The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, organized by the Confederation of African Football (AFFA), kicks off on December 21st. This is the second time the tournament will be held in Morocco.
And, the whole city, the whole country, we are all excited about hosting! もう街中がこのカップに向けて準備中！
Four of our stadiums will be used in Rabat. Five other Moroccan cities, Casablanca, Marrakech, Fes, Tangier, and Agadir will become the home of the cup.
Even the windows of taxis have this design… タクシーさんのガラスもこのようなデザインになりまして。。。
It’s Christmastime, therefore the coexistence of trees and football; what a creative & tasteful way to decorate the tree! 「クリスマス·シーズン」らしい、ツリーとサッカーの共存！なかなかのセンスです。
Flags of participating countries – 24 of them! They are so colorful and beautiful. I noticed that I was not very familiar with all the designs of flags and their countries. I need to study a bit 🙂 アフリカの２４の国が競うトーナメント。こういったカラフルな旗も街のいろいろでみかけるようになりました。あんまり知らないデザインも多いので、ただいま勉強中～。
This is the elevator of Arribat Center Mall – ya, very much in a mood. 地元のモール内エレベーターもこんな感じです。
And so are the water bottles. カフェで無料でついてくるお水も。
The local tram looks like this too. La Vache Qui Rit (The Laughing Cow) cheese is also selling a “special flavor” for this occasion. Love, love, love. 地元を走っているトラムも、この通り。La Vache qui rit (The Laughing Cow)ちゃんも、スペシャルバージョンを発売中～。この牛さんロゴ大好きな私、たまりません。
Malls and parks have set up “spectator areas” or “fan zones.” Even if you can’t make it to the stadium, you can still experience all the fun and excitement at those places, I bet. モールや公園では「観戦エリア（ファンゾーン）」のようなものが設置されてきました。球場に行けなくても、ここで十分盛り上がれそうな。
Morocco is also going to be one of the countries to host the World Cup in 2030. Moroccans LOVE succor, and beautiful facilities are being built one after another… great for economy & spirit!
December is here! My favorite month of the year! Christmas decorations have begun to appear in Rabat – shopping malls, trendy restaurants, fancy shops seem to be excited to decorate with trees, Santa Claus figure, snowmen, etc. Just as beautiful as those in Seattle 🎄.
Every year, my husband and I cook a Swedish smorgasbord 🇸🇪. The menu doesn’t change for as long as I remember, and it includes up to 15 dishes or so. Yes, it’s a serious tradition. I must say, preparing all the dishes is as much fun as eating them. This year, we will probably skip the ham 😅, but we are planning to make a traditional bread and potato dish, as well as… Glögg for sure :). It depends on how we can gather the necessary ingredients here in Morocco. Inshallah 🙏
Local churches and American schools here hold “Marché de Noël” during this time of the year. At the market, a large variety of stalls are set up, selling handmade crafts and accessories, some jewelry and even clothings which would make great Christmas gifts. Oh, we were also able to buy some pork bacon! Feels like Christmas IS coming 🥓! The outdoor markets are filled with a festive Jul atmosphere, making me feel like I am in a small European village.
Last weekend, we went to a Marché de Noel at the church where I attend weekly for choir practice ⛪️. There, we bumped into the wonderful Sara-san, a lady we got to know through ICOR (International Club of Rabat). She was selling kitchen towels of her own design, and they came with a yummy chicken tagine recipe! Also, a beautiful apron featuring Fatima’s hands – very cool, so attractive, and definitely unique!
I like that the recipe on the kitchen towel is written in English – this would make a great souvenir from Morocco, don’t you think? The red color of the tagine surely adds to the Christmas mood, too. I am a big fan of Sara-san, who is beautiful inside out, and now I’ve become a huge fan of the towels and aprons she creates 💝.
Since joining the ICOR, we have gone on hikes with the members, taken a Darija class, and my husband seems to enjoy Happy Hour a lot. This club, where English is the common language, is also a time for me to take a little break and relax from my every-day immersion in French and Darija. I am very happy that we joined ICOR.
At any special event like Christmas Market, I am totally interested in its food options. We found sandwiches, artisan chocolates, Belgian waffles… yum yum. We chose to try fresh oysters, for the first time in Morocco! They were big, fresh, meaty, and oh so delicious. They cost 10 dirhams each (about $1), and are farmed on a beach in southern part of Morocco. According to the owner, “We grow oysters imported from Japan. Oh, are you from Seattle? Seattle is famous for good oysters, isn’t it?” It was really fun to chat with him.
We are in the season of Advent, and our Sunday nights start with lighting Advent Candles while watching a live worship service from our home in Seattle 🕯. Our Christmas decorations have not arrived here yet (still in shipment… 🚚) but, thanks to the generous and kind people we’ve met here, I am certain that we are able to spend a special God Jul time in Morocco. Peace on earth and peace be with you all 🕊.
In addition to studying French, I am also learning Darija (Arabic language spoken in Morocco) every day. Being able to say something with the shopkeepers or the security guard at our apartment, even a little in Darija, makes me very happy.
I still have struggles with the French numbering system, and now, here are the numbers in Darija up to 10. さてさて、ダリジャ語での数字はこんな感じです。フランス語だけでもまだヘトヘトなのに、です。
Though a lot of people use French for the numbers here, I am trying to understand them in Darija also. When I attend choir practice every week and while French seems to be the main language, French, English and Spanish sometimes pop up into the conversation among our choir members. I am always impressed by how smart Moroccans are…
Speaking of being “smart”: we often use the word “Algorithm.” I only recently learned that the word Algorithm originated in Arabic! Al Khawazimi was a mathematician and astronomer in the 9th century in Persia, and apparently, he was a Big Name in the Islamic scientific community.
He announced “Hindu Aarabic Numerals” while conducting his research at the “House of Wisdom” in Baghdad – a place where all the intelligent people gathered (and I would never be invited at all). Essentially, this is a number system that we are all used to nowadays: numbers written from 0 to 9.
When his research on this particular numbering system was translated into Latin and spread around the world, “Al-Khwarizmi’s Indian Mathematics” became “Algoritmi de numero Indorum” in Latin, and from there the word “algorithm” was born.
これがラテン語に訳されて『アル·フワーリズミーのインド数学』という名で全世界に広まると、、、”Algoritmi de numero Indorum” となりまして、そこから＜アルゴリズム＞と呼ぶようになったそう。
Apparently, Al-Khwarizmi was also the father of the concept of algebra. What a smart man! 代数というコンセプトも発案したアル·フワーリズミーさん。頭の良い方ですねぇ。
Tomo
The cat of the day :: Le chat du jour :: 今日の猫しゃん
Please stop by at my salon again 💞🫖🍵 3afak & Chukran
It is the pomegranate season in Morocco. The sight of giant pomegranates sold at the roadside, or fresh pomegranate juice squeezed at the market, definitely adds a more “exotic” feeling in Morocco. That red color (inside out), to me, gives me a hint of Christmas as well.
Pomegranate and me. I have to say, the relationship is a bit complicated, and it is perhaps influenced by a story my grandmother told me. This is how it goes; a long time ago, there was a female deity named Kishimojin. She was originally a rather fearsome existence, who would eat human children. To stop her from doing so, Buddha gave her a pomegranate, saying, “eat this instead, as pomegranate tastes just like human flesh.” After eating a pomegranate, Kishimojin had a change of heart, and has since come to exist as a deity to protect pregnant women and children…
Well. Pomegranate = human flesh idea has stayed in my head for many years. I guess I had been slightly hesitant to eat this fruit. Another thing that complicated my relationship with pomegranates was this painting. One of my favorite artists, Sandoro Botticelli, created this masterpiece called “Madonna of the Pomegranate” – yes, you see the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus holding the fruit. It was a breathtaking painting at Uffizi Gallery.
The porcelain-like skin tones of people and fairy-tale-like light are very typical of Botticelli. However, the pomegranate was painted vivid red, and it appeared as if each individual seed liked to spring forth as if they were alive! When standing in front of the paining, I couldn’t take my eyes off the juiciness of the fruit, as well as its powerful movement; it reminded me of the pumping human heart, and I could almost heat that sound. According to the researchers, this pomegranate represents both motherhood of the Virgin, and the upcoming suffering of the baby Jesus. Hmm…
Anyway, pomegranate has been my “mysterious” fruit, therefore, I kind of avoided it for a long time. But then… I see them a lot. Well, maybe it’s time to stop being scared? Let’s bring one home, and get it over with! I thought I could remove the seeds by cutting the fruit in half, and tapping it from outside, like what Martha Stewart would do with a smile – but, oh no, it took a bit more effort. I couldn’t become Martha. I was more like a mouse trying to steal food out of the food waste. But, it was worth it , the sweetness and tartness of the seeds were just right 🙂
While they were delicious eaten as they were, I decided to mix them with strawberry mousse for a next-level dessert. 甘味と酸味がちょうどよく、そのまま食べても美味しかったのですが、いちごムースとあえた＜おしゃれデザート＞にしてみました。
According to a study, pomegranate is said to have great effects on the human body, such as lowering blood pressure and keeping skin moisturized. Now that my “relationship” with pomegranates is becoming better, I think I will try to get used to this gorgeous fruit more.
