from pine trees to palms

i just wanted to give a quick look at some fun observations in my time here thus far:

• palm trees are all over the place here and that just makes me happy. there are some types of evergreens and hardwoods as well, but i love to just take in all the palms (i actually want to do some research on them to answer my many questions about them)
• some taxi drivers like to put on music with English lyrics when we get into their rides. here is a sampling of what we have heard: Pink Floyd, Kenny Rogers, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye
• when you watch folks play American baseball--only here can the players have names like: Muhammad, Ibrahim, Belinda (a young man), Saul, Hans, Frans (just kidding on that one), and Soffa
• smoking is still allowed inside the airport here and in many other public places
• there aren't any capitol/lower case letters in Arabic--just one version
• one night we were out to eat and our server said that we would need to wait on getting our change as the cashier went to go pray, so we waited about five minutes for them to finish their prayers to get our change and leave (oddly enough it was a woman that was the cashier--the majority of women here do not stop and pray at the observed times)
• i have decided that ramen noodles are available in just about any location on the planet, including here
• they offer birthday parties in McDonald's for kiddos all around the world as well
• and you can also hear fun music ranging from Shakira to The Wedding March in the McDonald's
• i really think that the majority of little girls all over the world wear the colour pink, wear ribbons, bows, tights, and skirts
• little boys all over the world wear clothes with animals, trucks, and sports on them
• babies are babies all over the world, too :)
• that i really like it here and am thankful to be learning the language, the culture, and how others live even though it may seem hard at times

كاليفورنيا الحب

check out the sweet school buses that cruise around my city. they are usually way packed with kiddos, which isn't real safe. i just think they are fun looking and that is why you are looking at this photo right now.

so, i bet you are curious as to what my post title reads? well, it makes me laugh as quite a few of the words i am learning in school that are common names for things all over the world are very similiar here. in some of the dialogues in my curriculum the people we impersonate are from California and as I have walked through the older part of a couple of cities here now, one can find posters with the (supposedly) late rapper, Tupac.

so, just the other night we watched a youtube video of "California Love" by Tupac and his posse. so, hence the tile of my post...

the last few days have been up and down. but i am encouraged that i have been able to make it through the rough and rad experiences here. cause, they both will be happening during my time here, so i best be ready for them as they come.

language has been coming along. i think it would come along even more if i studied more, so ask me about how my study time is coming along. i am actually remembering phrases, words, etc. and this is exciting! i have been frustrated with my lack of memory in the past and am hopeful toward the future. a few days ago i had some good interactions with folks out and about, but then i hit a wall i think. i think my cultural honeymoon was over. i am really here. really. :)

but i am encouraged and have been able to learn from the hard times. and learn what i can do to help me through them: music, rest, reflection.

and since then i have been having more encounters and interactions with folks in my 'hood. i bought my first produce on my own and got some of the local bread as well. check out what i made with the successful purchases:

so, it has been a fun week. lots to process, but glad to be here. i am really starting to enjoy language a lot, which i am ultra grateful for!

so, i just finished the last project runway season and i cannot believe that christian won! just had to throw that in there:)

until next time friends...

oh the places we go

so, another nice few days have passed and i feel like a breakthrough or two have taken place here. i think language has gotten a little better after a nice chunk of homework to help me out. i have realized that i like homework as it challenges me to use the stuff i am learning--which makes sense, right.

also, i have learned more about other friends' experiences here and that has helped me keep a good perspective on what to expect during my time here immersed in this incredible place. also i am realizing more and more what it is about living here. that may seem really elementary, but it is funny how your expectations can be rattled and then be suprised by what is actually happening. we travelled to a nearby beach the other day and on the way there and back we drove past some shanty towns. these are low, low income neighborhoods, if you will. it didn't look like some folks had electricity and/or running water. i had seen another area similiar a few days before. that really struck me. even today on my walk home from some study time, i noticed how some of the abandoned buildings reminded me of sights/places i had seen when working down in New Orleans post-Katrina. there is such a dynamic here that is hard for me to fully understand. of course i want it all to be rationalized, but life doesn't seem to work that way here in this place. i am starting to see the local people here through different Eyes. and i am grateful.

i am also grateful for my roommate/friend. she has done a great job of getting to know me and today i finally thanked her for that. sometimes i feel i can be hard to get to know.

well, i leave you with a couple of photos from the last few days...

fun day at the beach--i was really excited!

mmm good--my first NA fish tacos!

oh chihuahua

starting with the recent holiday here...

life here has proven to be full of so many smiles, laughs, smells, questions, and greetings. i am really thankful for the opportunity to be here and experience life here in NA. language is coming along and i have been given more and more homework, which i think has been extra helpful in getting me moving in the right direction. i was out of class a day this week in observance of a local holiday and the day proved to be full of exciting events. my friend and i started the morning out by taking a nice long walk through the local forest that serves as a really nice retreat from the city noise. in trying to get to the fish market, our taxi driver was rerouted several times due to closed off streets (due to possible protests). the driver was great and tried to get us as close to our destination as possible. we ended up opting for veggies and beef for lunch instead which actually turned out well as i got to prepare my first actual meal since being here. check out this fun video to see how this all goes down:

then from there, we went to go meet up with a friend and as we were walking to our meeting spot we saw a lady come out of this dome/triangle sort of thing that sits close to the sidewalk with her pants down! she i guess couldn't want to go to the bathroom until she got home. that was very suprising to see, especially since she was giggling about it. i guess when you get older, you have the right to do those kinds of things?

later that afternoon we went on to walk through the older part of the city and then decided to make our way back home. on the way we found ourselves drawn to a park that had music blarring from within. to our surprise there was a fun gathering to celebrate the local holiday. what was even more fun was that what we were hearing was the chicken dance in French, then we heard the hokie pokie in French, then the macarena in French as well. i got some video of a song that was really hilarious:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-314521148426509729&hl=en
sorry, to have to give you a link--for some reason it would not embed

just the other night i was invited to join a friend that was going to a local family's celebration that takes place seven days after the baby's birth. it was really nice and we got all dressed up for the late night/early morning party:

top left: me before going out; top center: the happy parents being surrounded by belly-dancers; center: the band with the blue drum; bottom left: just before dinner which was served just after midnight; bottom right: they got me up to stomp on the barrel drum

here is a link to a video with the evening's events:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7750360720898841037

fab, darling

and these are the fabulous shoes i got in the medina!