What's New?

If you were to ask what's new for us in Morocco we could answer in one word.  EVERYTHING! 

We're living in a private community located south of Marrakesh. Several of Rob's co-workers and their families are living here as well. Our villas are on the perimeter of a golf course and it's quite lovely. There are bougainvillea and olive trees everywhere.

In addition to the golf course, the community is home to a cable Water Skiing park aptly named "Waky." We haven't tried it yet but maybe we've still got a little cutting and spraying left in us! 

Driving is really different but I think I'm getting the hang of it. You just have to remember that lane lines are just a suggestion and there are no formal rules about who gets the right of way. They're also pretty lax about passenger safety. 

The hardest thing for me is to see little children riding on motorcycles with their parents. In this case the child was on his mom's back. I guess you just have to do what you have to do.

We see camels all over town. They're strictly for tourists who want their picture taken. 

We also see cats everywhere - including restaurants, businesses, and our backyard patio furniture. As we are dog people this is not necessarily a good thing. I even heard Rob quote his mother the other day... "Damn cats"! (Mikkelsen inside joke.)

The food here is quite different than any place else I have ever visited. Tagine (I always thought it was tangine but this is how they spell it here) and couscous are two very common traditional Moroccan foods. Tagine is chicken, lamb, or beef cooked in a special pot.

Couscous is a small pellet pasta made from semolina, mixed with meats or vegetables. You can eat it any day of the week, but similar to our "Taco Tuesdays", the Moroccans have "Couscous Friday" which coincides with the day they attend mosque. 

My favorite traditional Moroccan dish so far is called B'stilla. It's a savory chicken pie with a hint of cinnamon and sugar. Really yummy! 

In general, the food is pretty good, but I'm finding it difficult to find what I need at the grocery store, partly because I can't read the labels (thank goodness for pictures on most items!) and partly because things just aren't available. I'm still trying to find vanilla extract, regular mustard (not dijon), sour cream, crisco, and broccoli (I had to put in at least one vegetable!) When I'm feeling homesick and hungry for something familiar to eat I head for the nearest fast food place at the mall about 10 miles from our house. Any guesses? I've been there 4 times in 3 weeks!!! 

I could write lots more but this is getting long. Next time I will write about a memorable trip to the Ourika Valley in the nearby Atlas Mountains. 

-Sue-