On Wednesday, February 19th, Haila's class had another scavenger hunt. This time they were searching for points in the countryside outside of Coin, another town in the Province of Malaga. It was chilly and rainy that day, but she said they had fun running from location to location. Here is a photo from her "travels".
Unfortunately, she ended up sick Thursday and Friday and missed school both days.
Aliah's school celebrated their Andalusian heritage on Thursday and celebrated Carnival with a parade on Friday. She was asked to dress in traditional Andalusian clothes on Thursday. When I asked what that entailed, I was told she should wear a dress with a shawl and a flower in her hair. We did the best we could with what we had (see pic below). All of the kids in her class got their face painted with the Andalusian flag.
The parents were invited to a potluck lunch after school that day. Shawn made paella and was complimented on his dish by the principal and several other parents. Shawn, Aliah and I all enjoyed trying some new dishes and desserts.
Here are some photos from the Carnival Parade on Friday. The littlest ones wore Egyptian costumes and were just adorable. I was impressed with the variety and detail of the costumes, especially since these were all made by parents.
After the parade, everyone gathered in a large tent in the middle of town. One by one, each group got on stage and sang a song with actions. Here is a pic of Aliah's class on stage and another of her class with their teacher (who we adore).
Friday night was Alozaina's annual Flour Festival. It was originally a day in which young men could show their interest in a young woman by chasing after her and throwing flour over her. Any way of achieving their aim was valid: from scaling a fence to climbing down a chimney. Over time, the tradition has changed. It's now fair game to roam around town and cover other locals in flour, no love-interest required. Since Haila was on the mend, Shawn and Aliah participated without me or her. They had a blast, of course. But just for the record, it took me a week to get the flour washed out of Aliah's hair.
The next morning, we left for Morocco. This was the condition of the sidewalk on our way to the bus stop. It looks like a dusting of snow, but it's flour!
Saturday was filled with planes, trains and automobiles... and a bus to boot. We took the bus to Malaga, walked from the bus station to the train station, took a train to the airport, took a plane to Marrakech, Morocco, and got picked up by our guide who transported us in a really nice Mercedes van to our hotel.
Waiting for the bus in Alozaina
At the bus station in Malaga
On the train to the Malaga airport
In the Malaga airport
Landing in Marrakech, Morocco
Arriving at our accommodations in Marrakech on day 1
Let the Conley Familia Morrocan adventure begin!
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