Melbourne to Marrakech

Marrakech to Melbourne

•March 27, 2008 • 2 Comments

Well it’s taken me a while to get a chance to sit down and update the blog with what’s been happening since we finalised our plans to head home. While we had loads of time in Istanbul I wasn’t able to access the blog, something to do with censorship in Turkey. Anyway we are back in Melbourne and it is taking some getting used to.

Everything went very smoothly in Turkey, we had a great time exploring Ankara & Istanbul, it was strange being in a Muslim country that was so westernised. But after 10 months of living in Morocco it was lacking a certain something, which I put down to atmosphere and character. Of course there will be some out there who would love Turkey like I love Morocco, for me though there is no comparison. Perhaps it also had something to do with being over haggling and the Grand Bazaar not coming close to the souks in Marrakech. But it really wasn’t what I expected. It was very strange being in a Muslim country that was completely westernised! If it weren’t for the stunning mosques everywhere you would have been forgiven for forgetting the religious basis of this country.

The weather was wonderful and a great change from Marrakech – 8 degrees on average, rain and even some snow in Ankara not enough to coat the ground, but enough to make us smile. Before we knew it we were on our way back to Melbourne, complete with loads of excess baggage and crossed fingers.

Now we’ve been back in Melbourne for just over 4 months and it has taken some getting used to. We started with trying to get some work and as most of you know that took some time. Now we are eagerly awaiting the birth of our momo, according to Dr Len, he’s pretty happy where he is at the moment so nothing to report there. Apart from I am a very good oven and picture of health. Just quietly though, my back is killing me and sleep is become much more broken, practice for after the birth I expect.

Hafid is enjoy casual work and really wants to be working full-time, that will come though and we have settled into a Moroccan Australia version of life which suits him fine. Due to the rental crisis here in Melbourne we are staying put at Dar McDonald in Doncaster. Inshallah one day in the not too distant future we will find a suitable unit or house to rent that doesn’t cost the national debt of a small country nor reflect a bark humpy.

For now though we are all happy living together and loving taking care of each other. Mum & Dad are off 4WDriving at some stage after the baby comes. So we’ll have the house to ourselves for a while. Cooking has had it’s challenges as anything Moroccan has to be overseen by Hafid and you can imagine how that goes down with me!? It seems though we’ve established a pretty good menu by combining the Aussie meat & 3 veg which satisfies Dad as well as Moroccan/Mediterranean for the rest of us.

I will fill you in on the past few months as we go, but I just wanted to get this published to fill in the blanks between when we left & arrived home.

Maasalama

Posted in 1

4 weeks to go

•March 17, 2008 • Leave a Comment

4 weeks to go

Originally uploaded by katemac69.

Now I actually look pregnant! All is going well and according to my Dr, I am a very good oven. Experiencing a few braxton hicks contractions over the past few days, but no action just yet… We are hoping to make it to Emma & Pauls wedding at the end of April so Momo is under strict instructions to make an early appearance.
I am feeling great, but the anticipation is getting a little out of control and we are very ready to meet our baby! As is everyone else around us!

Posted in 1

Kate, Momo & Hafid

•March 17, 2008 • Leave a Comment

Kate, Momo & Hafid

Originally uploaded by katemac69.

39 degrees today in Melbourne, trying to keep cool although I think I am more used to the heat than ever before, thanks to summer in Marrakech, we are currently having a last heat wave in Melbourne after thankfully a fairly mild summer.
Only 4 weeks til our due date and more than likely 1 & 1/2 more weeks of work. All is well, we can’t wait to meet our shwia qerd.

Posted in 1

Maasalama Marrakech

•November 1, 2007 • 1 Comment

Well…. For those of you who don’t already know, Hafid’s visa has been approved and we are on our way home. To say it’s all happened at the speed of light is almost an understatement. We received a call last Sunday afternoon not more than a few hours after we’d finished saying I will call them on Monday and find out what’s going on. Hafid was interviewed over the phone and then the chap spoke with me, asked a few questions about how we’ll raise our children, whether Hafid will settle into life in Oz, where will we live etc and can you email the wedding photo’s asap. He then said he can’t see any reason why we won’t receive the visa as he will recommend to his supervisor that it should be approved. We emailed the photo’s as soon as we got off the phone and just after I finished calling Mum & Dad, Dan & Diana I received an email saying it’s all done and you are approved! Voila!! I think we were both thinking it will take another couple of weeks before it’s confirmed.

So we then had the tooing and froing about whether to go to Dubai (as it’s on the way home) sorting a visa for there, booking tickets etc. But as it’s turned out we are off to Turkey as Hafid doesn’t need a visa for there and it’s a tad safer than Ghana and easier to get to.

So we are booked to fly out of Marrakech on Monday to Istanbul, where we will then catch the train to Ankara and visit the embassy to collect his visa. Mercury was obviously in retrograde while trying to organise all this, but has turned in our favour with everything falling into place right at the last minute!

We will spend 10 days in Turkey to allow for just in case scenarios arising and to allow us some travel time between Istanbul & Ankara. All very exotic I have to say, this from someone who’s spent the last 8 months in Marrakech. Istanbul has always been on my list of places to visit, but I didn’t think it would happen so quickly. Perhaps this can be our honeymoon by ourselves, although the whole idea of a honeymoon was foreign to Hafid and we had the best time with everyone in Essaouira, which by the way I HIGHLY recommend as a place to visit, especially if you are coming to Morocco. It’s a definite break from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the country.

Of course our leaving is tinged with alot of sadness as it was when I left Melbourne to come here. We’ve created a life together here and I’ve fallen in love with Didiss and Hafid’s family as well, we will miss them very much. I am looking forward to a sit down loo, understanding the conversations around me and making a new home for us in Melbourne especially as this move is made with the knowledge that we will definitely be back in Marrakech and Morocco alot over our life together.

So while we bid farewell to our home here we are both excited, nervous and a little scared but we know the future is very bright for us and will be filled with lots of love and happiness. You can expect us back in Melbourne around the 16th of November.

I will try and post something from Turkey as well, but either way stay tuned as there is alot more happening.

Bon Voyage, Maasalama, Ci Vediamo Presto, See you very soon xxx Kate & Hafid

Posted in 1