Cindy McCainBranson, Beldi, and a Birthday
Before moving abroad, my friend, Dana, told me how important–how vital–my expat community would be. She and I were part of the same school family in the US, and she had a network of close friends at church. Still, having already taught in Morocco and having lived in France, she said the way friends live together, work together, do life together when family and…
Four Seasons Marrakech: Pool Days for Tourists and Expats
Last Monday the temperature in Marrakech reached 108 Fahrenheit/42 Celsius making it the hottest day so far this year. Here pools can be enjoyed year round, but in May when temps typically range in the 80s and low 90s, the burning question expats and tourists are asking is where to find a cool pool. In my Southern -Girl -Gone- Global Guide to Marrakesh I will…
Jazzed about Josephine Baker and Riad Star
Staying in the suite of Josephine Baker– Queen of the Jazz Age, civil rights activist, and mom of a “rainbow tribe”–I could see pet cheetah, Chiquita, circling the pool and hear the beat of the brave heart of a woman who changed history.
A Typical Saturday in Marrakesh
My Saturdays in Marrakesh are spent hunting and gathering, hanging out and sometimes haggling. Though I may have errands to run, there’s no yard to keep, house to clean, or car to wash. Shopping in stores, on the street, and in the market followed by lunch in the mix or above it is a time to stock up, catch up with friends, relax. Grabbing…
Gallery in the Sky: MB6 Street Art in Marrakesh
Some use walls to keep people out. Others use them to invite people in. “Inclusion rather than exclusion is the driving force behind the festival,” says MB6: Street Art Curator Vestalia Chilton of ATTOLLO. Responsible for a myriad of murals in the medina created for the Marrakesh Biennale Edition 6, Chilton said the global collaboration began at the Marrakech TED Talks a year ago. There she…
Dream Riad in Marrakech for Weddings, Writing, Wellness
French Elegance, Hollywood’s Golden Age Glamour, and Desert Dreams converge at Riad Emberiza Sahari.
Amazing Animal Sanctuary outside Marrakesh
Since meeting Charles Hantom and Susan Machin, Directors and Founders of Jarjeer Mules, last year at Café du Livre, I have wanted to see their sanctuary– a retirement home and nursery for aged, abandoned, and disabled equines and a learning center for visitors of all ages. See their story below of how stray dogs changed their mission from building a guest house to sheltering…
January in Marrakesh
“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” –Percy Bysshe Shelley It’s January, and my Facebook feed is a flurry. A snowstorm has hit the US–including my home in the south– leaving all covered in white. Here temps have been in the 70s and climbed to the 80s this weekend. The Atlas Mountains that were covered in snow all last winter are bare….
Pepe Nero: A Place to Celebrate
When my niece, Emily, and her boyfriend, Andres, said they’d be visiting me in Marrakesh, I wanted a perfect place to take them for dinner our last night together. I sought somewhere signature Moroccan– mysterious, exotic, and beautiful. A place that practices hospitality and serves a mix of traditional and European delicious dishes. Pepe Nero, my new favorite restaurant in town, granted every wish…
Crib of Hope
Twisting my hair in her tiny hands, her brown eyes,–no–her entire body laughed. Even before I picked her up, she shook with glee, stiffened her legs, and tried to jump from the straps of her baby seat into my arms. I thought of my own little girl at six months so precious and full of life. One by one we unbuckled them from seats…
Happy Halloween From Morocco
Teaching in an international K-12 school has more advantages than academic growth. It creates a community– of students and teachers–of all ages. Those little ones made us smile. Those juniors–sometimes characters when it’s not Halloween–make me smile, too. Seeing how gently and kindly they treated the younger children made me happy.
Cindy McCain 