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?)