On Friday morning, I had to say b'salaama (goodbye) to Najat and her family, and head off onto my own. I was a little sad about this prospect, because I have enjoyed being with their family, and having someone to talk to, and someone to practice my Darija with and give me advice about how and where and what to do in Rabat. But their spaces are rented for the spring, and I found an apartment of my own, so I packed up my suitcases and left in the rain. My apartment agent Driss came to help with the move. After a while (thankfully my suitcases can take the rain) , we found a taxi that was large enough to carry my three suitcases and us, and it brought us to the new place. There were some disappointments. Since I had given a deposit on the apartment a week ago, and it was not previously rented, I expected that it would be cleaned, non-working things repaired, and the missing items supplied. This was not the case. There was additionally the question of getting Wi-Fi installed, and so we had to head over to Maroc Telecom to get that business taken care of. At this point, Driss had to leave; it was Friday, and he needed to go to the mosque. (As a side note, it surprises me that life goes on pretty much normally on Fridays, even though that is the day that everyone has a big couscous dinner, and you are supposed to go to mosque, but businesses remain open. Oddly, it seems like more things are closed down so people can be home on Sundays. But maybe I just don't know enough about that yet.) Anyhow, the Maroc Telecom agent wanted me to sign a 12-month contract because my landlady refused to sign the contract... well, it was all a bit crazy and maddening. Here is a thing that I did not realize about Morocco before I got here, though people probably told me and I didn't get it: LOTS of people here don't speak French. At all. Or poorly. Including my landlady. So, let's just say that the moving experience was not going well, and I was supposed to be at a couscous luncheon being hosted for all the Fulbrighters at MACECE. Where I showed up a little late, on the absolute edge of tears. Plus I was having an exceedingly bad hair day. So dear Ahlam and Mustapha (who went with me to get my telephone) snapped to attention, called Driss and the landlady over to MACECE, and after the couscous, we had a big powwow. There are many more steps to this process, but I will end it now by saying that I am posting this from my apartment, where there is now wifi, along with hot water, a kitchen table, a pot and tea kettle to heat water on the little stove, a working washing machine, a functional television, bulbs in most sockets, and an excellent supply of polar fleece sheets and blankets that I purchased to keep warm. Let me totally conclude this episode by saying that I have met the most kind and wonderful and helpful people here, especially in the persons mentioned above. There was a bit of a rocky jumping off point, but if I didn't have any kind of cultural correction to make, how would I know I'm in a different culture? It's why living somewhere is different from vacationing there. Kitchen eating area Kitchen cooking area, and that's the hot water heater on the wall. Polar-tek bedroom #1 Second bedroom, with access to a small balcony, where I will enjoy my morning coffee as soon as it warms up and dries out a bit. Bathtub/shower and washing machine in the "salle de bains", Living room by night My street.
8 Comments
Ruth Barker
2/13/2017 04:41:11 am
Oh, Marcie! What a wonderful experience! Keep sharing with us. Enjoy every adventure and stay safe!
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BeckyG.
2/13/2017 06:51:18 am
What an experience. Have a wonderful time.
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Rita
2/13/2017 05:56:08 pm
Wow. Reminds me of the last two apartments I lived in. Take lots of pictures of the place before cleaning. Purchase fabric and cover appolstered areas. You can't have an adventure without a few bumps along the way.
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Beth
2/13/2017 06:04:08 pm
Looks really nice!!! Is this ground floor?
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Marcie
2/14/2017 02:15:38 am
I think this is officially the "first" floor of the building; that is to say the first floor up from the ground floor, where there is a Salon de Thé. It's nice to be able to pop right down there for a coffee or tea and some people-watching. Also, the business on the other side of the door into my building is a beauty parlor, which is recognizable by the large photo of George Clooney in the window. I'll have to get a shot of that to share!
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Ray Stutzman
2/15/2017 03:55:51 pm
Marcie,that living room looks like you could invite quite a few for your first party!
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Cynthia Reedy
2/15/2017 08:29:24 pm
You did it! Now, a cup of tea and put your feet up! I love your living room and your street looks great. I hope you are starting to feel "at home"
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Gladys Murray
2/17/2017 04:23:53 am
Funny! We had a similar hot water heater in Japan and Italy fifty years ago. Your apartment looks great.
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Marcie StutzmanTeacher, Researcher, Adventurer, Explorer; Maybe crazy; Possibly too old for this Archives
October 2018
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