Day 29: Leaving Rabat

Friday morning was our last time in Rabat.   While we were eager to get started on our journey that would ultimately take us all back to our homes, it was a bit sad saying good bye to our friends at the hotel who had taken good care of us for a month.  You can see in some of the pictures below that the people at the hotel had also become our friends.  We also ran into Jennifer that morning at breakfast and were able to say good bye to her as well.  You may remember that she was the lead actress for the National Geographic show who had been taping in Morocco for an upcoming episode of 'Locked up Abroad.'  Jennifer was leaving that same morning as we to return to her family in LA.  Fun pictures below of Jennifer and the breakfast crew.

We boarded the buses to take us back to Casablanca where we stayed in the same hotel that we had on the first day we arrived in Morocco.  It was walking distance to the IBM office where we headed for our last meeting where each of the teams did their final presentations as well.   The IBM Morocco office could not have been nicer or more accommodating to us.   I actually felt like it had become my 'home office' so to speak because it was our fourth visit to this office since our team had also travelled there twice for our teleco meetings in Casablanca.

One quick story about the IBM Morocco office going 'above and beyond' for us.  Austin realized a few days ago that his visa was actually for 5 days when he originally thought it was for 50 days.  Yikes.  The problem was made a bit more challenging since there is no Taiwanese Embassy in Morocco.  Our friend Ali Aqallal from the IBM Morocco office worked for several days making calls trying to figure out how Austin could legally get out of Morocco.   He announced at our team meeting the last day that he had worked things out with the appropriate officials so that Austin would be able to leave by the following Tuesday.   I'm not sure what would have happened without the help of our friends from the IBM Morocco office.

That night, our team ate our last dinner together at a casual pizza restaurant where we once again had to sample the desserts.  You will see in the pictures below that they were quite the desserts.  I think that any weight that I lost at the beginning of the trip had been replaced by the nightly desserts we had grown used to. :-)

Later that night at the hotel, we said our good byes and thank yous to Boutaina who had been our Moroccan contact and friend during our month long stay.   Boutaina did such a great job of helping with the sometimes daily questions and requests.   You may remember that Boutaina had grown up in Morocco and also had worked for the IBM Morocco and France offices for four years.   She is also expecting her first child in a few months and is such a warm person that we will all miss very much.

Tomorrow morning Andrew, Rahul, and I will get up at 3:30 am for a 7 am flight back to the US.   While it has been an incredible experience and trip that none of us will forget, we are all so ready to get back to our families, homes, and friends.

Rahul at breakfast with Jennifer.   Jennifer is the lead actress for the National Geographic show that had been filming in Morocco for the last couple of weeks.   She had also become one of our 'dorm buddies' that we ran into and talked to daily at the hotel.

This was our breakfast crew at the hotel along with Jennifer, myself, and Anup.  The male waiter standing next to me was so funny and would kiss my hand daily when I came up for breakfast.   For a person who doesn't normally eat breakfast every day, I will miss my 'Rabat breakfasts' and the conversation with my IBM teammates in the mornng.

This is in the hotel lobby with the house keeper and hotel receptionist.   They were so nice and would greet my daily and although they spoke little English, I would enjoy talking with them each day.  The Hotel Texuda really took good care of us.

Starting to board the buses that would take us to Casablanca.

Loading our luggage on the trailor that the bus pulled.

Last team picture in Rabat before we boarded the buses.

Arriving once again at the Hotel Ibis in Casablanca.

Waiting to check in our luggage before heading over to the IBM office in Casablanca.

Visiting in the IBM office lobby before our meeting started.

Round table discussion with the IBM Morocco team.

This is Austin's face when he was first told that his visa issue at been worked out and that he would be able to legally return home to Taiwan.  Very good news.... we had all worried about this for days.

Can you believe these desserts?  I'm not sure that I had ever seen so much ice cream on one plate before.

Tej and Rahul about to dig in.

Back at the hotel lobby after our dinner.   The team had bought Boutaina a couple of thank you gifts for everything she had done for us.

Little baby booties that the team gave her. 

Boutaina is someone that I will miss very much when I return back home.  I know that I will always have a good friend there if I travel back to Morocco.

Final goodbyes.   The team headed up to our rooms shortly thereafter.  Everyone was flying home the next day and Rahual, Andrew, and I had to get up at 3:30 am to make our 7 am flight.