Morocco March 2015
For my TGC field experience I spent two weeks in Morocco, a country that has won my heart forever. With the exception of a weekend in Marrakech, I stayed in the Capital city of Rabat and traveled only to the neighboring city of Sale where my host teacher taught. My host teacher, Houria, is one of the most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure to know. Houria and her sweet, dear mother, hosted my partner teacher, Kelly and I, at their apartment several times. And in sitting on their very comfortable, firm, Moroccan sofas, in the embrace of their home, that I feel in love with this country and it’s amazing people.
Houria’s students helped me realize the power of youth. They were friendly and determined, bright and surprisingly cosmopolitan considering the relative poverty they live in. They gave thoughtful presentations on women’s rights and the phenomena of Brain Drain, and even showed me how to use the Bluetooth function on my phone for file sharing.
Houria’s students were full of wisdom and passion. One of the students, Omaya, shared with me a little book of inspirational writings that she keeps. I'm sorry she's sideways - her message is so powerful, you'll see past it.
I was impressed with the textbook that they were using to learn English. It was full of lessons that foster global competency. Notice the lyrics to Morocco’s National Anthem.
One day the topic of discussion was patriotism, and the students spontaneously began singing the national anthem with vigor and gusto.
Prior to my departure, I had my own Sequoyah students write pen-pal letters to Houria’s students. They enjoyed reading them and wrote back to my students. I also asked her students to make their best attempt at drawing the United States.
If you’ve seen ads for Mission Impossible Rouge Nation then you’ve seen a beautiful old fortress in Rabat known as the Kasba. This enclosure has housed homes behind thick turreted stone walls for hundreds of years. In travel guides you may have seen picturesque photos of narrow streets lined with brightly colored doorways. You may have wondered, “Who lives there?” Well, I had the pleasure of being invited into the home of the nicest and most generous man and his family who’ve lived there for generations. He then treated us to one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. Freshly caught seafood.
The color in Marrakesh is magnificent. We went there for a weekend for sightseeing and shopping. The rich aroma of the spice stalls will stay with me hopefully forever. There were snake charmers and I got to see cobras dance. I got to wear a snake and poor Kelly kindly stood close enough to snap a quick picture. Neither she nor Houria like snakes.
Everywhere I went in Morocco was wonderful. Everyone I met was friendly. All the food, the coffee and especially the tea was delicious. We had a great TGC cohort group and fabulous hosts in a beautiful country.
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