My Family is Here!

My family has arrived and life has changed here in Marrakech.  My once spotless apartment is now scattered with wooden train tracks, the sound of childrens' voices, a full laundry bin, a sink full of dishes, shoes scattered about and a very FULL heart.  I could not be happier to have our apartment feel like home.  They saying “Home is wherever you are” is defined by moments like these. 

The Reunion

 

Mohammed from ASM drove Chad and I to the airport at 10:30am to await Claire and Joe’s arrival.  Chad was so incredibly excited about every three minutes he was asking how much longer.  Unfortunately, I am always unable to give him an exact time because that is the way Africa rolls.

Moroccan Airport

 

We knew they actually physically arrived at 12:02 because it was announced on the arrival board, but you never know how long customs and baggage will take.  We could be waiting for hours.  Once we saw the door open up and carts rolling out with baggage, we made our way to the front of the entrance area..  Within a few moments I saw these two:

The Rest of my Family!

 I am pretty sure my heart skipped and beat and my head filled with doubt… was this a dream??  We were driven home by Mohammed and unpacked the insane amount of items that I must have requested Joe to bring.  We walked to dinner where Happy and Joe were COMPLETELY exhausted so we decided to head home after to just rest and relax.  We decided to make our way to the roof top so Joe could see the view and experience where the workouts happen and the roof top parties happen.  We were lucky enough to catch this view.

Thursday was the LONGEST day I think I may have ever experienced.  I was stuck at work while Joe and Claire were at home.  The internet at school has been down due to the Radeema that cut the line on accident when digging lines for pipes.  The only way for Joe and I to communicate was taken!  ARGH!  After what felt longer than the 6 weeks we just had apart, Chad and I finally arrived home.  I walked everyone to Café du Livre a Café owned by a lady from New York who used to teach at ASM.  I sipped down my mojito and ate a tasty dinner and the kids interacted with a little boy named Zou. 

Last night, I really wanted to have Joe get his BBQ for the balcony.  We snagged a taxi and drove to Marjane, Mr. Briccolage, and Kitea.  We found a BBQ, speakers, hangars, and a Tupperware for our mini pharmacy we have in our pantry.  At Kitea, I ran into Mohammad again and he offered to drive us to our apartment instead of grabbing a taxi.  We were lucky.  Joe and I have come to really enjoy Mohammaed, but the language barrier definitely hinders conversation.  We are determined to learn French- at the least!  I wanted Joe to have a traditional Moroccan dinner—the tajine.  We walked to “The Best Tajine” place down the road and we had two Poulet au Citron Tajines and Moroccan bread.  Chad and Happy ate pizza and bread dipped in sauce and we had a silly face photo op to help capture the joy of living in Morocco. 

Today will hopefully be filled with more adventures I will be able to catch all of you up on.  We love and miss you all.

XO

Lex