Summer fun

We spent the day yesterday at a water park, and it was fabulous! The park was clean, and the slides were a lot of fun. I still practiced my Arabic yesterday, saying things like, "what are you doing?! Were you ahead of me?! Go behind us!" Cutting in line is part of the culture here - but I wasn't going to let teenage boys get passed us yesterday!




The summer produce has been great, although - its great here all year around. I am loving the peaches!


And Karl with some facial hair... this is a rare site, and he has already shaved it off. I guess he was going for the "rugged" look.


I also spent the day at a friend's house a few weeks ago - this is chicken and fries. It's delicious, and I think most Americans would like it!

Fishing Village

While we were enjoying our time on a secluded beach, we spent one day in town. This southern city used to be a small fishing village. We walked around, enjoyed some fresh fish, and did some shopping. I loved this place!







We had fish for lunch next to the port - this was probably the freshest fish I have ever had! It was delicious, once I got used to the heads/eyes.


We could pick out which fish we wanted to eat for lunch. I didn't think too hard about how long this fish had been in the warm sun - but it tasted great!


We took the coastal road back home, and the views were amazing!


Of course I had to end with another sunset...

Embracing the sand...

We spent the last 5 days on a camping vacation down south, and it was fabulous! The place we stayed at was literally in the middle of nowhere. There was no electricity, so they functioned on big batteries and a generator. The beach was totally empty, and we mostly had it to ourselves, with the exception of a few other vacationers.


The sunsets were so beautiful every night!


Empty beach!


We stayed in this wooden shack looking thing, which was quite comfortable. Some of our friends also stayed in tents. It was always windy, so Karl was encouraging all of us to embrace the sand. We were sandy for a whole week, and took showers in salt water - so it was a real beach experience. The weather was clear and sunny everyday, and it got pretty chilly in the evenings. The water was really cold, but we still enjoyed swimming!


The camp ground - nothing else around!



We also spent time in a nearby city - I will post pictures of that in a few days!

Gall Bladder Free!

Okay, so this may be the most boring post ever - sorry. But, I have spent the last week recovering from surgery. Needless to say, we haven't been out much! The good news is that my gall bladder was officially causing my nausea, so I should be feeling great in just a week or so!


We returned to find this pile of cement blocks in front of our apartment building. The guy that lives in front of it asked them to move their pile of cement blocks over, because you know, it was all in his space. Well, turns out this is no pile of cement blocks. Its a temporary home for the people building next door to us! It was a little awkward this morning, when I looked in expecting to see more blocks, and I saw a man sleeping!


So, I need to say THANKS to my wonderful husband who has been taking such great care of me. He has really been trying to make the most of his time, and has been studying a lot of Arabic. He doesn't do well with not having a lot to do - so, here he is studying!

Enjoy some more pictures!

Happy Birthday and Anniversary!

It's been an eventful two weeks with Karl's birthday last week, and our anniversary this week. Some friends made us a full course French meal, and it was delicious! We wore the hat and boa for the fancy occasion. The food was SO yummy! I was completely stuffed when I was finished, and I felt somewhat nauseous, but it was worth it!


For Karl's birthday, I had my friend help me make this delicious North African meal. Maybe next time I will be able to do it by myself! It consists of tender beef, prunes, almonds and a lot of spices! It's Karl's favorite, and I love it.


I think he was happy with the outcome!


Here's just another silly picture with sheep riding on the top of a truck on the highway.



Today we spent the day at the beach to celebrate our 3rd year wedding anniversary (it was July 16, but that was a busy day for us). We drove about 45 minutes outside of the city, and found this cute beach town. The beach was clean, and we really enjoyed it! I went swimming, but the waves were so rough, that I only lasted for about 15 minutes. I was exhausted, and super sandy because every time I tried to rinse off, the waves would just knock me down when I was trying to get back onto shore.

Events over here are a cultural experience...

Especially for someone like me who used to plan them! They tend to keep going, and going.... We spent the weekend at two different sporting events. It was fun because I got to see Karl's team compete. They played well!


This kid was so funny. He rapped for the crowd (the half time performance), but didn't finish because the microphone kept cutting out. He got all mad (acted like a rapper) and peaced out of there. I think he was about 9 years old. Just imagine him moving his arms up and down... it was great.


Karl's team...



Today we attended an event for the blind. This sport has been invented for the blind, and they play by listening for a ball with bells in it. They basically throw it across the court, and the other team has to keep it from getting into the net. It was fun to watch, and this was the country's national championship. Afterwards, there was music and some performances from the blind.


They spend most of the time on their knees waiting to hear the ball, then they throw themselves in front of it. The ref's had to stop the game a few times to get everyone to be quiet.


These kids were having a blast. They danced every time there was music. The little boys even took their shirts off and started twirling them around the heads.

Dieting over here is almost impossible...

So, I am trying to eat really healthy these days since I feel nauseous most of the time (we are currently trying to decide whether or not I should get my gall bladder removed, if you're wondering). It seems to work when I can get some good fruits and veggies in, and stay away from oily, fatty, greasy foods. Those make me the most nauseous! However, we visited two North African homes this week, and it is pretty much impossible to eat healthy during these visits, because they are so hospitable that they want you (and almost force you!) too eat until you are overly stuffed. Needless to say, one day after a visit, I wasn't feeling so hot - but part of my thinks it was worth it, because the food was so good!


This family had a newborn - she was so cute! I really enjoyed holding her.


Karl pouring tea - its all about trying to get as much height as possible!


This family was so nice - they gave me a new pair of shoes and the robe I am wearing. They must know I'm a hokie, with the maroon and all.


We have been buying a lot of fruit lately - this is the first time I've seen a conjoined grape! Two months ago we bought a dozen eggs - all of the yolks (except for maybe 1 or 2 eggs) were twins.


We visited a neighboring city on Saturday. The weather was nice, and we enjoyed looking around. This was on the roof of a SUPER old mosque and Islamic school.


This is a fountain in the middle of the old mosque. People used to use it to do the ritual washing before prayer time.

More city pictures: