The New Normal - Eating in Morocco

Some days it seems that I do nothing but eat!  The food in Casa can be unbelievably tasty, while other dishes I might describe as, well let's say, "mysterious".

Breakfast spread at GWA

School lunches at GWA are generally tasty, and very reasonably priced at only 25 Dh, about $2.50.  They are definitely not what you would typically think about when you imagine a school lunch.  Most days I buy lunch and bring half of it home for Richard to eat the next day for his lunch.  There is always salad and fruit, along with a beautiful (usually Moroccan) main dish, and, of course, some sort of French patisserie for dessert. Also included is French bread and a choice of water or soda.  There is almost always some ingredient on my plate that I can't identify (for better or for worse)!  Below is a typical lunch at GWA and one of the breakfasts provided for orientation.  Eat your hearts out, Canterbury and GDS!

The salad usually has unusual ingredients

Yet more GWA food at Danielle's party

There are hundreds of restaurants around the city, so we've barley scratched the surface when it comes to eating out.  There is a place called "Leo's" right next door to us; they serve mostly Italian food. I've eaten spaghetti and pizza there, but Richard is usually more adventurous, ordering tajine and other Moroccan dishes.  

Tajine at Leo's

We discovered another Italian place called Luigi over by St. John's church.  We went there with some new friends from church last Sunday.  There are also many little places around the city, most of which I really don't trust the food.  After getting food poisoning my first week, I will only eat at very nice restaurants, at school, or at home.

Luigi's Italian Restaurant

You might not think you could get a dish like this at an Italian place; like I said "mysterious".

Coffee at Luiji's

Coffee is an interesting phenomenon in Casa.  There are coffee cafe's on every corner.  You mostly see men there, but I have seen the occasional woman as well.  Generally they drink the coffee out of small glasses.  Richard has ordered black coffee a few times, but really ends of getting served a drink more like espresso.  Luckily, we were able to find a great coffee maker for the house, and Richard is able to buy ground coffee at the local grocery stores.  There are also a number of Starbucks shops in Casa, unusual for Africa.

Tea is also a big deal here.  Very sweet mint tea is widely available. During orientation GWA's kitchen staff presented a traditional Moroccan tea ceremony, which was very nice.  I have been able to find regular black tea here and I still enjoy a cup each morning. Unfortunately, I can't find decaf black tea, and I really miss not having a cup in the evenings.

Tea ceremony at GWA

There are French boulangerie's (bakeries) on every corner, which specialise in French pastries and other treats.  They also serve French pastries, and other awesome treats in most of the restaurants where we've eaten.  Fruit is also a typical offering for dessert, along with ice cream.  The ice cream tastes less sweet to me than what you would typically get in the U.S., and it is very creamy.

Susan ready to eat ice cream and fruit at Luigi's

Dessert choices at Luigi's

I wonder which looks better!

Yummy pie

You can actually eat at McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Burger King and KFC!  We walked over to Pizza Hut for fun last weekend, and had lunch there.  The food was comforting somehow, and they have a very unusual "Moroccan" salad bar.  Outside the restaurant were the delivery motor cycles.

Pizza delivery vehicles

Meat lovers, of course, but what kind of meat is the question.

There are a number of informal restaurants around that look more like butcher shops.  You walk up to a meat case, pick out what you want and have it weighed.  They hand it to the cook, who prepares your meal.

One thing I miss when eating out is the ice in drinks.  Soft drinks and water are served cold (sort of), but you never see ice.  One of the first things we did when we arrived was to buy ice cube trays. But, you have to make the ice using bottled water.  Speaking of water, we buy bottled water for everything and use it for drinking and cooking.  It feels so wrong throwing out all those plastic bottles, but that's just the way it is here.

Something that has not changed, I absolutely prefer the delicious meals prepared by my husband.  He has scoured the city looking for our favorite ingredients.  Richard has found such delicacies as barbecue sauce, a facsimile of Texas Pete, grated Parmesan cheese, popcorn, and even Pringles!  He has prepared ginger chicken (poule), turkey (dinde) pie and massive amounts of cooked veggies. Richard is bummed that he has been unable to find a slow cooker anywhere, but we are making do for now.  And, alas, no pork (but, working on getting to the commissary.)

Slaving over a hot stove!  What he does for love!!

The New Normal - Judy's the boss!

Who knew!?

On Thursday, August 18, I had to go to the "commune" in Casa, which is basically like going to a notary in the states.  GWA is working on our "carte de sejour" files, in order to get us residency visas in Morocco (we are currently here on tourist visas).  In order for Richard (and two other spouses who are not working) to be "legal" I had to sign a "prise en charge" for him, which means I take responsibility for him.  He will get his residency card through me and (more importantly) I am officially head of the household!

I have been trying to figure out a way to use the fact that Richard is now my "ward" to my advantage.  Any ideas?  :-)

Judy, Kevin, Luke

Basically a notary

Signature #1

Signature #2 - It's all so official!

The New Normal - The Capital of Morocco, Rabat

Last Wednesday, GWA arranged an all-day excursion for us newbies to visit the capital of Morocco, Rabat.  We took a school bus to the train station, and then an hour-long train ride to Rabat.  The train was comfortable and not too hot. The scenery as we went started out was very much "city scape",  eventually changed to countryside as we left Casa and back to city upon entering the capital.

Judy and Richard on the train to Rabat (from Casa)

Train Station at Casa

Rabat is a heavily policed city with about 1.7 million inhabitants.  This city has been Morocco's political and administrative capital since its independence in 1956.  It has beautiful colonial architecture and the streets are lined with palm trees.  Rabat has less traffic, and seems more laid-back and less grimy and frenetic than Casa.

First, we walked around the water area and the Kasbah of the Oudaias, an old castle.  It is located at the mouth of the Bou Regreg river and was built in the 12th century.  The castle is in the oldest part of the city and boasts stunning views of the river and ocean.  The Kasbah now is primarily residential, with narrow streets and a "blue theme".  Most of the houses were built by Muslim refugees from Spain and it is a lovely, picturesque place in which to wander.

Kasbah of the Oudaias

Next we had lunch with the group at Le Restaurant Dhow, le grand bateau.  It was a touristy place, but very pleasant and relaxing. The bow of the boat was cool, with couches and pillows.

Our third destination was the Chellah; Necropolis, Roman and Phoenician ruins.  The walled area of Chellah was the site of the port of Sala for 1,500 years.  After you pass through an ornamental gate (paying 10 Dh to get in), you see paths that lead down through the gardens, trees and ruins in the valley.  It was so cool to see the storks in their huge, high nests, making a clicking-clacking sound.

Stork nests in Chellah

Chellah Stork 

Our last destination before heading back to Casa was the medina "Rue du consul", a touristy shopping area.  They have beautiful items including leatherwear, clothes, purses/bags, shoes, pillows, cloth, rugs, etc.  For some reason, I didn't take a picture; the one below is from the Internet.  :-)  I'll get a few next trip!

The New Normal (on Sundays) - St. Johns Church, Casablanca

St. John's Church

Tent for Children's Sunday School

Very cool, braided (I think) trees

 

Outside of the church grounds

Richard and I had the privilege of attending our first church service at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church this morning.  What a wonderful little oasis right in the heart of the city.

History (early years):  The church was founded in 1904 when members of the British community in Casablanca came together to plan what would eventually become St. John's.  The foundation was laid in 1905, the work was completed in 1906, and eventually consecrated in 1911. 

Unfortunately, the church got off to a rocky start; the first pastor died while supervising the building project, next the building was pillaged and almost destroyed in 1907, with the caretaker and his family being abducted and held until the church paid ransom. Lastly, the first two chaplains died shortly upon their arrival in 1909 and 1911. 

Thankfully, luck improved and seasonal chaplains served until eventually a full time chaplain named Rev GFB Morris was appointed in 1934.  He was succeeded by Rev. Cecil Green who served until he retired in 1983.

History (the continuing story):  Services were held during WWII.  There was a strong American military presence in Morocco for a time, and General George S. Paton was among the many military personnel who regularly attended services at St. John's.  General Paton donated the oak pulpit and his widow the communion table.

The sanctuary is beautiful and made of stone with an impressive exposed-beam- constructed ceiling.   The building also boasts gorgeous stained-glass windows. The three windows over the pulpit celebrate John, Paul and Peter, and my photos simply do not do them justice.  There are many other smaller, but equally beautiful windows, on either side of the sanctuary.  The pews are made of wood, with thin cushioning, and a little ledge off the back of each.  It's a little tight and the wood is hard; we are spoiled at ORPC!  Outside is a large tent, where Sunday school for children is offered.  There are also beautiful, old plants and trees, ancient tomb stones and a play set for kids.  In a way the setting is like a park; peaceful and shady.  The church property is surrounded by very old, crumbling buildings.

Two services are held each Sunday, and we attended the 9:30AM this week. The music is more contemporary in nature (although I only knew one of the songs). The "band" consists of a guitarist/song leader and a few folks playing congas and hand drums.  The song words (and the service flow) are projected on a small screen.  This seems out-of-place, given the age of the building and the traditional nature of the place.  However, it does make sense for a contemporary service and the money-saving aspect.   Next week we will be attending the later service, which features African music.  I don't believe there is a more "traditional" Christian music offering at any church in Casa.

The pastor's name is Canon M. Sabry and he is originally from Egypt.  Today he presented some opening remarks about the church, as this is the beginning of a new season and many of us were first-timers.  (FYI - Morocco has a law against any sort of Christian proselytization, and if you do, it is very easy to get yourself deported. But, the King is fine with Christians worshipping here.) Pastor Sabry's sermon dealt with the idea that God is searching for everybody everywhere, and we should be asking Him to "search me",  rather than simply confessing what we (mere mortals) may think our sins are.  He also said "God has made us vessels of honor to represent him everywhere on this planet",  and that we should try to live our Christian lives in this Muslim country keeping this in mind.  His words were meaningful to me, and I will try to keep them in mind as I walk the next two years.

Richard never has trouble making friends!

The New Normal - Stomach Bug

Hello Friends!  

I've been getting a number of texts, emails, and Facebook messages asking how things are going over here in Casablanca.  I apologize for not responding or blogging this week; on top of the jet lag and a very busy GWA schedule, I managed to catch a stomach bug/food poisoning which basically lasted for 5 days!  Unfortunately, I had to miss a bunch of orientation, but I'm happy to report that I am feeling a lot better and my outlook on life in Africa has improved 100-fold.

I decided that my first post might as well be about dealing with being ill over here, since that is what has been on my mind this week.  First of all, we have a really great nurse on campus named Hannah Hair.  She was super helpful in her advice about how to survive feeling so lousy.  She also provided the staff a list of health care clinics and doctors for future use; we hope to to find a general practitioner ASAP.

So, back to my experience last week . . . You should know that a "Pharmacie" here is not exactly the same as pharmacy in the U.S.  You can still get the usual pain killers, etc. but, amazingly enough, you can get antibiotics and other drugs without a prescription.  Nurse Hair advised that we don't do this unless truly necessary.  Well, she finally deemed it essential for me, and Richard went on a journey on Thursday to find Ciprofloxacine (an antibiotic for travelers diarrhea.)  

We had previously noticed many pharmacies in the area where we live and assumed this would be no problem. Come to find out, a good number are closed for the month of August as many folks take vacations at this time.  Yes, they just close up shop for the month, something pretty much unheard of in the states.  Anyway, quite a bit of walking later my hero found an open pharmacie and got the drug.

I should be as good as new by Monday.  I promise my blogs will get more interesting (and less gross) as I go!  

Take care,

Judy

P.S.  Richard pointed out that the French word for fish is "poisson" . . . take out one "s" and you get "POISON!"  I'm fairly sure it was some fish I ate that made me sick.  Richard ate the beef; figures!  Ain't life grand?