That was a hard exam. A really hard exam. It was designed to be hard, but I didn’t expect that level of hard-ness. Hopefully, it will be the hardest.On that rock-hard note, better get to revising, just in case the next one is harder.
Category Archives: Morocco
Watermelon
The closer I get to exams, the more food-oriented my blog titles become. I won’t lie, it has to do with the fact that I’m a big eater anyway, and so much more so when it comes to exams. Thankfully I still have Jillian Michaels to keep me thin.
The Boyfriend has observed that my food cravings are incredibly specific. Yesterday they included ham and cheese toasties, and oatmeal and raisin CHEWY (I can’t impress how important the texture is) cookies. Today I have worked my way through McDonalds Big Mac – which I 100% do not advertise to anyone, because I thoroughly dislike them as a corporation, but I cannot help myself from craving their hamburgers – chocolate and cherry milkshake and cheese and bacon filled potato skins, up to now.
Which is stupid, because Moroccan food is so amazing. Tagine is one of my favourite dishes, and is typically beef or chicken with a vegetable, slow cooked until very tender and then just served in it’s own sauce with bread. Aside from various tagines, Moroccans are famed for Harira soup (which I am daily informed isn’t soup, even though that is the only possible description) couscous with assorted vegetables and amazing sweetened onions or pumpkin (which Madame Halima insists on calling ‘l’alloween’) and khlia, which is salted, potted meat, which is a decent Muslim equivalent of bacon, served fried up with eggs.
Also, it’s the season for amazing fruit. By which I mean the entire year is full of amazing fruit. Which brings me to the picture at the top. Because, you see, when Mr Aziz inquired as to how you say ‘Watermelon’ in English I told him. To which he literally replied ‘Ceci n’est pas un melon d’eau’. And if you’re both a linguist and a geek, you will totally understand.
Nougat
Today I helped to plastic-wrap and bowtie 120 individual pieces of nougat. Now my back feels like someone has beaten it vigorously with a baseball bat.Then I did a load of vocabulary revison.I really have so little to talk about recently. My life is a big rolling messy mixture of revision, wedding planning, and organising my work experience month, not to mention organising my summer. Between all of that there is no time for anything else. Unfortunately, none of that is exciting either, and definitely not post-worthy.
In fact, the most interesting thing which has happened to me all week is probably wrapping up 120 pieces of nougat which completely destroyed my back.
At a loss
Today I have writers block. I’ve tried to write this for HOURS, and I’ve just gotten no-where with it. A combination of trying to revise for my exams, and the heat over here, are making it pretty hard to concentrate on anything else.
So, here is a little window to my internet soul, in the form of ‘websites which I visit most regularly’
facebook.com – Who doesn’t, lets be honest.
hotmail.com – For those of you who think I should have gmail or something, I don’t really care.
blogger.com – For obvious reasons.
sporcle.com – Such a good timewaster.
questionablecontent.com – My favourite webcomic. It’s like a soap, but good.
xkcd.com – Because everyone should indulge the geek within sometimes. Don’t judge me.
neopets.com – Because everyone should indulge the child within sometimes. DO NOT JUDGE ME.
There are many others, but I’m now bored, and also very aware that I’m procrastinating. Another time maybe..
Bleuuuuuugh
Today I am ill. Like really serious ill, like, I’m not a person who gets ill, but I’m ill today. Something in my body is fighting it’s absolute hardest to get out. I feel abused. I might post again later, but for now, this is how I feel.
Friends
This is a message for all my friends. Today two of my best friends taught me a very valuable lesson. One of them cared enough to get me alone with another friend and insist we talked. The other told me what she thought of me, and I needed to hear it.Two days ago another friend sent me a lovely e-mail which put the biggest smile on my face, and made me feel genuinely loved.
Every day my best friend (who happens to also be Boyfriend) makes me smile and feel better about myself even when I am feeling like I don’t deserve attention or love from anyone.
My Mum is another amazing friend, who always supports me, and who I can talk to about anything and I’m really lucky to have that. Little Brother and Little Cousin are equally brilliant in this respect.
I realised I am a bad friend. And I’m sorry about that. I should see you all more, make more time for each of you, spend less time being selfish. When you invite me somewhere and I don’t come, it’s not because I don’t love you, and when I can come in future I will. If I don’t call you or I’m not online when I said I’d be, I’m sorry, and I do try my hardest to make time for each and every one of you. I’m always learning when I should say things and when I should do things differently, and all of you are helping me. This year has been a year of learning, and I’m trying to use being in Morocco, out of my comfort zone to learn not only a new language and culture, but new things about myself.
Thank you all so much for helping me.
Wooly Penguin
Today has been long, and full of revision. I’m afraid this is all I have for you. I’m sorry, and promise to post more exciting and important things tomorrow.
This lovely penguin is gratefully borrowed from Brian Herzog (to make you all feel happy)
Happy Un-Mothers Day!
Sorry to break it to you folks, but today isn’t Mother’s Day. I know all the American bloggers out there think it is, but it’s just not. Mothers Day has already happened, a good while ago actually. I know, because I took my Mum out for a meal, and it was lovely (apart from the bits where Little Brother got all moody when we talked about his academic career. Not a favourite subject)However, my Grandma used to have this tradition, of giving me and my brother un-birthday presents. That is a little present for you, on the other sibling’s birthday, so that you don’t feel left out. She used to do it every year, so when it was Little Brother’s birthday, I always knew somewhere there would be a card for me as well, and vice-versa. Those little gestures are probably one of the things I miss the most about my Grandma, but also one of the greatest thing she taught me, because it showed how much she cared about us all at once, never one more than the other.
In the spirit of this sentiment, I have made a card for my Mum, and my Grandma, and my Aunties, and my Grandmaman (even though I don’t call her that, but I have a strict no-names policy to maintain) and I hope that they all like it.
Shock Shock Horror
I know, it’s been a long while since I’ve double-posted.But Moroccan TV is too amazing to not say something. We’re watching the final of a Moroccan contest where Moroccans compete to sing the best ‘western song’. We’ve had Agnes singing ‘Release Me’ live and Noureddine [my favourite contestant] singing ‘I Believe I Can Fly’.
In between, other musicians perform traditional Moroccan songs, and play instruments.
Did I mention the hosts talk a mixture of French and Arabic, seamlessly. It is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
| This is Noureddine. I’m a pretty big Noureddine fan right now, I mean, check the kid out. Shame he can’t sing really… |
EDIT: So I have no memory of Noureddine and the photo has been taken offline. Clearly he wasn’t as great as I thought. Have a squirrel instead.
Stressful Shoe Shopping
I seem to have an alliterative theme going on these last few days. Today has been a day of stressful shoe shopping. The situation is thus:There is a wedding in a few weeks. I need some silver high-heeled shoes. Madame Halima needs some gold high heeled shoes.
I also am starting work in a few weeks, and presently only have trainers. So I am looking for some nice smart shoes, one pair flat, one pair high.
I recently got some interest on my savings, and so that is the limit of my money for these shoes. And ideally I won’t spend all of that.
I also am starting work in a few weeks, and presently only have trainers. So I am looking for some nice smart shoes, one pair flat, one pair high.
I recently got some interest on my savings, and so that is the limit of my money for these shoes. And ideally I won’t spend all of that.
We started off in a shop in which the sale shoes were going for £45. I will not spend £45 on a pair of silver shoes which I may honestly only wear once. They didn’t have much variety either. The next shop was cheap but tacky. This became a trend. We found very little, and when we did, we didn’t try on. I’m still not sure why.
Then we came home, ostensibly to have lunch and then go shoe shopping again. 5 minutes ago, I was told no more shoe shopping would happen.
Now that is all well and good, but I actually need shoes. And I’m not the type of person to decided to do something one day, and not get it done. If I don’t buy shoes today, today will have failed. The fact that clearly that is what has happened, really annoys me. I’d prefer having spent the £45 if it meant that I now have a good pair of shoes, and don’t have to go out and repeat all of this alone on Monday. Which evidently I do.
Grr.
UPDATE: Successful Shoe Shopping
So in the end we went out again, and I bought two pairs of really nice shoes. Then we went to the old medina and bought wedding things. It’s been a long afternoon. But, I’m happy (even though I know my Mum will kill me when she hears I’ve bought MORE shoes) and happy is what counts.