Reflections on First Two Days
Wow, I cannot even begin to explain the last three days; it has been such a whirlwind. Saturday, I met my teaching colleagues at JFK so we could board our flight to Paris, France together. They are for a ll around the country, New York, Philadelphia, the Midwest, to Los Angeles. I have to say I am so fortunate to work with such a talented and dedicated group of professionals to spend my next two weeks with, along with Robin, our IREX Program Director. We flew the red-eye flight (overnight) to Paris and then transferred to a three hour flight to Rabat, Morocco. We landed around 12 noon Moroccan time, about 8 a.m. our time. When we arrived, we went to out hotel and then had some free time. During this time, myself and a few of my new friends walked the neighborhood around our hotel and visited a Souk, which is an outdoor market. The sounds and smells were so vivid; picture a very extreme version of Canal Street. I could hear people screaming about their bargains (I assume but could not understand them), with smells of fresh fruits, spices, and the many foods that were being cooked along the avenue. Almost everyone was shoving and it was very crowded. I did not buy anything, but I know that if I had, I would have had to bargain, or "haggle" with them, as they try to rip off the tourists. This is where most locals go to get fresh produce, spices, and other daily necessities. Since it was a Sunday, it was especially crowded. This was somewhat overwhelming, but I am sure it would have been moreso for people who were from small areas of the United States and not the city. We then went to a local cafe to grab a snack- I enjoyed a lovely almond croissant. Croissants are originally French, but the French were in control of Morocco for a long time and therefore the French culture is weaved into the traditional Moroccan culture. Walking along the streets, there are many people begging for money who are disabled, have children or are suffering from extreme poverty. Usually locals are expected to give some money to these people as donations, if they wish. This is because Morocco does not have social programs such as welfare, and in accordance to the Muslim culture, Muslims are to give a percentage of their income to the poor (Alms- this is one of the Five Pillars of Faith). I noticed something else very interesting about the cafés but I will get to that another time. We returned to the hotel for a delicious traditional dinner, where I enjoyed salad and fresh steamed vegetables. They also served a delicious dessert. I will discuss more about food in a minute. Finally, after being up for almost 48 hours, I think, I tried to blog but went to bed. What a packed and interesting first day! The second day we began by having a presentation by Meriem Lahrizi, our host here, about Moroccan History and Culture, and Morocco and the US:Cultural Similarities and Differences. This was absolutely fascinating and I cannot wait to share everything I learned with you! We then went to the American Embassy and met with the Regional English Language Office (RELO), with Mr. Robert Lindsey, the director. We were not able to bring any cameras into the Embassy or take any pictures. They spoke about a program called ACCESS, which provides student centered teaching to students outside of school hours for under-privileged youth. This was very interesting and seemed like a great program. It was developed after the bombing in Casablanca to build relationships between the US and Moroccans through learning the English language along with citizenship skills. We then visited the Hassan II Mausoleum and Hassan Tower, which were remarkable. Please check out the pictures! For sake of time, I will try to wrap this up. We then went to a traditional Moroccan dinner at Dar Naji, where we sat for hours and dined on delicious, or in Arab, "benin" Moroccan food. The servers brought the food out by course and presented it to us to take pictures each time. Moroccans also enjoy delicious tea, which is served at every meal and snack. The tea pourers are very skilled and present the tea as a form of art (please see picture). It is very clear to me that Moroccans take great pride in their food, and with good reason. I ended my first two days here exhausted, with lots of ideas swirling in my head, and also humbled by the hospitality I have experienced while reflecting with gratitude for this opportunity. Please see question below and respond on the blog page for your class. I hope everything in class is going well- miss you guys! Learning a lot and taking "classes" so I can share with you! The internet is not working great, so I am not sure when we will be able to blog. Miss you!
Please answer in class blog. Based on what you have seen so far in my pictures, what are the similarities and differences between Morocco and the US?
To comment on blog, go to home page and look in the left hand column and scroll down to access the blog for your class (Period 3 Blog, etc). I will post a question soon.
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Author- Ms. BennettI will be traveling to Morocco through the Teacher's for a Global Classroom fellowship. ArchivesCategories |
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