Spaniards, LMA and Ess. Fest 2009

Me and Mirielle with her favorite camel on the beach in Essaouira

Next up in the itinerary: simultaneous visits from my Spanish friends Victor and Mireia and from my best friend from college, Laura Mirielle Anderson. Since I'm so far behind in posts, I won't go overboard with detail, but I will include some photos here so you can see for yourselves that we had a fabulous time catching up and trying new things together. Victor and Mireia are such good-hearted people and very easy-going, and they arrived first. We got along famously and had a smooth time together in Rabat.

Walking Rabat with Mireia and Victor

Amazing couscous Friday with the Taoufik family

Mireia had to leave early for a family vacation, but Victor stayed on and traveled with me and Mirielle. When I say Mirielle was my best friend in college, it doesn't quite capture how integral she was to my four years in Dallas. We lived together all four years and my life would have been truly different- and not nearly as wonderful- without her. She's like a sister to me (and in fact we were often confused for sisters) and it was incredible having her here to share this part of my life.

Keeping cool in Marrakesh with Victor and Mirielle

An old artisan we made friends with in Marrakesh

All together with the shopkeepers who sat us down for tea in Marrakesh

The highlight of our time together was a week-long stint in Essaouira for the International Gnaoua music festival. I'd been looking forward to attending this festival for years and it didn't disappoint. We spent several days relaxing on the beach, meeting up with friends, walking around the old medina and bouncing from stage to stage to see incredible musicians from Morocco and abroad.

Mirielle, me and Jess in Essaouira

Fun times on the Essaouira beach with Victor, Nabil and the girls

Victor goofing around with my buddies, Mustapha (Moose) and Nabil

Dinner with a crowd, including Jaci and Liz, at our apartment in Essaouira

The concerts were packed. We experienced huge adrenaline rushes when the packed crowds would suddenly move in one direction and our big guy friends would huddle us all together to avoid being trampled. We saw a few unnerving fights with fists and broken bottles and I even got to participate in my first Moroccan cat fight (verbal only) with a landlady who wanted to bilk us out of a few hundred dirhams. Needless to say, we moved apartments and I was proud of myself for not backing down and participating in argument as best I could like a Moroccan (all Darija, often involves yelling and gesticulating, getting other people involved, lots of swearing to God, but avoiding disrespectful name-calling or major accusations).

One of the 7 stages of the Gnaoua Festival

It may sound like the festival was overwhelming or even negative, but it was really energizing and not at all stressful. Almost all of my friends in Morocco were in attendance and about 20 of us even stayed in the same place. Days on the beach, nights listening to live music and dancing....who could ask for more?

The crowded beach in Essaouira during the Festival

Playing around on the ramparts while we wait for the sunset

Amazing Essaouira sunset

In the end, my friends all had to go and I had to get back to my "real life" in Rabat. But the weeks I spent with my Spaniards and with Mirielle, especially with friends at the Gnaoua Festival, were unforgettable.