Last Day of the Year

It's New Year's Eve, 4:00 in the afternoon and I just got myself showered and out of the house. Don't think I was just lounging around though. Oh no! I cleaned 3 bedrooms, changed all the linens, scrubbed three toilets (ugh, I hate that part the most), shined up the faucets and cleaned up the clean-up materials. I have one visitor in my house (a friend of a friend) and two more expected tomorrow (brothers who own a guest house and rented all their rooms so asked to crash at my pad for two nights). After they all leave I won't be able to house anyone else until there are a couple more days of sunshine so I can have the linens washed and hung out to dry. But today began with a howling wind and rain, followed by sunshine and wind and then all hell broke loose and the rain and winds returned in full force.

I am sitting at Cafe Clock. I had hoped to order their incredible sticky date pudding with vanilla ice cream but that is not to be. The wind and rain drove everyone into the Clock and they are out of everything. Except coffee and tea. Oh well. I'll just have to return later to indulge myself.

This year has been one of hard work. But, I do see the results of that work and hope it will abate for 2010. I am not doing any more work on the house for a while. Without the construction work, I will not have the cleanup and inevitable disruptions of having workers in the house. It's almost like a full-time job has been eliminated. I rather like that. The house is staying warm-ish and dry --- unlike previous winters here. I have hot water showers (one caveat; the hot water heater mysteriously shuts itself off after a 5 minute shower so I cannot linger like I did before. But no problem. I just view it as a ecological and economical benefit). I have some great, warm, woolen blankets on all the beds and a neighbor who washes my linens for me when the sun is shining. My teaching job, although not exactly on auto-pilot, is easier to do because I know the materials so well and can be more creative with my presentation of the lessons. The belly dance lessons are not plentiful, but they come with enough regularity to supplement my income and keep me moving.

Yesterday I taught two Slovakian women a small dance routine and showed them a few maneuvers with veils. As they left, one told me "I will never forget you". I was taken aback as I just did what I always do and although she seemed to enjoy herself, she didn't seem over the moon. But then I realized one never knows the impact one has on others and I was grateful I helped make her Moroccan experience a little bit more memorable.

So, to celebrate the close of a difficult, challenging and enlightening year, I plan to spend a quiet evening at home. Reading. Watching a movie. Eating chocolate. I am not inclined to join the group headed to the bar at the Hotel Batha where it is rumored that 200 Cameroons will be in attendance. Somehow, drinking the night away doesn't appeal to me, even though there will no doubt be lots of dancing and highjinks.

No, I plan to see the year out quietly and give thanks for the delights that await me in the coming year:

1. A visit from 4 good friends in April
2. A 3 month trip to California to see my sister and friends
3. A house that is comforatbly habitable
4. A secure job -- and one that I enjoy
5. Several sources for extra income
6. Continued good health
7. Developing new friendships
8. An escape from the brutal summer heat of Fes
9. The possiblity of a segment on my story on House Hunters International
10. The unknown

Happy New Year Everyone. Peace. Goodwill. Prospertiy to all.