Flips flopped & Switches flipped

I never know how my day went till it’s done. Yesterday was one of those days. I’ve switched my blogging times to the following day because my days have been so long and full lately that I can’t just blog at around midnight anymore. I really need the rest. 

So here’s how my day went and let’s just say there were a bunch of unexpected, serendipitous, or even Holy Spirit orchestrated moments. Today I’ve had more time to think as I’ve had more time to myself. Eventually what I thought would be a rainy, slow lazy day eventually turned into a sunny, productive, full one. 

The first decision I made was actually on Sunday not yesterday, Monday. 

Side-note: At home my biggest decisions revolve around my workday: how to respond to a contentious Slack message or whether to exercise in the morning before work or if I’ll have time to cook after work or purchase something instead. Here my days have been much longer, partially because people eat dinner much later, as late as 9pm or 10 and still get up at 7ish. And with one of the calls to prayer around 4:45 AM each day your day may begin even earlier if you can’t fall back asleep. My meals have also been much larger. I’m a smoothie girl for breakfast, salad and skill portion of leftover for lunch and a more rounded dinner with vegetables, protein & starch. Here I’ve been eating lots of bread or flatbreads in every meal. 

All that said, I decided to ask to stay a few more days at my home stay instead of venturing into the pampered hotel lifestyle as originally planned. I thought it would be good to save the money, do any excursions independently apart from a hotel, continue the cultural immersion and keep getting those steps (around 15k per day) if I’m able to stay in the Medina. My request was accepted! Let the good times roll! 

Moment 1

We got a new volunteer in the house through a different program called OffToMorocco. She is from Belgium doing a class teaching a women’s group. Like us she wasn’t sure what to teach and we assured her all would go well. She was really sweet. First I thought she was supposed to take my spot so I felt a bit self-conscious being around; but all was well and she was very nice and staying upstairs.

Moment 2

Without pre-school in the morning I had time to do regular-people-stuff. I needed to wash some clothes. My host mom showed me the machine and I had chosen just the right amount to wash: underwear & a couple sweaty shirts was about all the narrow machine could handle. Also women’s underwear can’t be hung outside or in open areas like the bannister with the rest of the clothes so I was planning ahead how to handle that. Only option was to hang in my room across my headboard and on the carry-on closet shelving system wh I came with my Solgaard suitcase which I loved!  

Moment 3 

I needed to buy my train ticket to Marrakech and  almost got wrong one. I accidentally purchased from the wrong Rabat station instead of Rabat Ville. Thanks to another volunteer who advised me via WhatsApp at just the right time. In the meantime, I repacked suitcase, hung clothes, made calls all while pouring raining thunder and lightening still in PJs.

Moment 4

By 11AM my roommate was back home from preschool, not feeling well. She’d walked home in the cold pouring rain and arrived drenched. I didn’t mention it before but she’d actually had tummy issues on Friday. Then I had it Saturday. So we flip flopped and now she was feeling sick again. Our  coordinator stopped by to visit her but she was asleep. Since my underwear was all over the room drying, it worked out and we just sat in the living room area. 

Moment 5

By noonish it was sunny again and I decided to go for walk for fresh air and to get my bearings a bit better. I eventually get to the beach and who do I see, way off down the shore, out of all the rocks everywhere… but the new housemate! We chatted a while and she had a great first day!

Moment 6

After I left the beach, I was given an impromptu 10-15 min tour of the kasbah near the beach. My roommate had a similar situation the week. By the end of the tour he wanted money and I was aiming for the purple 20MAD note and accidentally grabbed the wrong  purple money… 😬 . He got 200MAD.

Moment 7

Still walking along the coast I decided to stop and read. I’d been reading a Christian book called Fervent about strategies for prayer. As the call to prayer was being sung and I was reading, I thought about how I hadn’t really seen anyone stop at each call to pray. I’ll have to ask if people adhere to it. But I found myself thinking what a blessing it is to pray regularly at any time without obligation or guilt about missing a time. I don’t know if Muslims deal with this, but it crossed my mind.

Moment 8

Before I left the beach, I got a WhatsApp message from my roommate. She decided to leave! She’d be going back to England tomorrow. So I decided to get up and get back to the Medina.

Moment 9

On my way walking through the souks, I hear from one of the volunteers from our weekend trip, the same that advised me about the train and we meet near Rabat Medina tram. I tell him about my roommate, then as we walk back another volunteer hears my voice so now he’s heading back with us. Our coordinator called me from the door to get in the house. But of course I’m not home so my roommate lets him in. I get back with the two guys and she’s in the room packing meanwhile all my underwear’s everywhere as our coordinator is sitting on my bed. 🤦🏾‍♀️ Can’t say I was “horrified” it’s just panties and bras… no real lingerie and nothing scandalous lol just really ironic how 3 men ended up in there today, of all days… lol

Moment 10

We finally left the house to do some souvenir shopping and get a quick dinner. I ordered the harissa soup and fries, even though they are not really al a carte on the menu. Then found out that’s my coordinator’s go-to order! Over dinner we solidified plans for the next day trip. Guess who’s going to Casablanca today, and not by train! 😄

More to come later! 

P.S. Can you believe I’m actually missing my laptop today for the first time?! With all this blogging I would have been much faster typing. I’ll backtrack and add pics when I can, it’s 6:10 AM now and I need to get dressed for Casablanca and grab clothes off the bannister before we leave at 7… Update: we started driving at about 7:30 and I’m posting now at 9:04.. and we are now at the airport.