The Places We're Going

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T02:10:00.003-05:00

Funny Things the Boys Do

2010-11-21T16:30:00.002-05:00

I'm just going to list somethings my boys do that make me smile after today I need to think about these.

Randomly hug each other (E & N)
Zerbert the table and each other (N and sometimes E)
Play peekaboo (E & N)
Look at a book and tell me what it says (E)
Communicate with snorting grunts that actually sound like "juice" or "this" or "woof" or "dog" (N)
Bring me books to read or just sit down and look through the books (E & N)
Clap along to Little Einsteins (E)
Dance to the radio (N and sometimes E)
Paint a picture (E)
Understand a joke and want to share it (E)
Pretend to wash the floors, shelves, walls with any cloth article (sock, rag, towel) (N)
Put their clothes away (E & N)
Put their clothes on (E & N)
Use the toilet correctly (E and sometimes N)
Identifying countries and monuments on a map (E)
Calling the computer a "peener" (E)

After an exhausting day full of screaming, crying, whining, hitting, biting, and boo boos, it's good to think back to some of the funny and enjoyable moments of everyday.

Home Alone

2010-11-21T16:20:00.002-05:00

Being a single parent is not impossible it's just harder in some ways and easier in others. It has been harder in that I don't get any quiet time or at least a breathing moment during the day (which if I were truly a single parent I would not be home all day with the boys) . It is easier in that the laundry didn't pile up as quickly although I did find hidden laundry which is fun. I like surprises. The hardest part is the boys missing Daddy. They don't whine about Daddy being gone they just get cranky and do crazy things like put feces on the wall or throw a series of temper tantrums because I won't let them write on the walls or play on the fire escape. Of course their temper tantrums are merely mirrors of my own frustration with this week without Daddy and a very important package not making it to his hotel on Friday (it may still make it before he leaves on Monday). I'm just tired, the boys are tired, and we want Daddy to come home.

Alone

2010-11-15T14:44:00.002-05:00

I'm not exactly alone yet, but I will be soon. My wonderful husband is headed to the US for a conference while I stay here in Egypt with our boys. This will be the farthest we have ever been from each other. I think ever -- even before we met. Certainly we haven't been this far apart while we've been married. He spent most of the summer in Morocco while the boys and I were in the US visiting my parents. I know it will be okay. We will spend a lot of time out of the house doing things I think. It passes the time. He will be busy presenting a paper and visiting with fellow scholars. I will miss him greatly.

Cloth Diapers

2010-09-09T07:14:00.005-04:00

We switched this summer to cloth diapers. I wish we had done it from the beginning. I have such a wonderful washing machine and everything dries quickly on the line. It's really wonderful. That said. I still don't like any of the diapers completely.

I like the BumGenius but wish they had snaps. Now they do and they are cut bigger. However they did not release version 4.o until after we arrived in Egypt, so we are stuck with hook and loop closures that Noah can undo. Thankfully, he does not take his clothes off and run naked (yet), but he could if he thought to.

I like the FuzziBunz because of the snaps at the waist and that there is adjustable elastic in the legs. Nice. Easily replaceable too. However, makes Noah's back end HUGE! I have to shake him a little to get him into the 24 month bottoms. I'm wondering how this will work when he's two.

I like the AIO BumGenius Organic. I only have one that came in a sample pack. I would buy more. We'll see how it dries in the winter here. It takes longer than the others but not too long to make it a problem. It's not as soft on the inside. It also is stained. None of the others had the lining stain. Inserts yes, lining no.

Thirsties I bought a few because they were SO SOFT. It's like wrapping a snuggly pillow around him. It requires a diaper cover and 18 oz (how much they say they hold) is not as much as you might think in terms of toddler urine. They wouldn't dry well in the clothes dryer, but dry as fast as the AIO diaper.

Kissaluvs contour...works in a pinch. It requires a cover and my husband is afraid of them. Refuses to even try to put one on.

In the why bother pile from the samples were: TweedleBugs -- they leaked/ wicked moisture. Flip the insert slides around so much that it takes longer to get the wiggly kid in it. Econobum -- this is just my kid who doesn't like the prefolds. He can live with it in a pinch, but they don't clean up as easily for me.

My husband said he liked not having to take out the bag of nasty diapers at the end of the day. I like not seeing the cats eating the nasty diapers that we put in the trash can. I like that if we do decide someday to have another one, we already have diapers. I like that I'm not wrapping my son in paper, plastic, and chemicals. I like not having to get a taxi to Carrefour (the only place that sells the kind that are not plastic on the ouside) every couple of weeks to buy four big packages of Pampers . I like not worrying about running out of diapers, wipes, etc.

Yes, we do washable wipes (cut up flannel nightgown) now too. BabyBum Drops by Knickernappies. I like it so far. As long as the diaper rash stays away, I'll keep using it. He has had some minor rash problems. I just put in a diaper liner (rice paper or the kind by GroVia) and slather on the Desitin (which is a big cloth diapering no-no). It works. Desitin stays off the diaper (mostly) and on the kid. The biggest problem we've had with the wipe solution is finding a spray bottle. Seriously, Egypt must have something against selling empty spray bottles. The only place I have seen them is Carrefour in the laundry section by clothes pins and ironing boards. It's on the list next time we go. Until then, the spray bottle from the hand sanitizer will have to do.

**** update. Umm... I spoke to soon about the diaper rash... we've had quite a bit of it. I think it is mainly to do with teething and with the detergent I was using. I've switched detergents and the situation is improved. However, we still have problems every now and then.

Also, the FuzziBunz have developed a problem the PUL. The PUL is separating from the material. So far it is not leaking and has not torn. It is under a one year warranty; however, given our location and the futility of sending it back I'm going to live with it as is. I believe it would cost more than the diapers to send them back and have them sent here. It works but it's not pretty.

Running

2010-09-05T09:24:00.003-04:00

I have a lot of ideas running around in my head at any given time. This is the one that is leading the pack at the moment.

Genesis 3:8 "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden."

The image that conjured this verse to my mind was Elijah's socked feet flying down the hallway to the his bedroom from the playroom leaving behind a screaming Noah in the playroom. Hmmm. I wonder if there is just a little bit of guilt on Elijah's part. I dare not compare myself to God. It is not that. It is seeing my own humanness played out in my boys.

I collected Noah and comforted him. He patted his head and started crying some more. We went down the hall to the bedroom and immediately Elijah said he was sorry. Before I could accept Elijah's apology on the behalf of Noah, I needed to know what had happened exactly. Apparently a car that was in Elijah's hands came into contact with Noah's head. This of course happened because Mommy had gone out of the room for a moment. They were playing nicely when I left a minute before. Anyway. Elijah apologized. But that was not enough. Noah clearly did not believe Elijah was sincere. Elijah tried to give him hugs, but Noah shrank away at first. It was a good opportunity for Elijah to see the consequences were not just a bump on his brother's head. Elijah apologized, hugged his brother, and still earned himself a spanking. He confessed, repented, and was duly punished.

Which got me thinking...not about spanking. I already thought long and hard about that one. I was thinking about how often I apologize for my actions. I am trying to see more about how my actions impact others. It's hard though. Often we live in a world with people who are so much more sensitive or have different beliefs and values than we do. How are we to know who we've hurt or offended? As we get older our actions become more public and touch more lives.

And this is where my brain stops working and starts thinking about the pile of clean diapers on the bed that need folded. There was something coming about punishment, broken or strained relationships, forgiveness of good friends. Yeah... maybe some other day I will finish the thought. Probably not but maybe someone else has some wisdom on this.

A Fresh Start

2010-08-29T14:44:00.002-04:00

I never seem to feel like January is the beginning of the year. As a teacher, I always marked the new year as a new school year. This is when a new beginning will take place. As I am now a full time homemaker and my husband is the professor, it continues that this is the time for a fresh start. This year will begin during Ramadan once again. We have two birthdays coming up. Our daughter would be five this year on September 3rd. Our youngest will be one on September 11th. My how time flies. Our oldest son will be beginning preschool with me at home. We are embarking on the homeschooling adventure. It is hard for me to think of it as school but more as a very creative and hands-on parenting style. In this new year, I hope to maintain a more active blog life if for no other reason then to practice my own writing.

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T03:46:00.004-04:00

Yesterday's Easter Egg Hunt in Maadi.

Since the day is not yet begun in full, there is not much to say. Noah is totally overstimulated by three new toys: a bath book, a ball, and a terry cloth bear. Elijah is over stimulated by one small package of M&M's, a small chocolate bunny, a math set (protractor, ruler, etc), a retractable eraser, and a new ball. He wanted to open his chocolate eggs, but he has been persuaded to wait.

Elijah was so funny this morning. We went on an Easter egg hunt yesterday with a friend of his. They both collected the eggs filled with jelly beans and both won Easter baskets. It was a very nice time. We told Elijah yesterday about the Easter Bunny bringing the baskets to the house. He tried so hard to go to sleep last night but just couldn't settle himself down. Then this morning when he had his basket in front of him, he wasn't sure if he was allowed to get into it. He's so incredibly sweet.

Easter Morning:

Thirty Minutes in the Life of the Mother

2010-03-12T04:40:00.002-05:00

Mommy decides she needs to take time to use the bathroom. She unzips her pants as she heads into the bathroom. She notices that someone has not flushed the toilet, so she flushes it. She looks at the washing machine and notices the laundry from last night is still in the machine. She decides that while the toilet is refilling she might as well hang that out before she forgets again. She collects the swim clothes and towels from the previous night and heads to the balcony. Arriving on the balcony she finds all the lines are full from the previous day's laundry. She takes down the dry laundry very systematically, matching up socks, towels, and sorting clothes by people. She hangs up the wet laundry. She looks over and sees the plants. She notices that they are dry. She grabs the bottle of water of the nightstand and waters the petunias that are wilting. She sits down at her computer to fix a blog post that has been bothering her and to check her email. She decides that she needs some more coffee. She heads to the kitchen to get the coffee. On her way to the kitchen she passes her husband who is playing Farmville while a six month old crawls all over him and the three year old watches Diego. She mentions to her husband that he should check the change to the blog that she made. In the kitchen she starts the water boiling, throws away the pea bags that are on the counter from the baby's snack, puts the bread away that someone left out, notices that the floor needs swept, sweeps the floor, notes that the freezer door is open again, shuts the freezer door and heads off to the bedroom to get duct tape to keep the refrigerator door and freezer doors shut. Now that the doors are secure, the water is hot. The coffee is made. Mother goes to sit down and drink the coffee and talk to her husband who is still playing Farmville and watching the children. Mother sits down, baby sees Mommy, baby starts to cry. Mommy picks up baby, nurses baby. Baby starts to crawl off her lap. Mommy looks down and sees that her pants are still unzipped and remembers that she was going to use the bathroom.

Jamma Party

2010-03-12T02:19:00.003-05:00

Wednesdays are difficult for me because John leaves around 8am and gets home around 10pm. The days are very long. I have tried to create a special day to distract Elijah from his missing daddy. Our schedule is supposed to go something like this (but with a baby and the move it doesn't always go like this):
Breakfast ...pancakes sometimes cereal other times
Cleanup... Elijah watch a video with Noah (LeapFrog or Thomas)
Preschool Lessons (This doesn't take long maybe 30 minutes. Really it's just us talking and some writing/drawing practice)
Playtime
Lunch
Playtime
Get packed up
Walk to the CSA for gymnastics (up to 25 minutes based on temperature, traffic, baby, etc)
Gymnastics
Maadi House for Elijah to play with some of his friends and Mommy to visit with some of hers
Select a movie from Maadi House (or CSA Library before we leave there)
Walk home
Order dinner Elijah's choice (used to be Papa John's now it's McDonald's)
Bath (because we are absolutely filthy from playing in the sand at the Maadi House)
Everyone in Pajamas for the Jamma Party
Movie/Dinner ... sometimes Mommy lets him eat and watch the movie...
Noah to bed during movie
Elijah gets to stay up a little later. Sometimes he falls asleep watching the video. Sometimes John gets home early and puts Elijah to bed himself.

Instead of dreading Wednesdays, I actually look forward to them. We have fun just the three of us running around Maadi.

To fill the time and keep Elijah positively engaged, he's been enrolled in gymnastics. We're half way through the class now. I don't know that he has learned a great deal, but it is something special just for him when the last few months have been about Noah.

Noah Marks His Half Birthday

2010-03-12T02:05:00.005-05:00

Six months have passed since Noah was born. It was a rocky first month with jaundice and weight loss. He caught hold in the second month and has just taken off. Some of his accomplishments are:
rolling over back to front
rolling over front to back (rarer but I've seen him do it)
getting up on all fours
turning himself around in circles on the floor
pulling up
walking while holding on to your hands (especially if Elijah is leading the way)
sitting up
eating solid foods
chewing on everything in sight
one tooth out and another coming right behind
cruising the furniture (he still needs more practice)
swimming (This is new as we went the first time yesterday. He's a little fish at heart just don't give him a bath.)

He's a busy baby. He's trying so hard to keep up with Elijah. Everywhere Elijah goes, Noah wants to go, too. It's very sweet.

I stopped and took inventory of my boys yesterday and realized how quickly they are growing up. Elijah is almost potty trained. He's really come a long way in a couple short months. He has made so many new friends here. The move to the new building has helped him tremendously.

A longer video of Noah on his birthday:

New Pictures

2010-03-07T05:26:00.004-05:00

This is out of order a bit but it got deleted and Noah is going to wake up here in a minute. Elijah and I are doing some preschool lessons at home. I guess we are homeschooling on a very casual schedule with a maximum of two hours a day devoted to lessons with an average of twenty minutes. He's three and while he can focus for long periods of time, lessons are not what he likes to focus on. So, here is his first formal art project. The week's topics were circles, blue, and red. At least those were what we incorporated into our art project. I thought it turned out rather well. He's very proud of it.
This is the entrance to our new building. Clearly, there is space here to ride a bike. There is also the backyard which has a basketball "court," a grassy area, and a playground for the kids. This front space here in the entrance is more space than we had all around our old building. So much nicer. It is such a great relief for me to be able to send John downstairs with the boys while I make dinner or clean without feeling like I've kicked them out. I can take the boys down in the afternoon when Elijah gets a little squirrely. Noah is never bored being outside. He loves the grass and will eat it if we don't watch him carefully.

We took this picture after the rainstorm here. We had a huge rainstorm the day we moved apartments. Thankfully, it stopped raining while they were actually moving the boxes. It started up again while we were eating dinner on our balcony. Normally when it rains here, it will rain for a few minutes and then stop. We thought the morning rain would have been the end of it. While we were eating our Lucille's hamburgers, the thunder and lightening began. We saw the clouds and then felt a few rain drops. We collected our food and started to move inside. A few minutes later while I was working in another room (probably making beds up) I heard the clanging on the air conditioners and John shouting that it was hailing. This was Elijah's first experience with hail. He was a little wary and very excited. It was a typical Ohio summer storm...not typical for the Egyptians at all.

Apparently, I have a bookworm. This was not just a fun photo op. He does this all the time. If I'm trying to read the book so is he. He likes his books, my books, my magazines, Elijah's books, I'm not sure about John's books, but I wouldn't be surprised if he likes those too.

At five months. Noah likes to eat his toes.

Prayer

2010-03-07T05:12:00.004-05:00

I actually got to hear the noon call to prayer today. Normally there is a lot of crying (joyful and sad) going on up here that I don't get to hear it. (Perhaps I should back up and say that we moved apartments. The other apartment was a bit dark with no place for the boys to play. We are now in AUC housing and have a yard for the boys to play in.) In our previous apartment we could hear the call to prayer at 5am, barely. The only reason I could hear it was because I was up alone feeding Noah. The city is silent at that time of day making it easier to hear. The only other time that I would be reminded of prayer time was when I was watching Martha on the Kuwait TV Channel. They interrupt programming with the call to prayer and a view of a mosque. When the prayer is over, back to Martha. I really like this. I forget to pray when I need to. Sometimes I feel like praying is such a big deal that I need to stop everything I'm doing and put it all away and make it a special quiet time. Perhaps this idea is better. Perhaps we should pause what we are doing just for a minute, pray, and get back to what we were doing, believing and trusting that our prayers have been heard.

Christmas in Egypt

2010-02-14T12:32:00.007-05:00

When we came back from the States, John finished up his semester, and we enjoyed a visit from John's parents on their way to the States for their furlough. Christmas in Egypt is different in that it's not plastered everywhere. There were giant Santas in the big stores and chocolate snowmen from Lindt in the grocers. There were Christmas lights hung around at various stores. Our pharmacy had a Christmas tree with lights. We suspected but were confirmed in our suspicions that we have a Christian pharmacy in that they were closed again in January for Coptic Christmas. So, pictures will speak better to this time.
A note on Elijah's appearance. He has mosquito bites on his forehead and ear. It's a first for me to fight mosquitoes in December.

Decorating for Christmas. Elijah was very, very excited about the decorating especially the tree. We had just helped my mom put her tree up the week before.

We baked cookies with Granny who took the recipes home and baked them again with the cousins. So, we all had the same cookies for Christmas. A very nice thought.
Lots of good Grandpa time.
We went to Coptic Cairo. We were in the church built over the place where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were when they were in Egypt.
We donned our festive garb and partied.
Brothers just looking cute.
Noah looking like Elijah.

Elijah at two months

Christmas morning. Noah is wearing Elijah's new housecoat.

The Pyramids--Finally!

2010-02-14T12:31:00.005-05:00

John and Elijah had gone the a group from the school to see the pyramids when Noah was only a couple weeks old. Since we had not done anything touristy as a family (except Coptic Cairo), we decided that this could be our January/Christmas tradition. We went and did the tourist thing. We overpaid for a carriage ride. I would recommend the carriage ride if you pay the right price. Having small children makes getting around a little difficult so the carriage ride is nice. The draw back is that it is crowded and smelly. Elijah enjoyed it though which makes it easier to get through the day. It was a cool day. It looks hot because of the sun and sand but it was in the low 70's that day which is just cold for here. When it drops into the 70's, the Egyptians break out their sweaters and scarves. When it is going to touch into the 60's range, there are people in parkas. Okay, maybe not parkas but definitely a winter coat. So, here are a few pics.

A Week in the States

2010-02-14T12:16:00.004-05:00

John was awarded a grant that allowed him to travel to Philadelphia to present a paper and to perform some tasks on behalf of his department at the annual conference for anthropologists. We decided that it was worth the expense to introduce Noah to his grandparents, great grandparents, and maternal uncles and aunt. So, we packed up and headed home for a week. Elijah was able to celebrate his birthday with his co-birthday buddy, Grandma. The whole family was there. I know that was pretty wonderful for my mom. We haven't been all in one place for quite some time. It was such a fast week. I'm sorry we couldn't get to see everyone we wanted to see. This summer will be longer for sure.

We also celebrated Christmas a little early with my family.

New Pictures

2010-02-14T02:20:00.002-05:00

I was going to add a few pictures. I'm experiencing technical difficulties at the moment. They will be coming soon. Since November we have been to the States, celebrated Christmas, gone to the pyramids, started preschool at home, and have learned to sit up...
At the moment I have one arm, but I wanted to let people know that more is coming soon. :)

Brothers

2009-11-10T15:13:00.003-05:00

Just a few pictures to keep people up to date on how we are growing and thriving as a family.

The Arrival.

2009-09-16T10:24:00.003-04:00

Noah came on September 11, 2009. We brought him home on Sept 12 exactly four years after burying his sister, Lyna. It makes for a different feel for September. The labor story is fairly boring. My doctor respected my wishes in not wanting an epidural. No one asked or suggested any pain medication. My main frustration with the situation was the lack of communication between the "doctor's assistant" and us.

Elijah is uber, super excited about having the baby home. He loves to look at him. He is slowly calming down and not being so wild although he has started to regress in other areas. He whines more and is disobedient to get attention. He is getting better little by little. I hope to have my big boy back again in a few weeks after we all get adjusted to the new member of our family.

Apartment Pictures

2009-09-02T04:34:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple pictures of the apartment. I've rearranged a few things since these were taken, but it will give an idea of what our apartment looks like.

This is Elijah on the balcony. We have lots of trees on our road. This is one of two balconies. This one has the clothes lines on it.

This is our living room. I've moved the more formal chairs to the corners of the dining room to allow for more of a play area in the living room and to give access to the bookshelves.

This is the office/nursery area. The second balcony is off of this room. We have a couple chairs out there and a low table. We have the sick and dying mango tree shading this balcony for now. Hopefully, it won't die off completely.

Waiting and Other Things

2009-09-02T04:18:00.005-04:00

While we wait for the baby to make his appearance, I thought I would update the blog. The air freight shipment arrived in August. It was very welcomed and complete. The boxes were a little ragged looking, but nothing was damaged (excluding the chocolate chips which were melted ... next time they go in a suitcase). We did not stop to take pictures of the air freight's arrival. We were much to eager to open and sort. So, here is what it looked like when we sent it off in June.

John has been going to orientation this week. All seems to be going well. He has gained access to his office and is looking forward to starting classes.

Other than stores being closing early, Ramadan has not made too great an impact on our daily life here. We enjoy the lanterns in the trees during our evening walks. Elijah call them Christmas trees. Perhaps one of these nights we will remember the camera and get a picture.

I will not feel completely settled until the little one arrives.

Some things I miss and don't miss

2009-07-27T05:34:00.003-04:00

I miss my family and talking on the phone with them. However, this list is about things. I'm not a big things person, but there are some items that I just took for granted in my daily life. While most items can be gotten here in Egypt there are some things that I just miss and some are completely random.

1. Color Catchers for the Laundry. This is something that I wish I had packed in the shipment, but it never occurred to me.
2. Swiffer Dusters. Only because there is a fine dust that accumulates. I just like how fast it works.
3. My microfiber cleaning cloths. I don't like using paper towels, and I can't find a really good substitute yet.
4.Crisco. I don't even like Crisco, but I don't know how to make some recipes without it and I can't find anything like it here yet.
5. Rain. Can't bring it. Can't produce it. It may never come. I know some of you have been getting more than your fair share. I just want it to rain and wash everything clean. I'm pretty sure it won't happen.
6. My knives. One the the stupidest mistakes we made. We forgot to put our good knives (at least three - santoku, paring, bread) in the shipment. I need to find some that don't feel like they'll break.

Strangely, I don't miss my car. I wouldn't want it parked outside, and I wouldn't want to drive in the traffic here.
I also don't miss having a clothes dryer. I'm fine drying things on the line as they are dry in about two hours given the dry heat here. The line is on the balcony, so it is easy to hang things up. I think I'll still want a clothes rack for inside or additional drying space, but it's not necessary yet. In Morocco in February it would take days for the clothes to dry. I missed the dryer then. We had an inaccessible clothes line and a drying rack in the bathroom. Fabric doesn't dry out in a moist 50F.
I don't miss TV... because we have one but most channels are in Arabic or Persian or Russian or Ukranian or French or some other language.

I'm sure this list will grow as time goes on.

The Loss and Gain

2009-07-16T18:02:00.003-04:00

We have lost our camera at least its function. Elijah dropped it on the tile floor and it's not happy. We had talked about buying a good camera before we left. We're wishing we had now. Now we have the new and unexpected adventure of finding and purchasing a new digital camera here.

On a much happier note. We are making friends here. We're getting to know our immediate neighborhood. We are able to find our way around to the stores and not get too lost.

We have arrived

2009-07-10T16:40:00.003-04:00

We are here in Cairo now. So far everything has gone smoothly. We were met at the airport as promised. All ten bags arrived - none were lost. Our apartment has a few quirks that need addressed - the spare toilet doesn't flush. We've had a wonderful welcome from another faculty family who have shown us around a little bit. We had dinner with them tonight. We had a very successful taxi drive home tonight. Not every taxi driver seems to know where our street is or can't understand us. We are actually getting better telling where we are in the neighborhood.
Tomorrow we plan to get more food in the house. Today we unpacked the baggage and did laundry.
Elijah was taking pictures of the apartment today. I'll get some ready to post here in a couple days. We've just been terribly busy with settling in.

Getting Ready

2009-05-25T08:54:00.002-04:00

We're slowly preparing to go. Our final departure date is July 6. We'll be gone from Winston before then. Today we need to get our cartons/ air freight packed and inventoried to send a preliminary list to the freight company before they can arrange a pick up date.

we have arrived

2007-08-23T21:45:00.002-04:00

Well, we have at least arrived in Oneonta. Someone has decided to link me to his site just because I found the picture of a person with a gun to his head disturbing. Imagine that! I will work on updating pics soon. We are happily settled and I have been enjoying reading the same six books almost daily and singing "itsy bitsy spider." The little guy is crawling everywhere and is cruising not only with the furniture but the wall as well. So he will be standing at the bookcase in his room and take off down the hall and into the kitchen. It's almost like having Leo with us again--having to hide the trash can. We have safety locked everything it seems.

I don't know what else to say about things so there it is. We're here. We're moved in. We're trying to figure out the town. The child is extremely active. We're all healthy and happy. :)
Elijah's daily reading list:
1. The Very Lazy Lion (pop up that has been repaired several times now. he will crawl over to the book and try to drag it back. He also roars with the lion in the book. It's very cute.)
2. Where the Wild Things Are The wild rumpus is great fun.
3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Brown Bear, Brown Bear He merely tolerates these. The don't have a lot of action. He does like to poke his fingers into the holes the caterpillar leaves in the food.
4. Is Your Mama a Llama? He seems to like this one. Lots of rhythm.
5. Goodnight, Moon or Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed -- thanks to Grandma we have some finger puppets for the monkeys that really bring that story to life. The last time through Goodnight, Moon he started to cry. I think his father reads this one to him at night, so he thought perhaps he had to go to bed. It was very sad.
6. Mother's selected choice of either Olivia or Madeline

What a personality!

2007-06-21T10:26:00.001-04:00

Moving

2007-06-12T21:28:00.001-04:00

I doubt any of my former students or current friends will be looking. But, if you are, we are moving to New York by the end of the summer. I'll keep you up to date as new events arise. John got a job at Hartwick College.

btw.. the little giant keeps on growing. He's almost 23 lbs and 29 in tall!

ELIJAH TWO MONTHS

2007-01-31T10:52:00.001-05:00

15 lbs 24 1/2 inches long

Welcome to Elijah

2006-12-09T23:25:00.001-05:00

Elijah John
8lbs 22ins.

Negligence and Busyness

2006-08-17T12:52:00.001-04:00

I am bad. I know it. I promised a final blog about my last week in Morocco. Let me just say that it was a wonderful time with my husband. We started out with a trip to Chefchouen. It's in the mountains to the east and south of Tangier. It was a warm day and the little white Fiat Uno had no air conditioning. We had a nice drive out there. There is an entire field of plastic trash bags. I took a pic on the way back that I'll post later. Once we arrived in Chefchouen then our adventure started. We took a wrong turn trying to find the medina which is painted blue... quite lovely. The car died in the hot sun on the downward slope of a hill. Not an incredibly steep hil mind you but a hill nonetheless. After a time John got the little creature going again and we jerked and jolted up the hill to a parking lot at which point the car died trying to get up the incline into the parking lot. Now, for those of you who have not heard I'm pregnant. I think I was about twelve weeks along at this point. John grabs the driver's side the parking attendent grabs the back and I, after seeing the car slide backwards with the men's pushing, start pushing the passenger side. This task is quite familiar to me, and I knew it wasn't a good thing to do but having my husband smooshed by the wretched little Fiat was worse. (I've been duly reprimanded by my husband, mother-in-law, and mother...I haven't told my doctors though.) Once the third man arrived I stayed out of the mess. They finally got the beastly little car up the incline and into a parking spot. John and I were not happy.

After overheating on the way up the hill to find a place to rest, we called the rental car guy. John could tell you his name. I think it was something like Larabee. Anyway, after cold Sidi Ali (bottled water) and lots of fanning in a cafe we recover enough for John to go find a cab to take us to the hotel where we were to await Larabee and the mechanic who were driving from Tangier to rescue their car and bring us an upgrade (still no air conditioning.). The taxi essentially takes us around the corner to the medina. We were close but not there. We drank and ate. I had the best orange juice in the world. I don't know what all they put in it ,but it tasted like an orange julius. We walked around the medina just a little because I was tired and it was the hottest part of the day. We rested in the bar at the hotel waiting for Larabee. He finally arrived. It turns out that the car had been in the repair shop for a distributor problem, and they put used parts on and it still had a problem. We were upgraded to a Renault. John and I decided we had enough for one day and went home. Larabee and the the mechanic passed us. We later passed them. The got caught for speeding. We saw them engaged in conversation with the polic officers and called to see if they needed a ride back to Tangier.

I have to say. I don't think we would get that kind of service in the States. It was cheap but the service good.

The next day was just as interesting :)

John went to check his email and do some other errands before we went to Asilah for the day. I stayed home and eased into the morning, so I wouldn't be ill. John can home checked the car and came upstairs. I was packing necessities for the trip... water and the like. We spent maybe an hour at most getting ourselves organized. We went downstairs to get in the car and.... where was the car? It was gone that's where! We were about to call Larabee and then the police when Shmoosa, the lady who seems to be in charge of the street and the two buildings, starts laughing. The police had towed our car down the street. We couldn't understand exactly why. It was a word John wasn't familiar with. The police must have just finished moving it about ten minutes before.

We found out later that the King came down the boulevard, and our car was moved because it was a suspicious rental. This also explained the increased security around town. John and I went to Cap Spartel and the Grottoes of Hercules on the way out of Tangier. There were police and guards on nearly every corner. I like the King's guards uniforms. I would have taken a picture, but I didn't want to get arrested. They looked like something out of Aladdin, but instead of a curved knife on their belts they were holding rifle type guns (I don't know my guns... the guns were long and sinister looking).

At the grottoes I got to meet a baby camel. It was hungry and I was stood between him and his mother. I was not entirely comfortable with the situation. We had mint tea at the cafe by Cap Spartel. We drove down the coast road to Asilah. This trip was much easier. We had paella at sunset in a nice little restaurant. It was a cooler day and the car worked. I was glad.
We drove back to Tangier that night via the motorway.

The next day... well. The next day was the big trip. We were taking me to the airport, but we had to go to Fes and Rabat first. I will be brief. We went to Rabat first. I nice city I'm sure but much too big for me. We parked the car in a parking garage and had a deal with the attendent. We ate ravioli and discovered John had left his wallet sitting in the car between the seats. Panic! Not quite but almost. I had enough cash on me to pay for lunch, and we went straight back to the car where his wallet and all of our belongings were just as we had left them :).

The road to Fes...
I wish I could say that things were cooler on the road to Fes, but the farther away from the ocean you get the fewer ocean breezes there are to cool you off. This was the case on the way to Fes. We stopped rehydrated... I almost poured the bottles of Sidi Ali over my head but felt that I was risque enough in my khakis and tank top. Keep in mind we're in a different culture. I got enough stares with my dark blondish hair let alone all that arm I was showing. I think I drank two and a half litres of water myself and a mint tea. John had about a liter of water and a mint tea. Anyway. After a trip to the restroom and a dousing of Coppertone (I got a little burned in Chefchouen), we were off. About a half hour outside of Fes... well you don't want to hear that part. But, I'll just say I was a little sick.

We made it to Fes where a very helpful guy on a motorcyle tried to lure us to his brother's or cousin's hotel. We were trying to peacefully drive to the Ibis where we intended to stay. We couldn't roll up the windows because of the oppressive heat. But, we did manage to get rid of him after ten minutes or so. The Ibis was full though. I was tired and completely spent. I waited in the air conditioning while John went in search of a hotel. Never discount these guys who say they know so and so. Anyway a more reputable guide from the Ibis took John to the Perla. It was a nice hotel with air conditioning, most importantly it was clean with parking. We had an enjoyable time in Fes.

John had spent two summers learning Arabic in Fes. We went around to his old haunts. One of the best things we did was go into the Fes medina. It's a wild place. There are lots of narrow streets and cars are prohibited because they would just get stuck. They have donkeys that carry loads through the streets and you have to get out of the way fast or be run over by a donkey. John has an excellent memory and took us right to Ali's store. Ali is a friend of John's from a few years back. Ali is a great guy. He has only one arm because he did not follow the directions of his parents and doctor. He would not stop running and playing after he broke his arm and he broke it again before it healed properly and then again. They couldn't save his arm. Anyway. He is actually what I would consider a successful businessman. He was working for/with his brother selling carpets and other tourist items brought down out of the mountains. He changed his product because he wasn't making enough money at it. He started weaving these beautiful fabrics and hires apprentices to learn and weave the fabrics now. He's bought a house for not a lot of money and put his business in it. He has married and has his second child on the way and is now building a new house in the medina. For anyone who complains they have it hard, Ali lives in a society where most people who have a physical disfigurement do not end up successful businessmen. In fact, I think most end up beggars and outcasts. I don't know for sure, but they really aren't seen in public. Ali has worked hard, and he just smiles and laughs about how good his life is enshallah...God willing. It was good to meet him. I wish we had taken pictures with him, but we just didn't think of it until we were almost out of the medina.

The rest of the time John and I walked around Fes and talked. We spent a couple hours driving around Casablanca trying to find a hotel with parking for John. Then I got on a plane and came back to the US. The rest of the world was World Cup crazy and I flew through the hornets' nest. Frankfurt was abuzz with activity and crazy soccer fans.

Yeah for Ghana who made it as far as they did. I was never so bored watching a soccer game as when I watched the US play. Shameful. Even my mom said they looked like they were just walking around on the field. But, Italy won and they started in the same group as Ghana and the US. It was a tough group.

Coming Home

2006-06-04T10:49:00.001-04:00

This is going to be my last week in Morocco. I hope it will be a good week. I have not been feeling well for the last couple of months. However, I'm feeling better now and am looking forward to the trip that we have planned before I leave on Saturday. I regret that I haven't been able to post more messages. I hope everyone has a safe and great summer. I'll post probably once more after I get home. I'll have pictures and information to share about our short journey from this week.

Oooops!

2006-05-12T11:25:00.001-04:00

I just had an oops of major proportion. I had a blog written and I clicked the wrong button twice in a row and the whole thing disappeared. I'm rather aggrevated now. I hate repeating myself.

First, I expressed my grief over the levy.

Second, I explained that today is an anversary for John and me. We ate lunch at the Dolla Momma, an Italian pizzeria. Only, we had couscous with beef, raisins, chickpeas, and the sweetest carmelized onions I've ever eaten. They have really good ravioli too. I personally enjoy the name of the restaurant. It sounds like Dali Lama and it's an Italian restaurant that also serves Moroccan cuisine. This afternoon we are likely to take a taxi out to Café Haffa where the great authors like Truman Capote and Paul Bowles hung out.

Third, I discussed what books I am currently reading.
The first book I am reading is by Beth Moore called The Beloved Disciple. This book is about John. Not my John but the John that hung out with Jesus. It's a good book. I'll finish it this week.
The second book I'm reading it The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky wrote Crime and Punishment which is my favorite book. I probably won't finish reading that book until I get home. It's something like seven hundred pages long. I'm still adjusting the Russian names. It gets better after about hundred pages.

The other pictures

2006-05-02T07:49:00.001-04:00

What Happened to April?

2006-05-02T07:26:00.001-04:00

Okay, I know I’ve been negligent. Here’s what I intended to post earlier this month.
Tangier is in a constant state of construction. It is getting better but things get torn apart and rebuilt weekly. My friend, Tammy, posted a comment on how Tangier and Morocco in general may not look quite so nice as it does in my pictures, and she is right. With the constant construction and poverty, there are some really nasty looking and smelling places. I’m posting a couple pictures that show the construction and possibly the unaesthetic side of Morocco. There is no separation from the street. In fact, the day I took these pictures John and I walked right through a construction site where the man was using a jackhammer possibly without earplugs. We weren’t more than three feet from the jackhammer. The construction sites are completely open. I think the only tied off or sectioned off areas I’ve seen are open holes where they are doing pipe work on the street. Even the freshly poured concrete isn’t roped off. You really have to watch where you are going.

The flowers were growing on top of the wall in the medina just down from the Hotel Continental.

The beach is a mile or so from the medina. They are rebuilding all the cafes and restaurants on the beach. The King has said that all of this construction needs to be finished by the time high season arrives.

I went to observe an ESL class one evening. It was interesting. The younger kids were sweet. The older kids were rude. They played with their cell phones and spoke to each other in derija even though the teacher had asked them only to speak English in the room during the lesson. I found it frustrating. There were three boys and one girl. The boys did not seem to respect the girl in the class. A lot of this I think is attributed to the Arab culture. The boys seem to be spoiled and allowed to do what they want, but the girls are forced to be much more modest in appearance and behavior.

I'm still here

2006-04-05T08:28:00.001-04:00

I know I haven't posted in a while. We've been busy doing something... I'm not sure what. We're planning a trip to Marrakech at the end of the month. We'll see how it goes. It's getting pretty warm down there. We want to go see it before it gets over 100°.

John and I are looking forward to the jazz festival coming to Tangier. Tanjazz should take place the last week of May. There will be street performances and free concerts at the Place de Nations as well as concerts you have to pay for. It should be a fun time.

I don't know how much press the new labor law in France. We see and hear a good bit about it. Apparently, the law says that if you are under twenty-six, you will be hired for a two year trial period. During that time, you can be fired at any time for any or no reason at all. The first article I have linked is a week old. The riots are getting worse. Click here to see pics from the BBC.

And finally...

2006-03-22T07:34:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the multitude of postings, but the computer won't let me post more than a couple for each blog entry. I think it's some sort of technical difficult at blogger :( or it could the the connection here in Morocco.

More pics from the Alhambra

2006-03-22T07:23:00.001-05:00

This is us in one of the main touristy areas :) A nice couple took our pic for us, and we returned the favor.

This is from one of the towers looking back on the Sierra Nevada in Granada. We were very warm and were sunburned from our little vacation. From what we were told it is only going to get hotter and the snow on the mountains in the background will all melt. Granada, Spain, is considered a deserty type climate -- very dry air and high temps in the summer. High temps in the 100s is normal even up to 120 if you could believe it.

It's all in the details!

2006-03-22T07:06:00.001-05:00

The whole castle was created from plaster and wood. The castle itself covers something like seven km. If you think about that for a moment, it's rather daunting the amount of time that it took to create such a beautiful building. The picture with the wood detail you can see the plaster detail from farther away. All the walls in the entire palace look like this or have tile half way up and resume the intricate plaster designs. The wood details are done in cedar. This is only a small portion of the wood. There were some very long halls with this and even more detailed inlay only the pics didn't turn out well enough to share.

Spain

2006-03-22T06:57:00.001-05:00

The Alhambra (al-Hamra, “the Red,” in Arabic) was built between the 12th and 15th centuries by the Muslim rulers of Granada. It had three parts: the residential castle, the qasba or fortress, and the Summer Palace, located higher up the mountain near a spring. There is also a small town in between the castle and the palace. Within the castle, ugly little plaques stamped with F and I (Ferdinand and Isabella, the joint rulers of unified Catholic Spain) pop up in unexpected places. One later Spanish king even went so far to erect a monstrosity of a building right in the middle of everything. Nevertheless, they had the good sense to preserve the castle as much as possible—leaving the secluded gardens, perfectly harmonious courtyards, and richly decorated floors, walls and ceilings intact. The fall of Granada is important: Boabdil, the last Muslim king in Spain, left the Alhambra in 1492 and went into exile. The army of the Spanish queen Isabella had threatened to bombard the castle unless he surrendered. Rather than see his beautiful castle destroyed, he gathered his family and servants and left town. When he looked back upon the Alhambra, he wept. An older female relative saw him crying and rebuked him: “Why do you cry like a woman for that which you would not defend like a man?”

Some other interior pics of the Alhambra :)

This is more like it :)

2006-03-08T08:39:00.001-05:00

Check the link off to the side there... the one that says "Tangier Weather" :) It's finally warming up everywhere but our apartment. brrr.

A few more pictures

2006-03-07T09:31:00.001-05:00

This is a picture of the view outside our apartment. The beige area is a soccer field. I believe that this field is the property of the Spanish speaking school by the Spanish Consulate around the corner.
This is John on a nice day shortly after we arrived in Tangier. We were having cafe au lait at the Continental Hotel in the medina. This patio terrace over looks the port and the Atlantic Ocean/ Strait of Gibraltar. On a nice day you can see Spain.
This is me hanging out the clean dishtowels. I can't seem to get the picture rotated correctly. So, I'll let you use your imagination. :)

Couscous

2006-02-27T09:54:00.001-05:00

We have found a larger variety of couscous than I thought existed. There is the regular couscous which is distributed to the markets by a really decent selection of companies. I can't tell the difference between the varieties, but... We have also discovered barley couscous and there is whole wheat couscous. We had the barley couscous today. It has a richer flavor than regular couscous. So far, it is my preference. I believe it to have greater nutritional value as well. Couscous is not very expensive. We bought a kilo of regular couscous for 7 dh. The barley couscous was more expensive maybe 10 dh. A half a kilo of couscous will feed four people... or more. I think they are generous with the serving size especially since couscous has a tendency to swell even after it's eaten.

Okay, couscous is just a grain or starch. You can't eat it alone and have it be really good. There has to be something on top of it to really jazz it up. Today I made vegetables to go on top. I used eggplant (1dh), two carrots (1dh), a large red onion (1dh), zuchini (1/2 dh), some white turnip (1/2 dh), half a red bell pepper (1dh), and salt, pepper and rash el hanout. The spices themselves are difficult to estimate the cost of since such a small amount is used.

I listed the estimated prices of the vegetables if you want to add up the cost of these fresh vegetables and go to WalMart, Krogers, Meijers, or Geyers and compare the difference. We feasted today for less than two dollars a person.

I'm really enjoying the fresh vegetables. Canned vegetables cost more than fresh vegetables in Morocco. This is really different from what happens at home. The fresh veggies are always more money. Not to mention how difficult it is to find couscous. There is some, but it's flavored usually.

Just a quick money lesson. There are 9 dh or 8.5 dh to a dollar. It changes everyday and lately we've been towards the 9 dh mark which is good for us. When John was here several years ago there were about 10-11 dh to the dollar. The dirham is tied to the euro. So when the euro goes up the dirham goes up. If the dollar decreases or increases in value, nothing happens to the euro or the dirham. Since 2002, the dollar has gone down in value and the euro has gone up in value which in the end makes the dirham worth more. So you can't buy as many dirhams with the dollar anymore. So the US economy needs to keep improving or the European economy needs to come down in order for us to be able to buy more dirhams with a dollar.

A few more pictures

2006-02-25T07:01:00.001-05:00

C'est moi! This is by the Spanish Terrace or Idlers' Terrace here in Tangier. The ocean is quite beautiful on this day. ;) You can see the ferries in the background. That's the port and the very ferries that you can take over to Spain.
This is John at the Tangier American Legation Museum in the medina. It really doesn't look like much until you go in.
This car says "wash me" in Arabic. I thought it was nice to see a bit of home in strange land. There are many things that are universal, and a dirty car just screams to be written on.

Some Pictures ....

2006-02-25T06:51:00.001-05:00

Our bathing room... A little large and cold for my tastes. There is also a toilet, sink, and bidet in the room.

Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. Very huge, but lovely. There is a parking garage too underneath.
Our bedroom... the window there is where I hang the clothes out to dry. There are four lines that stretch from the left side of this window across to the bathroom window nextdoor. Sorry, no balcony here.

For Nikki :)

2006-02-15T10:20:00.001-05:00

How is Morocco different?

1. Aside from the languages, Morocco seems to shut down from 12-3pm everyday. I think they get this little siesta idea from the across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain. If you want to do any shopping, you have to really pay attention to the time of day that you a setting out and don't be surprised if the store doesn't open again for another hour or two. Things are generally closed on Friday afternoons because it's a day of prayer.

2. Another difference is that no one talks to me or makes any friendly sort of acknowledgement that I exist. This is a cultural thing that I'm having trouble getting used to. John is always with me when I go out and this is the biggest reason for that. It would be insulting or way to forward and personal I guess if they did ask about me. I'm not used to be the silent type. Quiet perhaps -- but not silent.

3. Less social differences would be the climate. It's very springlike here eventhough it is winter. I've been told that it is a very cold winter. Seems like spring. You can check the weather at: http://www.newszoom.com/weather/list/af/Morocco/GMTT/Tangier/

4. There is no central heating. So, we have no heat at night. The apartment can get to be pretty chilly. We've purchased some spaceheaters, but they are not nearly as effective as the hot water bottles.

5. The washing machine is all in French. I had to get out my French dictionary and decipher the cycles and all. I finally found an instruction manual in the closet on the floor that told where to put the soap. It's a front loading machine and only has a cold water feed going into it.

6. We do not have a dryer, so we have to hang our clothes outside to dry. We had to purchase a clothes line and tie to the posts outside our window (on the third floor). I have a bit of a fear of heights so this is a fun activity. If we drop clothes, I suppose there is a way of retreiving them thought I haven't figured it out yet since it doesn't seem like there is access to that patio. Could be someone's apartment although there are no signs of life down there.

7. Back to the shopping thing. You generally can't get everything at one store unless you go to Marjane. It's like WalMart. All the other stores specialize in a particular category like the patisserie specializes in bread. There are general grocery stores, but they have limited selections. Like last night, we stopped at a grocery store hoping to get some more orange marmalade, but they only had strawberry and apricot. Going to Marjane is a bigger deal than running across the street to the market. If you go to the suk or the open air markets, it's even more specialized. We went last night about bought tomatoes from one lady and a plastic garbage bucket with a lid from another vendor.

8. There are cars here, but you mostly walk. So think about the usual trip to WalMart or the grocery store. There arises the issue of how you will get the purchases home. So, we take our back packs to free our hands and go more often. We've only been here two weeks but we believe so far to be the best solution for the difficulty of making several stops and walking.

9. Crossing the street. It's do or get hit by a petit taxi. They don't stop for pedestrians here. I wouldn't drive even if we had a car here. I'm terrified of the traffic. I cannot discern too many rules for driving. Crossing the street is pretty safe when you figure out how to do it. You don't need to cross the entire street all at once. You may only cross half way and then wait to cross the rest of the way. Generally, I follow the Moroccans lead on this. You get used to feeling slightly suicidal walking out into the street. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! There are different rules in the States. Rome is similar to Morocco in traffic patterns. Traffic also moves a lot slower ... around 50km or 30-35 mph on the main roads.

10. There are cafés, salon du thés, and glaciers. The cafés are men only type things as are any bars that you might find. The bars particularly are not recommended for women. Everything I read states that a women will be thought a prostitute if seen in a bar. I don't go to bars in the States, so this isn't strange for me. I have seen alcohol here but no advertising for it, and it is WAY less available than in the States. Cafés are the men's territory. From what I understand I would get rude comments or hastled if I went into one. I can go to a salon du thé by myself or into a glacier (ice cream place).

11. Clothing. Men's clothing is pretty westernized (like ours). They wear jellabas over their clothes or regular waist length or slightly longer coats. The jellaba is a little different. It's basically a long ankle lenght coat that zips up the front and has a hood. The women wear jellabas too. If the women are not wearing a jellaba they are wearing long coats that come almost to their knees. Their coats are the same as our coats. Otherwise their clothes are just like ours.

12. Shoes. These women apparently like to suffer. They are usually wearing high heels. I have a personal aversion to such shoes although I have recently drifted back to the heel... but I've um... left all of mine at home and would never consider them a walking shoe. So, my feet are frumpy. oh well. at least they aren't suffering. The men wear regular shoes but I've seen a lot of Moroccan slippers. I know y'all have seen those cute beaded shoes that you just slip on. They have the everywhere. I've seen them at Burlington Coat Factory, Target, WalMart, Macy's, Dillard's, Sears... EVERYWHERE. The beaded ballerina type slip on shoe. I've seen a lot of women wearing them here, and I've seen them in the store. There are a lot of slip on shoes... mules I think they're called... backless shoes. This is because they take their shoes of when they go into mosques and into homes.

I suppose I could go on about the differences, but I think I hit on the big ones.

What have I been doing?

I have been doing a lot of walking around Tangier trying to figure out where I am. I read a book this morning by one of my professors from college. A very good book, too. We go to salon du thés and drink cafe au lait. I write in the journal my mother gave me for Christmas. I have spent quite a bit of time shopping and doing laundry and doing laundry.

How is Morocco?

Morocco seems to be doing well. The King as been putting a lot into the development of Tangier. There are new parks being made and sidewalks being laid. We went down to the pier where the ferries bring people from Spain. They have cleaned it up quite a bit. In the past from what I understand is that people try to get out of Tangier as quickly as possible and get down to Rabat, Marrakech, Casablanca, Fes and spend little time here. So, they are making things nicer. John said the medina is even cleaner, and they are building a new port. This may not sound like a big deal but think of it like the President deciding that Crawford County, Ohio, was a nice place to be and then cleaned it up and added businesses to employ the people and worked on getting rid of the dirty underbelly of the county like drugs and "gangs." It's that type of thing. People seem to be optimistic about the improvements. John said that the King is spending a billion dollars or the equivilent on the new port.

Walking and walking

2006-02-10T11:27:00.001-05:00

We have spent a great deal of time walking and walking. For any of my college buddies checking in it's like the hundred steps behind California. For the rest of you its like marching up the bleachers anytime we go anywhere. This city is built on a hill side and I am definitely feeling it. We walked down to the medina last night for the Bach violin concert by Jack Glatzer at the Legation Museum, and we walked back home afterwards. We actually walked it twice last night because this well intentioned woman tried to lead us to a restaurant. The restaurant we wanted was in the medina or just outside of the medina. We asked for directions at the shop where she works. We got led back up the hill out of the medina reclimbed the gazillion stairs, and finally we asked her where she was taking us. Anyway. We turned around and went back, and she went home. At least she didn't charge us anything for her lack of guidance. We ended up eating omelettes at a Spanish patisserie of sorts. Apparently they are the people to see when you get married. I'm basing this solely on the wedding cake toppers in the windows and the decadent cake we had after the omelettes.

We walked back down to the medina today. We had a few more offers for guides for the medina. It's rather dangerous to make eye contact with anyone in the medina. They will offer to guide you or sell you something. I'm not used to this yet.

You should bop over to John's site and see what he has to say from time to time.

I feel like I'm talking or writing to the wind. Please comment or something.

Tangier has some importance in American literature. Many famous American poets of the beat generation lived here for a time. One author you may have heard of because of a recent movie that has received the attention of the Academy people is Truman Capote. I can't necessarily endorse the movie because I haven't seen it, but I hear it's good. Truman Capote was a childhood and life long friend of Harper Lee who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. I've read the character named Dill was loosely based on Truman Capote.

The king of Morocco is restoring Tangier to its old glory. They have torn up sidewalks that we have walked on two days ago and have already begun to rebrick them with a beautful pebble edging. It's quite impressive all the construction. They are working on a new port that is to be completed in 2007. At the traffic circle down the road from our apartment, they are building a little park where people can sit and walk. I'm guessing this will be done by the end of the month. It seems everywhere we go the sidewalks are being torn up. This would be a nuisance if we didn't see the reconstruction. But, there it is new brick sidewalks, new buildings, and most important jobs for the people of Morocco.

Shopping and other things

2006-02-09T10:40:00.001-05:00

Sorry about the previous post. We have more pics, but it is taking a long time to upload them, and I'm too weary to wait.
We went shopping today at the Marjane on the outside of town. It didn't take long to drive there and it really isn't that far away. The difficulty is not having a car. We would have to walk (I would say impossible for me), take a taxi, or take a bus. The latter two are doable, but since we didn't know where it was... We got a ride from a friend here in Tangier. He took us out to the Marjane in his car. It was so nice to be able to purchase and find the products we needed in one place rather than hiking up and down the hills of the city looking for and not always finding what we need. We find out at check out that if there is no barcode or price tag, they will not sell it to you. This apparently goes even if you know what the price was listed below the item on the shelf. It's a different sort of thing for sure.

I want to go back soon. I want the caraff for the hot water. We had to replace the gas tank in the stove yesterday. It was almost empty when we moved in, but I don't know how long it will last. I hate to keep reheating water. It seems like a waste of gas. There are no gas lines going into the house. It is a tank that sits under the stove. When it runs out, we have to go down to the store on the corner and buy another tank and then have the man come and install it in the house. It's very much like the gas for gas grills. Just imagine that only in your stove in the house. We think it should last a couple of weeks.

Tonight we're supposed to go to the Tangier American Legation Museum. From what I understand used to be the old embassy. Anyway. Inside the Museum they have lots of interesting artifacts. They had a letter received by the American diplomat in Tangier telling of Abraham Lincoln's death. They had the reply letter stating that the flag would fly at half mast for three days. There were additional notes from Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, France and others stating that their embassies would also have their flags at half mast for three days. The really funny artifact was the letter from the diplomat or guy who worked there. The Sultan of Morocco was sending the United States a gift of two Barbary lions (one male and one female). According to the letter, such gifts could not be received by the United States of America (the president, the congress, or the people). The servant who was delivering the lions would lose his head if he did not deliver the gift. So this man was stuck in the middle. He couldn't legally receive the lions and even if he could what was he to do with them. He couldn't refuse them because the servant of the sultan said he would set the lions loose in the streets of the neighborhood which happened to house several Jewish families. So, the man accepted the lions and put them in a room and wrote to America asking what he was to do with lions. If I get back to the library and have time, I should get a copy or make a copy of the letter.

Some pics

2006-02-09T10:04:00.002-05:00

The first picture is of our apartment's Moroccan salon. It's quite grandiose.

Tangier

2006-02-06T09:04:00.001-05:00

We finally made it out of Casablanca. There is still a lot of American influence here, but not so drastically where we are. We have rented an apartment for a couple of months while we figure out what we need to be doing and where. Tangier is a very beautiful city. It's a lot quieter than Casablanca. We have not gone down into the Medina yet. It's said to be a very busy and crazy place. We will definitely go tomorrow if we don't go today. It's not recommended to go at night.
Last night we had pizza from a little restaurant along the back of our hotel. John brought it up to the room because I was too tired to walk around. The cities really come alive after dark. Families come out and do their shopping. Many of the shops and banks are closed in the early afternoons for two or three hours. So, the streets are really crowded.

We Made It!

2006-02-03T11:45:00.001-05:00

Okay for those of you who complain about how hard typing is I'm being reminded of how it feels. This is a French keyboard. or as I would type it on my computer This is q French keyboqrd: okqy for those of you zho co,plqin qbout hoz hqrd typing is Iù, being re,inded of hoz it feels: so you can see which letters are switched etc: the period is only available with the shift key: Casablanca reminds me of Rome. We haven't drunk the local water yet. We are putting that off util we are more settled. We don't want to make a long train ride more difficult. We had a chicken tagine for dinner last night and for breakfast we had instant coffee and croissants with chocolate in the middle. For lunch if you could call it that we went unexpectedly to McDonalds. It was more costly than in the US and probably if John is correct extremely expensive for Moroccans. The menu is much shorter than ours as well. But, we were satisfied as our original intent for entering the establishment was to purchase strong coffee and we got just that. It was a dollar for a small coffee (the only size), but it packed the punch of a super sized coffee. I must go because my time is running out.