The view out my apartment window is urban and Arabic, all angles and flat roofs piled on top of each other up to the skyline, with contrasting circles of satellite dishes, in shades of yellow and grey and tan and dirty white. Beneath is a busy street full of buses, taxis, millions of mopeds, and pedestrians. The twins have gone to get bread for lunch, across this street to a tiny storefront where a friendly Berber man sells bread and water and laundry soap and deodorant and newspapers and candy bars and gas bottles for your stove and just about anything you might need on a daily basis. Like Mauritania, these little shops are everywhere, about one a block. Unlike Mauritania, the dust seems to be under control.
This is Rabat. We are staying in a 2-bedroom furnished apartment in a Moroccan neighbourhood full of apartment buildings. We arrived, safe and sound and with all our luggage, on Tuesday just before noon, after a hair-raising 75-mile ride from Casablanca in two taxis. (Donn: It is not often given to man to know how he will die, but I suspect I will die in a traffic accident if I take many of these taxis.) A man named Jack met us, gave us apartment keys, and spent his afternoon acclimating us a bit to our surroundings–showing us grocery stores, where the French school is from our apt, etc.
Whoever invented jet-lag was crazy. It’s so illogical. Say, for example, that I stayed up all night in Portland. The following afternoon, I would be exhausted, and I would fall asleep no problem. But with jet-lag, even though I’m exhausted, my body won’t sleep just because it thinks it’s 5 p.m. or whatever. Our first night, we slept great (and slept in, till 10!). Our second night, we were all up till about 4:30 a.m. That was the morning we had to get up at 7 in order to be at the French school by 8. We stayed up most of the following day, except for the bit where we let the twins stay home while we ran an errand, and they put the deadbolt on and then fell asleep under a fan, so no amount of pounding or ringing would stir them.
We’re supposed to get internet at the apartment tomorrow (Saturday). In the meantime, most of our time and stress has been focused on the getting the kids enrolled in school. Although we applied online in March and sent in their dossiers in May, there is still much more paperwork that must be done. (Meredith is smiling and nodding right now. I love the French, but there is ALWAYS more paperwork that must be done) We managed to get the twins taken care of fairly easily, but Elliot’s case is complicated by that extension we got him so he could finish his Arabic. That means he hasn’t gotten his report card yet. We’ve called and emailed France asking them to write the school here and explain, but so far haven’t gotten a response. School starts Tuesday.
We are learning what can be found here and what can’t. For example, yesterday I made spaghetti. I found tomato paste and puree, but no tinned tomatoes; I found spices piled in pyramids of reds, oranges, and deep yellows–cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, saffron, but no basil, oregano, or thyme. I did find fresh cilantro. Olives are plentiful, cheap, and marvellous. Produce is local and fresh, and they had cheese from France and even a charcuterie section.
I was shopping in a modern sort of supermarket, much bigger than anything in Nouakchott. I found L’Oreal make-up, but only in shades for Arab skin. (I’m fair-skinned) However, we haven’t explored all the possibilities yet. There are even more modern shops in this city. Apparently there are Pizza Huts and McDonalds, and near the high school there’s a TGI Friday’s. I mention this because it amazes me; Mauritania had no foreign chain stores aside from gas stations and one Senegalese chain. The kids want to go, but I tell them, “We don’t eat at McDonalds in the US; why would eat there in Morocco?” I want to eat tagines and couscous and harira soup. But I’m sure the time will come when I’ll welcome a bit of familiarity.
We spent an afternoon at a local market. It reminded me somewhat the Mauritanian markets in Sixieme and Capital, even selling many of the same goods, although it was smaller and much cleaner. Donn got a pair of pants hemmed for $2, and we bought lots of fruit. We looked at plastic sandals for the twins but didn’t buy any. We walked past the pyramid piles of spices and dried fruit, and live chickens for sale, and a man making thin thin crepes, and a cat feeding its newborn kittens in a corner, and women selling a kind of bread that looks like an English crumpet, and is delicious for breakfast with bread and jam.
Below is something I started in the airport at JFK:
En Transit
I’m typing this in New York, at JFK airport, where signs claim that there is free wi-fi but, in fact, there is no free wi-fi.
So far, so good. Last night I went to bed about 1 a.m. Our last day in Portland was pleasant. It was muggy and then started to rain, very apropos for a good-bye to this rain-washed small city nestled amongst green hills. We ran some last minute errands, watched people run to and fro between cars and shops with their faces scrunched up against the wet.
We dropped off the van that someone had loaned us, free of charge, for the entire year. The afternoon was spent saying good-bye to various people, friends who will be missed. I got to see baby Guinevere, who looks already so much like her siblings.
On the way home in Heather’s little car, we got a flat tire. We all stood by the side of Hwy 26 as cars roared by, no longer feeling quite so nostalgic about the rain as we got steadily and thoroughly soaked. I believe firmly in traditional male/female roles when it comes to changing tires on the freeway in the rain, so I watched Donn do all the work while I commiserated with the children.
We were late so we picked up Thai food for one last time, and took it back to Heather and Paul’s. We stayed up late, doing one last weigh of all the suitcases, which necessitated frantically pulling things (mostly books) out of cases and stuffing them in my carry-on.
I went to bed about 1, and couldn’t sleep. Adrenaline, worry about waking up in time, concerns for the future swirled in my mind, jerking me awake from my light dozes. (This is normal for me on the night before a major flight)
I fell into a deep sleep about 2:30, just in time for the alarm clock at 3 a.m. We made it to the airport by 4:30 no problem. Check in was easy, although long and involved, and included getting to put all those books back into checked luggage. We even came in about 3 pounds underweight, total for 10 cases. Think of all the stuff we could have brought!
So far, so good.
22 comments
August 30, 2008 at 11:54 am
Caffienated Cowgirl
I hear ya on the jetlag! So glad you made it safely. Looking forward to your new adventures…and can’t wait for photos 🙂
August 30, 2008 at 11:55 am
Robin
Welcome back to my side of the planet :). The market sounds very similar to some of the more traditional ones we have here, though to be honest I don’t shop in them anymore. (I prefer the produce at my local greengrocer, and the modern western supermarket down the road has perfectly good (and refrigerated!) dairy products. Meat I get from yet another place though, which I suppose is some cultural acclimatization in and of itself…)
I feel your pain on the jetlag too. We just got back from the States two days ago and are very much in the throes of it ourselves.
Smooth settling in vibes to you all, and I’m looking forward to reading about your newest adventures in your new land.
August 30, 2008 at 12:44 pm
js
Congrats on your first post from Maroc! It’s always fun and interesting to read your observations and adventures–I’ll be looking forward to your posts. And yes, I’ll try to comment more often. 🙂
August 30, 2008 at 1:44 pm
shannon
Don’t count on the food being familiar just because the sign looks familiar. When we first arrived in Jakarta we ordered KFC after being assured that they deliver and that they spoke enough English to take a phone order. 20 minutes later a motorcycle pulled up with our food. We got fried chicken (too spicy for the kids) with a side of sambal (HOT sauce), sticky rice balls, and luke warm lemon tea. Not quite the same meal deal we had in the states.
Congratulations on making it to Rabat. I am looking forward to reading about your adventures. My husband is making noises about maybe Africa after Germany, and we haven’t even finished unpacking!
August 30, 2008 at 2:48 pm
suz
So good to hear from you and hear all your adventures so far-excited always to hear more..missing you already!
August 30, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Mary-LUE
Well it sounds like there are definitely going to be some differences between Nouakchott and Maroc. How did that spaghetti turn out? I hope the transition goes smoothly and all that French paperwork gets filled out!
August 30, 2008 at 8:06 pm
suburbancorrespondent
Refresh my memory – what are you guys doing in Morocco? And will I be able to refrain from quoting lines from the movie Casablanca in your comments? Only time will tell.
August 30, 2008 at 8:39 pm
jolyn
No lost luggage! W00t! You know about melatonin, don’t you? Oh, well. Good luck with getting your son enrolled. So good to know you’re all there safe and sound.
August 30, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Kris
Personally, I will never understand jet lag either. I think it’s some cruel strange trick our bodies play on us to mess with our minds. 😀
Oh and you know, I ran into that whole weird thing with the not really free free wi-fi in JFK last time we went through there too. Think we could sue for false advertising? 🙂
Anyway, glad to hear you guys made it there and are getting settled. Email when you have a chance (or if you have access, find me on IM).
Good luck with everything!
August 31, 2008 at 10:11 am
Nan
Oh, rats! I forgot to add “white people makeup” to your shopping list! Never mind, you can live without it. It’s so exciting reading about this new adventure! I can see it and smell it by your descriptions! Looking forward to lots more.
August 31, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Antique Mommy
Glad you are there safe and sound! Look forward to future reports.
August 31, 2008 at 4:32 pm
LIB
So glad to hear you (and your luggage) arrived safely. 10 pounds underweight?! Don’t you wish they’d say that at the doctors office! 🙂
Your writing is very vivid. You paint great word pictures–but I’m greedy and what photos as well.
Looking forward to reading about this new chapter in your lives!
August 31, 2008 at 7:00 pm
LIB
Whoops; that’s suppose to read “WANT photos as well.”
August 31, 2008 at 9:04 pm
steph
So glad you made it..Jeremy was stuck in Casa the day you arrived there, but had no idea how to find you! We look forward to hearing more from you, and hope you settle in quickly. Is this your permanent apt or will you go searching for one? Give the kids a hug from us! Wish we were in the same place! Maybe one day…
August 31, 2008 at 9:04 pm
steph
oh, btw, I meant , wish we LIVED in the same place, not that WE were in Rabat. 😉
September 1, 2008 at 2:45 am
iamkash
Welcome back to the continent! Can’t wait to hear more. I am sure you are going to be constantly comparing M and M, wonder what more awaits you.
September 1, 2008 at 8:32 am
Diane Curtis
I’ve been thinking alot about you and your travels this week, wondering when we might hear how it all went. Then I remembered your blog! So now I know! I can relate to the flat tires–we experienced it twice this summer pulling our tent trailer to a camp site. It happened twice in 8 days!Glad you made it and are getting settled. We’ll be thinking about your kids as ours start school this week as well. Hope all goes well with Elliot, too. We look forward to hearing more.
September 1, 2008 at 9:54 am
Mrs. McCoy
hmmm piles of spices…gotta come for a visit! Glad you got there safely and with all your luggage.
September 1, 2008 at 6:49 pm
mamasphere
Sounds like you’re settling into your new adventure quite well! You should check out the McDonald’s just to see what changes they’ve made to the menu to make it pleasing to the locals. It’s probably not the neighborhood McD’s your used to and could be fun!
For some reason I thought you were heading back to Mauritania, so I’m so excited that you’re in Morroco! I’ve always wanted to go there. It’ll be fun to read about it here.
September 1, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Kelly @ Love Well
I would love to say “Welcome to Maroc” in Arabic.
But I can’t.
So I’ll say it in English. (Which I just did, actually.) And I’ll look forward to more updates from you. Can’t wait to read the next chapter in the Planet Nomad Adventures.
September 2, 2008 at 5:52 am
meredith
Oh yay, you made it.
That’s so funny about the twins falling asleep and locking you out.
I hope you get all the paper work sorted out, just keep plodding through and eventually it all gets done.
If you find yourself missing something vital and findable in France, let me know, I’d be so glad to send it 🙂
September 3, 2008 at 8:52 am
Pieces
I could cry–I’m so remiss on my blog reading that I missed your departure and the opportunity to pray for your travels. I am so glad that you arrived safely and I love reading the details of your new home. Time to get the atlas out and find exactly where you are…