Our new home

When we moved to Ifrane, we were told that for four days we would be in temporary accommodation until our contract started and our apartment became available. We had been informed that Nick was entitled to a one-bed fully furnished apartment, I was apparently entitled to nothing and just had to go along with what was given to Nick. It's these small things that remind you that you are in quite a sexist country. I had already made the decision that I would stand my ground and demand a two bed apartment. There are two of us, we are both employed by the school, we know from the info and arrival document that single people have requested two bed apartments.

After one day in our temporary accommodation we were told to go and meet the man in charge of housing as our apartment was ready. I went in ready to put up a fight before I’d even seen what they were going to offer us. I was very polite but very firm but it didn't get us very far. We were told that at this time there was nothing else available, definitely didn't believe this, but very little I could do about it. When we first went up the dusty and cluttered stairwell to the top floor as we climbed the volume of a screaming child increased. We arrived to the top floor to find our future neighbour's had their door wide open while their child had a full blown tantrum. We had the misfortune of living opposite a family in Bangkok who put their little boy out in the echoey hall every time he cried. Needless to say this first impression was not great and slightly filled us with dread of future shattered peace. I walked into the apartment thinking up new arguments as to why we should be moved to a two bed apartment, I quickly swallowed these when I saw inside. While slightly dusty and grubby, with dated furniture, it has huge windows and tall wooden vaulted ceilings. It is bright and airy, the dated furniture is very comfy and can't wait to us our big open fire in winter. We even have a twin sofa bed (strange double level contraption). With a little strategic decoration we can make it very homely. This will just take time as we have a three hour round trip to go to any decent shops. My only small disappointment is the fact that as we face inwards into the U shaped courtyard of apartment buildings, we don't have a balcony. In reflection it is perhaps a good thing that there are no balconies on this side, sound really bounces between the buildings. Doors open onto balconies with lots of noise from kids would make it feel like we were living in a school yard. It is bad enough as it is. Have developed an unhealthy dislike for the kids that dare to play outside on occasion and disturb us with their noise. They are probably my students and I dislike them before I've even set foot in the school... perhaps not the best start.

We have eaten out a few times in the last week... so nice to be able to do that after the expense of Australia, food and drink there makes the UK feel cheap. Here it is only a little bit more pricey than Thailand. In Ifrane there are more cafés than shops but the food is of varying quality. Had our first tajine last night and were really disappointed. I make a better tajine that the Moroccan who made ours last night. Water, oil and very little seasoning. Is this going to be one of those times that the food is better elsewhere... like Chinese and Mexican?

It has been a little strange settling in. It is very very Arabic, although it's seems to be less male dominated here than in Egypt, least here you do see lots of women out and about shopping, eating and wearing a huge range of clothes (from strapless maxi dresses to full face black burkhas). It has just been a bit weird not knowing anyone. I have spoken English to two people other than Nick for about total of ten minutes over the last week. It gave me a strange sense of joy when the lady in the local shop asked us what we were doing here, wished us welcome, and then recognised us the next day... it was nice to have someone smile and say hello knowing we weren't just tourists, felt like we had made our first friend! The first few months in Thailand I was in the touristy areas so there were always people to chat with. Here it's very different, and apart from strolling around the markets and sitting in a café there is little to do. It is too hot to take advantage of the outdoor hiking and exploring at the moment.

We went up to the uni for the first time yesterday. It is Ramadan so there was hardly anyone about apart from a few die hard cleaners and gardeners. They need to be there to keep watering the lawns, which are immaculate, even at the height of a dry summer. Not sure where all the water comes from. We found the tennis courts, gym and an incredible indoor swimming pool. Can't wait for term to start so we can make use of everything. While we were there we went into the library to check out our options for English books (not sure how long our eight books that we managed to stuff into the sleeves of our jackets are going to last us at the rate we are reading at the moment. Thankfully, we found lots up in the eves of the library. Inside we met the librarian. He is our age and American and has been here nine months. He was very chatty and friendly and suggested getting together for dinner this week. He said when he arrived he lost five kilos in the first few months as he didn't have anyone to drink with. This month of Ramadan should do us some good then. He also said that there were other really nice people living in our building who we would meet when term starts. Nice to know.