The other day, we enjoyed our first “live concert experience” in Morocco! It was at the National Theater in Rabat, a beautiful venue that opened in 1962 with a 2600 seat capacity.
The concert was… A Queen Tribute! 何のコンサートかと言いますと、、、クイーン·トリビュート！
My husband and I are eight years apart in age, and we grew up in different environments & different countries. So, when it comes to our “favorite bands”, it kinda creates a gap. However, I’ve always loved Queen since the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, and my husband was definitely in the era of Queen when he was young. So, we decided to indulge ourselves in some tribute music for Queen (performed by Italians!).
This gorgeous theater has nice, comfy seats, with “king-worthy” boxes. Kind of reminds me of “The Gilded Age” show 🙂 The lobby had a gallery of set models from previous shows, as well as a theater gift shop.
The concert started right on time! Amazing voice by a Freddie Mercury “lookalike”! Other members also seemed to be trying hard to look like the real members – though, very heavy on wigs.
Ahh, my favorite, Mr. Brian May! His brilliant guitar skills made it so worth attending the concert. Btw, a few years ago, I did my Brian May impersonation. Good time…
It was a whole two-hour karaoke in the audience! Everyone in the venue sang along, and danced. It was so much fun! Singing “We are the Champions” with everyone (and Mr. Freddie Mercury came so close to us~) in the theater, was a priceless experience.
Live concerts are truly the best, to feel the energy and to feel be part of a community. I would love to attend more concerts in the future. Actually, opera would be great, too. By the way, I wonder when this new Grand Theater will be open for more live performances? Inshallah.
First Thanksgiving in Morocco. I was thinking, “Hmm, it’s just the two of us, and roasting the whole turkey sounds too much…” Then my husband suggested, “How about going to our favorite dajaaj Atlas? It’s almost like having a roast turkey (same “bird” family!)?”
It was yummy as usual. However, I wanted to make some dishes to feel Thanksgiving, like our US home. Pecan Pie? I looked for pecans in stores, but had no success (note: there are other kinds of nuts everywhere in Morocco, but not pecans. I wonder why…?). But, I saw plenty of pumpkins! Oh, it’s because of Thursday – see, people get ready for CousCous Friday & pumpkin is an important ingredient. D’accord, I will make Pumpkin Pie instead!
Back in the states, making pumpkin pie was so easy, with canned pumpkin purée & frozen pie crust. But, here, I am making it from scratch. I learned that it takes more time and more “strength.” Cutting fresh pumpkin could be a real workout.
I mashed the cooked pumpkin, and made the pie crust. THEN I realized, I didn’t have a pie plate. Kind of too late, so I had no choice but to make the pie in a cake mold.
I also made a ‘mini’ version to share with our neighbors. Persimmons are in season, so I used them to decorate. Well, more like to ‘cover up’ the edges of the pie, really. I learned the hard way, that cake molds are for cakes, and the pie plates are for pies. Simple. My husband gave me 10/10 for the taste! Hooray!
By the way, one puzzling Thanksgiving tradition in the US, is that our president pardons the turkey. Apparently it became an official ceremony at the White House during the time when Papa Bush was president (1989-1993). What happens at the ceremony is, one ‘lucky turkey’ is chosen out of the millions that are eaten (killed) in America, and he is “pardoned” and allowed to survive, a few days before Thanksgiving Day.
Since it’s an official presidential ceremony, with all the viral air time & social network, this ‘chosen’ turkey must be the most handsome, and the best behaved. Some pardoned turkeys ended up being on a parade at Disney World with Mickey and Minnie. What a responsibility for a bird.
It’s already late November (time to think about what to do for Thanksgiving!), but the weather in Rabat has been so pleasant & sunny, which makes it perfect for a long walk.
１１月後半。ですが、ラバトは朝晩冷えるくらいで、日中は「最高のお散歩日和」です。
During my walk, I enjoy meeting our neighborhood cats (of course), and also enjoy getting to know our neighborhood “Trees 🌲.” I notice tons of orange trees with their proud fruits (which makes it a great season for delicious orange juice) but there are so many other trees with blooming flowers. Today, I would like to share some of them!
<Bird of Paradise : 極楽鳥花> Isn’t this name perfect? These days, the birds of paradise have been in full bloom. It’s so mesmerizing, and I feel like I can almost hear the birds chirping… 🦜
<Bougainvillea : ブーゲンビリア> They are everywhere, and they bloom pretty much all year round here in Morocco. What’s impressive is that their wide variety of colors: red, purple, yellow, white, orange, pink…
<Hibiscus : ハイビスカス> I also greet a lot of hibiscus in our neighborhood. The wall covered in masses of bright red hibiscus makes me a bit nostalgic of Hawaii 🌺. Apparently, the hibiscus flower was used as the design for one of the coins in Morocco.
<Palm Tree : ヤシの木> So noble and so proud, yet it gives you the feeling of a warm breeze (with Aloha 🤙). I think palm trees are truly magical. Well, it also appears as “cell phone tower” using its magical power. 📶
<Lotus : 蓮の花> Lotus flowers have been in bloom in the park where my outdoor yoga class is held. Lotus also appears to have been featured on a Moroccan coin. 🪷
<African Tulip Tree : カエンボク> It is said to be “one of the world’s three greatest flowering trees” – okay, it sure does stand as “a great tree” with beautiful flowers. Yes, they just look like tulips 🌷!!
世界三大花木のひとつだそうですが、確かに圧倒的な雰囲気があり、そのお花はチューリップ 💐そのもの！
<Angel’s Trumpet : キダチチョウセン朝顔> These mysterious looking flowers are about the size of a human face, and they invite you with a sweet scent. But don’t be fooled by its attractive scent and oh-so-cute name; they are actually highly poisonous 👼.
<Brazilian Pepper Tree : サンショウモドキ> The red berries and green leaves warm my heart as they remind me of Christmas decorations especially this time of the year). If you harvest & dry these berries, they can be used as peppers! “Modoki” is a Japanese word to describe “faux” – Faux Sansho (pepper) – okay, it makes sense.
<Fross Silk Tree : トックリキワタ> The flowers have breathtakingly bright pink colors, so you won’t miss them. When the berries form, a silk-like, or cotton-like material comes out of those berries (was used as filing for pillows and mattresses in the old days). The Japanese name for this tree, “Tokkuri” comes from… please take a look at the shape of the trunk 🍶 Kanpai!
Ever since we started living outside the US, we have been enjoying our car-free lifestyle.
私たち夫婦は、モロッコに来てから「車を所有しない生活」を楽しんでいます。
Getting around on foot everywhere allows us to have a good sense of our neighborhood, and an even better sense of the surrounding nature 🍃🍂, plus, affirming sense of our 4-legged neighbors – Cats!! 🐈 Best of all, it’s great for our health (we usually walk +10000 a day). I often get carried away at supermarche (especially Hyper Marjane at the Arribat Center!) and buy too much stuff; of course, then, I have to walk home with heavy bags… I get to learn the “sense of remorse.”😅
On my walk, I feel really happy to greet or wave to familiar faces at our haunt, street parking uncles, people at nearby cafes & restaurants, even the guardians on duty around the royal palace. I think that simple human connection is too underrated – I love the “sense of community” from my walks. 😍
Because of the way I look (clearly Asian), I often get “Ni Hao! (“hello” in Chinese) from strangers and passersby. I still feel happy to get greetings from everyone, and I normally reply with “Salamalikom! We just smile at each other and move on. Simple.
I recently learned that many Japanese people don’t like to be greeted with “Ni Hao” overseas. There seems to be various reasons behind this, but their basic opinion is “Japanese and Chinese are different, so why would they say Ni Hao to us?”
This opinion is rather puzzling to me. When someone who doesn’t know me at all (and who is not trying to take advantage of me, such as selling something to me, etc.) greets a foreigner like me on a street, it warms my heart whether it’s in Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, or in any language. Maybe I am just naive?
Truth is, the majority of Asians living in Morocco are from China. So, I imagine that locals would assume that saying “Ni Hao” would work with people like me. And yes! It works (with me)! At that moment, there was no need to reply, “No, I am of Japanese descent, so you should say Konnichiwa, not Ni Hao” to a casual observer. If, by any chance, I end up spending more time with this person and become friends, I will likely explain that Chinese is not my native language (but, maybe, this person might be studying Chinese! Then I will learn to say something funny in Chinese), but an effort they make to connect with me, is something I appreciate dearly.
See, I am simply an immigrant living in this wonderful country called Morocco. I am just grateful to be greeted, and I don’t care at all what people think of where I am from. I am just happy to be connected, even for a moment, by any language. When I’m in India, I am mistaken for Nepalese; in Europe, I am mistaken for Filipino; when I am in Japan, people speak to me in English… But I know I live on this earth, with everyday opportunity to connect with anyone, through any culture. That’s a gift in itself. 🌍
“Discrimination” is a rising issue in many parts of the world. But, there is a difference between “Being Discriminated” and “Being Identified.” See, when someone thinks, “oh, there is a person whom I can IDENTIFY as not being local, but let’s say hello to her anyway!” – isn’t it lovely? Most of all, I would like to be IDENTIFIED as “a foreigner who is trying to respect the local culture and willing to greet locals with smiles.”
Three months passed after the last blog post! Oh dear… well, I don’t want to sound like sharing “excuses”, but we have been quite busy in the last three months, and I was away from my laptop. Okay, that’s an excuse…
While we were in the US, there were so many people to reunite; our children (in Providence and Seattle), our mother-figure, Tant Aina (in Cleveland), our dear friends (in Seattle). We also attended a wedding (in Denver) of Olof’s friend from MIT.
It felt like we were traveling around the US, like astruggling rock band. “The Hellmans US Tour!” did not quite cover the major cities (see, we are a “struggling” rock band 😅) but all the love we received from each place was priceless!
After returning to Morocco, we had to go to Valencia & Logroño, Spain, and then Marseille, France, for Olof’s conferences. I know there is a term “TradWife” that’s been trending on social media, but I guess I’m more of a “ConfeWife”. I just tag along to my husband’s conferences as a “plus one”.
I have to say, I like my life as “ConfeWife” – it’s a refreshing change. When we lived in the US, I traveled for work more often than my husband did, so I’m really happy to be able to accompany him on his business trips now. Besides, how can I complain about visiting new places and exploring different cultures? Well, above all, it makes me very happy to see my husband enjoying his career, presenting his research and expanding his network through international conferences.
Okay, more “excuses” 🙂 Three wonderful guests stayed with us in September & October. One couple from Arizona are friends we’ve known since our sons were homeschooled. Katie and Brent stopped in Morocco after studying Spanish in Granada for a month. The other guest was Takano-san, who helped me a lot when I was working in Hawaii. He brought so many souvenirs from Japan – and I am so touched!
We have visited Marrakesh with him! 高野さんとは、”小旅行”としてマラケッシュへも同行。
Since moving here, we have been so blessed to welcome many guests staying at our place. I cannot express enough how wonderful Morocco is 🇲🇦, and I believe that the best way to see the beauty of Morocco is for anyone to come and experience it for themselves. We absolutely enjoy showing them around, introducing them to the amazing Moroccan culture and even-more amazing Moroccan people❤️.
Our next guests will be Olof’s brother and his family at Christmas! I’m trying to figure out how to create a Swedish-style “Julbord” for Christmas in Morocco… probably no ham 🍖.
Over the past three months, we’ve been making numerous trips to the police station: no, we are not in trouble, but we are trying to get our Moroccan residence permits (carte de sejour) . Each time, we have to wake up at 5 AM, then appear at the police station by 7am, sign our names on a list, and then have Petit Déjourner until the police counter opens at 8:30am. Yes, this is our regular schedule. We’ve already been to the police station for eight times, needless to say, with so many trips to La Commune. Are we almost ready to receive our permits soon? It’s a true “inshallah”…
I joined the local choir, Harmonize Choir! and practice started in September, and I’m having a lot of fun every time! But, I’m lamenting my lack of French ability… So, recently, I’ve been devoting a lot more time to “studying French.” I’m constantly reminded how difficult French is (maybe I need to eat more cheese, or drink wine 🍷🧀 as my husband suggests…) Hopefully, I will be able to understand French directions at each rehearsal better. Inshallah.
In addition to French, we’ve also started attending the “Darija” class held by the International Club of Rabat. We spend 90 minutes once a week puzzling over Darija verb conjugations… this is another “inshallah” moment.
I’m also spending my time making and replenishing Natto, growing herbs on our terrace, taking yoga classes, figuring out “how to make authentic Japanese food with ingredients found in Morocco”, etc… and telling myself that I should start blogging more frequently. Shukran for reading my “excuses”! 😆
