Morocco Part I

My latest adventure took place in Marrakesh, Morocco. We spent 4 days in the north west (not the person) of Africa. The days leading up to our trip had me on edge. I am usually so excited to visit a new place but this time, I was SO nervous! I'm not sure what it was that made me feel so unsettled but in the end everything was fine. We had a great time and we didn't have any problems.

I'm not one to look out of plane windows because I'm scared of heights, but its a fear that I'm trying to conquer. While we were flying I noticed how cool the clouds looked. I've never seen clouds look like that before or from that perspective. Unbelievable.

Flying over Africa. For most of the trip I had Toto's Africa stuck in my head. I'm not complaining, I love that song!

Here is the reception area of our hotel. It was actually a really nice hotel with a lot of amenities.

This is was my bed. So fitting for Morocco.

We even had a bidet in our hotel bathroom. Don't mind if I bid-do!

We stayed at the Moroccan House where they greeted us with mint Moroccan Tea. I ABSOLUTELY love that Morocco has so many palm trees! One of the best parts of the trip was seeing palm trees in the skyline.

After we checked in to our rooms, we walked a few buildings away to a great little Moroccan restaurant where I ate some yummy chicken couscous. Our waiter was very friendly and told us riddles and joked with us. He developed such a crush on Katherine, before our meal ended he offered us 200 camels for her! It was creepy.

I really wanted to try McDonald's just to see if it tasted different, but I couldn't convince anyone in the group to partake in the golden arches.

They got some crazy drivers in Marrakesh.

We visited a garden where the Medina Walls are. Morocco is nicknamed "The Red City" because of the orange-red clay/chalk that the walls are made of.

Tree hugger photo bombed.

My travel companions from left to right: Katherine, Amanda, Jonelle and Miguel. Not pictured: Beckah.

More of the gardens. I noticed that in a lot of the pictures I took, I did so from the shadows. Also, I enjoyed taking pictures OF shadows. Its probably just a photography phase, but just be aware.

Katherine's shot above.

The photo I was taking.

This is the Koutoubia Mosque which is the largest in the city.

 Next we visited a Souk. We spent a lot of time shopping, finagling and a little getting lost in the alleyways. My least favorite part of the trip was wondering aimlessly through those alleyways. But we survived. Funny thing, the locals recognized us as being tourist and a lot of the time they would yell: "Lady Gaga". We could not figure out why. Either that is the only English words they know or they thought that since I was blond I resemble her? We are still not sure. We also heard: "Fish and chips!", "Nice!" and "Beautiful".

 The locals really were nice people.

 These ladies are mashing spices.

 The next four photos are courtesy of Katherine:

The girls are looking at lamps trying to pick the prettiest. Jonelle bought one and she did a fine job at talking the guy down in price. The man that ran this stall was such a sweetheart. A few of us bought something from him and since we were the first customers of the day he gave us a free gift which was a necklace charm. He shook my hand twice before we left and told each of us we had a nice smile.

Susan "I live for the applause" B.

Happy Birthday To Me!

Its that wonderful time of year. So many evenings I walk outside my flat and inhale deeply. I love the smell of winter, the aroma of fires in fireplaces and I let the cold air fill my lungs. November is my favorite month. With Christmas so close, mankind starts to show signs of compassion. This will sadly be my third Thanksgiving away from home but that is no excuse not to be thankful for the blessed life that I have! My first favorite holiday is of course, my BIRTHDAY! I love birthdays. Especially mine. But I enjoy celebrating others' birthday as well. Mostly because there is usually cake. I was always that kid at the party who would rather eat cake than play games. I still am.

 I had a GREAT birthday this year! I woke up early and met my good friend, Helen for a Starbucks breakfast. I got my complimentary Peppermint Hot Chocolate. The cold outside was biting so this was a great morning treat. I keep meaning to take a picture of Helen and I together (cause I like her so much!) but I keep forgetting! I will plan for it to happen within the next week. After breakfast, Helen gave me a birthday hair trim. She and her husband, Tim (who is also the bee's knees) have a great view of Central from their flat so for a couple of hours we gabbed like Dolly Parton and Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias while she did my hair and I watch the sun rise over London.

 Next, I went back home and threw on my running shoes!

There is nothing like a cold birthday run to remind you that you are alive.

 After brunch, a group of us went to see Hunger Games: Catching Fire. I loved it! I loved Jennifer Lawrence, she did an awesome job and JENA MALONE! WOW. She nailed the part of Johanna!

 The birthday girl, Shannon, Sammy and Justice.

 Next, we stopped and got cupcakes! I ate a tiny Red Velvet one and the one in the bag was vanilla and said 'Happy Birthday' on top. They are from LOLA, a little cupcake shop in High Street Kensington Underground Station. YUM!

 That night we went down the street to a great restaurant called The Diner. The food is American diner food. I've been there four times and I've never eaten anything I didn't like. Above is Shannon, Jonelle and Beckah.

 Justice, Sammy and the birthday girl.

 One of the employees that works there has become my 'friend'. I see her every time and she has recognized me. She came over and wished me happy birthday and she is one of the nicest people I've met. I think she has something to do with the banana split that showed up at the end of our meal. Everyone sang which was nice. But as you can see, we all ordered milkshakes and thought of eating ice cream made me a little ill. But I soldiered on and the six of us enjoyed that split. Then the bill the came and WE WERE CHARGED FOR IT! Lame.

 The Gang.

 After dinner, Justice and I fought the crowds at Winter Wonderland! I didn't get many pictures but it was such a great ending to such a wonderful birthday! I had so much fun!

 This years Christmas card. If you are looking at it, consider it sent to you! Merry Christmas!

YUM!

Susan "One year older and a little wiser" B.

A Mormon's Review of The Book of Mormon the Musical

Last week I went to see The Book of Mormon Musical! (WHAT?! But you're a member of the church!?) Relax. I sat through two hours and did not lose faith. Before I went, I had quite a number of people say things like, "You sure you want to do that? I hear it's pretty crude." and "Uh, you know what the musical is about don't you?" I am well aware of the satire produced by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park. I was prepared to be offended. I was also prepared to laugh. I am able to find humor in just about everything, why would I stop at my religious beliefs?

 To put it plainly, I liked it. I did not love or hate it. I have seen a few shows here in London and after most of them I thought, 'I want to see it again.' However, I did not have that thought after seeing The Book of Mormon. Once was enough, although, I did like a lot of the songs they sang.

 Was I offended? Nah, not really. The show is offensive the way a rated 'R' movie is or if you live on this side of the pond a rating of '15'. I don't think the musical is offensive to just Mormons. I think anyone who believes in God and Christ would feel offended. There were two songs I did NOT applaud after. In the first act, a song called "Hasa Diga Eebowai" which in real life is gibberish, but in the musical it meant F-you, God. I could not in good nature clap after that musical number. The actors and dancers did a great job though! The other song was called "Man-Up". The lyrics said something about how "Jesus grew a pair when he died on the cross." Uh, yeah.

 The story was good, I liked all the actors and the set and the musical numbers were wonderful! I did write a review for one of my classes. Its only the first draft, but I will post it on here so you can read an unbiased opinion.

 Would I recommend it to other members of the church? Yeah.

 Also, I'm really proud of the response the church gave to this Musical. Did you know that the church bought advertisements in the Playbill? It said things like, You've seen the play, now read the book. Genius!

Below is a video of the opening song to the musical. It was preformed at The Tony's. Its my favorite.

Here is my review, keep in mind its a rough draft:

South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have been pushing the envelope since 1997 with their crude humor and jokes at others expenses through animation. More recently the two and Robert Lopez released a musical, The Book of Mormon which came to the West End of London in February of this year.

The musical, which consists of two acts, follows two Mormon missionaries, Elder Price and Elder Cunningham. They are sent to a village in Uganda to serve for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and share the gospel. The two missionaries are plucked from their safe haven of Provo, Utah and faced with difficulties such as, culture shock, AIDS, poverty, famine and a warlord that terrorizes the village.

The cast is comprised of a range of talented artists. Most notable for his performance is Jared Gertner for his portrayal of Elder Arnold Cunningham who seemed to get the most laughs. His best and most anticipated lines came when he would incorrectly address the character Nabulungi. Through out the musical he goes through an evolution of names such as: Jon Bon Jovi, Nabajama, Nutella, Neosporin and Neutrogena. Gertner’s delivery was spot on and he knew what the audience liked.

Elder Kevin Price was played by Gavin Creel who shows true emotion of a distraught missionary. Of all the cast members, he seemed to connect with what being a Mormon missionary is really about.

One highlight from the show are during the ‘Spooky Mormon Hell Dream’ scene. While the portrayal of “Mormon Hell” is completely inaccurate, the use of dancing coffee cups along side characters Jeffery Dahmer, Hitler and Johnnie Cochran brought the house to their knees with laughter. It is questionable how many audience members actually understand the reference that Mormons abstain from drinking coffee and tea as part of their doctrine.

The music and the choreography were spot on throughout the show. Some songs from the show will have you singing for weeks after seeing the musical, including the opening number ‘Hello’ and also the catchy and brutally honest, ‘You and Me (But Mostly Me)’. Also, ‘I Believe’ is belted out beautifully by Creel in the second act.

Some songs were head scratchers. For example, “Baptize Me”, a song about a female villager who agrees to be baptized into the church was dripping with sexual innuendos. There was also, “Hasa Diga Eebowai”, which in reality has no meaning but in the musical it means, “F*ck You, God”. This song is just one of many ways that Parker and Stone attempt to get a rise out of the audience.

Another running joke throughout the play is about a villager who suffers from AIDS and openly admits to raping babies to cure himself of the disease. It is surprising to hear chuckles from the audience during these confessions.

Overall, the musical is funny and you will not walk away without laughing. The musical to some may seem offensive but if you have ever watched a South Park episode you will know exactly the type of humor to expect.

Susan "Hello!" B.