A three day weekend....so off to Agadir we went...

We went for a walk to scope out the town. We ran into a group of artisans.

Agadir is a coastal town about 5/6 hours south of Casablanca. Four of us rented a car and headed south after school on Thursday. (Well, it's Africa so it wasn't really as easy as that sounds...the car was delivered to us two hours late AND we asked for a mid-sized car because we all had suitcases and bags....we were delivered this teeny, tiny, cracker-box of a car)....but...off we went....

It took us a while to find the hotel once we got to town. We finally got to bed about 1am.

The next day was sunny and just beautiful!

Agadir is known for it's lovely beaches and sunshine!

Well....most of the beaches were nice....."it's still Africa!"

This was our hotel. (MUCH nicer looking on the  outside than the inside) After we killed a cockroach when we arrived, asked for more than one towel several times, reported that the toilet doesn't flush three times and got used to the shower being possessed......we left to explore the town! ;)

Some darling French Preschool children filing in to McDonald's for lunch! We wanted a normal chicken salad, so ate at McD's the first day!

The pool area.

Judy and I sitting out by the pool making reservations for the next town for the following night!!

My self, Robin, Judy and Lynn eating out at a Chinese restaurant. It's hard to explain.....but we get so excited about trying these places and hoping it will taste like Chinese food "back home"....but...."it's still Africa". The food just tastes....just okay.

Our room key....on this HUGE block of metal.  We took turns deciding who had to carry it next!! :) (because, of course, we only have ONE key!) :)

Christmas in March!!!

What a treat! I received a package in the mail this week and it was a Christmas card and gift from Cindy in Steamboat!

THANKS Cindy!!!

The package was a little banged up, but didn't look like anyone had opened it.....always a possibility here! :) When I saw the Cabela's box I smiled from ear to ear....something familiar from HOME! As I carried it up to my classroom another teacher from NE said, "Hey...sweet, a package from Cabela's. I know Cabela's!" :D

Inside I found this beautifully wrapped Christmas gift and card amongst the packing shells! :D

Inside the box I found an AWESOME coffee mug with all my favorite places around Steamboat on the face of the cup, a huge chocolate bar, cinnamon STAR BUCKS coffee ( all my friends are jealous and want to be my next guest for dinner) and then....the oddest thing.....see the cute little bottle of hand lotion on the bottom right corner?? Well, it was OPEN and 1/2 gone.....BUT........no spillage anywhere!! Nothing gooey, sticky, messy in the box anywhere!!! ??? (I keep telling you....it's a strange place here in Morocco!) :D What a fun surprise to be delivered on March 23rd!!

Waiting....waiting....

Seems like I'm waiting on a lot of things lately.... like for the puddles to dry up! And to find out if the computer will take the grades I entered today for mid-term grades. (The computer and I have had an ongoing fight with grades and report cards this year!) And to decide where and when I would fly home. (I finally got tired of waiting to make the decision and just booked a flight the other night.) And waiting on a wonderful job opportunity to come my way!...still waiting on that one!

Meanwhile, I go for long walks....This particular day I saw a few interesting people on my walk. This is a typical Moroccan lady walking along the road ahead of me. She is covered head to toe and then carrying a baby on her back with a blanket covering the baby. Women here are pretty amazing! They are strong and quiet and sweet and friendly!

Then I walked by the neighborhood park. The kids have a tree wedged in between another tree and are making it their teeter-totter! They kick soccer balls and tin cans. They seem to do a great job of making up their own games and keeping themselves occupied while the grown-ups are busy. The children stare at me as I walk by and will sometimes smile!

This is a much needed project. They are digging ditches along side the road and putting in some drainage systems!! When it rains here it rains very hard and the roads flood very easily. Hopefully all their hard work will pay off the roads won't flood as quickly!!

I had pulled over in my car at this point and was reading/watching the ocean and (of course) people watching. This man is a typical Moroccan man wearing his jellaba and flat little hat!

Next I headed down to Jack's Beach area where the surfers hang out. There were a lot of them on this particular day. The water is a little chilly this time of year, so most of them had on wet suits.

A while back I included a photo of a fisherman on the shore and mentioned he had all his belongings with him....his bike, fishing pole and a few bags of odds and ends. Well, now there are about 3 or 4 fishermen that are hanging out with him. They set up this umbrella to keep sun, wind, rain away. They have their poles all up along the edge of the water and they sit very content to chat the afternoon away.

This cute little place is at the end of my walking route. The sidewalk goes up to this garage and house and stops. So I turn around and walk back to my car. I would love to see the inside of this place! The gate is never open and I never see anyone around. But the wall goes all around the house and is right up next to the water. I'm thinking they probably have big time trouble with mold, but how fun to live right on the water!! :)

I stood for quite a while watching this fisherman as the tide was coming in. The waves were getting closer and closer to him and crashing against the wall he was standing on. The sound, the mist from the spray and the size of the waves were all so mesmerizing.

These were my purchases for the day... 12 strips of thinly sliced bacon (very hard to find in Morocco), fresh bread from across the street, carrots, an onion, coca- light (Diet Coke) and a box of cookies that I was taking to a gathering later that day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well.........now I'm waiting for my laundry to finish so I can run up two flights of steps to get them, bring them down, hang them up to dry and then, you guessed it....I will wait some more...   :) I'm really getting to be a pretty good "waiter"! :) Have a great day everyone!

Friends....

Thank goodness God thought to make friends!!

I've been a little bit down lately with all the decisions and changes again approaching.... But, thanks to girlfriends near and far...I'm doing better!  THANKS girls for listening and praying and giving me great advice!!

I love you and treasure all of you!

Leaving my apartment this am.....  :)

Good night from Africa!

Jill

Know what's good about life.....

I had a pretty great day today. I had a parent conference that went well. I didn't have to yell too often, too loud at my students. I got home in time to go for a long walk on the beach.

So, it made me think about all the good things in my life lately....

Like....

opening a brand new tube of Crest (thanks Eric!)!!

getting two birthday cards in the mail today (right...they were mailed before my birthday in January!!)...thanks Jane and Carol!

getting a birthday gift in one of the cards!  (actually BOTH of your cards arrived today, Jane) Thanks for the wonderful smelling sheets of Bounce!! :) ...made my day! :) I'm going to put them in my closets right away!

Let's see...what else is good about my life....

Being invited over for a birthday dinner at my friend's home.

Celebrating Courtney's birthday!! She was 26 last week!

Flowers!! They make me smile any old day!

Friends!

Co-workers that are always there for me!

Beautiful doorways to look at and take photos of on my weekend walks in the neighborhood!

Puddles after a nice rain!

Especially heart shaped puddles!! Love it! I was walking alone....but it just made me smile!

Little girls enjoying the day....chatting away beside the ocean!

The sound of the ocean!

The sight of huge waves and watching fishermen!

Little old men and small children....they always make me smile too! ....so...that's what I'm thankful about in my life. How about you? What do you have to be thankful for??