Last days...

Karl and I will be heading to the airport to return to the States later this evening. We have spent some good times with our friends to say our last goodbyes. While we are very excited to see our family and friends in the States, we are really sad to say goodbye to all of our friends here. Its been a wonderful two years.



This is one of my good friends - her and her sister surprised me with two pictures and one cake with our picture on it! They were so thoughtful, and I will never forget my friendship with them. Isn't it amazing?! She is a super talented artist!


I love this one because it is me and Karl with traditional North African clothing on - this will definitely get framed!!! I think this is my favorite thing that I am bringing back.


I really enjoying dancing here, so we did a lot of that!!


The picture was edible... although kind of papery:)


Dancing fun!


Some of my closest friends here

The hottest weather of our lives

We took a trip down south this week to two different beaches. The first 3 days was great, quiet, empty beaches with great weather. It even got cool in the evenings!! After 3 days, we headed farther down south to find the weather a little warm. For the rest of the week we sweated all the time, including while sleeping. The temperature stayed between 110 and 120 during the day, and maybe got down to 95 at night. Our hottest day was 122 degrees! This was all without air conditioning; an experience I was thankful to have, but never want to again!



This was the beach we visited, which was beautiful, but I never went to the beach because it was too hot!:)


Camel ride, anyone?


While driving, we spotted a few of these trucks carrying cows. Always makes us laugh!!



We are leaving this week, and are sad to say goodbye to our friends. We have both been trying to see as many of them as possible before we go on Thursday.

The countryside, part two

Karl and I took a trip inland last week, and had a great time learning more about farm life in this country.



We visited a small village far from every large city. The people were so nice, and lived such simple lives. Most of the people lived in huts made out of mud, and the floors inside were dirt. Many of the older women did not even know Arabic, but I was able to communicate with some of them. It was a nice break from the big city, but would be very challenging to live out there!



Karl visited with these farmers, and was able to learn more about their work, and the methods they use.


After we left the village, we went with some friends to see another city. We had a great time! Enjoy the rest of the pics!

Life in the country...

I traveled with some friends to the "country" this week and had a great time! Life in the country here is definitely different than life in the country in the States. The women have tons of work to do because everything is done by hand. They do not have running water in the house, and have to draw it from a well everyday. Enjoy the pictures!


The donkey is the transportation of choice in this part of town. A first for me!


This is where they bake bread.





We took this "carriage" to the closest shop, and returned about an hour and a half later.


We traveled with these ladies, some great friends!


We also spent some time on the beach, it was beautiful!


We went shopping in the nearby city, and the pottery was beautiful and super cheap!! I bought a soup server, bowls, pitcher and cups, all for under $25!


Tagine anyone?

Summer is here!

We recently finished a two month basketball program, and had a great time with the kids and coaches. Here are some pics:




Karl telling the kids a story


The girls were a lot of fun to work with. The really improved in their basketball skills!




My friend and I cooked an American style lunch (hamburgers) for these ladies, and it was a hit!

Cous Cous!

I am spending a decent amount of my time here trying to learn how to cook North African food. I enjoy it so much, that I want to be able to eat it when we get back to the States (we are returning in August). Last week, I was invited to sit in with the mother of the house and watch her make cous cous. It was a lot of fun!!

In the beginning, cook the meat, spices and veggies together. The cous cous is steamed on top. It steams for about a total of 2 hours (they laugh when I tell them about 5 minute cous cous!)


Lots of veggies!



Enjoy!


The daughter in the house is getting married, and she let me try on some of her wedding attire!

Rest and Relaxation

We took a trip to Switzerland this week, and loved every minute of it!! When we decided where to go on vacation, we couldn't help but decide to go back to Suisse. This time, however, we were in Italian Switzerland - very close to the border. It was GREAT!!


This was the view from our Bed and Breakfast!

We spent most of our time hiking - and just loved being out in the mountains! The sounds, smells and sights of Switzerland were a nice break from the big city we live in.




High quality Swiss cows! We enjoyed cheese, milk and ice cream every day:)


One day, we hiked for 3 hours up a mountain to make it to this summit. It was well worth it, the view was amazing! Needless to say, we were sore the next day - the hike down was just as hard on our legs.



These donkeys were adorable - much cuter than the ones here.


This is the town where we stayed.


One of my favorite activities... The green grass and lawn chair was just enough for me.


One day we hiked down to this lake town, and enjoyed the afternoon swimming and relaxing at the lake.