.عid lmilad

Birthdays (.عid lmilad) are not celebrated much here in Morocco. But we Americans still make a big deal out of it. I received so many birthday wishes today from people both in the States and here in Morocco. Thank you all so much. It was quite a treat.

This evening at dinner everyone surprised me by singing "Happy Birthday." Then my CBT mates, Najat, Zizi, and Brahim gave me a handmade card with everyone's names on it, a luscious piece of cake (which I mangled while photographing), a fruit tart, and salt and pepper dishes in the shape of tagines. Afterwards, a bunch of us went to a cafe on the square and had more treats. Actually, I had another piece of cake, lqhwa ns ns (coffee half  milk half coffee) and two servings of gelato, one with strawberry and tiramisu, the other with papaya and a chocolate-hazelnut. They were really good. It was a wonderful way to celebrate.