My Marrakesh

Morocco: and the swing never swung

I am feeling sad. I am feeling blue. I am feeling weepy. A massacre of sorts has taken place on our land of depressing proportions. You might have thought otherwise – but it is not all happiness and light here at My Marrakesh. Far from it, I am afraid.

If you have been following this story, you will remember, that in the beginning there was the land. And on the land there were the trees. But for me, you see, it was the other way around. It was all about the trees. I thought I would order up a little land with my trees, a little coffee for my cream. But now, the coffee tastes sour. What have we done?

I knew it was necessary, I knew that some trees had to go - some of my beloved trees from my beloved Marrakesh olive grove. We had to make space to build the houses -- there was no other way. My husband strode around the land in purposeful fashion, marking this one and that one. You over there, with the bushy branches, I am sorry you have to leave. And you, with the massive trunk, I’m afraid you’re next in line. I followed him with gesturing hands, pleading: Oh please, not that one – he is so beautiful. Any way to spare this one? Her leaves are so silvery? But the soon-to-be houses were ravenous. It appears that they eat olive trees for breakfast. And sadly, so sadly, for lunch and dinner, too.

But all was not lost! Or so I was told. A promise was made that the olive trees would find new homes, in upscale locations. A new patch of grass right here in the corner and there near the wall. My husband assured me that men had been hired that moved trees for a living. Ha! I say, throwing the most scathing of glances at this man I have married. Because after they moved our trees and were paid for their efforts, those tree-moving-men (voice heavy with sarcasm) scurried off, never to be seen again. And of the 13 trees moved with their stories to tell – only three have survived and even those are not looking so well.

So now they are dead. Their leaves have all fallen, their branches dried up. Poor things, only husks of their former selves -- not the least bit of green. 10 trees less for sparrows to build nests. 10 trees less for small children to climb. No tree forts in their futures. No soon-to-be swings hanging from their boughs. Quite the opposite, in fact. For their destiny is burial by cremation in the crackling fireplaces of those gluttonous houses.

The land is in mourning. And so, too, am I.

Morocco: How the heck did I get here, anyway?

Now you might be wondering how it is that I have come to live in Marrakesh.  I mean, why Marrakesh?  Why not Kathmandu?  Or, say, Puerto Vallarta?  And so today, I have decided to set the record straight once and for all. 

Now that you mention it, why not Kathmandu or Puerto Vallarta?  Well because we have already lived in Kathmandu (*loved* it) and we are still overcoming early childhood trauma from watching too much Love Boat to ever live in Puerto Vallarta;-) 

But how did you get to Marrakesh?  A little over five years ago, we were living in Namibia when a job came open in Morocco.  My husband Chris and I discussed it and after a little research, we moved to Morocco virtually sight unseen (gasps of horror from the in-laws).  We just liked the sound of Morocco...It sounded so, well, exotic.  You know, snake charmers, camels, an oasis....  And when we got here,we found that it was all that and a lot, lot more. 

But what kind of job do you do that lets you move around like this? I do human rights and democracy work (women's rights, prisoner rights, etc.), and have traveled to over 60 countries, many for my job.  (This is truly amazing because I can't even find my keys in the morning.)  I am what you might call a professional nomad. So now I have worked out a very lovely little deal to telecommute out of Morocco for my job. It means a lot of travel - I could be in Egypt on assignment next week or in Mali next month - but it's worth it. Chris is an architect and he can find really interesting work everywhere. (How lucky am I to have met this man?!) 

Is Morocco a temporary thing? Well, no.  Not any more.  We have decided to make Morocco our home - for the foreseeable future, anyway. For us, Morocco feels just right.  (Do I sound like Goldilocks?).  We are building a house and a guest house, and we are here to stay for a good long while. Morocco is a beautiful country with a fascinating history and hospitable people, not to mention the wonderful food, shopping and music.  And did I tell you?  The weather is INCREDIBLE -- sunny and warm most of the year. Morocco is also a great place to raise children.  We love the idea of raising our two children, Tristan and Skylar, in a multicultural environment and teaching them to be world citizens. (Wouldn't the world be a much friendlier place If we were all world citizens?  Deep sigh.) 

So that's my story.  And I am sticking to it;-)

P.S. This blog has been chosen "Bestest Blog of the Day."  Yippeee!  (muffled noise in the background:  Chris, did you pay off these Bestest Blog people?)  Many, many thanks to Mimi Lennox for her flattering review.  Mimi, you are *adorable.*  (And did Itell you that I love your blog?)

P.S.S.  Thank you for visiting me in Marrakesh.  I do hope you will come again.

Morocco: And personality decoding

Well here I am or sort of.  You see, I have a scientific theory that you can learn a lot about someone by looking at their desk.  I think secrets to your personality are hidden therein.  Here is mine in Morocco.  I don't know where you spend time but for me, my days are spent tap tap tapping on my computer in my office.  My desk is at the front of my house overlooking a fountain outside and the long drive to our front gate. 

I buy my office supplies at See Jane Work; all my folders are covered with flowers, stripes and zany patterns.  It keeps me chipper.  My painting is by Maria Bliss; I love art and paint a little  myself, too.  My pen and paper clip holders are from a gallery in Cairo.  I keep my receipts for work in an inlaid polka dotted box that I bought on ebay.  On the top of the box are some old pop up, pocket binoculars I bought in Iraq (right after the war, when things were still good and you could go roaming through the markets).  I love to make things -- on my board are fairies that I made out of dominoes and match boxes with Tristan and Skylar (We do believe in fairies in my home.) and magnets I have collaged.  Also  whimsical and sweet postcards from Paper Relics that I use as birthday cards and invitations for my daughter's play dates.  And some black and white photo prints of Morocco and elsewhere.  One of the luxuries of our rented house is that we have an enormous rose garden outside.  So I always have roses on my desk.  In front of it, you can see a candle holder my son made me - perched inside is a handmade mouse I bought in Sri Lanka. 

So my self-analysis is that my desk shows my love of travel, my affection for my children, my affinity for color/pattern, and the fact that I am really just a kid at heart (locked in a middle-aged body).  But perhaps you see things more mysterious and profound than that....

So what would your desk say about YOU?  (Remember, if you have a very messy desk but are nonetheless able to remain very effective at work, it likely means your ability to navigate easily through life's sometimes choppy waters...says Pseudo-Moroccan Psychotherapist Maryam....)

Marrakech: Guest House Design

Well here it is.  The design of our little guest house in Marrakech.  Dear architect husband crafted it so carefully, and I am thinking (hoping!) that it will be a lovely place for visitors to stay. 

The guest house will be approximately 1350 square feet.  There will be two bedrooms, each about 400 square feet.   The bedrooms will have a fireplace (so romantic...)and a seating area (which may double for  the needs of a sleeping child).  The bedroom ceilings will be a little more than 12 feet high - nice and airy.  Bathrooms, of course, with quite large showers (I would love rain shower heads).  Between the two bedrooms will be a small great room about 550 square feet with a ceiling 16.5 feet high.  Yet another fireplace in the great room with seating for several people looking out on the garden (and hopefully a small private pool, once we have saved our pennies).  There will also be a small kitchen.  Over each guest room will be a private, spacious terrace with a pergola and climbing, flowering bougainvillea.  There guests can enjoy their breakfast  overlooking Morocco's Atlas mountains, spend a few hours sunning themselves and reading, or have a glass of wine or a cocktail in the evening while watching the sunset over the olive grove.  The exterior will be sand colored, not white.  A sort of desert house in an oasis. Can you picture it?

The idea is that the guest house may be rented in its entirety.  Alternatively, a room may be rented with or without the private great room.  Bedrooms will have their own entrances from the garden.  We wanted a design that could be flexible and cater to the needs of families or couples. I personally think that it would be perfect for a large family, two couples traveling together, or honeymooners (ah, young love).  Or two best friends who wanted to treat themselves.

Look at that distinctive roof, not uncommon in Morocco and so beautiful; it will be covered with hand made deep red tile.  Aren't the Moroccan arched doors so pretty?  And did you notice the brick detailing along the roof line?  How about those sweet Moroccan chimneys?  The guest house is quite Moroccan in architectural style but we added some details to make it something special.  We wanted something luxurious where you could feel pampered on your holiday.  Something that you would remember and look back on wistfully.

So here it is.  I will be biting my nails until I hear back from you.  Please do tell me what you think.  Yes, even you who visits this little blog but never comments (and there are so many of you).  Would this be the kind of place that you would like to stay in if you were visiting Marrakech?