The many steps to a VISA

New Excitement in Salah and my life is that the visa processes is moving along.
We got the second letter saying his petition was approved on April the 15th.
This means the papers were went to the National Visa Center. Which they
O.K. everything and send them on to Casablanca on April 28th. I emailed
Casablanca this morning and the emailed back later this afternoon saying
his interview will be June 21 and the paper work is on its way to him.

That is the shorten form of the visa journey so far. We are both Excited.
Im planning on leave Morocco for the states on June 28. Right now I am
hopping that Salah will soon follow. Then we will move to Il for me to go
to graduate school. It will all work out. INSHALLAH

Chinese Food

Salah's first time using chop sticks/eating chinese food.



Giving it the good old college try.



The Food. Who knew you could find this in Morocco. YUM



Before we say goodbye.

Hassan Tower

This is the Mausoleum for King Mohamed V. It was built between 1961-1971. The architect chosen to design the Mausoleum was Vietnamese Eric Vo Toan and had the building decorated in traditional Moroccan craft work, but if you look at the very top you can see a influence from the Romans though the stain glass windows.



This is the first time Salah has ever been to Hassan Tower. I was being his tour guide for the day. I must say its much easier with one person, then like the 14 to 16 I normally take.



This was built by Yacoub al-Mansour in 1195AD. He intended it to be the largest minaret in the world reaching 86 meters high but it was stopped in 1199AD at 44 meters high. Construction was stopped when he died.



I could give you more boring information but I wont. Enjoy

Chella with Salah

These are pictures of Salah being a tourist in his own country. I gave him a full tour with history and important facts.

This is the main entrance to the Chella necropolis a Roman and Marinid Arabe who has several royal family tombs there.

This is a school which housed students wanting to learn the koran.

This pool would be filled with water and you would do your washings here before prayer.

You can see how beautiful and green the country side is. This area was used as a port town for the Roman and it was the farthest west they settled. 70% of the Roman Empires wheat came from this area.

I think this is part of the temple of jupiter. Not exactly for sure on that one.

The Marinid Chella necropolis sits within a larger fortified site defined by massive six to twenty-meter-high perimeter ramparts. The plan of the walled area, derived from the layout of the Roman city of Sala Colonia, is an irregular five sided polygon that forms a trapezoid with one sheared corner. The site ranges from 265 to 310 meters in width along its east-west axis, and from 180 to 265 meters in length along its north-south axis. The longitudinal axis of the site is rotated forty-five degrees counter-clockwise from the north-south meridian. http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2580

BOAT RIDE

Boat ride at sun set. The buildings on the coast are an old pirate Kasbah called the Ouday in Rabat. You know Kasbah like Rock the Kasbah Rock the Kasbah. Ok this is also what is depected on the back of the 20 dhirm bill.

Salah was rocking the boat and Colleen and I right were about to be rocked right out of it.

Or Maybe he was saying bad word in Arabic to make

Colleen go "willy willy willy"

And everyone made it back to shore dry and clean just like they got on the boat.

Life Up Date

*I got my computer back. The only down side is none of my information was saved. No pictures, music, or files. That will teach me to get a hard drive this time. They also sent it back with a whole new key board a Spanish one. It's worth it all. It was free to get it fixed and life is good again. Now I just need to buy a few more programs again and a hard drive.

*Salah is coming to visit me in Rabat this Friday.

*I got in to Graduate School at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a quarter time assistanship and tuition waver

*And trying to plan my life so I can start moving back State Side.

These are my 4 big news statements of the month. Soon I will have my camera and will try to post more pictures.

SAMHI

Sorry for not writing in over a month. A lot is going on and now I am without my computer or a camera. As soon as I have both I will up date more regular. Hers my life in a nut shell.

*Working Working Working (Happy Dena)

*Two Graduate Schools Contacted me for interviews
( I had one interview today, I could of done better)

* My computer Hard drive died. Thank God I had apple care.

* I went to Madrid, Spain for one day due to work. It's a nice city and I would like to go back.

* Had a green beer on St. Patty's Day.

* Started working on ideas of things I would like to make in the future.

* Worked on planning my life out some more, well at least the next few months.

Ok that's all for now. Hope all is well with everyone.