Where did that Career Break go?

Yes, I'm still alive!

2008-02-11T13:23:00.000Z

Dear all,

Once again, the time has flown by and I am only now getting around to updating my blog. There is not a great deal to add at this point of time. I have settled into a nice routine of spending the mornings in the house doing a variety of things, including catching up with people by email or Skype (what a great tool that is, especially with video. It makes the distance seems so small), reading the news, doing some French study and, of course, doing the administrative stuff for Najib's business. Then it's normally time for lunch (which is the main meal of the day here), and then while everyone else is taking their afternoon nap, I head out on my daily walk along the Bouregreg River, up past the Hassan Tower then back into the CBD to stop at one of the many cafés that have remembered how I like my moroccan tea. I usually take a magazine with me (in French of course) and my pocket dictionary, so I can keep on improving my French. I can generally read an article and understand most of what is written, but new words do crop up which I've never seen before, and then there are the unusual expressions! But anyway, it is fun, and I feel confidant in attempting a general conversation - though the pronunciation still needs work.

The little apartment we were planning to get in the CBD is no longer part of our plans. We discovered that the reason it was taking so long to settle was because both the leaseholder and the property owner were holding out for more money - like double the original asking price! But what really put us of pursuing this place was the renovation that Karima's husband recently did to the front of their house in the Medina. I took photos of the process to show the transformation, which you can see here:

House Repair

Anyway, the amount of grit, grime, concrete dust, dirt from the street, etc that made its way into the house either on the shoes of the people coming and going (especially the tradesmen who had to cart their materials up to the terrace), or through the open windows (meaning the little port-hole-like openings that you can't actually see very well in any of the photos, but which lead into the kitchen area), made us think twice about any renovations that would need to be done to the little apartment. Since the escalator in that building doesn't work, the tradesmen would need to cart everything up the common stairwell. I couldn't see that going down well with the other tenants, especially as the amount of work that needed to be done would take weeks to complete. We would have been very unpopular by the time we moved in!

So, the hunt is on for a newer apartment, close to or in the CBD. We have seen heaps of apartments advertised, and really beautiful ones too, however they are located about 15kms or more out of the city which is not convenient for either Najib or me. He needs to be close to the shop, and I need somewhere decent to go for a walk each day - and the suburbs here don't quite cut it!

In the meantime, there has been one wedding and one engagement in the family. These events are always very colourful, though I have been asked not post the photos on my blog out of respect for those who don't like having their photo shown to strangers. Fair enough. So, what I will share with you is a section of a photo I took at the engagement of M'hammed, the son of Najib's second-eldest-brother. The slippers he is wearing are normally worn by men when they go to Friday prayer wearing their white or cream djellaba, not at a wedding. However, he couldn't find his shoes so had wandered into the room to greet his fiancée and guests in just his socks. As soon as he sat down, someone promptly put these yellow slippers on his feet. Just one of those gorgeous moments that he can cherish.

The only other news I have at this stage is that I will be returning to Oz for a few weeks in June. I thought I should use the return airfare rather than waste it, so I was able to extend it to June (otherwise I would be flying out in 5 days time!!). So, lucky me gets to leave a hot Moroccan summer for a chilly Melbourne winter. Though I am planning to head to Qld to visit family there, so that should help thaw me out!

And that is about it for the moment. I hope you are all well and that 2008 is shaping up to be better than 2007.

All the best,
Zohra

Aid Mubarak and Happy Christmas

2007-12-19T21:07:00.000Z

Dear all

Well, in Morocco, two religious seasons are nearly upon us. You may be surprised to know that Christmas trees are on sale for all those foreigners who celebrate Christmas, and Christmas decorations can be seen in many shop windows and even in supermarkets. The other religious festival - which will take place a few days before Christmas, on 21 December - is the Muslim festival of Aid Al-Adha (also known as Aid Al-Kabir). This festival occurs approximately 2 months after the end of Ramadan, and coincides with the day that all the pilgrims doing the Haj in Mecca come down from Mount Arafat. The festival commemorates God commanding Abraham to sacrifice a sheep instead of his son, Isaac. In Morocco, families have been busy getting ready for the festival for several weeks now. Houses have been fully cleaned, and the necessary utensils (knives, hatchets, and skewers) and materials (spices and charcoal) are ready. On the actual day, men will go to the mosque early in the morning to perform a specific prayer for the day. Once back home they will proceed to the slaughtering of the sheep which is then cooked according to different recipes, depending upon the region one is located in.

At the moment, it is not unusual to see sheep being delivered by truck, hand trolley, the boot of someone's car, or on foot throughout the Medina and other parts of the city. Hay bales have been stacked all over the place so that the sheep have something to eat prior to D-day, and one can see big stone wheels dotted about the Medina to be sure that knives are well sharpened for the occasion. As well, mini BBQs, shish-kebab skewers and other items for the event can be found for sale on every corner! No tinsel for this occasion, but special halawa are made and these have been selling out before they are even out of the oven!

I have taken some photos of the souk where Najib was selling his sheep this morning (one of the many souks he has been selling at over the last week, so he is looking abit tired and in need a nice long rest), which you can find here:

At the sheep souk

While it may seem as though we will be eating lamb for some months, a large portion is actually given away to the poor, much is salted and dried for later use during the year, a small portion is eaten, and the rest frozen. I suspect that a lot of fish and vege's will be eaten as people tire of eating lamb - though the price of these items has been increasing steadily over the last week. As an example, tomatoes (which are eaten by the kilos per day in every household) have doubled in price from DH4.00 (about A$0.60) to over DH8.00 (about A$1.30) per kilo. Whilst this may seem a pitiful amount, it is actually quite expensive given the wages here.

And that is about it for the moment. I hope you all have a very happy and safe religious holiday, which ever one you happen to celebrate, and a very safe and happy New Year. If I don't do another update before the end of this year, chat to you again, inshallah, in 2008!

Love and kisses, as always,
xoxoxoxo Zohra

What's been happening?

2007-11-14T18:36:00.000Z

Hello there

So sorry for the long pause since my last post. So what have I been doing? Well, half of September and October was taken up with the month of Ramadan which saw our days and nights completely turned upside down to accomodate the new routine. For those not familiar with Ramadan, this is the Muslim month of fasting. The fast starts at dawn and ends at sunset. Fasting not only means no eating or drinking during that period, but no smoking, no swearing or abusive language (this can be quite difficult on occassion, especially when it gets closer to eating time and one is in a rush to get home and competing with the crowds who are all trying to do the same thing), and no sexual activity. It is a month where one learns to be patient and appreciative and, importantly, to recognise how some of our regular daily routines and rituals to which we are so attached are things we can easily do without.

Anyway, for those so inclined, the day would start at about 4.00am, where we would get up and have something light to eat before the fast started. For me this consisted mostly of having a banana and yoghurt and drinking heaps of water (to keep me hydrated during the day). Then, after doing Fajar prayer, it would be back to bed and a nice sleep-in until about 10.00am! A nice time to go wandering through the Medina without the need to duck and weave around people was during the early hours of the morning - from 9.00am onwards. The place was virtually deserted as most businesses wouldn't open until 10.00am. I managed to get some photos of the Rabat Souk (where the carpets etc are sold) which normally would be crowded with people. It was great seeing parts of the Souk that are normally obscured by bodies. The busiest parts of the Medina at this time were the streets where the fruit, vege's, fish, meat and eggs are sold. You can check out those photos here:

Rabat Medina - Ramadan 2007

So, once up and about, the better part of the morning (or what was left of it) was devoted to the usual household tasks of cleaning etc, or buying food for the evening meal. As the fast didn't break until around 6.30pm (this time reduced as the month wore on), the food preparation wouldn't start until a few hours before, so many people would sleep some more during the day, catching up on what they had missed out on during the night.

The first meal, Ftour (or, breakfast, as the word implies), consisted of Moroccan Harira soup (which is a tomato based vegetable soup, which has a small amount of meat in it, lentils, chickpeas and heaps of fresh coriander and parsley), served with dates, boiled eggs, and a variety of Moroccan sweet cakes, or halawa, that are especially made for Ramadan. After Ftour, people would either go out and visit friends, or browse through the market, or go to cafes, or whatever else they wanted to do for entertainment and return for the main meal which would be served at around midnight, sometimes later, depending on what people were doing. If I recall, the latest time we had our main meal was about 1.30am!! Anyway, by the time we finished that meal, relaxed a bit, then hit the sack, it was only a few hours before we had to get up and have our quick morning meal before the fast started again! You can probably understand why people slept as much as they could during the day.

As I couldn't drink any water during the day, I had to forego my usual hour long daily walks. Which is not to say I didn't venture out, but my strolls were shorter and were mostly later in the afternoon closer to the time the fast would break. To fill in my time during the day, I started doing the redesign work on a little apartment that Najib and I have put a deposit on. I used an excel spreadsheet as my design space, shrinking the columns and rows to make tiny squares, with each square representing 5cm. As a result of the drawing and moving of each item (walls, furniture, equipment, etc), I have given myself RSI (or tennis elbow) in my left arm. (Which happens when one uses a lap top at an awkward angle for hours at a time ..... so it's true .... ergomonics is important!). It sounds like a pathetic excuse, and if I didn't suffer from this I would probably roll my eyes and say "yeah, right" at anyone saying so, but I haven't actually been able to type anything longer than a paragraph without suffering severe pain that lasts for hours. So, I'm back to using the mouse and hoping that I don't get RSI in the right wrist as a result!!!

Anyway, the apartment. Najib and I have been wanting to have our own space for a while, but wanted something close to Najib's work plus the CBD (so that everything I need is within walking distance). Anyway, Najib found out about a little one-bedroom apartment in the CBD, located close to the park and the main avenue. He asked me to have a look to see what I thought. I wasn't expecting anything flash, and wasn't disappointed in that respect. However, as Najib and I are no strangers to home renovations, what I saw didn't put me off - if anything my mind started racing and I was planning how I would rearrange things as I moved from room to room, We haven't finalised the lease yet (deposit has been paid, but, like alot of things in Morocco, these things move slowly especially when the owner is rarely in Rabat), so we haven't started on the demolition work yet. But, in the meantime, I went for a second visit to take the measurements of each room, and took my camera with me to record how it currently stands. You can check out the "Before" photos here:

The Apartment ("Before" renovation)

There certainly are some design challenges, but we are quite excited about this little project. We've gone and checked out all the types of toilets, hand basins, shower recesses etc that are available (and Morocco, being so close to Spain and Italy, has some of the nicest European designs available), plus checked out the kitchen displays so we can get an idea of the materials available, and cost. Still need to get to the floor and tiliing places to see what is available, but in the meantime I'm thinking about what colours will work best. Anyway, will keep you updated on the progress of this project as things develop.

And that is about it for now. Hope you are all happy and life is treating you well.

Until next time, all the best,

xxx Zohra ooo

Seahaven Farm

2007-09-12T22:29:00.000Z

Dear all

For those who have had to listen to me rave on over the years about our little farm in Skhirat, finally some photos. The captions on each photo will give you a general idea of the direction the farm faces etc. Enjoy.

Seahaven Farm - Skhirat

xxx Zohra ooo

Casablanca!

2007-09-09T09:57:00.000Z

Hi there!

Najib and I went to Casablanca Monday this week to collect my possessions from the docks. Had what we thought were the necessary documents in hand - the bill of lading, my passport, and money to pay the port processing fees. We weren't anticipating any customs duties since I am permanently relocating here, my husband is Moroccan, and the things I brought into the country are well used personnal effects. Got to the docks, identified my stuff and then was given paperwork that had to be taken to the customs control department in the city centre. This had to be signed-off and stamped to indicate no customs duties were payable before my stuff could be released.

So we trundled into the city. Decided to leave the van near the docks as driving in Casablanca is only for the very brave, or foolhardy. The traffic is chaotic and drivers will not hesitate to move into the smallest possible gap or opening to get where they want to go. Pedestrians cross whenever the traffic slows enough to allow them to squeeze through without getting run over!

As for getting a taxi in Casablanca - this requires alot of patience since everyone uses them to get around. There are hundreds of taxis, but the moment someone gets out of one there are at least two other people trying to get into it. Suffice to say the taxi drivers tend to be picky about where they will go. Often we would flag down a taxi only to discover the driver didn't want to go in that particular direction. However, the good thing is that if a taxi only has one passenger, the driver will still stop to see if he is heading in your direction. We often found ourselves sharing a taxi in this manner.

Once we got to the customs control dept, and eventually had our turn at seeing the person in charge, we were asked for proof that we were married and proof that I was now resident in Morocco. Reasonable requests really when you stop to think about it, but annoying because when Najib asked beforehand what paperwork we needed to bring with us, these two were not mentioned! So, we had to go back to Rabat to get those papers and then return to Casablanca the next day to finish processing the customs form! Fortunately a certified copy of the marriage certificate was already available since I had to produce this for my Moroccan ID card. Also fortunately, the police had finished processing my application for my Moroccan ID and had prepared a temporary residence permit while my ID card was being prepared.

So, back to Casablanca on Tuesday. We decided to take the train instead of driving as we would need a larger truck to cart everything back to Rabat and Najib wanted to be on that truck with the gear to make sure it actually arrived in Rabat and didn't end up in some other part of the country! We had to go to the port first to show them the paper work that the customs control dept said we had to produce. They then stamped the form acknowledging they had sighted those documents. Then back into the city to the customs control dept to receive sign-off that we didn't have to pay any customs duty. Then back to the docks to give them the stamped sign-off from the customs control dept! Then organising the truck. Najib and I spent at least two hours at the docks waiting for that to arrive. Was fascinating watching the way all the containers were moved around by this huge crane, but when everyone knocked off for lunch things got abit boring.

As the truck only had room for one passenger, I headed back to Rabat on the train. Got to the train station just in time to catch the 2.00pm train. I was running down the platform just as it started to pull out of the station and only just managed to grab the end rail before the train had gathered too much steam. Was pulled on board by other passengers who had just done the same thing! If the train had been one of the modern versions I would have had no hope and would have had to wait half an hour for the next train!

Anyway, with those two trips I didn't really get to see anything of Casablanca so headed back there on Wednesday with my sister-in-law, Karima, who wanted to buy some fabric for caftans that she sells in her shop. Casablanca has an area where the shops only sell fabric - whether it be fabric for furniture, curtains, suits, caftans etc. The shops that sell fabrics for caftans have a greater range to offer than can be found in Rabat, and for a cheaper price. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take some more inspiring photos of Casablanca, so we went into its old Medina area first. It was lunch time, so there weren't many shoppers around which meant I could actually get photos of the streets and the shops - otherwise it would have just been photos of bodies! Unfortunately, my camera battery decided to run out after only a few photos, but I did manage to get enough to give you an idea of what Casablanca has to offer in the way of Moroccan antiquities etc. The rest of the city is like any typical large city - but with really chaotic traffic, as I mentioned earlier.

Casablanca Photos - Sept 2007

For those who like the hustle and bustle of large cities, Casablanca is great. It has everything one could possibly want as all the large companies are located there. The people who live there tend to be less conservative compared to those who live in Rabat - as could be seen by the patronage of the cafés and restaurants, where families with their children were sitting down to have lunch, and the dress sense is very European. I tend to think the difference is because, like any large city, people are too busy with their own life to worry about what other people are doing or thinking, whereas Rabat is much smaller and everyone seems to know everyone else, so people tend to be concerned about what others will think if they dress a particular way or do a particular thing.

Well, that is about it for the moment. The sacred month of Ramadan is just around the corner - Thursday, next week to be more exact, so there is a charge in the air as families go about the business of preparing for the festivities. The smell of honey and cinnamon is in the air as the traditional halawa are being made by the hundreds in every household. I will be keeping a keen eye on how Karima makes her halawa and even try to get some decent photos as well. More on that in my next post.

Until then, stay healthy, happy and safe.

Love and kisses
Zohra

Just kicking back

2007-08-25T18:52:00.000Z

Hi there. I know it's been nearly a month since my last post. What have I been doing? Well, as a result of the live-in housemaid taking a month off to visit her relatives way down south past Agadir, little ole me has been filling in and doing the household chores. I am pleased to say that she returned yesterday and now I have my life back! When I get sick of using my computer to do my studies etc, I buy "TelQuel" magazine, an independent liberal French-language Moroccan weekly, which has gained a reputation for addressing sensitive issues - such as the salary of King Mohammed VI - in a direct and uncompromising way. For an idea of the type of issues they cover, check out their website here:

TelQuel Magazine

I take the magazine and a small pocket French-English dictionary to the Majestic Café where I park myself for a few hours drinking coffee and moroccan tea and eating moroccan halawa (biscuits made from almond - some coated in chocolate, others with dried fruit mixed through, others rolled in sesame seeds etc). This costs me the enormous sum of around DH28.00 (approx. A$4.60) depending on how many halawa I eat ... normally about 8, since I am abit of a little piggy and they are so mooooorish that it is hard to settle with just one or two. In Australia, I would barely be able to get the coffee and the tea for that price. And the halawa ...... the equivalent are the Italian almond biscuits, which, in Australia cost about A$2.00 each (DH12.00). So, if you want to really enjoy your coffee, tea and halawa, and still have money in your pocket for another day, come to Morocco!!!

Well, the ship carrying my gear finally arrived in Casablanca a couple of days ago. Received a call saying that the container in which my gear was stored has been taken off the ship, and they are now processing the paper work. We figure if we get to Casablanca sometime next week, everything should be ready to be picked up. Yaaaaay! Also, hopefully will have my Moroccan ID completed by the end of the month. If not, I'll have to go to the police to get a special permit stamped in my passport allowing me to stay abit longer as I only have the right to stay for 3 months without a visa afterwhich I have to leave the country - hmmm, I suppose I could fly to Spain for a few days - I think I need a holiday after all the housework I've been doing recently!

Well, that is about it for the moment. In closing, a rare photo of Najib and I together in Rabat enjoying the evening festivities. The city council put on a street concert for about 6 weeks during the summer, which featured local artists of all types of musical persuasions. The crowds loved it, though many of the restauranteurs along that particular strip were unhappy as business dropped away through the inability of patrons to park near the restaurant (the street being closed to traffic from about 5.00pm onwards).

Bye for now and hopefully photos from Casablanca soon.

xxx Zohra ooo

Perfect weather for the beach.....

2007-07-28T12:09:00.000Z

Hello again and commiserations to all those currently freezing their butts off in the Southern Hemisphere!! It is so hot and muggy here that a blast of cool air every now and then would be most welcome! The last couple of days have been particularly sticky with a wonderful smog layer keeping the lid on things and not much of a breeze at all. Najib bought me a large fan (the type that stands on a pedestal) which is so state-of-the-art it even comes with its own remote control, which is great when one is to exhausted to move to turn the thing on or off! It has been wonderful at night, when the air is so still that a nice breeze is all one needs to get a decent nights sleep.

The other day, Moulay Idriss (Karima's son, who has been nick-named my second husband because he and I go more places together than Najib and I!!) took me down to Rabat beach to check out some of the events and activities they have put in place to keep the kids entertained during the holidays. Was actually nicer than I expected, and I like the way the beach has been sectioned off (by use of piers) so that the really sandy and surf side is separate from the rock-pool and rock fishing side. Check out these photos of Rabat Beach to get an idea of what I am talking about.

The cemetary closest to the beach will be moved in time to make way for the modernisation project that is happening in Rabat. They can only move graves that are 40 years or older, so the cemetary where Najib's parents are buried (the one opposite the light house) will probably stay where it is for the moment as it is still being used and they tend to dig graves in no particular order or place - one week it will be this side of the cemetary, the next week it will be the other! I guess there is an order to it all, but I can't figure it out.

The large pipe pumping what looks to be sewerage onto the beach is actually pumping sand back from Salé beach. The action of the tides causes large chunks of sand to be washed away from Rabat beach which is then deposited at Salé beach. So, at the moment they pump the sand back, but they are in the process of building a second pier to the right side of the beach to stop this from happening. Of course, the floating part of the pipe line gets used by kids as a diving platform (plus a quicker way to get to Salé beach, if they are so inclined!).

There is another lot of sand being pumped out of the river (I guess to deepen it?) which is being deposited on the Salé side of the river. The fishermen also find the floating section of the pipe very hand to dock their boats. In this photo, all that empty space on the Salé side of the river will be developed with resorts, cafes, retaurants, hotels, villas etc.

Well, that's about it for now. Hoping that my gear has arrived in Casablanca, which will mean I will have to go sign and pay for it. A wonderful opportunity to get some more photos so stay tuned for that! Until then, take care and stay warm.

Love and kisses
xxx Zohra ooo

Morocco

2007-07-15T20:52:00.000Z

Finally arrived in Morocco on 3 June. As it was hot when I left Dubai, I was wearing light clothes so the heat of Casablanca was easy to tolerate. Najib met me at the airport and even seemed happy to see me! Just kidding - after such a long time apart, it was great to be back together again. Before I left Australia, Dounia told Najib that I was turning into a little bombah (chocolate will do that), so I think he was expecting to see a big mama come rolling through the doors, because when he said "you haven't changed abit" it was with a kind of puzzled look and almost as if he wanted to say "but I thought you were meant to be fat?".

As in Australia, on the way from the airport to Rabat, we made the obligatory stop for coffee, or Moroccan tea, and hallowah (Moroccan sweet pastries ... which I can't eat as they are not gluten free!!). This stop is especially important given there is 100km between Casablanca and Rabat and talking all that time is thirsty work.

Arrived in Rabat around 2.00pm, just in time for lunch!! Unlike all the other times I have visited Morocco, this time I didn't need to get some sleep having had such a good nights rest in Dubai. It was amazing to see how tall all the nieces and nephews had grown since I had last seen them, a year and a half ago. They were all feeling stressed because it was the final two weeks of school and it was exam time, so they didn't really have too much time to chat with me.

Over the next couple of weeks, while waiting for the internet connection to the house, I got out and about, taking photos of Rabat. I was quite surprised at how orderly it had become, compared to my last trip. It was quite safe for me to cross the road when the green man came on telling me to "walk", as the drivers actually stopped at the red light. You may think this is a rather silly thing to write about, but it wasn't so long ago that traffic lights were just decorations that everyone ignored, so you literally risked your life each time you attempted to cross the road. At that time, it was only when there was a total blockage at an intersection (due to everyone wanting to have right of way first), that one could comfortably cross the road without fear, because all the following traffic couldn't move! Even in Morocco, a stationery vehicle cannot run you over!

Other changes include the new landscaping around the city, and the new Bouregreg Valley development project taking place in Rabat and its sister city, Sale, which sits on the opposite bank of the Bouregreg River. This is a US$2.0 billion development that has a number of stages, the first of which is expected to be finished by 2009. For those really interested, you can read more about it here:

Bouregreg Valley Development

And if you're thinking, "wow, that's impressive", it doesn't stop there. There is another US$3.4 billion being spent on developing an 11 kilometre stretch along the Atlantic Ocean side of Rabat (not to mention developments in Tanger and Marrakesh). You can read more about the Rabat development here:

Saphira Development, Rabat

So, it's all happening here in Morocco. In my photos of Rabat, you will find I have included some photos of the Bouregreg Valley development, which stretches all the way along the river from the valley to the sea. The photos I have taken are near the sea outlet, so it will be interesting to see how the place changes as the months go by. I usually take a walk along the river bank at least once a week, but I don't always take my camera with me. Will try to keep the camera handy so that I can record the changes that are happening.

So, what have I been doing with my time in Morocco. Well, the first 2 weeks Najib got me working on his invoices - and within moments I was thinking "this spreadsheet needs some formulas and links". So, that kept me out of mischief, automating the input of information etc. Once it was all done, he boasted about the new process to his friends and colleagues - so now one of his green grocer friends wants me to work on automating his spreadsheets as well! Maybe my charge-out fee could be free fruit for a year!

When I'm not doing administrative type stuff, I'm answering emails, or remembering to update this blog, or catching up with the news, or trying to increase my french vocabulary, or having free french lessons with my nieces and nephews (they really seem to enjoy correcting me, and never get tired of it .... tonight I think I was told about 8 times that it is "une belle voix' not "un bon voix". I think it will eventually sink in. (We were watching a singing competition - Morocco's equivalent of "Idol". And you would never guess that an Australian would appear on this show. With this competition, between the competitors singing, they feature different international singers - anything from rap and hip hop to classical arabic. Last night they had Tina Arena .... yes, Tina Arena. She has been living in France for many years now and speaks fluent French. Apparently she is quite a hit in France, so was singing her latest release, and the crowd knew every word, so I guess she must be a hit here as well!).

Hmmm, I just noticed the time (just after midnight). I think I'll post this now and get some shut-eye.

Until my next post, take care and all the best,
xxxx Zohra oooo

Dubai

2007-07-12T19:29:00.000Z

After the send off at the airport in Melbourne, arrived in Dubai 14+ hours, 4 movies, 3 meals, 5 litres of water, 3 bananas, 2 chocolate bars and much walking and stretching as is possible on an airplane later. Long haul travelling is such a pain, particularly if you are travelling in cattle class, so I was really looking forward to the stopover in Dubai just so I could get some sleep!

Flying into Dubai, I thought there must have been a sandstorm or something similar because the air was a hazy yellow colour, however, when we landed I discovered it was the degree of humidity in the air - it was so humid that my glasses fogged up the moment I stepped out of the airport (and again at the hotel)! So this is why the few photo's I have taken of Dubai all seem to have a hazy look about them.

Arrived in Dubai around 7.30 am. Dubai airport is soooo huge that the shuttle bus that took us from the plane to the terminal took about 20 minutes (maybe more) to get there - I'm not kidding. Along the way we passed a construction site that was so massive that every 50 metres or so there was a pole with a sign showing the longitude & latitude position! It took us about 10 minutes just to pass that site. The transit passengers were dropped off first, then 5 minutes or more later the rest of us reached our terminal door.

Having made it through customs, I located the chauffer who was to take me to my hotel. The drive was rather boring as Dubai, at this point of time, is like an open construction site. Everywhere you look there are cranes and huge holes in the ground, or partially constructed buildings. New roads are also being built, so there were heaps of redirection markers along the way making things seem even more confusing. I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Dubai, which is located on the Deira Corniche overlooking the Persian Gulf and is about 15 minutes drive from the airport (very important given my flight for Morocco was leaving at 7.30am the next morning!!).

Although I was feeling tired, I decided I might as well get out and about and take some photos, but didn't want to go too far as really wanted to get some sleep, so took the shuttle bus to the "commecial centre". I didn't realise it would be just like one of the large shopping centres in Australia - but even bigger and with every brand known in the western world plus all the popular middle eastern brands! It was rather strange looking at all the westerners dressed as westerners do - anywhere from tasteful to revolting - amongst all the elegantly dressed locals (the women mostly wearing long flowing beautiful caftans and hijab and the men wearing the white caftan and red & white headdress). I had wanted to go to the Gold Souk (which was within walking distance of my hotel), but I had to wait at the commercial centre until 2.00pm for the shuttle bus to take me back to the hotel, so I was too tired to make the trip. And I was told that the Gold Souk is so huge you can spend all day there and not even see quarter of it!! I was feeling hungry, but "gluten free" is unheard of in Dubai, so bought some fruit and nuts to eat then when I got back to the hotel ran a hot bath and hit the sack around 5.00pm. Woke up about 3.00am, which was perfect timing as the chauffer taking me to the airport was picking me up first (at 4.30am) then picking up other passengers along the way.

Here are my Dubai Stopover photos.

The flight to Morocco was pretty uneventful. Lots of Moroccans heading home and trying to squeeze huge suitcases full of presents into the tiny overhead compartments. How they manage to get past customs with these huge bags is beyond me, but it keeps the rest of the passengers entertained watching how they manage to manouver these bags into place (and holding up the line of people trying to get to their seats) ... this is probably why flights from Dubai to Morocco never leave on time!

Sat next to a Moroccan who lives in America with his famiy. He was going home for a wedding - his sister's (who also lives in America. Her fiancee is another Moroccan who lives in America. They met there but were having their wedding in Fez to keep the family in Morocco happy). We had a laugh about all the things we love and hate about Morocco - how the first week or so you just want to leave because of all the things that bug you - like the poorly constructed roads, potholed footpaths, noisy people, etc - and then how suddenly you no longer notice these things and you realise how much you are enjoying yourself!

Well, will leave this post here and give you more information on Morocco in my next post.

Until then, take care and all the best
xxxx Zohra oooo

Final days in Australia

2007-07-08T09:59:00.000Z

Hi there. Sorry it has taken me so long to get around to this next post .... have been distracted with the everyday things and just kicking back here in Morocco. Anyway.....

After I got back from New Zealand, I spent a couple of days in Melbourne before heading of to Queensland. I only had 3 weeks left before leaving for Morocco, and I hadn't finished my packing nor spent much time with Dounia (who had only just returned from 5 weeks in Europe competing in Taekwondo competitions), so I could only spend 1 week in Queensland with my family then stopping over in Sydney to visit friends and family there before coming back to Melbourne.

Was greeted at Sunshine Coast Airport by Mum and Geoff, picked up the hire car, then headed back to Bribie Island. If you've never been to Brisbie Island then, in my mind, it is well worth the visit. Great beaches, especially as most of the island (around 70%) is undeveloped, and you need a four wheel drive to get to the beaches in that area ..... but it is well worth the trek. Barely another soul around and a wonderful long stretch of white sand and blue ocean - just like in the travel brochures! Yes, hard to believe that such a spot exists so close to the rest of humanity. You may spot the odd long-line fisherman, complete with beach umbrella and seat, and fishing rod stuck in the sand with the line out into the waves, or a couple having a picnic, but for the most part this stretch of beach is deserted. The part of the island that is developed is also very appealing - especially the walkways, bike paths, and picnic areas around the shore line. Plenty of nice camping grounds, and good eateries as well. Ok, that's enough spruicking for Bribie Island!

My sister Anne & family also live on Bribie Island, and my sister Carol & family not too far away so was a great chance to catch up with them all and add the the family photo album. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me when Cassandra (Anne's eldest daughter) and Kane (her financee) came to visit (they live in Beenleigh down on the Gold Coast) so their mug shots are missing, however, I'm sure Anne will get around to sending me some photos eventually so then I can add them to the album!

During the week Mum and I went exploring through Maleny and Peachester looking for possible art work that I might want to buy (another souvenir for Morocco) but found instead some lovely hand carved wooden boxes which I bought for Mafaz, Namuk and Aluk in Sydney. Each box was made from different types of Australian wood, and was beautifully finished. Along the way we took time out to take photographs of the Glass House Mountains, which are massive rock formations protruding at intervals from the ground. We also went down to Brisbane to check out the Art Gallery and surrounds. The express-way into Brisbane would have to be one of the most confusing I have ever seen, followed closely by the express-way in Sydney! In both cases, if you are not in exactly the correct lane at the right time you will totally miss your turn off and end up on the other side of the city, probably on a one-way street taking you further away from your intended destination! Anyway, we managed to get to where we wanted to be without too much hassle (a minor hiccup turning into a one way street was soon overcome by doing a U turn - much to the disgust of the locals) and we even made it home without doing a round tour of Brisbane's suburbs!

Bought Mum a new Nokia mobile phone so we could more easily remain in contact with each other - SMS messages are pretty easy to send, and cheaper than a phone call - and she took to using the phone like a duck to water!! Was thinking I should upgrade my phone to the same model, but then thought, well I am going to Morocco and I only need the basics since I have my laptop and can connect to the internet if I want to send emails etc - also, less chance of my phone growing legs and walking away since it is so old and everyone these days wants the latest and greatest gadeget available to mankind!

The day before I left Qld, spent most of the day with my sister Carol trekking through Noosa National Park which is absolutely gorgeous. Wonderful walking tracks and great views of the ocean. We yakked about her & Colins plans with the new property they have bought in NSW and the different ways they could develop that. They are thinking of maybe developing the property as a type of farm-stay holiday destination, and/or include horse trail rides etc. Here is a view of what the property looks like at the moment:

Was abit of a teary goodbye at the airport as I left for Sydney. Even though I have lived most of my life away from my Mum, we have grown very close over the last few years and whenever I visit her (or vice-versa) she spoils me rotten with home cooked meals, which she whips up out of nothing in no time, and all those other little things that mums do! I guess I'll just have to spoil her with a holiday to Morocco, so she can meet Najib's family and be spoilt by others for a change!

Arrived in Sydney in the afternoon, and was greeted at the airport by Amasy (Nawar's sister) and Khalid (Amasy's husband). It was a long drive back to Sutherland where Mafaz & Namuk & Aluk (Nawar's parents & youngest sister, respectively) live so used that time boring Amasy and Khalid with details of my travels to date. It was the first time I had visited Nawar's family in Sydney (and in fact the first time I had been further than the airport or the CBD) so was fun looking at the different scenery - often there is so much that looks the same in the suburbs of Australia, but then there are unique things that put a particular stamp on an area to set it apart. In Sydney it seems the beach is never far away (unlike in Melbourne where one has to drive for hours to get to a decent surf beach), and there seems to be alot more native foliage, especially the grevillia which I love (whereas Melbourne seems to have alot more northern hemisphere type trees, and Queensland has more tropical foliage).

The next day (Sunday), Mafaz, Namuk & I took a drive down to Wollongong, checking out the scenery along the way. We stopped for lunch at a really old pub / bistro near one of the beaches. As it was such a beautiful day, everyone was out and about enjoying the weather, so this pub was full of a mixture of bikies, surfies, young couples, families, the local bowling club members celebrating something, etc. I was abit surprised that Namuk would want to stop there as it was pub after all, and alcohol was flowing freely, however the crowd was well behaved and it was what one could only describe as a typical Australian gathering - almost like a big family BBQ! It took ages for our meal to arrive because the chef was not cooking orders by number but by whatever order he/she happened to put his/her hand on, but it was good all the same. As we were leaving, a band started playing on the terraced area - a mix of funky blues and latino pop. Was really neat and added a great vibe to the occassion. It was really neat seeing all these different people sitting side by side and enjoying the food, music and surroundings.

I was leaving Sydney on Monday, late in the afternoon after catching up with work colleagues for lunch, so Mafaz and I went to one of her favourite shops, one that sells antiques and also has a cafe attached. We pigged out on coffee and gluten free cakes then explored the interior of the shop, which was huge. There was a fantastic collection of furniture, crockery, cutlery, linen, books, jewellery etc. It was abit like stepping back in time and, as many of the items had been so well maintained, the only way you could tell they were old was by the style. I opened one box to discover a bone-handled cutlery set in pristine condition - the bone was still near white!! No, I didn't buy anything, though there was a really neat fold-down table that took my fancy!!

Mafaz dropped me at the airport so I could check my bag in early (rather than lugging it through the CDB with me) and then I took the train from the airport to the city. What a neat system, and so easy! I had about an hour before I had to meet my friends, so wandered around Circular Quay taking photos of things that people don't normally take photos of (not even one shot of the Opera House!), then made my way down Pitt Street to our rendezvous. Met with Wendee and Rita and got an update on what is and isn't happening at work, and gave them a very abbreviated version of what I have been doing. After lunch wandered further down Pitt Street and eventually found myself at the Queen Victoria Building. It was here I discovered that Sydney has heaps of underground shopping, so wandered through amazed at the variety - much more fun than at street level. By chance, I eventually found myself at one of the trains stations on the airport line and was just in time for the next train!

Photos for this stage of my trip can be found here: Queensland & Sydney Photos

Dounia and Nawar picked me up at the airport in Melbourne and we made our usual stop in Carlton for gelati on the way home. The next couple of days were spent getting all the family photos together and burning CDs for everyone then posting them. Then it was time to complete the last of my packing and enjoy my last few days in Melbourne with Dounia and Nawar, my sisters Jackie & Lynley and their families.

Had a great send off at the airport - the sort of crowd one normally sees when Greeks, Italians or Arabs are travelling (the whole family turns up), so I felt very special.

Well, that is about it for now. Next post will be a short one about my stopover in Dubai and first days in Morocco. Until then, take care and all the best.

xxx Zohra ooo

Off to New Zealand

2007-06-28T19:07:00.000Z

Making a move to the other side of the planet for an indefinite period of time could not occur without me saying goodbye to close friends and relatives who happen to be scattered throughout Australia and New Zealand. Thought it best to go to NZ first so left Melbourne on 23 April for Auckland. Was met at the airport by my eldest sister, Karen, whom I almost didn't recognise not only because she had a funky new haircut which she had dyed black with a blonde swish off to one side, but she was wearing a floral shirt! Yes, a floral shirt ... and a lovely feminine pale blue one as well! When Karen visited me last year in Oz, I had a heck of a time convincing her that she looked good in pink. I think she wore the T-shirt I bought just to shut me up, but I would never have imagined her in any type of floral print. So, of course I spent a moment or two teasing her about the shirt - that's what sisters do!

I only had two weeks to spend in NZ, and since Karen couldn't get any extended time off work until the second week, I decided to head down to Wellington almost immediately, but not before I caught up with a long lost friend, Linda. Linda and I practically grew up together - we went to primary & secondary school together, pretty much spent all our spare time together and practically lived at each others place. We did the typical things that kids did, like taking of with her brother's bikes when they were busy watching the rugby on TV. We would go riding into the countryside for hours - I don't think our parents ever worried about where we were ... it was the 1970's in NZ afterall, and after breakfast if you weren't at school you were expected to be outside playing and "don't get into any trouble and make sure you're home by tea time!".

Caught up with Linda the second day and we spent most of the afternoon together. It was amazing to see her again after 20 years! Naturally, the conversation revolved around family and where our respective siblings are now, etc and of course our children. After such a long time with no contact between us, I thought the conversation would be abit strained, but it was like there had been no time lost between us and we yakked away like we had never been apart. Of course, it's very energy draining when you get women together to talk about such important topics, but Linda had it all under control and whipped out two big blocks of Whitakkers chocolate to make sure our energy levels didn't flag. Being a bit of a chocoholic, I managed to restrain myself enough to allow Linda and Karen to have a few lines each, while I totally pigged out on the rest! At this stage of my trip, I hadn't got used to whipping my camera out every 5 minutes, so only managed to get two photos of Linda. Thank goodness I did, as unfortunately, I did not have time to catch up with her again at the end of my trip, but we are now in email contact, which is great. (What would we do without email??)

The next day (25th), I headed down to Wellington to catch up with my mum's younger brother, Stan, whom I also hadn't seen for over 20 years, so it was going to be one of those, "are you ...?" reunions at Wellington airport. Got off the plane watching everyone being greeted by friends and relatives and wandered slowly along, searching for a man who looked somewhat like my mum. Spotted Stan standing near the wall, he obviously doing the same thing but probably searching for someone who looked like Karen! Once we spotted each other we both broke into a big grin, gave each other a big hug and didn't stop talking until about 1.00am the next morning! It was so surprising to discover how much Stan and I have in common - the way we view the world and our approach to life generally - and of course, the humour that runs in our family. Stan told me alot about my other Aunts and Uncles, so I decided that I should try and meet as many of them as possible while in NZ, even if only briefly. Stayed with Stan for a couple of days, meeting mum's third eldest sister, Betty and getting the address for her eldest sister, Marie, who lives in Christchurch, then took a flight down to Queenstown to catch up with my friends Dawn & Wayne who (yes, you guessed it) I also hadn't seen for 20+ years!

Arrived in Queenstown on Friday afternoon, and as I got of the plane couldn't help but admire the wonderful view of the mountains. Dawn was there to greet met and, as with Linda in Auckland, we naturally slotted into conversation and laughter as if we had last seen each other the day before. Dawn, Wayne and I also went to school together - Dawn & I in primary and high school, Wayne in high school. One of my earliest memories of Dawn at school is when we were in Primary 3 (9 yrs old) and our test results were being read out by the teacher. Dawn came head of the class and I came second. I remember her leaning toward me and congratulating me on my result. I was quite surprised, because, at that stage Dawn & I barely knew each other and you know what kids are like at school - very clicky and generally don't mix outside of their play group. We mostly got together at school, though now and then I'd go around to her place to play - and that's when I first met Wayne as he was a neighbour living just down the road from Dawn and their parents knew each other, though he went to a different primary school. Funny thing is, we all ended up in the same class in high school, and so the friendship grew from there.

Dawn & Wayne live in Wanaka, a good hour drive from Queenstown so it was a wonderful scenic drive back to their place. I stayed with them over the weekend and the Monday, talking about friends and family, my trip to Morocco and what Najib is currently up to etc. On the Saturday, Dawn & I took Gus, their airsdale terrier, for a walk along Wanaka's Millenium Track (where he gleefully chased after rabbits), while Wayne went and played golf, then on Sunday, they took me on a full day trip from Wanaka to Lake Hawea to Clyde, Alexandra and surrounds. The camera got a good workout and you can view some of the photos I took (as well as those from Auckland, Wellington & Christchurch) here:

New Zealand Photos

Before going to work each morning, Dawn & a friend normally take their dogs for a walk up Little Mount Maude. Dawn asked me if I'd like to join them on Monday morning, so, loving an invigorating walk, I accepted and at 4.45am put my tracksuit on over my pj's, threw on the beenie and followed Dawn out into the cold morning air. What a sight. As Dawn said, we looked so unattractive there was no chance anyone would attack us! The trek was hard yakka .... a decent pace and steep switchbacks up the mountain (well, hill by NZ standards) got me huffing and puffing and wondering whether I would make it to the top. The view was well worth the climb and we could see Wanaka township slowly coming to life as people started their day. When we got back home, Dawn got herself ready for work and I went back to bed!!! Later that day I took Gus for another 2 hour walk along the lakeside - it is so beautiful it is no wonder that people want to live there. Though for those who don't like tooooo much cold, here are a couple of photos from Dawn showing the amount of snow they have been receiving recently, which has caused businesses and schools to be closed as the roads are too treacherous to travel.

Left Dawn & Wayne on Tuesday morning heading back to Wellington but with a stop in Christchurch for a few hours so I could catch up with Marie (my mum's eldest sister). I had never met Marie before so we made plans to meet at a library centre not far from the airport and, gave each other a rough description of each other to avoid being a pest to strangers! Again, I was so surprised when we met how easily the conversation flowed .... ok, so I am a chatterbox and you're probably thinking I didn't give Marie much of a chance to get a word in, but that is not true (much). I had my laptop with me so was able to show her all the photos I had of family in Australia and New Zealand, some of whom she has never met (like me). I think she enjoyed going through all the family photos and putting faces to names she had only heard of before. I have since sent her (and all my other Aunts and Uncles) a disk of all the family photos I have - so now everyone is up to date!!

Arrived back in Wellington Tuesday evening and stayed with Stan for another couple of days so I could catch up with Irene (mum's youngest sister). Also got to meet my cousin, Melanie, and her daughter Sabrina, so had a few more additional photos for the family album. Went into the city to have a look at what might be different and found some lovely public art to photograph. Then it was off to Auckland to spend my last few days with Karen and, hopefully, catch up with her daugher, Drift.

Only stayed the night in Auckland then headed up to Whangarie, where Karen lives and works, and enjoyed playing with Karen's cats in her large backyard. Karen had a pile of wood that had been delivered and dumped under the carport, so went to work moving that and restacking it around the back under the back steps. Certainly earned my dinner that day! Took heaps of photos of plants in her garden, and got a great shot of one of her cats, Phoenix, looking through a spider web. The next day (Sunday) made our way back to Auckland and a rendezvous with Drift. We took our time, stopping at as many arty places as we could find (I was determined to buy some NZ art before I left) and plant nurseries as well, since Karen is a gardening fanatic! Finally made it back into Auckland around 5.00pm and met Drift and the new man in her life, Tom, for dinner at Mission Bay. It had been at least 10yrs since I last saw Drift, so it was great talking to her and finding out what her future plans are. Drift is only a couple of years older than Dounia, so I bought her up to date on what Dounia is up to etc.

My final day in Auckland was spent going to various art galleries to see if I could find something I like. We went to the Museum shop, which has some really lovely art, but nothing there grabbed my fancy, so we headed to Parnell which has heaps of art galleries. Saw a really wonderful painting which I totally could not afford, so just wandered around the gallery drooling, then went to another one which sold etchings (unframed) by local artists. Found a few that I liked and that wouldn't cause too much damage to my visa card, and after that found a nice cafe where we could celebrate my purchase!! After that it was off to the airport. Karen and Cindy asked me whether I had paid the departure tax, and I assured them not to worry as it was included in the ticket (so I thought, coz that is how things operate in Oz). So, we finally exchange our last hugs and kisses and I wander through the customs checkpoint only to be told to exit out a side door to pay the departure tax! I got to the counter and offered my visa card to make the payment. As is typical in situations like this, the card rejected. No problem, I whipped out the second visa card I had with me - which also promptly rejected. I couldn't use my ATM card so they tried one of my visa cards again - yaaay, the system decided it would accept the card this time. What a pain!

Arrived back in Melbourne on the Monday evening and was meet at the airport by Dounia and Nawar. As we normally do on the way back from the airport, we stopped in Carlton for gelati! I only had a few days in Melbourne and then it was off to Queensland ..... but I'll leave that trip for my next posting. I'm sure you are quite exhausted have read about my NZ trip - it has only taken my 2 days to write it!!

Until then, take care and all the best

Zohra xoxoxox

Putting the house in order

2007-06-25T20:08:00.000Z

So, 30 March was my last day of work and I had 2 months before leaving for Morocco. Heaps of time to kick back and relax, you're thinking. Nup. Got to visit friends and family in NZ, then Qld and Sydney, then Melbourne (which is trickier than you think when nearly all of the people I intend to visit work, they're not on holiday like me, and there are only so many weekends in a month!). Plus, I have to allow extra time for Dounia, my one and only daughter. Even though we've spent time apart - like on extended holidays etc - this is the first time we will be away from each other for such a long time, and it's not like we can just jump on the next flight to see each other in a matter of a few hours.

The first thing I had to do was organise my belongings. I initially thought to store the furniture that Dounia and Nawar didn't want to use, and just take my clothes, but after exploring the cost of long term storage decided it was cheaper to ship it and use it. The first 3 weeks I spent packing - well, actually, sorting through the junk I had accumulated over the years. Much time was devoted to shredding old papers, sending unwanted clothes to the charity bin, and turfing out all those odds & bods I previously thought would come in handy one day. In the process of doing this, it occurred to me that there are certain things one can't buy (or not easily) in Morocco - little things like Cotton On singlets and T-shirts, Bonds undies (don't laugh, Najib asked me to buy him some more of these as well, plus some Rivers shirts and Timberland shoes), gluten free pasta, gluten free soy sauce, sweet chilli dip and Cadbury chocolate! So I went on a small shopping spree buying up things that I thought I'd need but at the same time thinking "you're an idiot. You'll get to Morocco and find all this stuff there and you'll be kicking yourself for having spent money on shipping it". Thankfully I took no notice of that little voice, because everything I bought that I thought I would need I definitely can't get here. OK, so now you're probably wondering whether the natives wear undies - well, surprise surprise, yes they do (if the clothes lines here are any indication). It is just that, you can spend a ridiculous amount on a quality item, or you can make do with the cheap and nasty items that fall apart, or the elastic goes bung, or they give you a wedgey or a nasty rash - or all of the above!!

By the time my NZ trip rolled around most of my packing was done - except for my bedroom furniture and my clothes (since I needed warm & cold weather clothes for NZ, warm weather clothes for Qld & Syd, cold weather clothes for Melbourne and warm weather clothes for Morocco). During this process, our two cats, Bluey and Bubbles, when not looking disconcerted about what was going on, seemed to enjoy themselves jumping in the packing boxes or running away from the bubble wrap! After a while they stopped looking up in fright at the sound of the packing tape being used. If their photos are anything to go by, I doubt they are missing me in the slightest!

When I got back from my NZ, Qld & Sydney trips, I had just over a week before I left for Morocco, so quickly dismantled my bed and wrapped it in so much bubble wrap, it just about needed its own container! Then my little dresser - which took me over 3 hours to wrap! My sister Jackie reckons our ability to wrap things in such a manner that not only will the item not get damaged, it will take twice as long to unwrap, was probably inherited from our grandmother, who (God bless her) would send us birthday and christmas presents so securely sealed we wondered whether we would ever get to use the present! Anyway, the man from the shipping company was extremely impressed (best packing he has even seen .... yes, I'm all puffed up with pride, content in the knowledge that another line of work is available to me! I wonder whether I should start my own packing business in Morocco ...plenty of tourists wanting to send carpets and other heavy items home rather than cart them to every other destination ... hmmmmm).

Well, that is about it for this post. My next one will be about my trip to NZ, Qld and Sydney and my final days in Melbourne. Until then, take care.

All the best,
Zohra xoxoxoxo

Leaving work!

2007-06-23T20:08:00.000Z

Thought I would start this blog at the beginning, and explain why I have taken an extended break from work at ANZ. I think most people I worked with - and anyone else within close proximity to wherever I happened to be sitting - were aware that I intended at some stage to head off to Morocco to start a business with my husband. I had been talking about this adventure for so long (at least 7 years!), that when I bumped into work colleagues I hadn't seen in some time, they would ask with surprise "you still here?" or "aren't you supposed to be in Morocco?".

As it turned out, my husband (Najib), headed of to Morocco before me in 2003 due to the ill health of his mother. I stayed in Australia while our daughter, Dounia, completed her university degree. She finally graduated in 2006 and, hamdullilah, got a fantastic job straight away on the graduate program. So that meant I was free to make the big move!

I hung around about 6 months longer than I intended because I had moved to a new position in the bank and wanted to complete a couple of projects I was working on. However, finally bit the bullet and set the date for my departure - and then had all my work colleagues counting down the days for me! Hmmmm.

In my final months at the bank I had some great fun, in particular discovering the playground at the Docklands thanks to the "Walk-and-Talk" idea initiated by Julie Piper. This got a few of us out of the office at lunch time walking around the city and just gas-bagging about whatever came to mind. As you can imagine, women are so much better at this than men, so, generally it was the girls getting exercise while the boys went back to their desks with their lunch. Click on the following link to see the photos taken on one of our walks to the Docklands.

Docklands Photos

And, let us not not to forget the memorable occassion of the C&SF Resolve Recharge Workshop where the whole team spent a couple of nights out at Werribee Park Zoo getting to know each other and what we wanted our team to achieve. We had a great time learning the bongo drums, and going on a midnight safari, but the real stars of the show were the mercats!

Had a great send-off on my final day and received really lovely gifs, the most precious being the wonderful "Goodbye" binder. Rather than a card, Julie had organised a small binder in which my work colleagues could each write on a page wishing me well etc. It is really creative, and some of the thoughts people shared with me made me laugh and cry at the same time. It really made me realise how much of an impression we leave on people, even the ones we don't work with directly. Anyway, that binder will have star position in my new home office. (Which is yet to be built, but not to worry, the binder is still on a ship situated somewhere between Singapore and Casablanca and isn't due to arrive until around 18 July, inshallah!).

Well that is the end of my first installment on my blog. Will have a stab at the second installment in the next day or so. Until then, take care and enjoy all the surprises life throws at you!

xxx Zohra ooo