Monday, July 10

<



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!