And then the plan changed

So in my most recent post I said I was moving to EG well...the plans have changed. I've accepted a position in neighboring Cameroon. I'll be moving to Yaoundé to teach at the American School of Yaoundé! I'm over the moon about this! I realized I've never lived in a major city in my life so this should be a very interesting move. Yaoundé is home to 1.5-1.8 million people...this small town girl is moving to the big city. So far I'm very positive about the school. It helps that I have connections there already-both in person and via social media. I should be landing in the great city of Yaoundé on August 9th and a new adventure will begin!

Stay tuned till then...

Progress!(An old post from 2012)

Yay! Whose front door is now fixed after 10 months????
That's right. This chick right here! I'm so happy! No more getting stuck in my apartment and calling my neighbor to come rescue me. This is progress indeed :-)

Janet(Another 2011-12 post)

This weekend I did something I thought would be AMAZING! I went to see Janet Jackson in concert. Sounds great right? Well as it turns out it was one of those things that is great in theory and that's the only place it's great. Sad to say, I liked the IDEA of seeing Janet more than actually seeing her. I left shortly after intermission. Eh, guess I'm not a true fan but I'm sure that doesn't hurt her heart too badly. Though I will say during the concert I was completely freaked out and convinced that Michael was still alive. At one point she sang some slow song that I didn't know but she looked JUST like him and SOUNDED just like him too! So freaky....

And for a break from Ghayahti Pt 1(2011 post but a must see)

Moving on

My, my, my it's been a long while since I've done anything on here. So update! My run in Abu Dhabi is coming to a fast end. I've been here for a little over two and a half years(three school years about) and I'm ready to say good-bye(for now anyway). The process of getting over here is as convoluted as the process for leaving. I can't blame them about the exit process though 'cause so many expats have come, run up thousands of dollars in debt and run away. So now those of us coming behind have about a million hoops to jump through...not bad so long as you start a good 2months ahead. Well at this point I've only a few big things left in my apartment and at the rate things are going I'll have just about everything cleared out within the next week or two. I'll just be living out of my bag(already doing that) and sleeping on an air mattress. At this point in my leaving process I've become a pro at listing my things at a great price and sticking to it no matter what is said. I'll tell you these people are so good at trying to get every last fil(same as penny) out of you smh...

Anyway so now I'm moving to....long dramatic pause..... Malabo, Equatorial Guinea! Si! I'm moving to a Spanish speaking nation in west central Africa. So I've started brushing up on my Español. So far I've loved my time there-been there twice. I'll be posting more about this place and what I expect out of this new adventure. Below are pictures of a visit to Sepopo Beach with they boys(I'm always with the boys lol) during my first trip- December 2012- to Malabo.

 

The People (Morocco Pt2)

From the time I arrived in Morocco till I left each person I met fortified my faith in humanity. The warmth, concern and easy nature of these people-Moroccan or otherwise-provided a soft place for me to land after the tiring/draining term I had.

Yousef-my unofficial tour guide from Agadir. He and I met through others and he decided to show me around Marrakech on his little scooter. We had a great time.

The above two pics are of dinner with folks I met through couchsurfers.com. These people were from all over the world and the conversations we had were absolutely wonderful.

My roomies-one from the Philippines and a mother/daughter team from the UK. Lots of conversation about so many topics-women's issues to love of travel to passion for work.

Jayme-one of the roomies I went sightseeing with. I was amazed by the conversations she and I had. It felt like talking to one of my friends from the states.

The two Jamals...we made tagine with beef in the Menara Gardens. 

My boys...Jamal, Mirwen and Robert. Mirwen is a hippie from Iraq-yea I was surprised. He had just come back from a 4 month stint in India. Robert is from Slovakia and is in a state of change which made for great conversations about what really matters in life. Jamal is Moroccan. He's from a small village in the Atlas Mountains and was a great source of information.

Morocco-pt.1

I arrived in Marrakech with a very simple idea...to be open and have fun. I let go of my normal need for planning and had written down two things I simple had to do while there. First on the list was to cook a traditional Moroccan meal(whatever that was lol) and second to visit a spa. That was it. I let go of the tourist mentality of hotels, guided tours and "safe activities" and embraced whatever came to me. Let me say this was the best decision I've made in a long time. I loved every minute of my time in Morocco...so much so there were tears in my eyes as I walked away this morning. Never before have I connected with a place and people so deeply so instantly. Over the next few days I'll be uploading pics of my time in this great place...let's get started.

The dorm I stayed in...my bed was the far right. I was the first one there so I got to choose the best bed lol. Everything was very new 'cause the hostel had only been open 3 weeks.

Shot of the breakfast/dinner area. This hostel is a riad which means there is an open ceiling in the middle-lots of natural light.

These hats hung from the ceiling as decoration and a game. The game is a betting game. You choose a hat and stand where you think it'll land. If you choose right and it lands on your head you get money if you don't you give some money. I didn't play.

One of the chill out lounges.

The other lounge.

Stay tuned for more pics and videos.