E/Char/Reb and A&A Extravaganza!

Hanging out with Rebecca and Eric in Rabat

My next set of visitors this spring hailed from Dallas and Alabama. I had the pleasure of hosting three friends from my alma mater, UT Dallas: Eric, Rebecca and Chara. Eric, Rebecca and I were something of a trio my last couple of years in Dallas and it was clear from the second I received news of my Fulbright acceptance that they would be coming to share a part of this adventure with me. Although I didn't know Chara as well as the others, she had the availability and resources, so she hopped on board and we found ourselves in a satisfied little quatro, bumbling around Rabat.

After only 24 hours with the first three, my brother and sister-in-law, Aaron and Annie, also made their way to Morocco for a couple days of their grand world tour. I was soooo pleased to have so many of my loved ones in the same place with me, especially in Morocco! We were able to squeeze in visits to some little tourist spots as well as a night at a bar and a fancy fancy dinner before Annie and Aaron headed back to Europe. Having family visit has been critical to my time in Morocco and I was touched that they were able to come. Plus now we'll have funny tales of "Remember when you visited me in Morocco" to tell their kids....

Cheers! With Annie, Aaron, Rebecca and Chara in Rabat

Eric, me, Chara, Annie and Aaron at a fancy Moroccan restaurant just before Annie and Aaron left and the illness took over our lives....

After Annie and Aaron were safely on their way, it became apparent that our grand plans for driving all around Morocco were going to be halted by an enemy force: stomach flu. At first, we were hoping that maybe Rebecca was just dizzy and nauseous because she was a huge wuss, or maybe it was the swine flu but only she would be affected (no big deal if only one of us dies). But then Eric got hit and one by one, we all fell victim to the dastardly force of traveler's sickness. Maybe it was swimming in the nasty polluted Rabat waters, maybe it was something we ate, or maybe it was Allah telling us that our adventure plans were misguided; either way, we were stuck on my couches in Rabat for the next couple of days.

Eventually, we were able to muster enough strength between the four of us to rent a car and head south. First to Skhirat, just outside of Rabat, and then all the way down to Essaouira for some much needed beach time. The drive itself provided some amazing views of the ocean and one fascinating interaction with a police man. Here's how it went:

Police man, looking very angry and blowing a whistle: (motions us to pull over, speaks to Eric in French)

Me, in French: Bonjour! I'm sorry, my friend doesn't speak French, can you speak with me instead?

Pissed off Police dude, still all in French: You have committed 2 infractions! You didn't do this and that and the other and I'm going to write you a ticket and it's going to be 400 dirhams (about 55 bucks)!

Me, in Arabic: I'm very sorry, sir, but I don't really speak French very well. Could you speak with me in Arabic?

Surprised looking Police man, eyes changing instantly from dark and angry to soft and happy: What? How do you know Arabic? Where are you from? You are very pretty and wonderful and I love you like a daughter! (that's a paraphrase...you get the point)

Me, in Arabic: I'm American and these are my stupid American friends:) We're just trying to get to Essaouira so I can show them some of your beautiful country. But we don't know how to get there! What do you think is the best route, since you are clearly very wise and wonderful and strong as an ox? (again, it's an approximation of the conversation...)

Then the now-jolly police officer, named Said, gave us tips on the most beautiful road to take, welcomed us to his city and asked my name, saying that if I ever needed anything at all, he would help me. He also jumped over a median, forgetting all about the 400 dirhams, and stopped oncoming traffic so that we could pull an illegal U-turn and be on our way. Sighhhhhh. I love speaking Arabic!

Anyway, we eventually made it all the way to the windy beaches of Essaouira, thanks to Eric's magnificent and appropriately cautious driving. My Essaouira friends were more than accomodating and helped us find a beautiful apartment to rent as well as surf lessons and puppies to play with on the beach.

In Essaouira: Me, Rebecca, Eric, Chara and Spanky, my friend's puppy

Eric in Essaouira, feeling much better and looking much more relaxed

At the market with Akram, buying supplies to make a tagine

All smiles with our Essaouiran-American conference over a piping hot tagine

In the end, though the sickness took a great deal of our precious time together, it couldn't kill our spirits and we enjoyed to the fullest our few days of travel and relaxation. We were all smiles and no tears and I am looking forward to more quality time, barfing or not, with my dear Dallas friends.

Rebecca, soaking it up in Essaouira

Tanya Reunited

The next big-ticket item to kick off my summer was a visit from my rockin' old roommate, Tanya! We hadn't seen each other for 3 years since she moved off to smarty-pants grad school in Colorado, but we fell right back into old times and used our limited days together to visit Essaouira farther south down the coast.

Tanya and some new Essaouira friends

It was my first time in Essaouira and Tanya helped me to make some new friends between lying on the beach and cruising around the old medina. She also got a chance to show off her famous salsa dance moves before heading off on a tour around Europe. Tanya continues to remind me to find joy in everyday moments and to laugh like there's no tomorrow. She may be a hard-core science nerd and I may just be a softy social scientist, but our time together is always refreshing:)

International Saharawis

During my time at the Fulbright Regional Conference in Jordan, I had some fun making my friends dress up in my favorite item of clothing: a Moroccan Saharawi robe. These things are like the best mumus EVER! I wear mine in my apartment in Rabat quite regularly, so it was exciting to see how it would go over with the international Fulbright crowd. As you'll see here, the robe was received with a range of emotions, mostly giggles. The robe has a way of drawing out hidden personalities, too....

Although not ever Fulbrighter in attendance is pictured here, I think this smattering creates a fair representation of the good times and new friends that were had in Amman. Maybe I need to make ALL of my friends take pictures with me in this robe and just spackle my walls with the montage....

Jordan

The Jordanian flag flying high above the ruins of the ancient citadel, city center of Amman

For my next adventure, I went to Jordan for 10 days. First there was a Fulbright conference in Amman so I got to meet other Fulbrighters from around the region. It was FABULOUS! Not only did I get to see how things worked in Jordan, but I really enjoyed sharing stories and getting advice from the students from all around the Middle East and North Africa. Plus the added bonus of getting even closer to some Morocco Fulbrighters.

The Roman ruins at Jaresh, nestled into a very modern Amman

Bonding time with other goofy Fulbrighters, Jaci and Mohsin

After the Fulbright Commission in Jordan put on such an incredible event- with prominent speakers and small-group discussions, tours of the area and buffet after buffet- it was time to hit the road with Jaci and Elena. We started off in Petra, one of the seven wonders of the modern world, with a Tunisia Fulbrighter, Christen. I was mesmerized by the natural and ancient man-made rock formations, but like a true social scientist, the highlight for me was playing with some local kids as their mothers hocked jewelry to us and other tourists. There are waaaaaay too many pictures to post here, but these will give you an idea of my trip to Petra.

The most famous view in Petra, truly spectacular

Climbing some natural rock formations, equally as mesmerizing

Tickling a new little friend from the area

Riding in a camel train from one end of the enormous Petra back towards the beginning

After Petra, Jaci and Elena and I hopped in our rental car and set out for the Wadi Rum desert. Traveling in general was uneventful except for some wandering camels and our attempts to speak Jordanian dialect or even find bathroom stops. But we found our way to the incredible red desert and were met with enthusiastic guides who reminded me of my own desert friends back in Morocco. The nomadic desert people around the world seem to share a lot in common!

In Wadi Rum we slept in nomad tents, sang songs, watched the sunset, went scrambling up mountains and enjoyed the company of the sand and the stars. The only snag was when I split my pants open, right at the crotch, during a more strenuous climb. I like to think that the bandana I hung from my belt loop covered the hole so I didn't embarrass myself too much in front of our hosts, but I have a feeling they were just politely ignoring my ridiculous accident.

I'm sure Jaci and Elena will agree that the highlight was when our guide, Salem, jerked our jeep to a halt, hopped out and approached a roaming camel so he could milk it into a plastic water bottle. That's right, we drank fresh camel milk in the back of a jeep in the desert. Delicious and warm, no intestinal difficulties included. More than anything, I learned in Wadi Rum that I really am a desert person. Can't get enough of the sandy, dry, slow-paced life.

The red sand and rocks of Wadi Rum

Sunset in the desert

On top of the land bridge- the fruits of several hours of hiking and climbing

Guide Extraordinaire: Salem Qublan

Lunch with Elena and Jaci

With modern wonders and tranquille desert landscapes under our belt, our trio headed to the Red Sea where we could relax in Aqaba for our last nights in Jordan. This port city was described as a little town by our Jordanian friends, but we found it to be quite bustling and packed with beach go-ers from around Jordan and the world. Though famous for scuba diving, we were only able to fit in a few hours of snorkeling the beautiful reef plus an evening on the beach sipping cocktails and shisha/hookah/argila. Siiiiiiiigh :)

The beach at our hotel in Aqaba

Snorkel prep with Elena

A happy snorkel trio

After ten days all over Jordan, I was ready to head home to Morocco where I speak the right language and had many more adventures waiting. Jordan was lovely and I met wonderful new friends, but it was time to get back. I hope this was just the beginning of my experiences in the Middle East, inshallah!

Surf's Up

It has been MONTHS since I posted because I have been traveling, entertaining guests and working on a new project. Now it's time for some updates, and little by little they'll be streaming in. Don't expect anything too deep, just basics on what I've been up to for now:)

Surfer girls, Jess and Rachel after our first day at Panorama Beach

The May/June Travel Extravaganza commenced with a visit from Jess's dad, Paul Newman (whom I've nicknamed GrandPaul, as he will be an honorary extra grandparent to any children I may one day procure). The three of us trekked down to Taghazout, a new favorite spot on the Atlantic coastline, just north of Agadir. The town is famous for surfing and doesn't have much else going on, besides the coolest surf instructor and guide extraordinaire, Younes.

Jess and Paul graciously let me mooch into some of their Daddy-Daughter time and engaged me in therapeutic conversations about life, goals and taking time to smell the roses. It was exactly what I needed and cemented my desire to around my Newman Muses for years to come.

GrandPaul et moi after a successful day of catching (baby) waves

I was a bit nervous about trying to surf given that the only thing that waves where I come from is fields of wheat. But I took to the water immediately and was inspired by Jess and Paul's passion for surf. I stood up on my longboard a dozen or so times in our few hours in the water and was even able to get up on Jess's shorter board. I loved it!!

I'm hoping to find a way to get a board back in Rabat so I can walk to the beach and take advantage of my proximity to the water. I loved my first experiences with surfing and can't wait for more! Now I just have to train myself to stop whistling "Wipeout" or squeeling with delight everytime I catch a wave.

Satisfied Surfers at our hotel with a view