Whoops!

My apologies to those of you who tried to leave a comment, yet had to endure a mess of blog-subscribership in order to complete it. I mistakenly left comments on a setting where only "bloggers" could comment. That problem has since been remedied on both blogs, so if you still feel like contributing, please do so without the previous hassle!

And, as always, thank you for reading!
Jamie

Things I Did Today

Things I did today (in no particular order):

Brushed my teeth with tap water.
Drank a cold soda with ice.
Slept on a bed that doesn't squeak.
Ate fruit without having to bleach it for an hour first.
Enjoyed an In-N-Out burger.
WORE PANTS.
Blogged from my own computer.
Slept through the night without being awakened by donkeys or loudspeakers. (well...I slept til 3 a.m., still need to adjust to this time zone)
Played my piano and sang....loudly!
Turned on my cell phone.
Prayed in public.
Enjoyed the morning news...IN ENGLISH.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!

Thursday, July 20

Hi everyone!

It's Thursday- I just finished another school day. Tomorrow is our last day of summer school, and our focus now is finishing well. Our team has been affected by a bug/virus; most teachers have had it (I've had only faint symptoms, but seem to be the healthiest on the team at this point). Today, my team teacher was ill, so I took both first and second grade students for the school day. I've had to modify my lesson plans quite a bit!


Yesterday, those of us who were well took a trip into Rabat, the capital of Morocco, for a short sight-seeing trip. Our trip on the train turned into a huge ordeal, with a surprising evacuation of the direct train we were on. Rather than fighting the large crowd of people getting onto the second-class section of the train, we opted to take taxis to Rabat. Once there, we visited the Mausoleum (sp?) in which the former Kings are buried, and witnessed a burial procession about the time we arrived at the Mosque.
In Morocco, those who are Muslim need to be buried on the same day that they pass away. This procession included the deceased, and all the men in the family. We also walked through the Medina (old city) section of Sale, which was much different than that of Fes. This one was very spacious, very clean and very white (almost resembling something found in Greece).



Today, we are travelling into the shopping center of Casa for some last minute purchases,
and then having dinner at the home of some workers from our organization. Tomorrow, we pack up our classrooms and our suitcases...


Jamie

Ping Pong

I totally forgot to report that our team held a formal Ping-Pong tournament on Thursday.

Yours truly swept it all.

Making the family proud,
Jamie

Friday-Sunday

Sorry to disappoint with my infrequent entries. This weekend we travelled by train to Fes, where we did not have internet access. I'll try to bring you up to date now!

On Friday I introduced my students to the game of "red Light, Green Light" for the first time. They LOVED it!
Following our day of school, we departed for the train station and started the long, HOT journey to Fes...about 4 1/2 hours away. After checking into our AIR-CONDITIONED hotel, we headed to the residence of our tour guide for dinner. If was an unbelievable traditional Moroccan meal- salads, another sweet meat dish (prepared for weddings and special occasions) and 6 chickens! Moroccan hospitality is a great value, and we felt very welcomed in their home.

Saturday was the most interesting cultural experience of my life. We started by admiring the craftsmanship on the doors of the King's Palace in Fes (the King has a palace in most cities). We then headed by taxi to a military fort atop a hill for a panoramic view of the city. From there, we could see ALL parts of Fes...old and new.


On our foot tour of the Medina (the old city), we stopped first at a ceramic and mosaic factory.
From making the clay to molding the clay, to baking and painting the pieces, we were all stunned by the intricate and laborious work taking place. They paint and finish plates at a rate of 6 per day. My favorite part of the day was shopping in the ceramic store.
We then went to a berber shop for a display of Moroccan rugwork. We sat uncomfortably through the sales process as one by one he asked us if we would like to buy his rugs. Our team, fortunately, was interested in purchasing several of them, so that took some of the pressure off. Following the berber shop, we enjoyed another Moroccan meal at a small restaraunt tucked away in the corner of the Medina. Post-lunch, more shopping at the a tannery (leather goods), a perfumerie (fragrances and spices), a tapestry shop, and a silversmith.



The damage: 2 bags and a backpack full of souveniers.

Sunday is a travel day. My roommate, Ashley, has been ill all weekend, and several others have not been feeling well. So we have been particularly careful in consuming water and other foods. We think it might, however, be heat exhaustion since Fes was well over 100 degrees. McDonalds was our food destination today before returning by train to the school. We the exception of the McArabia sandwich, everything at McD's was very familiar, right down to the happy meal merchandising for the movie "Cars".

Wednesday, July 12

Third day of class, and today I received a new student! This brings the grand total to 5; 3 girls and 2 boys (my first little boy was VERY happy that he was no longer the only boy!) He has just recently moved here from America and is quite talkative (what do you expect from an American...). Though he's rambunctous, it's good for our classroom morale which has been painfully stoic until now. We read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle today in class, and they each received a copy of the book to take home. Most reported the next day that they read it to their parents.

Our afternoon activity was a trip to the beach. Boy, was it a blustery day! Yet, the beach was filled, it seemed, to maximum capacity! Everywhere you looked, there were people! It begs the question, "do people here have jobs"? We carefully weaved our way in and out of the crowd and made our way down the beach, not looking at ALL like tourists with our white skin, big hats, and cameras. Ha ha.

Tonight was fairly mellow...we had Moroccan kabobs for dinner and indulged in a game of TriBond.

Tuesday, July 11

School went equally as well today; I have an extremely quiet class. Most of my energy is spent encouraging them to participate in discussion. After school, we took a bus through the city to see some everyday Moroccan life; Markets, cafes, boulangeries, and bookstores. In addition, we drove by the site of the old school- what a difference! It made us appreciate more the amenities we have access to at this new site.

The fruit here is unbelievable, though it must be thoroughly washed and bleached before we are able to eat it. The marketplace, Marche de l'Oasis, was brilliant in colors of red, orange, green and yellow as fruit was meticulously stacked up to the ceiling. (The top two pictures are the views from each window in my classroom. Our back window had a great view of the ocean.)

Monday, July 10

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Today was eventful, and our current time of rest is well deserved! Our summer school session began today, and I don't think anyone anticipated the class sizes we received. We planned and prepared for 20; I have 4 students. The largest class size is 8 and the smallest is 2. There was some kind of miscommunication with the school administrators, and they thought we had requested smaller classes than previous years. We're not complaining...4 students is every teacher's dream!

The children in my class are going to be a lot of fun; full of personality and very intelligent. Today I took a handwriting sample, taught a lesson on rhyming words, and watched them try gummy worms for the first time. (They particularly enjoyed stretching them out!)

After school, our group took a tour of the Grand Mosque in Casablanca. Our tour guide showed us the bath house, the wash room, and the main hall- reminiscent of Notre Dame Cathedral, sans the cross-shaped layout. She explained and demonstrated daily prayer rituals as we walked barefoot through the Mosque. As we were driving away, we could hear the blaring loud-speakers, beckoning locals once again to prayer.

On our way to the Mosque, we passed a house that had been destroyed. Apparently, this was an act of the government in retaliation for an attempt to overthrow the former King. The current government has allowed the skeletal structure to remain in it's current condition as a reminder for civil compliance. Can you imagine if this happened to every anti-Bush household? California would be scorched right off the map!

It is HOT and HUMID here, making it difficult to find any comfortable place to rest. I am grieving the loss of my SECOND flat-iron (it's predecessor busted in London, while simultaneously blowing out the power in the entire hotel). This time, somewhat phobic from the last experience), I was ultra-cautious- used the appropriate adaptor and converter. However, the popping sound and smoke omitting from the cord is an all-too-familiar scenario. No electricution this time, but I know the smell of death when I come across it. Some bad hair is on the way!

Sunday, July 9

We arrived in Morocco and were greeted by absolutely beautiful weather, but no luggage. Fortunately, that scenario was temporary...we're finding that Moroccans operate on their own time schedule- usually SLOW. This also explains why we waited two hours at the airport for our transportation to arrive.

Finally on the bus, we enjoyed our first look at Morocco. Immediately, we all recognized the juxtaposition among social classes here; the wealthy living next door to the poverty-stricken, buildings that could be found on 17-Mile Drive snuggled up against buildings that resemble the Projects. In other ways, it reminded me of the Central Valley with stretches of farmland, lots of produce, and similar foliage.

We were quite impressed upon seeing the school for the first time. The facility is equipped with most modern amenities, including an outstanding children's library. We were taken on a brief tour of the campus before being released to start work in our classrooms. By this time, we were all feeling a little like "The Night of the Living Dead"...eager to finish and get home to bed.

But first...another meal. Our first taste of authentic Moroccan food! It is customary to eat only with one's right hand, so our first attempt was a little challenging.

Now, I'm sitting in bed listening to the call for prayer over the loudspeakers in the distance. This occurs five times a day, including the night. In addition, there are what seems to be dozens of dogs barking. It reminds me of the "barking brigade" in the movie 101 Dalmations. Looks like I won't be falling asleep any time soon.

Saturday, July 8

11:10 a.m., PST
It's some form of cruelty on the part of the airline to feature "Rachael Ray's Comfort Food" (Food Network) on a meal-less flight. Oh...were the raisins and shortbread cookie supposed to satisfy me for 5 hours?
At the moment, we are experiencing some fairly heavy turbulence. With the exception of the loud Italian high-schooler seated in front of me, it's been a pleasant flight. We will soon land at JFK in NYC for a 3-hour layover and connecting flight to Casablanca. That's just enough time to grab some dinner. I'm thinking comfort food :)

5:46 p.m. EST
Tore the ash tray off of the bathroom door (thought it was a handle).

6:40 a.m. Whatever time zone this is...
Not much sleep on this leg of the trip either. I've spent most of my time talking to a Moroccan mother and her two school-aged girls, who were eager to teach me some arabic phrases and how to write my name (which I would demonstrate here, but this computer only has American characters. Sorry!) The Royal Air Maroc airlines did little to satisfy my craving for sleep- the cabin lights were on thoughout most of the night and there was a constant frenzy of activity.

Consolation: Free socks with every flight.

Welcome!

Hi Friends and family!

The bags are packed and sitting here beside me....filled to the brim with curriculum for two weeks of teaching. I will be facilitating a first/second grade classroom, and we need to bring EVERYTHING with us...pencils, paper, copies, scissors, glue...EVERYTHING!

Tomorrow morning we will be flying out of LAX at about 6 a.m. We have a 3 hour layover in NY before boarding a direct flight to North Africa. We will arrive there on Sunday, and will immediately begin setting up our classrooms and becoming oriented with the school. HOPEFULLY I'll be able to sleep on the plane! I will not be checking my e-mail or phone, so please communicate with me via the comments below.

Off to SLEEP...tomorrow is a LONG day!
Jamie