The last day of school...

The classroom looks barren.  Gone are the animal prints they painted, gone are the life size self portrait posters, gone are the airplanes, boats, pet store, butterflies and other miscellaneous projects that kept the little hands busy and gave KG2A such color and excitement.  The only board left shows the days left until school is out.

The plain beige walls are now reminiscent of the first day.  That day back in September when we first met Ms. Lopez and Ms. Hayatte.  The day that my head and heart was filled with fear and worry.  I didn't know then how amazing these two women were.  I had no idea what they had planned.  How they would care for him, how they would push him to be the best he could be, that they would say no when needed, that each day would be a lesson in respect and responsibility, that when dancing and singing was needed it was done, that they would give him the foundation for math, reading and writing.  I simply had no idea what could be accomplished in one school year.

Ms. Lopez and Ms. Hayatte

As the school year ends our family prepares for another lesson in our expat life.  Very few people and things are permanent. Our friends, teachers and loved ones will come and go. While some of us are packing for summer holiday, some of our friends and teachers are packing to go home for good. Some are getting married, some are starting new projects and some are on to their next adventure.  Many students and teachers at international schools are like us, here for a moment in time. We are learning that good-byes do not need to be sad. We are learning... it is just part of the cycle in our expat life.


Thank you, merci beaucoup, vielen dank, shukran and maraming salamat for a wonderful year.

Milan...

Holger called me up one day this past fall and asked, "What are we doing the weekend of the 14th?" We had no plans, but he had a surprise for me. "Want to go to Milan?  By yourself..."

Two weeks later I was on a plane to Milan for 3 nights and 4 days of...

A room all to myself, to sleep as long as I wish...

Four Seasons Milan

Delicious food and wine...

Squash Blossoms with Ricotta and Olive Dust,  Four Seasons Milan

Spectacular sights...

Duomo di Milano

                                                                                             

The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci

                                                                

A performance at Teatro alla Scala...                                                  

Teatro alla Scala

                                                             
Leisurely walks...

Via Della Spiga

Beautiful clothes, bags and shoes...

Prada Flagship Store at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele

  

Four glorious days all to myself in a beautiful city.

Hope you can take 15 minutes, an hour or a weekend to do as you wish...

Je suis Mommy...

A couple months ago, Florence (my French Tutor) and I were practicing conversation.  In French she asked me "What do you do?" and I answered, "Je suis Mommy".  She laughed and said, "That is sweet".  We went on to finish our conversation and class, but this exchange has stayed with me and has made me think...

Being a full-time Mommy is somewhat new territory for me.  A year and half ago my answer might have been catering manager. I think back to all the titles I have held... daughter, sister, wife, friend, student, teammate, catering manager.  I realize, how each title has defined me at different times of my life and perhaps closed me off to other experiences. I feel so blessed to have this full time job of being an Ex-Pat Mommy and being able to experience foreign lands and all that it brings to me with my Sons. To take Max on our crazy drive to school each morning, to be a class mom, to attempt potty training Alex a la Marrakechi, to riding Camels in the dessert. Mommy is truly the most glorious title I have ever had.

Happy Mother's Day to all the other Mommies in my life, my Mom, Sister, Mother in Law, Sisters in Law and friends!!!  

xx from Berlin where we are celebrating with the newest Mommy in our family!

Pancakes for dinner...

When I was a little girl, every so often my mom would serve us breakfast for dinner.  Sometimes it was eggs, grits and bacon.  Sometimes it was blintzes with ricotta cheese and blueberries.  What was on the menu didn't matter as much as the idea.  It was fun and a change from the normal routine. So tonight, when Max asked for Pancakes I was happy to oblige...

I made the pancake mix.  Pulled out the ridiculously expensive, but mediocre maple syrup I bought in Paris (maple syrup is not available in Marrakech).  Heated up the pan and started cooking the pancakes.  After just two pancakes were finished, I heard the sound.  That little hiss signifying that the gas is going out. Oh no, please not now.  Then poof! The flame was gone...

Gas stoves work a bit different here then they do in most places.  Here, portable gas tanks are hooked up to our stoves, so when the tank is empty, it must be replaced.  Replacing the tank is no quick exercise. The whole process normally takes an hour or two. First, the assistance of a guardian is enlisted. The guardian will then come to the kitchen to unhook the tank, carry it outside to his motorbike where he balances it on the top of his handlebars and goes zooming off in search of a replacement.  The hanout across the street seems to carry them, but based on the hour or so the guardian is normally gone, he must not be purchasing locally.  A knock at the door signifies the return of a full tank.  The guardian will hook it up, I pay him 40 dirhams (about 4 euros) and we are good to go for another 2 or 3 months.

The empty tank under our stove

It was already 7:00PM.  A new tank to finish the pancakes was not going to arrive until well after the boys should be in bed asleep.  Going next door to finish the pancakes didn't seem reasonable.  Dreading the disappointment, I did the best I could.  I took out two plates, put one pancake on each, sliced some nectarines, opened yogurts, poured milk, removed the cap off the maple syrup, set the table and hoped for the best as I called the boys to dinner. 

The boys cheered in joy when they saw the table and sat down.  Maple syrup was enthusiastically poured and pancakes devoured.  Now the moment I feared... they asked for more.  I explained the situation, offered seconds of nectarines and held my breath.  To my great surprise, there was no melt down, no fit, just a thank you when the second helpings came to the table.
 
Tonight the boys reminded me... sometimes, just a little bit is all you need. 

Easter Eggs...

While exploring this new and different culture is fascinating, celebrating our own holidays and traditions is important.  So, as Easter rolled around, we made sure to set aside some time to color eggs in anticipation of our Sunday Easter Egg Hunt at our dear friends home.


So, out we went to search the local farmers markets to gather as many Beldi Eggs as possible (Beldi Eggs are so good that I believe they deserve their own post soon), dug out the food dye brought from the US, invited our buddies over and got to work.

After sipping tea, basil lemonade and juice, nibbling on lemon tart and yogurt cake, our team of 11 children and 5 mommies colored 60+ eggs.

The morning of Easter Sunday, we dressed for the occasion and headed out for a day of fun!

Luckily, the Easter Bunny found our decorated eggs and transported them to Dar Menebhi and along with chocolates from Italy, Germany and Belgium hid them for a good ole fashioned Easter Sunday Egg Hunt.

Hope your Easter was just as nice.  Happy Easter from Marrakech  xx...

The beach feeds my soul...

Is it the salty breeze, the crashing waves, gritty sand in my toes, running in waves with the boys, fresh seafood or sun on the top of my head? I don't know, just know that it makes everything ok and centers me.

Oualidia Beach, Morocco

We are in the middle of our spring break vacation on the beaches of Morocco and will share more with you when we return home. Hope you are enjoying the start of spring as much as we are! xx

Oualidia Oysters

Hotel l'Hippocampe, Oualidia, Morocco

El Jadida Beach, Morocco

The yogurt aisle...

Morocco has the largest yogurt aisles I have ever seen.  Here, in my regular grocery store, there must be close to 100 different varieties of yogurt products and flavors.

At first glance it looks like a pretty comprehensive collection of yogurt products. There is pomegranate raibi, yogurts mixed with cereal, wonderful flavors such as fig or pistachio and standards such as strawberry and vanilla. There is however, in my humble opinion, one very important item missing... Greek Yogurt.

When we first arrived, time was spent searching this aisle very closely thinking I might be missing it and then wondering why it wasn't available.  Oh how I missed it, the rich and silky texture, the copious amounts of protein... What to do? Well, make it myself of course!

Since moving to Marrakech, I have spent quite a bit of time figuring out how to adapt recipes and create items that we like and want, but that are not readily available. For example, I now make my own sriracha, vanilla extract, candied ginger and even foam dish washing liquid.

For each project, the process is the same. Internet searches provide a plethora of recipes that I read, compare and combine.  I then gather ingredients and materials and start experimenting. Sometimes it goes horribly wrong and sometimes it is amazing. Whatever the turnout, I always have fun and am left with a feeling of accomplishment when the desired product is achieved.

To make Greek Yogurt, the following process has worked well for me. Perhaps you would like to try as well?

1 Liter of milk
2 Tablespoons of prepared yogurt containing live active bacteria
Candy Thermometer
Double Boiler
Cheesecloth
Strainer
Pour milk (reserve 2 tablespoons and set aside) into double boiler and heat to 180 degrees. 

While milk is heating, mix the reserved milk with 2 tablespoons of prepared yogurt in a separate bowl.  Once milk reaches 180 degrees, remove from heat and cool to 105 degrees. While milk is cooling turn oven on to warm and turn oven light on.  When milk reaches 105 mix in reserved milk and yogurt mixture and transfer to ceramic or glass bowl.  Cover bowl with kitchen towel.  Turn oven off, but keep oven light on.  Place covered bowl in oven and keep it there for about 8 hours or overnight.

Yogurt should be pretty set. You might have a greenish liquid sitting on top. This is whey and perfectly fine.  Just drain it off.

Place yogurt in refrigerator for about 3 hours to thicken. 

Line strainer with 4 pieces of cheesecloth and place on top of a bowl.  Put yogurt into cheesecloth lined strainer and place back in refrigerator to further drain and thicken, an hour or so should do it. Voila! You have made Greek yogurt.

For an extra treat, I like to top mine with honey. The above honey is Xunaan Cab, Miel de abeja Melipona.  It was a gift from my friend Eben and is really something special. It comes from a small batch producer in Merida, Mexico. Next time you are over, ask for a taste, I might let you try it.

We met in Houston... together we played tennis, learned to salsa and oh yeah, worked. They left for Paris and three years later we left for Marrakech. Since then, the guys have had dinner in Moscow, lunch in Paris and a meeting in Lisbon. We girls met for dinner one night in Paris.  Last night, all four together, we had drinks at our home in Marrakech and dinner in the Medina.

Maria and Francisco requested adventure for the night so we decided on dinner in the Medina.  A cab took us from our home to the Medina.  A man with a lantern met us at the cab and escorted us through a winding brick street.  We passed by a man sewing leather to make sandals and bags, another man hand painting delicate floral designs on a large door, smoky grills topped with meat and children playing soccer.  When we arrived to a large lit wood plank door we were welcomed in...

We sat beneath the open roof amid candle light. Dinner was a selection of Moroccan salads (lentils, spiced pureed carrots, cauliflower with cumin, eggplant caviar, broiled green peppers with tomatoes), briouates filled kefta and goat cheese, tasty tajines (mine was lamb and quince, yum!), red wine and how else would we finish a Moroccan meal? Mint tea of course!

At midnight we toasted Happy Birthday to Maria and to their 12th Wedding Anniversary.  How wonderful to be able to celebrate with them both here in Marrakech!

When and where will we will see you next?  Hope it is somewhere fabulous soon! xx

2 Bottles and 6 Magazines...

Does champagne and English magazines make up for the days he is gone?  Of course not, but this man sure does know how to make a girl happy. Yes, I miss him when he is gone, but the treats from the trips are nice.  The above bounty was brought back yesterday from this weeks trip to London. Last week he brought me mascara, magazines and amaretto.  Are you finding a theme?  English magazines are not available here and alcohol is expensive.  The list for his upcoming trip to the US has been started...

Fifty Six...

56 light sockets, 56 light bulbs and 56 light fixtures.  When we moved into Villa 16 we had 56 wires hanging from the ceilings and walls with no socket, no light bulb and no fixture attached. 

As if moving to Marrakech did not already present enough challenges, I now needed to figure out where to find the fixtures, negotiate prices in my new currency of MAD (Moroccan Dirhams - One US Dollar is roughly eight Moroccan Dirhams) and arrange for delivery and installation in French.

A small panic set in... where to begin? As the Electrician started installing sockets and light bulbs, I  began wandering the souks in search of fixtures.  It was overwhelming! Everywhere I looked was another beautiful lantern, chandelier or wall sconce.  Bronze, colored glass, wood, hammered metal and even leather.  My panic turned to obsession. Entire days would be lost to looking at lights. Slowly the light bulbs in the house turned to proper fixtures and well, I am happy to say that I am almost done. Yes, that is roughly 56 weeks to get 56 fixtures. Only 4 left to go!!! Two of which are being made and should be delivered any day.  Here is a look at a few...

  

                                                                                               

Do you have a favorite?

Marrakech

So it begins... one year after our arrival, finally some thoughts and notes of our new life in the far away land of Morocco. We will do our best to update you often and share our life with you. Please read, share and comment along the way.