Suprises and Sadness

Hi there,
so since I've been here I've lost 35lbs or if you like have lost 1 dress size, currently I have only a handful of things that I still can't wear. I spent this morning trying on pants that I haven't worn in about a year and a half. However... last Saturday morning while going to the atm for cash, I noticed a watch on the ground and turned it into the police officer across the street. Who by the third sentence in our conversation told me to go on a diet, and that he himself only ate a banana for dinner. While I was still thinking to myself "be nice Kris, getting into an argument with this person would be bad, you want them to like you!" he proceeded to ask me how much I weighed in Kilos (which I truly don't know and don't want to know, I have a hard enough time ordering meat at the grocer in kilos) and that I needed to walk more. (FYI conversation all in French) so I agreed he was correct, and then the conversation went to Islam in the states and that he though US citizens don't like Islam, which I reminded him that we have freedom of religion and that you can believe whatever you want and that is very important to us. So later that day in Marrakech, while walking in the market, a vendor told me "hey pretty lady, we have bigger sizes for you!" so I've been just hit upside the head that my progress in losing weight is just not enough for this country, I need to definitely be smaller! The other comments I've been getting is people asking me if I'm Dutch, I'm not sure if it's because my French is good enough that I just don't sound American, but my body is definitely not of a French lady... so I've looked up Dutch features, who sound very much like American features (can be anything) but they are "big" so... there you have it, by physical identity crisis has been in the forefront as of late. I would like to know how many miles I've walked since being here, because I can definitely tell you, that I've never walked so much! So I've been to Rabat, El Jadida, and Marrakech so far. I couldn't tell you which was my favorite to visit, I really want to head north next, maybe to see some trees that are changing color or see Chefchaouen to see the blue city. We have a trip to Paris planned for the first weekend in November (I'm very excited, and is only costing with air, train and hotel $250 ) and we have 2 other holidays in November that I would like to make plans for but can't find anything in my budget. But I really don't want to be here when the sheep holiday is going on, I don't think I can stomach it, besides it's a family holiday which will probably make me homesick then right after that will be Thanksgiving which will definitely make me homesick. For Christmas break there is a group of us going to the south of Spain, again looking for the cheap trips :) So I've seen lots of new things, someone said something that was very spot on for here, they said I feel like a celebrity, and it's true, you are stared at all the time, people are wanting to make sure that you are comfortable, and just want to see you smile and have a good time. Last night I went to a restaurant and asked to see the menu to make sure I could afford it, and the waiter immediately asked me where I was from, it's a little unnerving. Sometimes the attention is nice others, you are just so overwhelmed by it you don't know what to do. I'm still having a hard time with the inequality/oppressive treatment and view of women whom by the way I feel do at least 70% of the work in this country. But on the other side, I've been quite the little hostess at the house, I have about one thing a week, I like my apt, it's very nice. I have started to cook some Moroccan dishes, like their traditional salad, and FYI anything here cooked or not that is only vegetables is a salad. Someone told me once that "take the hardest way to cook something and that is how the Moroccans do it" (and this is because the women like to prove how good of cooks they are) and this salad was no different. I blanched all the tomatoes, peeled and seeded them, roasted and peeled and seeded my peppers (two hours of prep just for 2 items, mostly because I was making the salad for 12 people and so had to blanch 20 tomatoes but still!) The next thing on my list is to make this Moroccan flat breadish stuff called "insamim" or something like that I haven't been able to find the correct spelling yet. But there are a few other things in Casa that I haven't checked out yet, like the Dior, BCBG and La Perla stores, there is a whole shopping area that I've been eyeing but know I can't afford so haven't ventured to check out yet... So it's not hard for me to tell you I miss everyone, and am already looking forward to coming home to visit this summer. Love you all lots! Kris