Color! Part 3

Bear in mind we've only been in Morocco for 2 weeks.  My encounter with Mr. Goofy Toothless is still fresh in my mind, and we've also been having electrifying issues throughout the house.....literally!

EVERYTHING electric in the house sends a significant jolt of electricity through us whenever the items are switched on.  No, I am not kidding!  Apparently the house was not grounded when it was constructed, nor when the Embassy took over.   Because we were new to the embassy and the community, we didn't want to be known as "the complainers" so we dealt with the issue on our own.....cautiously, but also reported it to the maintenance section in hopes that it would/could be remedied. 

Group after group of electricians and "specialists" came to the house to determine where the main problem was.  What do you not understand!?  The problem exists in the WHOLE house, not just one specific area!  Finally, a "smart" guy arrived with a gizmo that detects whether or not the electric socket is live and whether or not it's grounded.  Lo and behold!  NONE of the wall sockets were grounded!  So now comes the arduous task of determining where to run the grounding line.  Honestly, I don't care where you run it, just freaking do it!!!  Being shocked numerous times a day starts to wear on one's mental stability! 

In typical Moroccan fashion, the location is determined but the work can't be done today....nor the following week because it's another one of numerous Moroccan holidays that the embassy is closed.  Great! 

So while we wait for the specified day of repair, we continue to live cautiously...usually in the dark because we were all afraid of switching on the lamps.

Getting close to bedtime one evening, I decided to go upstairs and check on the kids.  As I got to the top of the stairs, I heard a very loud "POP" and then a thud. 

I inquired, "What was that!?" to whomever could hear me. 

The response I got was haunting....."Mom, come quick!"  It was our son, Nick. 

I hurried to his room.....he was on the floor with a look of surprise and shock (pun intended) on his face.  He was plugging in one of our transformers so that he could watch a movie on the portable DVD player.  The shock that ensued was so intense that it knocked him to his knees and left him in the floor, stunned.    After a couple minutes, he was able to stand up but it took him the rest of the night to feel normal.  Good grief!  This cannot go on!  When my children are being put in harms way, something's got to give.

The next work day, my husband put in a request to the Embassy Housing Board that we be considered for moving to a different house.  This may sound like a logical and simple solution, but in reality it isn't.  Housing in the capital city of Rabat is at a premium.  Rental rates are also at a premium and there are caps on how much we are allowed to spend on leased properties.  There are also many other factors involved in finding appropriate, adequate housing for the families of the embassy, and the board members all vote on placing families in these homes.  As luck would have it, there was no where else for us to go.  We were assured the issue would be resolved, but that it could take time.  (surprise, surprise)

Needless to say, our excitement about coming to Morocco had dissipated and was quickly being replaced with dread and unhappiness.  The kids were starting to get annoyed with each other and boredom was setting in.  I was starting to feel the stress of being in a house where we had none of our personal things and were basically held captive because of lack of transportation, not to mention never feeling as if we could relax without getting shocked. 

The end of our 3rd week in country brought a much needed weekend that my husband was not traveling.  We got out and did a bit of sight seeing on our own and had dinner in a local restaurant.  Sunday evening came quickly and we were preparing for the start of a new week with everyone promising to stay positive and optimistic.  As we said our goodnights, I couldn't help but hope the worst is over and we've turned the corner to improvement.

I couldn't have been more wrong if I had tried.  At 3:30 am, we were jolted awake by the sound of rushing water.  My husband and I bolted up in the bed, trying to determine where the sound was coming from.  Of course!  It's coming from inside our house!  We jumped out of bed to discover a pipe had burst in the kids' bathroom.  The water was shooting out of the wall, horizontally, like a geyser!  There was no shut off valve in the bathroom, and the water is quickly filling the floor about to go into the hallway and into the kids' bedrooms.  Our first and main thought was about all the electric issues we were having.  Oh.My.Gosh!!! 

"Kids!!!  Wake up!!!  Unplug anything you have connected to the wall sockets in your rooms!  Use only the overhead lights!  Anything you have on the floor in your rooms, get it up on your dresser or your bed."  Surprisingly, they all did as they were told without a lot of moaning about being sleepy, or not fully understanding what we wanted from them.

Meanwhile, I ran downstairs to get a bucket, a mop, and a squee-gee for the floor.  Mind you, the water is shooting out of the wall horizontally, meaning we had to catch the water in the bucket by holding it sideways!  We put the boys in charge of this, and on the spot dubbed them the Bucket Brigade!.  I started pushing the water with the squee-gee toward the balconies in the kids' rooms.  By now, an inch of water is flowing into the hallway from the bathroom.  Jeff has called the emergency number at the embassy to have the on call plumber dispatched to our house.

Where is the water shut off valve?  There isn't one.  Where is the main valve for the house?  No clue!  After about 45 minutes of catching the water and dumping it into the tub, the plumber finally arrived.  The bathroom valve was, indeed, non-existent.  The main valve was out on the street.  We'd have never found it even if we had tried to look for it.  We were exhausted by the time the water was capped, and there was really no sense to get back in bed at 6:00am.

The proverbial camel's back was broken with that particular piece of straw.  Monday morning found my husband in the executive offices of the embassy, requesting our family be moved to another location while this house is repaired, or a completely different house is assigned.  To which the reply was, absolutely!  Get this family out of that house!

We were moved to the Hilton Hotel where we hung out for 2 weeks, giving the Housing Board the opportunity to find temporary housing for us while they searched for permanent housing.  The Hilton was lovely, but living in a hotel out of a suitcase can get old rather quickly.

The Hilton Hotel no longer exists in Rabat.  It was bought by Sofitel,
and was transformed into a lovely 5-Star resort.

Finally we were moved to a beautiful temporary house while our permanent house was procured and made ready.  This house was previously part of the embassy housing pool, but the owner wished to place the property on the market for sale.  We felt very fortunate to be allowed to stay in this house, even though temporary.  It gave us a sense of belonging, and allowed us to relax and focus on getting the kids ready to begin the school year in their new school.  Not to mention, it was quite comfortable and we were dazzled by its charm.

Villa Karim (Generous House)......Indeed!

So 2 1/2 months after our arrival, we moved 4 times before we were officially "home".  And a lovely home it was for the next 3 years. 

Stay tuned for Color!  Part 4 as I focus on the magnificent charm of that amazing house.