Halloween, etc.

    So, they do sorta celebrate Halloween here in Morocco. And by 'they', I mean the locals. And by 'sorta', I mean that it's a bit scaled down compared to the states. At least by my observations. The kids here have the same focus as kids in the states - candy. And lots of it. Our PTA put on a big Halloween dance/party at school on Friday night. They had the gym all decked out, brought in a DJ, and I think had some semblance of a haunted house as well. There were also some of the little games that kids enjoy. I was a dutiful teacher (along with a few others) and volunteered to work a shift at this gig. I was signed up for an hour at the 'straw relay' table. I had no idea what this was until I got there. It turned out to be really easy, but pretty disgusting at the same time. Two kids at a time, using a straw to suck up small coated chocolate candies (like M & M's, but a bad imitation), and then drop them into a cup. Most candies in at end of a minute (or whenever I said Stop) wins a good prize (candy bag or a game of some sort). Loser got a halloween bookmark. Now this might not sound so bad. However, young children sucking up candies with a straw and then depositing them in a cup apparently requires a lot of saliva. One boy was sucking 'em up and when he was blowing out to put them in the cup, globs of slob were coming with it. We didn't have replacement cups, so we had to keep using the same grimey cups over and over. With slimey candies stuck in them. Some kids even came up and used the same straw to suck on as kids before them. Before I could get a new straw out and ready, they already had it in their mouth. Gross. Really gross. But, they kept going and I kept trying not to look at the slobbery mess of coated chocolate candies in the cup and on the table. Costumes were similar to in the states. Although I think we had more young girls already dressing 'skanky' like the older girls now seem to. It was a little disturbing. But, the kids were excited to see me and it was fun to see them in costumes. I was also happy to not have had a party in the room that day. This way, their sugar high went out the door with them, directly to their parents. Or nanny/maid. Or driver. At least it wasn't my problem. ha.  Kind of a funny story. Today I was asking the kids if they really 'do' trick or treating here. Some said they do it a bit maybe in a small community (neighborhood). Then one boy said "No, we can't go around and do that. Because if we walk in the streets, the crazy drivers will hit us."  It's not just me who recognizes the craziness of the drivers here.

    On Saturday night, a group of us teachers got together for a combination birthday and halloween party. Jim and Luann were the wonderful host and hostess, as it was Luann's birthday. According to them, and the fact that they keep up on what Oprah and Martha say is 'hip', grilled cheese parties are the new thing. Soooo, they asked everyone to bring some kind of cheese and anything else they thought might go well with a grilled cheese sandwich, and away we went. I must say that whatever Jim cooked up for me was quite fabulous. I don't remember the type of cheese I had, but I know it had slices of pears with it as well as some other fabulous ingredients. All in all, it was a big hit. And there was not a trace of velveeta to be found. The other fabulous part of the party was...Candy Corn. Luann had bought some their last visit to the commisary. I think I was responsible for demolishing one entire bowl. Mixed with peanuts. Felt like I was back in Mom and Dad's living room. Loved it!  Costumes were optional for this party, and most were not very festive in this regard. My friend Jenny and I decided that costumes should be worn. So, we combined our thinking and her artistic talents and went as 'CAS Survivors'. We had our 'buffs', fire torches, war paint, etc. We definitely won the costume prize. Even though there wasn't one. We laughed, sang, danced, and drank. Pretty much like Halloween partes in the states, yes?

    Again, I'll say that I'm going to try to blog more about the randomness of living in Morocco...and more specifically Casablanca. I'm fortunate enough to ride home with friends who have a car here, rather than the big blue bus. And our rides home are always entertaining. We just have to look out our windows, and the laughter ensues. More on that in posts to come.

   One thing I really miss right now is salsa. And clothes fresh out of the dryer. Oh how I miss that Bounce dryer sheet fresh smell....


Jenny and I as 'CAS (Casablanca American School)  Survivors. Outwit, Outplay, Out ...






 

Randy & Jim, my favorite 'mature' (they don't like me to
call them older) married men. Their wives are saints! ha



Jim and Luann. Fabulous host and hostess.