In case you aren’t aware, the weather in the UK has been unseasonably cold for the past few weeks. Normally, I wouldn’t mind, because everyone knows that snow is fun, and did I mention, I’m living in North Africa. However, today I got told something horrible, and now, I’m really scared.

Melilla is a Spanish outpost on the northern coast of Morocco. Along with Ceuta (or Sebta) it is known as Spanish North Africa. Both towns are fairly small, but there is some nice architecture, and there are some nice cheap tax-free shops.

However, I decided not to go this weekend. I’m already glad about my choice.

I have been feeling a bit ill and under the weather as everyone knows. The journey to Melilla would take around 5 and a half hours by train, starting at 5.15. The train goes to Beni Nhar, from where you catch a grand taxi (remember them?) to the border. Passing through border control is easy [and of course it counts as leaving the country. Very handy if you happen to need to renew a Visa, which is the reason for some of my friends heading up there this weekend]. But once you get there, apparently it’s quite boring. Pretty, but boring.

So I opted out, in favour of a relaxed weekend full of terrible television and chilling in bed. It’s getting so cold here now that it’s difficult not to just give up and spend all the time I have in bed anyway. My mood has being going on a downer for a few weeks (I hope it hasn’t come across too much) and so nothing appeals to me more than having a weekend where I honestly don’t HAVE to do anything.

It will be bliss.

Day 7 – Thursday
I feel like I’ve gone on a lot over the last few days, but I didn’t want to miss out any fun detail which might interest you guys. Or that I might want to remember years from now, since this blog is essentially my diary. More pokémon was played yesterday evening (I decided that today would be a good day to document this trip, as I won’t get back to Fes until Saturday now) once I had fully decided that I didn’t understand the cards. I was also horrified by the fact that it got dark at just after half five. Tuesday night classes are not going to get any easier for me, that’s for certain.
Today I woke up at half 7, but stayed in bed until half 10 on account of fun lucid dreams and it being really comfortable. I took a shower, which proved unfortunate for BMS, because it meant that during hers the gas ran out, leaving her without hot water. Apparently it always catches her out, rather than anyone else. I had breakfast while the rest of the family chopped up Jimmy the Sheep (if you name them post mortem it’s not as traumatic, I feel) for the rest of the meat. Some goes to Fatema, the maid, and then the rest will get eaten by us, over the next few days. I’m hoping for more meat and less offal, but I will get what I am given, so best get over that hurdle now. We’re having guests for lunch, and then possibly going out for dinner. Twill be fun, no doubt.

Day 8 – Friday
Friday was a ridiculously long day (this is now being written on Sunday – for anyone keeping up). We got up nice and early and started organising the house at Temara. Then Aziz, BMS and I went to Marjane to buy fleeces because it’s getting cold here now – aside from all the rain. I bought a nice purple one. On the way back from Marjane we stopped by Avenue Bir Kacem to look for my old house. We found the right road, but I couldn’t remember what the house looked like from the outside. It was cool to go back though, at any rate. From there we carried on to an aunties house, where we met with BMB and Halima and much more family to have Couscous. I ate copious amounts, on account of being sat next to the grandmother, a fabulous lady who though she didn’t talk to me at all gave me some of the most stunning smiles. I had girl time with BMS and our cousin Fatima-Zahra, which shall be related in the post Love and Marriage. BMB left to go to Marrakesh with his friends, leaving us in a single car, with all the food – sheep included – to cart back to Fes in a single car.
In the afternoon, we went to Casablanca. This is because in Morocco (as in my family in England, as my brother will testify gladly) plans change without anyone actually telling anyone else. So the plan changed in favour of us going to Casablanca. We ate with yet more family, and stayed the night.

Day 9 – Saturday
Today we drove. At 11 we set off from Casa after a good breakfast. We reached Temara at midday. At one we were finally packed up in Temara, and ready to leave for Ifrane to drop off BMS. I physically couldn’t move once we were in the car, such was the amount of sheer STUFF we had with us. When going on holiday in a Moroccan family it is wise to consider that they bring the whole amount of food and drink which they could possibly want with them. Not to mention they leave nothing in the freezer, in case of it going off. Which begs the question – has anyone ever explained to a Moroccan mother exactly how a freezer works?
It took us until about 5 to get to Ifrane, which seemed long. I didn’t sleep (I don’t really sleep on car journeys) and it rained, and Aziz kept his window open, and it was cold. We dropped off BMS, and then quite swiftly hit the road again. We stopped off at Imouzzer for apples and doughnuts, and made it back to Fes for 7. It took half an hour to unload the car, and then took me another half to re-install all the programs which I had lost through my computer troubles. And thus we find me back in Fes, tired and greasy, and finally finished with my blogging for the week I was away. I shall now wash, and then get back to you all. Because I’ve missed you EASILY as much as you’ve missed me.

Sorry for the general density of text. It’s interesting though, go back and read if you missed some.

Guys, I’m back!!

Ok, so maybe it’s not quite that exciting, not for you anyway. For me, it’s great because I have soooo much to tell.

After my classes from 8-12 on Friday (oof) we hopped on our mini-bus and travelled for 7 hours. This included such fun activities as ‘The Animal Game’ in which Team America faced The British Empire. I’d love to say we won, but I’ll settle for it being a fix, and us being unfairly outnumbered by the Americans. Still, good way to make friends. Then we arrived (finally) here. It was stunning. We went late-night swimming until 12.30 and then sat on the roof of the guys bungalow until about 2 just chatting and looking at the stars (and smoking, but I didn’t join in on that bit)

The next day we had a good breakfast before moving on to here. Again stunning, here we got just 2 rooms, one for the girls stuff and one for the guys stuff. We left everything unnecessary and after a quick lunch we hopped on our camels (OMGCAMELS) and went to the camp in the desert at Merzouga. My camel was a rebel and kept getting out of line, but I kinda loved him for that.

We spent the sunset at the berber camp, had a bit of food and then messed around on drums for a few hours. At about 10 some grumpy spaniard came and had a whine because we were being so loud so we toned it down. Lots of people dragged their mattresses out onto the sand to sleep under the stars. I just stayed out (with my new American friend Kenny) and we chatted. And I saw a shooting star. I made a wish, but I can’t tell you what it is, obviously.

This morning (being Sunday) we trekked back on the camels, had a bit of breakfast and then hopped on the coach for our 10 hour ride home. No great stories here because everyone was asleep prettymuch. I read my book mostly.

Oh and in case you were wondering, yes there are photos, I just have to steal them from other people before I can show you. I’ll have a post exclusively of desert pics. Oh, and in case you were also wondering about the title, here are two photos I took myself to explain it.

and in case I don’t see ya (which I won’t, obviously, Sahara)

Good Afternoon,
Good Evening
and
Goodnight.

Seeya after the weekend guys and dolls.