Battered Suitcases

It is busy, busy, busy these days.

Here’s a little update on what’s happening over here:

1. This video has been bouncing around the internet over the past few weeks. I think it successfully shows Marrakech’s charming side. Plus, those cute little faces at 1:01 and 3:02 are friends of mine.

2. This past weekend my school took another outreach trip. This time we visited some boarding houses run by Education For All, a Moroccan NGO. The group builds boarding houses near secondary schools so that girls living in remote communities have the opportunity to further their education. My school came out to lead fun activities for the girls to participate in. My role was to lead yoga on the roof. It was a very giggly afternoon spent under the Atlas Mountains with a lovely group of motivated young women.

3. In a little less than a week a very special guest arrives. I’m looking forward to showing my sister around Marrakech.

xo, jill

I couldn’t help myself.

I meant to post these photos a few weeks ago when the Northwest was under so much snow…

Back in early February Mike and I joined some co-workers and headed to Oukaimeden, a popular ski spot in the Atlas Mountains. Our group chartered a private bus and got an early start. The two hour bus ride felt like quite the transformation. We went from warm and red Marrakech to the white and snowy Oukaimeden.

A few people in our group took their chances skiing, Mike included. You can either rent gear from a rental shop or from several vendors at the base of the ski hill. It basically looks like a garage sale with outdated equipment on offer… but it gets the job done. In Mike’s opinion, the experience was similar to skiing in Dubai… good for the novelty (skiing in Africa!) but not great for the actual skiing itself.

These amazing ski suits were a common sight. 

There’s also a sledding area popular with kids and families. How could you say no to renting one of these bad boys for your kids?

For me, I thoroughly enjoyed my day relaxing in the sun at a little cafe. I was able to catch up on some reading and knitting, and spend quality time with a co-worker/friend I really enjoy.

Our little set up until a snow plow booted us.

After a few hours our group reconvened and a Moroccan style snowman was born. That guy turned out to be quite the hit. Children and adults alike came over to ask if they could pose in front of him.

Polar Puppy was there too.

We were stuck in a bit of ski traffic on our way down the mountain. A giant boulder in the middle of the road didn’t help things either. Luckily, the incredible view of misty clouds enveloping the ground below made the delay worth it.

xo, jill