A Stack of Books and A Full Bed

Staring at this blank sheet of white paper can be intimidating- waiting to be filled up with stories of adventures and thoughts of my choosing to share with the world and to hold close for my children’s distant memories.  Today, rather than sharing adventures and stories about our travels overseas, I will share the lessons that I have encountered while living overseas for the mere 3 months we have lived here..

Very few things are as intimidating as packing up your life and choosing to leave everything familiar thousands of miles away.  To land in a completely unfamiliar place with 12 faces of ladies you just met a mere 6 hours earlier.  Yet, nearly all of them became instant family.  It is odd how the most intimidating change has become the most satisfying and fulfilling change.

Most of the time, I have decided to approach each day without apprehension but with reward.  Meeting incredible people from all over the world, building ever-lasting friendships, traveling the world, but most of all, time with my family.  Every day, in reality, we are all powerless.  Here, I accept the powerlessness and realize that no matter where you are- there you are.  Your brain, your heart, everything that pumps through your veins travels with you.  I am always filled with happiness, joy, and love but being in Marrakech has ultimately allowed me the time to finally slow down.

My decision to move overseas was a combination of reasons, many incredibly close to the heart.  One of the most appealing and important is the hope that our life overseas will provide my children with a solid springboard to balance their own individual lives and when they encounter obstacles- they will then face them with grace.  Most of these lessons pertain to my children as these two have been greatly affected by our life overseas.  Let me begin with a story from tonight...

A stack of books piled high on the night stand and a bed with two children and a loved mom squished between.  Shoulder to shoulder, snotty noses, slimy kisses, and wiggly bodies.  Tonight, that is how we spent much of our evening... cuddling under the comforter, reading book after book.  Yet, somewhere between books, this conversation took place between my two kiddos:

Happy: "Chaddy, your ears." (As she pinched them)

Chaddy: "La shukran Happs." (Hmmmm... now my son is speaking to my daughter in Arabic)

Happy (pinching Mommy's nose): "Hahahahaha, Mommy's nose."

Chaddy: "Maybe mom needs to get out of bed so you will sleep Happy.  Mom, I will take care of her. Go."

Ok, when did my kindergartner become an adult?!  I really have to work on my expectations for him.  Make him a little more irresponsible :)  My heart was full lying in bed with my two kids.  Only one person was missing, and we miss terribly.  I am sure that those of you at home are excited to have Mr. F home, but we struggled to say our "see you soons."  Soon enough we will get to wrap our arms around him again!  Time needs to fly.

Ok, back at it... of course, that statement above is contradictory to the entire point of my post today.  For the past couple of weeks, I have had a full but heavy heart weighed down/up/sideways/diagonal with general thoughts on life.  I have felt compelled to share them with you.  Some, you may certainly agree or find inspiring.  Others, you may struggle to connect or understand purely because I would have before I packed up my family and relocated half way across the world.

1. Life here in Marrakech has taught me at least one crucial aspect of life: slow down. 

Unfortunately, Mr. F has been telling me this for years, but I didn't feel like I had an option.  Life just wasn't ever going to slow down.  T-ball, groceries, work, more work, more work, errands, and more errands... life didn't leave me much time to just be.  To just be with my children.  To just be with Mr. F.  As soon as I caught up on my to do list, more needed to be jotted down.  I was losing my sense of self in the crazy of life.  Who is Lexie?  Who is Mom?  What are my roles and what do I WANT my roles to be?

2. As I ask myself that last question, Morocco has really allowed me to choose my role-- most of the time.

 

 I still have work.  I work my tooshie off just like I did in The States, but with less kids, an assistant and an amazing teaching partner we have managed to make head way on math plans, social studies plans and writing plans for nearly the remainder of the year.  Yes my teacher friends, minimal lesson plan writing because I actually have time to prep and prepare my lessons fully.  Units of study-- integrated learning.  Teaching with passion- one of the roles I choose to have.

3. The most fulfilling role is where I began my post.  My children. 

I am not merely the mom that only chauffeurs, cooks and cleans anymore like I did in The States.  I am a mom that packs clothes to travel, sits and reads children's books, paints pictures, makes paper Christmas trees, watches Mary Poppins, bakes cookies, walks everywhere, teaches foreign languages, and shows her children the world.  I feel like one of the most fortunate mothers on Earth. 

4. Take Snapshots.

I do mean to literally take snapshots.  Pull out the camera and take pictures of each and every moment you want to engrain into your memory.  The smiles, the games, the tears, the discoveries.  Take snapshots... attach your camera around your neck so when your children are flipping through old family photos, they can find that rare comfort.  However, I also do mean this figuratively.  Take mental snapshots so you can look at your life and appreciate what you are living and experiencing NOW.  That way, you will always be living in a constant state of happiness.

5. If you love someone, tell them.

Don't spare those three words with those you love.  Tell them often, tell them when you feel it. 

6. One of the biggest lessons I have learned here is that EVERYONE is a hypocrite.

It sounds abrasive, but in no way do I intend for it to sound that way.  Approach the thought through this lens: We are all striving to embody particular values and images that we intend to display but sometimes the way we act conflicts.  So, the best way to handle hypocrisy is to forgive and move on.

7.  See the good in people.

How do you want to see the world?  Frame your mind to see people- strangers alike, how you would want them to see you.  In opposition, not everyone is going to like you and that is just fine.

8. Connect with humanity.

Mr. F displays this characteristic with grace, compassion, and generosity.  I have been watching and learning from him (although he doesn't really know I feel this way about him... shhhhhh... please don't tell him I learn A LOT from him:)).  The reward and satisfaction in merely casual kindness has taken as far in our travels abroad.  We have met more locals who have sacrificed and given from their own backs, even in the greatest of poor villages.  People here exercise the power of love.  We have made a conscious choice to interact with our community in this way and our hearts have grown immensely on this journey.  We will continue to cultivate kindness, especially in our children.

 

I can't honestly say this isn't EVERYTHING I have learned nor felt in our travels thus far, but is a great start. I just hope that when your head and your heart reach a point of exhaustion and overwhelming expectation reflect back on some of our stories and lessons we have learned.  Contemplate your legacy and where your head and heart truly want to lead.  If your heart is full and you have passion- keep going strong!  If it is not where you are currently at, deeply consider whatever leap it may be that your heart aches for and JUMP! 

 

 

XO 

 

Lex

 

Chad's Adventure to Ouirka Valley

I wish I had more to write about Chad's adventure, but he is a five year old of few words.  I do believe that the pictures speak for themselves. 

While I was a work for parent-teacher conferences, Joe, Claire, and Chad all stayed at home.  Later in the afternoon, Diego another father from our expat community, invited Chad to join him and his children to Ouirka Valley.  Here are some of the moments Diego captured from the day.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

We love and miss you all at home. 

xo

Lex

One View- Three Countries







 

I am starting this blog post backwards-- beginning with the end.  The last day of our vacation, we took a day trip and tour of Tangier.  A city that many people tell you to steer clear from because there is little to see; yet the Tangier we saw was beyond amazing and beautiful.  Our taxi driver who picked us up from Chefchaouen offered to take us on a tour because we were catching the night train at 9:30pm and it was still only morning.  We had a whole day to fill with adventures.  Ahmed, after a few other stops, took us to this port.  It was by far, the most beautiful view I had seen yet.  From where we were standing, we could see three countries.  UK (Gibralter), Spain (Tarifa), and Morocco (Tangier).  In the far off faded distance we could see at least the direction to Portugal... maybe on a clear day, we could have seen land.

 

The land in the distance- Gibralter

Spain

Spain

Joe taking in the view

 

Direction to Portugal

Tangier

 

Joe hiking down to the water

 

Tarifa- That is a town in Spain!

Initially, I was concerned Joe might get trampled by cattle:)

One view- three countries.  A sight I feel lucky to have seen and taken in the beauty of the world.  Unforgettable beauty. So, let's go back to the beginning... our departure for Chefchaouen.  How did we get there, who did we meet, what did we see?  In short- it was nearly miserable to get there, we met a few awesome men by chance, and we saw beautiful Moroccan land. 

To get to Chefchaouen, there are a couple routes, but the easiest, was to take the night train to Tangier then either the city bus or a grand taxi to Chefchaouen.  We hopped on the night train on Saturday night at 8:55 riding first class.  We were advised that first class would be just fine since you can lay the seats into beds.  That was mistake number one. We decided to get three seats since Happy could ride for free and she would probably just sleep on one of us.  That was mistake number two.  The kids were nice and tuckered out when we boarded the train and started chugging along down the tracks.  Chad nearly fell right asleep after the initial hype of riding a train.  He slept in his seat, then we slept together laying down, and Happy and Joe cuddled not so nicely together.  We were in a compartment of 6 first class seats.  That means, three other people were in our compartment, they didn't sit in their assigned seats, which meant we couldn't pull out at least two of our seats into a bed.  So, the pain of parenthood began.  Happy was quite the crabby pants, refused to sleep, she whined cried and pretty much just was cranky up until the last four hours.  At one point, Joe and I were standing outside of the compartment with Happy in the narrow hallway on a very unstable and shaky train-- trying to keep balance and sooth our two year old.  She refused to let us hold her so at on point she was sleeping standing up with her face against the cool window, then on her knees on the floor sitting up using my leg as a leaning post.  I tried rocking her like a newborn, jiggling her up and down-- you name the trick, we probably tried it.  Finally, I think she just physically couldn't stay awake anymore, so I leaned Chad up in his seat (yep- he stayed asleep the WHOLE time) lifted the arm rest between two seats and laid down with Happy.  She finally fell asleep.  Joe came back in, with nowhere to sit, but to pick Chad up and hold him in his arms and try to sleep- next to the freezing cold window that kept LOUDLY opening and slamming shut with each curve of the train track.  At 7:00am- we dragged out tired bodies out of the train and briefly discussed whether we should take the city bus or get a grand taxi (120 dhs or 600 dhs).  Our conversation went something like this:

Joe: So what next?
Lexie: Either find the city bus station or get a grand taxi outside.  City bus is 40dhs for three people or taxi is 600 dhs. 
Joe: Ok, so what do you think?
Lexie: Taxi.  Worth the $80 after that night.  Get us there in half the time as the city bus and room to spread our bodies. 

Meet Ahmed.  He drove us to Chefchaouen for 600 dhs.  Before we left, he offered to take us to a cafe for breakfast.  One point for Ahmed.  A great cafe with yummy olives for breakfast.  Actually, the best olives Joe and I have had yet (they are offered at nearly every cafe and restaurant before your order).  Ahmed spoke mostly Arabic with broken Spanish since Tangier is so close to Spain.  We were able to communicate with my VERY broken Spanish (yay for high school spanish I and II).  I felt very useful actually and relished that I was the one who was able to speak a little bit to him (normally, Joe speaks Arabic in Marrakech to get us around). 



 

We hoped in the car and started the twisty turny drive to Chefchaouen.  The drive was beautiful with fields, rolling hills and small villages spread throughout the land.

After a horrid train ride with a little girl who refused to sleep- this is what the backseat of our taxi ride looked like.  Good thing Chaddy decided to let her use him as a pillow.

 I took this picture for several reasons, first, I am truly love my kiddos and I adore when they cuddle me.  It is rare and will only last for so long.  Second, if you recall, I wanted to get the taxi so I could spread my body and have room... you see that seat over there-- not being utilized to its full potential?  Yeah.  Me too. 

Then they decided to sprawl out while I was still jammed against the door sitting straight up hollering at Joe about all the sights and taking random pictures out the window like a true tourist/traveler...

Two hours later, we arrived, bid farewell to Ahmed and met a tour guide named Abdul Shalam.  He took us to a hotel in the Medina and showed Joe and few places.  Surprising, against what tend to be the culture here, he didn't charge Joe.  Joe just must be that charismatic.  People like him.  He connects well.  We decided to walk around the blue city of Chefchaouen and take in the sights and the medina.  We came across this place in the first few minutes.  The two men are from the Sahara Desert and invited us in to take a peek at carpets.  We went in- mostly just for the experience rather than the actual carpets.  Boy, did we have one amazing experience.  He pulled out carpet after carpet telling us stories and the meaning behind the designs and colors.  We spent some time there, drinking tea, listening to his stories and the kids got to play some drums. 

When we departed (along with some rugs) the kids were given the drums as a gift.  They bang on them here at home every now and again.  We continued walking through the medina.  The buildings of the medina are washed and painted in a beautiful blue that seems as if the town should be near the ocean, but rather it sits at the base and onto the Rif Mountains.  The people of Chefchaouen have to paint rather consistently in order to keep up with the blue.

Nearly every door has an ornate design

Since the city sits in the base and up into the Rif Mountains, the medina is littered with stairs that you must climb to get to one place to the next.  No mopeds in the souks like Marrakech.

The view from a top a terrace in Chefchaouen.  The path leads up to a ruined mosque and small villages that are settled deeper into the mountains.

As we walked through Chefchaouen, we approached a shop that was blaring music that would best be described a Bob Marley.  I told Joe, you can't walk by that art gallery and not become instantly relaxed.  Such a laid back feel... This bar was sitting right inside the art gallery.  The artist was painting in a corner off to the side and just welcomed each passer by.

We ended up in another carpet shop and the kids drank tea as we talked with another carpet man...

This necklace was given to Happy as a gift from the carpet man.  In Chefchaouen, they often give a lot of gifts to children especially when you buy things.  Joe and I at one point got a 'better' deal from a gentlemen because 'we have two kids.'  Sweet!  These children are finally starting to save us some money!

We took a walk through the medina at night, Joe paused and pulled me aside and just told me to "look."  I captured this picture, which still does not do any justice to the sight we actually experienced.  The beauty, the life, the world...

On our way back to the hotel, there was a pastry cart that only opened in the early morning and then again at dark.  We bought four pastries (one not pictured) and each of us tried bites of each.  Two of them were the best pastries we have had in Morocco yet. 

 

We finally called it a night with tired legs, satisfied bellies and two children who trekked through Chefchaouen for the day.  The next morning, we got up and at 'em to explore the mountains some more!  I kept getting captivated by the blue walkways through the medina.  They were absolutely amazing and gorgeous. 



Our hotel

 



We had omelets on a rooftop terrace at a restaurant in the square and the kids and Joe played with bread and juice.  Apparently, mango juice on bread is rather appetizing!

As we walked, I wanted to capture a similar image to the night image above.  Here is part of Chefchaouen, towering below one of the Rif Mountains.  You can see the hints of blue striking up through the buildings in the medina.

Donkeys are used a lot in Marrakech to pull carts filled with bread, fruit, etc...  In Marrakech, the donkeys usually look rather sickly.  They have sores and are often emaciated.  These donkeys in Chefchaouen were hauling propane tanks as stoves in Morocco are run off of propane (even ours).  These donkeys were rather refreshing to see... clean, strong.

We walked to the Ras-El Maa waterfalls.  These pictures capture bit of the beauty but hide the sad cultural reality of Morocco in general.  Trash is scattered EVERY WHERE.  The streets, the waterfalls, the mountains, filling abandoned buildings.  So, I captivate you mind with these falls, but in reality it was difficult to capture these images of the much anticipated waterfall- that was not in fact, really a waterfall.

We walked past the waterfalls and into the mountains hoping to find the ruined mosque.  Drums were beating and we could hear locals performing a ritual and dance of prayer.  We hiked up and could finally see them all. 

These have become my new favorite pictures of Happy.  Her beauty and life is completely captured in just the colors of her surroundings and her clothes.

 

This is Abdul Salam.  He is the gentlemen who showed us around Chefchaouen and we kept running into him and would have conversation and tea.  He took Happy up and down the stairs of the mosque.  I stayed behind... because I am a woman.  I would be disrespecting the culture and their beliefs if I were to cross those boundaries.

Claire would not let us brush her teeth... but you know who she allowed to help her out... of course.

The next morning, we ended up at a restaurant called Restaurant Assaada, which has gotten recommendation from the backpackers.  We stumbled on it by accident, but it was lovely and was a nice escape from the cafes near the square.

On our last day, I came across the "Hat Man."  Made me think of my mom, so I snagged this picture.

On our final day of our trip, we called Ahmed, the taxi driver who brought us to Chefchaouen and asked his to pick us up the next morning.  Joe sounded like this on the phone:

"Ahmed, hola.  Chefchaouen- manana nueve?"
"si."

It worked.  We got picked up.  He took us directly to the train station so Joe could purchase our night train tickets back.  At this point, Ahmed asked if we wanted a tour of the city.  Joe accepted and Ahmed showed us the sights in Tangier.  I am sure we paid too much, but in reality, Ahmed spent the ENTIRE day driving us around, showing us Tangier and we LOVED our Tangier experience.  Two points for Ahmed.

Ahmed took us to the fishing port so we could look at the boats.  Chad loved seeing all of the boats.

We watched this man fish.  You see in his hand that he has a stick.  Attached to the stick is a lot of fishing line with a hook on the end.  We watched him "cast" 6 times and catch 5 fish.  He would throw out his fishing line toward the fish, feel them move and then yank the fishing line.  The fish were often captured by the hook in the fins rather than baiting them in.  The cat enjoyed him too.

Very long fishing poles

Ahmed took us to the light house the functions for the three ports for the three different countries.  Tangier, Morocco; Tarifa, Spain; and Gibraltar, UK.

I was fascinated by these wind blown trees.  Beautiful and captivated by what nature does.

Wherever we went, the water was blue.  You can see in this picture the water literally changes color as you look out.  The shades of blue.

Ahmed dropped us off in the city so we could eat lunch.  He told Joe he would be back in an hour.  Now, here is a lesson in humanity and trust.  Joe didn't hesitate.  Joe told Ahmed goodbye and that an hour will be fine.  I paused, shocked that we were leaving all of our luggage in the taxi, trusting a man that we didn't know in a completely different country to come back.  We hadn't paid him, but our luggage in the trunk was worth more than what we owed him.  Now, all of our stuff was replaceable.  We had all of our 'important things' in order to get home, so it would be just stuff... but the pain of replacing and watching it all disappear would have been tough.  Joe, he trusted, didn't worry, but LOVED playing into my worry as Ahmed got later and later past the time he was supposed to arrive.   A half and hour late, Ahmed came back.  I love that we have a trusting man like Joe in the family.

We went and saw a castle, Chad freaked with excitement.

 

 

The house of Ismail.  Not sure who he is and what he does, but beautiful entrance.

As we went into the mountains, past all of the 'elite' homes, Ahmed explained a lot of them were Saudi oil owners that own homes up in the hills of Tangier... guards littered outside gates protecting the people and contents inside.  In addition, Mohammed V, the kind owns home in Tangier that took up nearly half to three quarters of the hill.  No photographs allowed.  Amazing sights to keep burned into my memory though.

Our last stop that Ahmed took us to was the Grotte D'Hercules.  These cafes and tables sat right along the water.  We paid a small fee to climb down into the caves, which used to be a prison.  The cells were dark, damp, and rather intimidating. 

Ahmed, Happy and Mommy

The waves violently crashed in, swirled around and hammered against the rocks.  Ahmed told us that this was the view to the world.

To end our visit and Tangier tour, we sipped mint tea watching the waves crash into the rocks- just enjoying the view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Happy Feet

On the way to the train station, we had two tucked out world explorers, ready for the night train.  Admittedly, Joe and I were not ready for what might have been in store for us.

However, this time, Joe reserved four couchettes (bunks).  Point for daddy.  We had our own compartment, our own beds.  That was the first win.  Second win?  Chad slept the entire time, Happy until she finally climbed in with me at about 5am and Joe and I got some shut eye between all of the body shaking from the train tracks, train repair at 1230 am and some couple getting busy in the next compartment until someone else knocked on their wall... yep. That all happened.

Farewell, for now.  More adventure posting to come.  We love and miss you all at home.

xo

Lex