there are 30 cushions lining the couches (yes i counted.) We also have 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and then our bedroom, not to mention a fountain and a grandfather clock!

The house does have its setbacks though – and we have become well acquainted with the apartment concierge who looks after general maintenance in the building. We have no hot water in the kitchen or one of the bathrooms, half the lights don’t work and I am yet to find a toilet in Morocco that flushes perfectly – including our own. The beds and pillows are also incredibly hard, I’m not sure what they are made of but I am certainly missing my foam eggscarton overlay!

So the past few days have just been settling in and setting up home. It’s so nice to be able to unpack and put all my clothes away in cupboards, knowing that I won’t have to re-pack them for at least several months. I have also been busy getting stuck into housewifery. The house was in need of a good clean and I have been making my way from room to room. Yesterdays’s job was the guest bathroom where I had the pleasure of pulling all the hair and dirt out of the drain. I make the bed every morning and do the dishes. And the other night I did the first load of hand-washing (after which Karim’s offer of taking our dirty clothes to get washed in his mum’s washing machine was much more tempting!)

I haven’t spent much time around our neighbourhood but it seems safe and relatively quiet. Although in Morocco you can never get far away from the incessant honking, construction, and general everyday commotion, let alone the 5 time daily call to prayer.

Probably the highlight of my time here so far (apart from seeing Karim of course), was our trip to Marjane, the big hypermarche a bit outside of town. I LOVE supermarkets, especially these massive ones. Its like a Woolworths and a Target all rolled into one – not only can you buy your normal groceries and household products, you can also buy TVs, laptops, washing machines, treadmills, tents, chairs, kitchen appliances, you name it! This time we only stocked up on cleaning supplies, bottled water and basic house stuff, but everyday I think of something else in the apartment that we need and i’m already planning my next trip back. For example – full sized forks. In the apartment we have only 1 or 2 small cake forks, which i guess when you eat with your hands most of the time is sufficient. But maybe not for when i make spaghetti. Karim for some reason didn’t enjoy the supermarket as much as I did and has already said next time he will wait for me in the cafe with all the other men until I’ve finished!

So I think this entry is long enough already, and I commend your dedication if you have reached this far! Of course there is a lot more to write but with 6 months of leisure – there will be plenty of time for that!

The large living salon

Karim on our rock-hard bed

2 of the smaller salons - because we need more places to sit!