Lovely Steamboat condo for rent.....

Greetings from Morocco!

My renter is moving out Feb. 11th, so my condo will open for rental from Feb. - July 6th. Please email me if you might be interested in renting it for a weekend or a week or.... 3 months!! :)

1 bedroom/1 bath
fully furnished with bedding and towels
$90/nite + cleaning fees

Thanks! Jill

A birthday in Morocco....

What a wonderful birthday I had this year!

It started off in the classroom. My students surrounded my desk and started singing happy birthday to me.. They sang it to me in English, then Arabic, then French, then Berber (a type of Arabic), then Spanish!!! I was shocked and delighted!! They were so pleased with themselves! :) Quite a few had made a card at home for me and two even had a gift for me...one box of chocolates and one mini version of a disco ball (??)  ;)

 At noon this gorgeous bouquet of flowers was delivered to me in the school cafeteria! It was HUGE and so beautiful! I read the card and tears came to my eyes....they were from my kids in New York City!!!! Everyone was amazed that they were SO beautiful AND that they actually arrived ON my birthday IN Morocco!! (I'm telling you....NOTHING happens on time in this country! )  :)

Later in the day I went online to email Jim and Jenny a thank you note. I noticed an email from my other kid in San Francisco. Eric was writing to tell me that he had tried to give me a wake up call that am! He said he tried both phones. My cell phone only works in Morocco. I think he may have gotten through on the land line. Unfortunately I think I had left for school already and missed the call. That would have been a great surprise! Do I have great kids, or what?? !! :)

The young teacher-gals were going to have me over tonight for a Mexican meal with REAL margaritas, chips and salsa. (a real scarcity here in Morocco and I miss them so much!) But I was absent from school two days with the flu this past week and so were two other teachers. So, we decided to postpone the meal until next weekend. I can't wait!

So, instead, three of us went to TGI Fridays for an American meal. We had so much fun laughing and sharing our meals. Building relationships has been so fun  and interesting and challenging and awesome! When you move to another country not knowing anyone, you are thrown into these groups and you have to learn about these new people . Quickly you learn to love them,  depend on them and share with them....it's really pretty amazing and pretty awesome! I thank God DAILY for all of my new friends here in Morocco.

I ended the day reading over the SIX birthday cards that arrived that day also!!! AND the email and fb messages! It was sooooo fun to hear from so many people! Thank you friends and family for making my day wonderful! .....and a special thank you to Jim, Jenny and Eric....I love you!

I saw this on the trash can along the ocean...Thank YOU!! :)

Day by day in Casa.....

Last week we had a holiday in Morocco, so I had the day off.  Evana, my landlord's wife and my neighbor, invited me over to join her and three of her woman friends. These ladies have been getting together for twenty some odd years on Tuesday afternoon to talk, laugh and crochet the cutest little sweaters for babies of unwed moms in Casa. They are all from Switzerland and married Moroccan men. They all speak French. So, I made some goodies, grabbed my yarn and headed over for the afternoon. They were lovely ladies! Even though I only understood a small bit of what they were saying it was a fun afternoon being with other women and crocheting together.  It was fun to see the similarities of "home" in these women...the laughing, the jabbering and teasing one another, the sharing of little goodies at the table that everyone had brought....women are similar in every country! :)

When I went back to school the next day it was fun to see the kids after a day off. This little one, Lilia, is such a sweet little girl. She had just gotten back from a weekend in Spain. She had this new red flower in her hair that she had gotten in Spain and was so proud to show it to me. I just had to get a photo of her!

Life continues on one day at a time in Casa....
finally I'm feeling a little more settled and a little more at home! ;)

Beautiful skies over Casa....

The skies were so awesome on my way home from work today!  I had to keep pulling over to take another photo of the great colors. The sky was changing so quickly. Every mile it would look different!

Thank you Lord for a beautiful way to end my day!

Another Sunday walk......

I just returned from another Sunday walk. 

This week my walk was different. 

I walked around the edges of my village instead of down by the beach.

I didn't take my camera this time....only my phone (for an emergency) and my keys.

I spent the whole walk thinking about the book I am reading called, "TrueFaced" by Thrall, McNicol and Lynch. (A friend at school gave me her copy to read.)

The walk was similar to last week in that is is a lovely, warm, sunny day again and there were so many interesting people and sights along the way to look at. 

The chapter that I had just finished reading this morning was about "grace". So far, the highlights of this book, for me, have been:

The visual that God stands "beside" me looking at my sins, not in front or behind me.

That when I see imperfections I need to allow "grace", just as God does for me.

I need to trust who God says I am and be content with that!

All along the walk I practiced the "looking down" rule when I saw a man going by me. This is what is accepted in this culture. This is soooo hard for me to do. Anyone who has gone on a walk with me knows that I always greet people with a hello and a smile. But....I am in Morocco and must try to do what is proper.

So, I am walking along and thinking of the parts of the book that spoke to me. I am rejoicing that "life" seems to be "coming together" for me. This "journey" I am on has been an interesting one, to say the least. Right before I left Steamboat to come to Morocco I was asked by my church to share my "life story". My son made the comment that I didn't have much to say "...the divorce happened a long time ago and his cancer is gone and he is fine....". Well, I did give the talk and then I headed  out of town. My journey brought me here, to Africa. I'm still me. I'm still trying to learn what it is I am suppose to be doing in this big world. But.....little by little, I am learning to be more at peace and loving life one day at a time.

Back to the end of my walk. As I was walking along the street (I use that VERY loosely!) :)  and I notice a car slamming on their brakes. I look up and there is a shepherd with his sheep. Half the sheep  were running across the road and the other half were on their way to the road. The shepherd is standing off to the side of them (not behind them where I would expect him to be) and slapping a stick down on the ground. About this time a motorcycle comes barreling through and nearly hits one of the sheep. Soon the rest of the sheep cross, the vehicles move on and the man walks toward me. The man takes his hat off, wipes the sweat from his forehead and then.....looks me right in the eye, smiles and waves his hand! !! (I know....I couldn't resist. I had to take a quick look into his eyes as I passed him.) I take a couple more steps and I notice I tears in my eyes.....?? the book? a Moroccan man being kind to me?(a shepherd much less), a sunny day?

No, this walk wasn't about getting some awesome photos to share with you today. This walk was about living my life one day at a time and trusting God completely. I am who he created and I am living in Morocco to grow me and others around me in God's love. Some times that looks like words in a book. Sometimes it is an American friend sharing a life struggle with me. Sometimes it is listening to a Moroccan child or Moroccan friend sharing a piece of their life with me.

...and sometimes it is a shepherd greeting me with a smile and a wave of the hand.

Blessings to all of you back home. I miss you and pray for you daily.

Christmas in January......lovin' it!

Who knew celebrating Christmas in December AND in January would be SO much fun??!!

The photo is of me in by bedroom sitting amongst ALL the goodies my kids brought me from the states! They brought me all kinds of things I can't get here....CREST toothpaste, Puffs Plus, brown sugar, vitamins, red licorice...... They even brought me a box that had already been to Africa once! The story is that a friend in Steamboat sent me a package in August. It arrived here, sat in the post office too long (that happens when the school only goes to pick up mail every now and.......then.....)so it was returned to CO. Then Lauri sent it to New York City and Jim and Jenny were kind enough to bring it with them! What a treat! 

The other funny story was that I had ordered vitamins and such from drugstore.com and had it delivered to Jim and Jenny. Jim forgot he was going to be out of town that week, so the box was returned.... (didn't help matters that I waited till Dec. to order the things!!). So time was short and I didn't think it would arrive before they were headed to Casa. So, Marcia says to have it sent to her daughter that she would be staying with in Washington and she will bring it back with her. Well, as you know, she didn't return.... So, I asked her daughter to over-night it to Eric in San Fran (he left three days later than Jim and Jenny). Sooooo.....it arrived, Eric picked it up and delivered it to me!  :) Christmas was FULL of miracles this year!! :)

They also gave me a Kindle! (it's the black thing I am holding) It is wonderful....I can download books in English (can't buy them anywhere here...) email and all sorts of great stuff! Just having my kids come for Christmas was a huge gift and then they surprised me with the Kindle....love those kids!

So today, I checked the mail at school (that's where I get my mail) and there were TEN Christmas cards waiting for me!! I brought them home, put on some Christmas music that a friend gave me for Christmas (Thank you Fred!!) and sat back to savor the time with my cards and letters! What a fun evening!! I loved reading about all your families and especially love the cards with photos!! Thank you everyone! :)

A Sunday afternoon walk......

It was 70 and sunny last Sunday, so I decided to head out and walk in a new direction...

It is "winter" here, which means we have rain every now and then (not much rain at all in the summer here) and everything is lush and green!

So, first thing I noticed on my walk were all the bright little yellow flowers poking up everywhere!

This is how the beach just east of my house looks when the tide is low. Lots of rocky areas. The locals all spend a lot of time walking, playing, sitting out on these rocks. Some of them have bucket and sticks that they are poking in the holes. I think they are looking for crabs or some type of fish.

Is he adorable or what?? :) He just stood there and let me photograph him!

This one is hard to see (I'm missing your zoom lense, Marcia!), but the people actually carried their plastic lawn chairs out to the edge of the rocks to sit for a bit.

Not all of the beach is lovely.....one has to be alert at all times for trash along the way.

Next I came upon this soccer game going on. This is very popular with the young guys on a Sunday afternoon.

Well, it was getting hot, so I stopped at a local favorite for a bottle of water!

Natty Natty is a cute little place that sells everything from water to homemade pasta to BACON!! (Yes...bacon is very hard to find here in Casa!)

I was going to crop this photo and then I notice the sign.....one of Jenny's favorites....she calls is the "boob sign".This is a green area along side the ocean. Sitting under the umbrella is the guardian (the man that you pay to park and watch over your car while you park there). Usually it will cost you 5 or 10 dirham (50cents - $1.00) to park there for the afternoon.

More soccer games....

Everyone was out enjoying the sun and the ocean!

What can I say? I am my mom's daughter.....I love flowers! :) ( I think of you often Mom!)

A little hunoot across from the ocean selling soccer balls and drinks.

A farmer was out in his field tending the crops.

This is the road to take me back to my street....

 A house in the neighborhood. The guy is on the roof. Looks like he is adding an addition to the house.

Another house in the neighborhood. I am ALWAYS amazed at the looks of the homes and then how WHITE the clothes always are that are hanging on their clothes lines!!!!

Well, I got back to my apartment and just in time to buy some fresh oranges from the local guy! YUM! What a lovely day in the neighborhood! Thank you Lord for the sun,  the ocean, good health, bottles of water and fresh fruit! Amen!

The beginning of a relationship.....

In Morocco a single lady of my age living alone is a sad and lonely life. Other Moroccans feel sorry for her having to live alone...
Sooooo.....since Marcia moved back to the US my landlord and his wife have "taken me under their wing" of sorts!  :) (Even though I keep telling them that I am fine and not really lonely at all! ) :)

When Jim and Jenny were here my landlord (Mohammad - from Morocco and speaks Arabic, some French and a little English) and his wife (Evana - Swiss - speaks Arabic, French and English pretty well) invited us over for Moroccan mint tea, cookies and nuts. Mohammad had just returned from a 40 day journey to Mecca and was sharing photos and stories of his trip. Evana was telling Jenny and I that they have been married for 34 years.

Last week they invited me to their home (right across the street from my apt.) for lunch. Mohammad had made couscous for us. We had a lovely meal and a good visit. That's when Evana told me that Mohammad had suggested she invite me for a meal because I must be lonely living all alone....   :) They introduced me to their two dogs, three cats and pet turtle.

Today Evana invited me to join her on a trip to her favorite place....an animal shelter!

This was the first animal we met today. We had stopped to buy 50# of carrots, some bags of biscuits for the animals and two sodas for the workers.

These little guys loved the carrots...a spotted bunny and a mommy guinea pig and her babies.

This is Evana feeding the donkeys carrots.

I have seen a lot of cats in Morocco and these cats are definitely the lucky ones....their home was great....part sun, part shade, part areas to climb, part areas with blankets for resting and sleeping....clean and roomy!

Ok....I titled this blog:" The beginning of a relationship..." I hope none of you thought that meant a new man in my life. (NOT in Morocco!) At the start of the day, I thought the new relationship would be this friendship that seems to be growing between Evana and myself. But, then I met Spike! Spike was brought to the animal shelter just yesterday. He was found wandering the streets. Evana was SURE I should take Spike home with me. (How did she even know I loved golden retrievers??) :)  I tried to joke by saying I wasn't sure my landlord would approve, but she didn't laugh. (Probably she didn't get that it was a joke.) Evana was sure Spike would be good company for me to walk with on the beach. I really did love this dog right away...he is so soft and clean and sweet and cuddly...But, what am I thinking....I don't even know what I am doing in 6 months. What would I do with a dog??? But....now I am home and looking at his photo and thinking....hmmm....he would be good company....??? :) We'll see....

The grounds at the shelter were spotless. On the top right of this photo you can see a small horse arena. Evana said some days they have handicapped children come ride the horses. She asked if I would like to join her in helping out. I think that would be awesome. It reminded me of a similar project in Steamboat at the Humble Ranch.

There were three little ponds on the property. They had the smallest little frogs in them that I have ever seen!

One last look at the horses and we were on our way home.

And on the way home.....craziness again....we pulled in to a gas station and looked straight ahead. Evana smiles and says," Oh, look...a store!" In front of us a car has the trunk up, every door open and clothes for sale in, on and hanging everywhere from the car!  I see something funny/crazy/bizarre like this every day in Morocco!   :)