Eagerly Anticipating July

But in the meantime...here's what we've been up to:

• Dave had his first hammam experience, where his chest was rubbed raw
• Nicole decided to give up sugar for 3 months...just because
• We haven't seen a single cockroach in months
• Dave is coaching the middle-school soccer team
• We have accepted an invitation to attend our first Moroccan wedding next month
• This provides an excuse for Nicole to finally go "kaftan" shopping
• Our third camel-riding adventure has been booked for when Dad and Mary visit us in April
• Dave has become a wicked awesome surfer
• Nicole is finally comfortable with driving between Dar Bouazza and the school by herself
• Teaching third grade is pretty awesome
• We have clumsily broken at least three plates this month
• one of those broken plates started an unfortunate chain reaction, which ended with the landlord buying Nicole maxi pads

-David & Nicole

Getting The Car Fixed

fuel pump = $64.58

re-fixing the "newly fixed" fuel pump = $58.72

rear brakes = $23.49

wheel bearing = $27.01

two transmission bearings = $35.23

starter = $15.27

brake grease = $5.87

transmission oil = $17.62

labor = $52.85

knowing that we would have paid 10x this cost if we lived in America.........priceless

-David & Nicole

Mayonnaise

     Within a 10 minute walking radius from our home, there are at least 5 "hanouts" where we regularly do our grocery shopping. These small shops carry all of the essential cooking needs, aside from meat.

    Today, Nicole suddenly realized that we were out of mayonnaise. But where is the fun in walking 10 minutes to our local hanout to buy mayonnaise? Instead...we chose to take a 16 mile detour to the center of Casablanca via the new tramway! The king officially inaugurated Casablanca's newly constructed tramway line on 12/12/12 by being the first to ride the 19 mile line.
    The Grudda family inaugurated the tramway today: 1/6/13... & we thoroughly documented this inauguration for your viewing pleasure.

buying our tickets in English!

waiting for the tramway

here it comes

we are so awesome

inside the tramway [it's nice...for now]

our stop: the center of town

proof that we were in Casablanca center

mayonnaise: check

time to go home

 -David & Nicole