November 12, 2008--Wednesday--Have been busy!

On Sunday, we went to the market to do some shopping. We enjoyed a really nice treat made of yoghurt and fresh fruit. It is hard to explain but very yummy. The fresh produce in Morocco is amazing! There is a lot of very tasty fruit like mandarine oranges, pears and many others. There is even a banana tree in the Mouma's home.

I have been busy in the classrooms on Monday and Tuesday so I did not have time to update the blog. Both days were filled with Englishes classes. I am happy that Abdellatif is letting me help so much in his classroom. I think that he and I both feel comfortable working together and I feel that our collaboration has been good. I hope that I have been helpful. The students are curious and eager to ask questions and the time flies by. Most of the classes are about 50 minutes each in length but some of them are 2 hours with a short break in between. Just like when we teach French, it is nicer to see the students for shorter times more frequently.

I keep asking myself questions about what can be done about the class sizes and the resources in the classroom. Students must purchase their own textbooks and this is sometimes why not every single one of them has one. Teachers must make their own copies of tests as well, as there are not copy machines at the schools. So what do we take for granted? We assume in the US (this is a generalization but this is also my personal opinion regarding what I see and experience) that each student has the right to a textbook and that this should be provided for them in the public school setting. However, this is also becoming a challenge as we sometimes need to use "classroom sets" so that students share. But when this occurs, most of the time the community and the parents are upset and it is not also a condusive way of learning for the kids.

How many TVS, computers, copy machines and projectors do we have in which we use to help educate our students? In Abdellatif's "sophomore" class, he asked them to do homework where they needed to research Moroccan culture on three specific different websites but no one did the homework. We talked about that. I wonder, is it because the students don't have internet at home? Is it because they don't have enough money to go to an internet cafe? There are no "computer labs" in the schools for students or teachers. Or is it a matter of time and perhaps motivation just like students anywhere in the world?

Now actually, (and by the way, I feel quite spoiled but I am definitely taking advantage of the time to learn culturally) the students have a one week mid-term break. We won't have classes until next Wednesday here. This is only true for the public school system. I guess you can think about it like a "Thanksgiving break."

Oh and I wanted to add that one of the most common questions that I get in the classroom is whether or not I speak Arabic. The students wanted me to say, "peace be with you" and I tried. There was a thundrous applause afterwards. They were so happy that I tried. Then I was asked about my faith since almost all Moroccans are Muslim. I told them that though I respect many faiths, I don't personally practice any one particular one. Then a student asked me to repeat after him in Arabic. There was so much laughter that I asked Abdellatif why everyone was laughing all of a sudden. He said that the sentence the student wanted me to repeat would be the one that would convert me to the Islamic faith and guarentee him a place forever in Paradise.

More to come on discussions of religion and politics which come up in conversation more than anything else here. They are very interesting.

Also interesting is that there are schools here that are taught in Arabic and then there are schools here that are taught in French. The one I attend is taught in Arabic but the "educated" class can all speak in French. It is interesting to see how the view of "self" has been realized after the French colonization here after WWII. The Moroccans are very proud of their nationality as well as their faith, with nothing to hide. They are open-minded people, very gracious and kind-hearted and welcome foreigners with open arms.

One of the biggest conversations that Nadia and I had was about the stereotypes that Moroccans have about Americans. She gave me a pep talk one day before school and told me, "show them who Americans are--that it is not about the politics of your government or the war but that Americans as individuals are very nice." This is paraphrased but in essence what she said. The knowledge that Moroccans have of us in general is very negative because of the press and our political choices in the world.

I think the same could be said of the Muslim faith. We often stereotype Islamic beliefs because of the stories we hear of the extreme terrorist acts. When in fact most Muslim people here that I have met are very kind, with a WONDERFUL sense of humor. I have never heard so many people in a room laugh so much. And these are people are not drunk! Much of the Islamic faith has teachings which are similar to the teachings of Christianity which is just to be nice to others--to walk the talk.

That is a lot about their faith but it is such an ingrained part of their culture that it is really difficult not to include even though the Fulbright Exchange is a non-religious and non-political exchange. For the Moroccans, their life and their faith cannot be mutally exclusive.