One Year and My Meeting with the King

On Tuesday we celebrated on our one year anniversary in North Africa. To celebrate our group went out to dinner and played a game to reminisce on our past year here. Ahh...seems like only yesterday we were packing up our eight ginormous bags and heading over here.

I had an important meeting with the King this week. As you can see he is a large man and he stood very still for our photo. I have been wondering when he was finally gonna ask me over!

Here is my feeble attempt at sugar cookies, and I use the term "cookies" loosely. I think I mixed up the baking powder and baking soda. The label is in French and I can never remember when to use which one. I was too embarrassed to take them to my neighbors, which would have been impossible anyway seeing as how I when I tried to lift them off the pan they crumbled into pieces. You see, it's not only that I CAN'T cook, I really SHOULDN'T cook!

City Scenes and New Hairdo's

This video was taking last Friday at the call to prayer and the biggest mosque in the city was overflowing with people. Watch to see the different postures Muslims use to pray.



Here is the market where I do my shopping. You see the scarves on the left hand side? You can't get those for as cheap as $3!



In other news we both changed our hair the same day. Cody got an expensive haircut at a French salon. Normally he pays $3 to go to the barber shop but this day we paid $13! And then Cody dyed my hair because it's fall and it's time to go dark again. You know he's the perfect type of person to dye hair. He's very meticulous in reading directions and making sure to get all the roots. The first night we tried to do it we were unsuccessful because the plastic gloves that came in the box were too small for his hands (somehow I don't think they were designed for men). So I had to buy rubber kitchen gloves in size "grande."

I'm Shocked!!

No, literally today I shocked the heck out of myself with 220 volts of electricity. I had wet hair and was standing barefoot when I grabbed a cord that goes to our transformer (it's a blow-dryer brush from America) from the wall. Well I grabbed it and it shocked me and threw me flying backwards on the ground and I was SCREAMING and CRYING like a mad lady!

Here are the burn marks from the prongs. (See the two holes below the thumb) Now I have been zapped many a times before here, but never where it burned my flesh!

The rest of day I have been apprehensive to unplug or touch anything electrical. Hey, I have been traumatized!


On a good note, we just a got a microwave from some friends who just left! The microwave is also from America, notice the large transformer on top. We used it for the first time this morning to heat up some old cinnamon roles for breakfast. It's been a year since we last used a microwave...oh the possibilities are endless!

I am not promising you anything!

Not too much was happening this week so here is some photos taken throughout the week. Now I never said ALL my posts had to be winners...cut me some slack!

This is what traditional Ramadan sweets look like. They sells these EVERYWHERE! Even places that were not in the sweets business before are selling this stuff now.

Obviously I don't know how to make these highly involved delectable goodies, so here's what I made for Ramadan...oatmeal balls!!! No baking required. I took them to a few of my neighbors, and yes I got some weird looks, but they hadn't tried them yet. I am sure pretty soon they will be banging down my door for more!


We got a new fountain in front of the old city walls where the market is. The old city is where I do most of my shopping and language practice. It's about 10 minutes from my house.


Cody and I had parties for friends on Friday and Saturday night that were both in a nearby city. Both nights we took the last train home and we were exhausted! Good times, and no this photo is SO not posed!


And finally I would like to present my new kaftan I had made. Remember seeing pictures from previous parties where I had to borrow my friends clothes that were way too big? Well now I have my own! The material costs about $8 for three meters (I had a matching scarf and head band made too). Then I took it to a tailor (who is man who specializes in these things) and told him how I wanted it and he made it for $30! I could never find one in the market that fits me so I asked my friends was the style was right now. Notices the flared sleeves and then it comes in at the waist an flares back out. (click on the photo to see it bigger) I am a fashionable North African! Oh, and I did get my haircut, thanks for noticing :)

Do's and Don't You Dares of Ramadan

The above sign says Ramadan Kareem, which literally means "generous Ramadan," which also happens to be my Arabic name which is Karima (Carrie). The photo is in Mecca, the place where Muslims are required (if they have money) to make a pilgrimage to once in their life. This is located in Saudi Arabia and the entire city is closed to non-Muslims.


Sunday started the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in our country. Since many of you may not be familiar with what all that entails I will make a list do's of don'ts. First of all you should know that Ramadan is a month of fasting and prayer for Muslims. It is during this month they atone for their sins and attempt to get close to God. They give extra money to poor people and hope that by fasting all day they will be able to have compassion for those who are hungry every day.
Fasting starts at day break and lasts until sun down when the call to prayer is heard around the city. Let's start with a list of the things Muslims don't do during the day:

DON'TS
Eat or drink anything
Chew gum
Wear make-up or perfume
Smoke
Have sexual relations
Talk bad about people
Use gel or hair products
Brush teeth

DO'S
Give extra money to poor people
Pray more
Eat TONS of food after sundown and stay up really late
Buy new outfits for the end of the holiday
Go to the public bathhouse late at night
Burn special incense
Work shorter hours
Close all restaurants and coffee shops during fasting hours

Don't you dare get caught eating or drinking in public! People can be arrested in the streets for doing forbidden things in the daylight hours. As a foreigner (and since we are not Muslim), in order to respect them we also do not eat or drink in public.

(I found this picture on the Net of a girl on a prayer rug holding the Koran with her little head covered)

The schedule for an average Muslim around here during Ramadan is that they wake up somewhere between 8-9am, work from 9-3pm straight thru lunch, go home and rest and wait for the sun to set. At sunset, when the call to prayer goes off, they eat something light (soup and candies), drink some juices, and smoke cigarettes. Then they do one of their prayers around 8 pm and then head out on the town or back to the house to have coffee and play cards. At about midnight or 1am they have a hearty meal that would include meats and breads. Many will go to bed around 2am, but many of the younger crowd will stay up until about 5am and eat right before the sun comes up. That younger crowd will sleep most of the day until sunset.