Taking things for granted...

I think I've always taken things for granted. I think we all do. In the last few days, I've realized it more. I take little things like my health, my apartment, my friends, my job, my life, and my salvation for granted on a regular basis. It isn't as though I've had some revalation or that I've all the sudden flipped a switch that will correct this, but a couple things have happened that made me realize, a bit more, how fortunate I've been.

See the woman with the great smile? That's my friend Ghita. She also works at my house, is an amazing cook, and has had a pretty rough time these past few years. Without going into details, she's needed a place to live for a while. We've looked and nothing came up in her budget. Recently though, she found a little place next to us to live. She came to work one day and said, "Kattie, I'm a woman with a house, and a key!" I knew in that moment, I couldn't relate to what she felt. but I was joyful with her and was immediately invited over to HER place for lunch the next week.

I, along with several other friends joined her for a special meal of Rfeesa, which was phenomenal. She served us traditional mint tea, fruit, and cake and was so happy the whole time. As we sat, very full, I looked around her one room apartment with a meager start and thought about how often I mistake what I want in life over what I need. How much of my time is taken up by the unimportant when in the end only one thing matters.

I was very honored to be her guest and hope that we'll have many more chances to meet over tea.

Again.

So Amanda, Adam, and I went to get puppy food (for my puppy) today and came back with more than we set out for. Amanda saw this baby mini-chihuahua and it was all down hill from there. She decided to bring little baby Calvin home with us. She's adorable and incredibly needy (she's about 2 pounds/1 kilo and only 6 weeks and 3 days old). Her favorite place so far is Adam's hood. I guess, for now, that makes apartment 5 a two dog place.

Going North.

Where I'm from, when people say they're going North, it means the Upper Peninsula. Where I live now, North means beautiful mountains, long winding roads, and some amazing cities. This week was our first break since Christmas vacation and it was much needed. Some friends and I took the chance to see some sights that we hadn't yet gotten to see. Two of them were on my list of "to see before leaving Morocco." Since that moment is rapidly approaching, now was a great time. We started on Tuesday and arrived back Thursday, it was a great trip, but half the fun was getting from place to place.

Me navigating? Nah. Anyone who knows me, knows my sense of direction is well...lacking. I pretend though; it's a good thing Scott was doing to driving and navigating.
Our first stop was Volubulis. It is a beautiful sight. Ancient Roman ruins almost to the Atlantic! The history nerd in me came out in full force. The ruins are so well preserved and floor plans are easily visible. These are just two of the cool things we saw.
Second on the itinerary was Fes. I've visited a couple of times before, but I love the tours of the Medina (old walled in city). Our guide on this trip was really good. He knew so much about the history of the city and Morocco. He was fascinating and made the day really fun.

Above are the tanneries. Leather is made by hundreds of men every day. They dye then dry the leather and then different crafts (coats, shoes, bags, etc.) are made. It all happens in one place. After the tannery we went to a place where beautiful scarves and fabrics are made, yes made! This is a picture of the four of us in some handmade scarves, wrapped around our heads in traditional desert fashion. Interesting since we were in the mountains...
Last on the road was Chefchouan (translation: look at the mountain peaks). This was what I was looking forward to the most. I'd heard people rave about the beauty of the blue walls and doors, but what we saw surpassed my expectations. We arrived at night and were immediately bombarded with offers for hash (it's grown widely in the region and sold semi-openly on the street). We were less than impressed (with the offers...). However, the next morning proved that the city had amazing charm.
We went on a walk through the tiny place and it was like walking through a blue dream. The walls are all bright shades of blue. They were painted blue by the old Jewish inhabitants of the city and have remained blue through the years. The people were incredibly friendly and hospitable. We really enjoyed this little place (during the day).


It was a great trip. Relaxing. Entertaining. Humorous. And full of great friends. I realized many times on the trip how amazing our creator is and how great his creation. We were really glad to finally pull back in town and to sit down to a good meal after so many on the road.