Some wonderful news...

Othman and I are through the first stage in the Green Card process!! 

It has been a long wait, and there are many hurdles yet to jump through, and two more stages in this long, tedious, and difficult process, but I'm celebrating this milestone!

Farewell for now

Yesterday Othman had to leave. We had such a wonderful time during his visit and it was hard to see him off, but I'm so thankful he was able to come!

Whenever someone who is visiting leaves, my family always takes farewell group pictures in the yard. Of course we couldn't break with tradition and took some cute ones before Maria and I took Othman to the airport.

I love these ones in particular!

During his visit Othman and I spent a lot of quality time together, bought a car, he met some of my colleagues and saw my workplace... all in all it was lovely, and a nice preview of what it'll be like when he comes for real! Fingers crossed that his green card processing goes quickly and well!

More fun in MN

In the afternoon Labor Day we headed to the Science Museum of Minnesota per the recommendation of Isabel and Matt who had been on a date there before. It was cute and educational too. We learned about weather, physics, dinos, and even past pseudo-science fads!

Othman even got to imagine himself as an astronaut.

It was a fun afternoon!

After that we were feeling peckish and went to a diner for some authentic American fare.

Awww, so cute.

While in the Cities we also had a lovely Sushi dinner with Isabel and Matt! It was a really lovely night and it was great to have a double date with them.

We loved our trip! We got back to South Dakota happy and rested from our little vacation.

A Morning at the Zoo

On Labor Day we decided to visit the Como Zoo in the morning, since it wasn't far and was a nice, small, and walkable. Plus neither of us had been to a zoo in years and years, so we thought it'd be fun!  

We laughed at the cute monkeys first.

There was a big family of Gorillas who were just beautiful.

There was also a super cute baby orangutan who was entertaining a big crowd.

We also saw some cool aquatic animals,

 and photogenic giraffes

and zebras.

We stopped by the gift shop on the way out and spent way too much money on gifts there, and then I had fun photographing some of the gorgeous water plants on the way out.

Next up: Labor Day afternoon!

Reconnections

Labor Day weekend meant a day off, and meant O and I wanted a road trip/mini vacation! We headed 4 hours East to the Twin Cities and had a really lovely time staying in an Airbnb and visiting new places and old friends! 

I worked with Catherine and Brian last year at Casablanca American School, and they just moved into a charming old house in St. Paul, and we spent a lovely Sunday with them! First we got a tour of their house and had fun reconnecting and playing with Julian, their 2 and a 1/2 year old.

We had lunch at the amazing Midtown Global Market, where we were too busy eating to take pictures. Then they took us to the Guthrie Theater, which had a really beautiful overlook of the river, as seen above, and a fun golden box overlook too.

We all were feeling a bit pooped at that point and lay down on the benches and chilled for a while, and I took a few pictures because I liked the fun tint to the nicely diffused light.

Even Julian took a little nap during our tour of the theater.

We then walked down next to the old mill, while Brian told us all about the history of the flour milling industry in Minneapolis, and this building which had been the site of both a giant explosion and a fire later on, and is now a beautiful venue for weddings and events. We even saw a wedding getting set up on our way back. 

We took a few pictures on the long bridge over the water.

Julian had just woken up and wasn't really into the idea of getting his picture taken, but he was definitely having a fun time looking at the waterfalls created by the dam and spotting dogs accompanying the other Sunday strollers.

What a cute family! 

Thanks for a lovely day Brian and Catherine! I can't wait to visit again once Julian becomes a big brother in November!

New car!

It's so wonderful having my husband visit! Othman and I are having a really great time with my family, being silly and just hanging out.

Part of why I was so happy we was coming was because he wanted to help me buy a car! I've needed one since I arrived in July, but I haven't found one in Brookings and haven't had time to go to Sioux Falls to look for one. So it ended up that the day after he got here, this happened!

At the end of the day the car we bought is one that he has dreamed about since he was a kid, so it's really a car for him, not me. But it's a Subaru which means it's reliable and has 4WD, so I'm happy to drive it around until he arrives this winter! At that point we'll see if we need to buy a little commuter car as well, but this baby will be our main transport. It's such a cute car and we love it!

For the long Labor Day weekend we wanted to get away from SD and get to know our new car, so we took a trip to the Cities! More on that in the next post.

In which hubby comes to visit!

As we wait for Othman's green card, he has stayed in Morocco working while I'm living and working here. Being apart has been anything but fun, but luckily he was able to come to visit! The last leg of his flight was the same as Patrick's flight home for Labor Day, and they even got seats next to each other. 

Flying into Sioux Falls they spotted our old acreage, where the family lived for 8 years.

I picked them up at the airport and we had a fun drive home!

Mom made us a lovely family dinner to celebrate togetherness.

Happy.

Farewell for now!

 A lot has happened in the past month! So much that time to blog has been nonexistent. I finished my time at Casablanca American School and said some very bittersweet goodbyes, Ramadan has come and gone, and I've moved to the US! I start my new job tomorrow and am very nervous and excited. But leaving Morocco, and my life and friends wasn't easy, especially given that I had to leave Othman there too, until his Green Card gets approved. So in the days and weeks leading up to my recent departure I made lots of time for those I love!

We hosted friends at our place for many Ramadan lftours (breaking of the fast for Muslims, when the sun goes down). It was lovely to spend calm evenings together talking about the past and future. Here's an example of one of our Ramadan spreads, complete with lentil salad, vegetable soup, chocolate cake, French pastries, and smoked salmon toast!

Two days before I left Othman and I gathered many friends at the newly installed Chili's in Casablanca for a farewell dinner/lftour. This picture didn't quite get everyone in it, as many people came and went throughout the many hours we spent there. It was such a wonderful night, filled with friendship and conversation and love and good food of course! It made me so grateful for the friends I've made in Morocco, and while it was hard to say goodbye I know I'll be back and will be seeing them soon enough!

Knowing I wouldn't see my husband for many months made getting on the plane last week very, very difficult. So the night before and at the airport we took bunches of pictures together... some sillier than others!

Goodbyes are hard, but these goodbyes are not forever, and I'm excited for what's to come!

Bassidi

Othman's grandpa died this morning.

"Bassidi", as Othman and his siblings call him, was one of the first people I felt comfortable around here in Morocco. He was a kind and supremely gentle man, whose eyes and whole being emanated wisdom and love. As the oldest of 14, he was in large part the glue that held the numerous and sprawling Berrada clan together. He is already greatly missed and will be for a long time to come.

As I looked through the pictures on my computer to illustrate this post I felt a deep sense of sadness as I realized I don't have any pictures of he, Othman, and I. I know some have been taken over the years but don't know where to find any. However, I do love these sweet moments that I captured last fall of him with his granddaughter (Othman's cousin) and great-grandson.

And this one, by Alli, of father and son at our wedding, which he hosted at his home. It makes me smile—Bassidi was always after something sweet to eat.

Today I feel torn; heartbroken for Othman and his family who are grieving deeply today at the loss of the family's beloved patriarch, grateful that Bassidi passed in his sleep and is free from the pain he had been in for the past few days, and thankful that I was given the chance to know and love such a beautiful soul.

Flowers in May

Othman has been winning in the flowers-for-his-wife game this month.  Flowers here are cheap, fragrant and gorgeous and I love having them around. Take a look at what has been brightening up our living room recently!

 Birthday bouquet #1

Birthday bouquet #2

And a just because bouquet!

Thanks lovey for making me smile!

Springtime in Ifrane

While school was out last week, Othman and I made a short trip to Ifrane, a small town in the Moroccan mountains about four hours away. He had caught a nasty chest infection so in addition to needing a break from Casa and everyday life, we were in search of fresh, clean air.

And we got lots of it.

We followed paths, roads, and streams,

found wildlife,

(of course these were Othman's favorite.)

water,

trees full of character,

and signs of spring.

  

We visited Ifrane's famous lion at night,

and were impressed with the giant seal of Morocco on display.

It was a trip that made me wonder...

why hadn't we done this before?