الله يمسك علي خير Morocco lla yemsek 'la khir

Morocco lla yemsek 'la khir

Yes, I had to say "Goodbye, Morocco."  In the 6 weeks since my last post, I have been so busy and thought I had plenty of time to post a lot more blogs. :-(
February was very busy.  I was putting my classes at the university online as a way to deal with enormous classes which only meet for 2 hours, once a week.  I had the students read grammar explanations and watch videos about it at home and then come to class and practice in groups.  In my essay writing class, I had students submit essays and peer edit before coming to class to discuss structural requirements of an essay and, in groups, outline what they read as a way to see what needed to be changed.  I was really excited to be doing this since other instructors could use my ideas in the future.  Little did I know how quickly they would need to transition online.

Street Art in Casa

My workshops to train teachers were also going really well, The participants were learning a lot, from me and each other, and valued the training.
I was also continuing to work on the volunteer project that I was involved with at a rural school outside of Essaouira, a coastal city about 4 1/2 hours away.  A group of us are looking at how to use tech to get distance learning into the schools for middle and high school students who can't travel back and forth to school in the city, how to integrate local heritage into primary education, and how to train teachers to do these things.

Sunset in Casa

Colleagues/friends from Rabat and Oujda came to visit and we did all of the fun big city things: dancing, bars, shopping, etc.  I planned some trips around Morocco and had even planned to come back to Oregon to see Rory's final show.

Normal breakfast out in Morocco

On the town in Casa

Then the COVID spread.  First, travel to Madrid from Morocco was suspended, so I couldn't stop there on my way to the US to see my mom.  She had cancelled her trip anyway, so that was out.
Then we got the news a week ago (Thursday night) that the State Department wanted us to voluntarily evacuate. Friday the Moroccan Ministry of Education closed all schools.  Some of us didn't want to go and said we would take the weekend to think about it.  Sunday morning we were called and told that Morocco would be closing its borders and we needed to get out.  There was a final flight which had been created with the intention of getting Americans out of the country.  We had less than 24 hours to pack and get to the airport.  It was less stressful for me since I was in Casa which is where the international flights come.  Having volunteered for the Red Cross, I had gone out the week before and gotten supplies for a few weeks (rice, pasta, milk, juice, eggs, NOT toilet paper), so I now had to figure out what to do with all of that.  

Morning of Departure
Empty Casa street

Monday afternoon we flew out of Casa.  We landed at JFK 8 hours later to no health screening whatsoever.  Since then, I have watched Morocco prepare quickly and efficiently, closing events and public spaces, announcing a curfew, and today, a week after I left, they have a lockdown.  They are not messing around and are trying to deal with the virus in an aggressive way, like China did, to avoid a major crisis.  Meanwhile in the US, very few changes have happened and they vary from state to state with some places taking no action at all.  The borders with Canada and Mexico are closing, but the state borders (except California) are not.  There is still no health screening of incoming flights although the government says there is.

Tiny House Airbnb in Portland

Spring in Oregon

I am feeling very sad.  I plan to continue online with my classes at the university for the next few weeks to transition the other teachers.  I am also continuing to work remotely on my volunteer project.  I didn't want to leave Morocco so soon and especially not so abruptly.  I was scheduled to return for a second year in the fall and still hope to if at all possible.  At this point, I am trying to deal with the emotions of an enormous change happening so quickly.

When one door closes...

...a window opens.

The Roller-coaster of January

January was a roller-coaster of highs and lows.  One of the first things I did was play laser tag for the first time in my life with a friend and his 9 year-old son.  As I posted on FB, I upheld not only my national honor, but I was also a credit to my gender because I kicked a**.  😉

Laser Tag, Casablanca, 2020

I flew to Oujda, a city on the Algerian border to work with a colleague.  While I was there, the Amazight New Year happened and I went to a music event to celebrate.

The second week of January I had to give my final exams.  I wasn't worried about this.  For the composition class, I was using the rubric provided by the department head who was teaching the other two sections.  Also, to be certain that I was grading validly, I had another Fellow grade a few and compared our scores; they were the same.  However, after submitting my grades, I was informed by the dept. head that I could not give a grade higher than a 16.  They use the French grading system here which is 0-20 and 10 is a passing grade.  Therefore, the highest grade that a student could receive would be a 20, but Moroccan professors don't give anything higher than a 16.  I argued that I had graded fairly, my grades had fallen (without manipulation on my part) into a bell curve, and the high scores reflected the students' ability to write a very good paragraph.  Finally, I told the department head that she had the authority to change my grades, but I refused to do it.  I felt that I had no other ethical choice.😞
The following week I was at conferences in El Jadida and Tangier. We attended workshops on many areas of EFL teaching and a colleague and I presented a workshop on differentiated learning.  The conferences were a lot of fun; EFL instructors know how to party after working hard! We also visited historical sites and the beach in both cities. However, I was very happy to return to Casa and have "quality alone time" after constantly being around so many people.  The El Jadida conference had over 700 attendees!

Luxurious Conference Site in El Jadida 

Fellows from around North Africa/Near East

American Legation in Tangier

Left by the maid in Tangier

Train notice to remember all your belongings

Leaving Tangier on the TGV

When I got back to Casa, I immediately jumped into preparing for spring term.  I am creating "flipped classes" this term to try to deal with the huge number of students.  Since I am not a tech wizard, this has been challenging for me, but I am slowly getting the hang of it.  I'll see how successful it is.  The university where I teach is really pushing to incorporate online/blended classes.
The last week of January was probably the most emotionally up and down.  On Thursday a protest of the American Middle East "Peace Plan" was scheduled for the consulate in Casablanca.  There aren't many tourist sites in Casa and I have told many people that the one place where Americans gather (and which would be a good target) is the consulate.  It also happens to be right next door to my apartment!  Although the street was closed off and there were approximately 40+ soldiers outside, there was no need for any preparations.  The protest never happened.  Friday I went to the university to attend a meeting of all faculty in the university system (5 or 6 campuses) on the proposed change next year to a 4 year bachelor's degree modeled on the American system.  The meeting was held in French and Darija and then, at the end, the president asked me, as the only Anglo-Saxon present, to speak.  Aaaahhh!  It was nerve-wracking!
At the end of the month, I had to deal with many students approaching me to ask why they had gotten such low grades.  I had to tell them that the dept. head had changed them and that there was nothing I could do.  This made me think about spring term.  My grammar classes will be easy to grade, but the composition/essay writing class will be just like fall term.  At that point, I decided I would teach and edit the students, but I refused to grade them and then have the grades changed again.  My argument is that the university requested an American and in the US, changing grades like that would not only be unethical, it would be illegal.  That's my line in the sand.  😎
Maybe February won't be quite as crazy.  We'll see.

The holidays come to an end

The holidays have come to an end... and not a moment too soon. The partying in Casa seems to follow the Mediterranean timetable.  Bars and clubs don't really get hopping until after midnight.  I celebrated Solstice at an early get together and then in solitude (which I enjoyed very much.)  Christmas Eve I had the traditional Mexican food and open house.  As always it was an eclectic mix of guests which makes conversation interesting.  Many of my colleagues from the ELF program and the State Department came as well as some coworkers.  Although there were fewer guests than in years past, the party didn't end until after 1.

Final guests on Christmas Eve 2019

Christmas Day was very unusual.  I had a couple of guests staying with me, Ajita and Jordan (also ELFs), and we had a very slow-paced day.  We went to a hammam (one of Morocco's greatest inventions) and then went shopping.  We stopped at Starbucks for a jolt of caffeine.  For dinner we tried an Indian restaurant (which will remain nameless since it was not good), had drinks with some friends, and then went to a club to listen to live music.  American music...  It was okay, but 4 people had mics on stage and there were no harmonies!!!!

Christmas day at Casablanca Starbucks

Going to a club on Christmas Day

The next day, Ajita and Jordan went to Marrakech for a few days and I worked.  In a Muslim country, December doesn't have any holidays (unless Ramadan falls during that time.)  However, New Year's Day is a national holiday.  New Year's Eve Ajita and Jordan were back and we went to a friend's house and then went out to an underground "alternative" club.  I wanted to go around 11:30 to ring in the new year.  Luckily everyone else talked me out of it because when we got there after 1, we were the first to arrive.  The music selection was odd, but wide-ranging.  They started with The Gambler by Kenny Rogers???? but went on to play U2, lots of Arab pop, etc.

Here are a couple of other photos to end the year with... yes, those are spices stacked in the shape of pyramids!

Spice shop, Essaouira

Camel on the beach, Casa

I have been speaking a lot of French lately and a friend sent this to me, so I will share it with you as wishes for the New Year:

Best Wishes
A page is turning
A new one is ready to write upon...

365 days to live and share
In Love and Friendship
So the New Year is nothing but
Gentleness and Beauty!

A Week in the Life of an English Language Fellow

I realized that I haven't given a picture of how I spend my time, so I thought I would write a brief post to give you an idea.  I start every morning with yoga (Yoga With Adrienne on YouTube.)
Mondays and Tuesdays:
I go to the university to teach and get home around 2 pm.  I take a Petit Taxi there and a Grand Taxi back.  They operate in a completely different fashion than any taxi in the US or Europe.
Petit Taxis are small and red and can go anywhere.  They hold 3 passengers and will pick people up going in the same direction (somewhat) until they are full.  It's a very environmental use of car transport.  However, although they are required to have meters, some don't and this is how they take advantage of tourists.  Also, they don't let you wear a seat belt (if they have them), don't have window handles, and sometimes don't even have door handles inside.  Most drive like they are on crack.  Also, if you are female and you speak to the driver (to practice your Darija, for example), they think you want to hook up with them and will ask you repeatedly for your phone number.

Grand Taxis are bigger (a van if you are lucky, an old Mercedes if you aren't) and hold 6 passengers.  They have a specific route, but no sign telling you what it is (you have to make the correct hand gesture for where you want to go and the driver will stop if that is his destination) and they will only leave the stand when they are full.  You can be let off anywhere along the way.  They are extremely cheap (60 cents for a 1/2 hour ride.)  These drivers also drive like they are on crack.

After I return to my apartment, I eat and then do school stuff before going to conduct a teacher training class at a nearby State Department building (DAR America.)  I love this class.  It is my "secondary project" which means I invented it.  The students are so excited to get the opportunity to create a lesson plan and teach an English class and to observe 4 of their peers do the same.  They each have one week and I do a model lesson the first week, so the commitment is 6 weeks for the Monday cohort and 6 weeks for the Tuesday group.  The students they are teaching are also happy to have extra practice with English classes.  We're wrapping up this session, but I'll do it again in February/March and June with new batches of trainees.  We have to skip April and May because things really slow down during Ramadan.

Wednesdays I present 5 hour workshops around Casablanca to middle or high school English teachers on various aspects of teaching.  I am wiped out afterward even though I finish by 3.

Thursdays-Sundays are my days to catch up: grade papers, submit reports, clean, cook, study Darija (Moroccan Arabic, very different from Standard Arabic), go to events, and sometimes travel to other cities. 

contemporary art opening, Casa

When I went to the art opening (I don't like much contemporary art), I was interviewed on French Moroccan TV with another American who is teaching through the Fulbright Scholar Program.  I made her do most of the talking because she likes contemporary art.
Recently I was invited to go to a town 5 hours south of Casa (Essaouira) to visit an education project which is being started there.  The piece which interested me most was about how to have students in rural communities continue their education after 6th grade.  The public high school is only 10 miles away, but that is an insurmountable obstacle if you are walking there and back.  I started brainstorming with some of the other educators who had been invited with me about how to do online classes using the primary school after the younger students are done.  It was challenging, but exciting.
Here are some pictures of Essaouira and one of me teaching the primary students how to play Duck, Duck, Goose.

Essaouira, Morocco

Essaouira, Morocco

Gate of Tolerance with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim symbols
Essaouira, Morocco

Duck, Duck, Goose near Essaouira, Morocco

That's a snapshot of my time here.  Winter Solstice is tomorrow and the 3rd round of festivities begins.

Happy Solstice!

The Holidays Continue

I had 24 hours to recuperate before my next visitor, Brittney, arrived.  Brittney and I taught together at the center for women refugees in Athens last fall.  She arrived late Tuesday night and then we left early Wednesday morning to Meknes where I had to give a TEFL training to Peace Corps volunteers.  Brittney was a PCV herself, so she enjoyed seeing this moment in their 2 year commitment from the perspective of having finished.  It wasn't all work in Meknes though.  After Ajita and I finished the training, the 3 of us went to a hammam/spa.  It was the best hammam I have experienced!!  We were so relaxed (and clean) afterward.  We finally found the restaurant that I had read about online and ate a great dinner (except for the house salad which seemed to contain everything left in the refrigerator) with wine and good music (until they put on the country western CD.)  Thursday, Brittney and I returned to Casa and she went to Hassan II Mosque.  She took these great photos of the inside.

Meknes Medina

Theresa & Brittney, Hassan II Mosque, Casa

Hassan II Mosque, Casa

Hassan II Mosque, Casa

Women's Area above, Hassan II Mosque, Casa

Hammam under Hassan II Mosque, Casa

Friday, Brittney left for a desert trip out of Marrakech and my mom and 2 of her friends arrived.  Over the weekend we went to Meknes and Fes.  On Tuesday I had to work, but the 3 of them went to Rabat and a friend showed them around the capital.  When they returned that evening, we watched the sunset over Casa from the rooftop bar at Sofitel and then had dinner at Le Petit Rocher across the bay from the mosque.  Brittney arrived late in the evening with stories of her trip.

Wednesday, after visiting the mosque, we all met up to do some last minute shopping in the medina before Brittney left for Italy.  We had lunch with a colleague of mine from the university where I teach.  Thursday morning, my mom and her friends left at 5 am to catch an early plane back to Paris and then to the US.  I have been recuperating since then, catching up on work and chores.  However, it's a beautiful day here, so I am off to the Corniche to spend time near the ocean (my bit of nature in this huge city.)

Nancy, Mom, and Judy with water seller in traditional costume
in front of the Casa medina

early morning departure

The Holidays Begin

November, as I mentioned in my last post, is a month with many holidays.  Since my favorite holiday is Halloween, the festivities began October 31.  Luckily, we had a mandatory meeting in Casa that day and therefore all of the Fellows had to come to my town.  After our meetings and paperwork, we went for drinks at Sofitel Hotel.  The bad drinks and lackluster service were made up for by the incredible view as the sun set over the Atlantic and downtown Casablanca.  After returning to my place to get into costume, we went to the Irish Pub.  The solo musician was good, but quit too early and many people had to catch the train back to Rabat, so we didn't close the place down; we did that on Friday and Saturday nights.  Getting home at 5 am is not easy when you have to go teach the next day.  Here are some of our outfits.

Halloween 2019

Tuesday 3 of us caught the train to Tangier to spend a couple of days there.  I loved it!  It is like Casa, but calmer and the ocean is only a couple blocks away (because the city is smaller.)  Cars stop for pedestrians and there isn't constant honking.  We spent most of our time walking around and looking at different sites.  However, I did spend a few hours at the beach.  I was the only one in a swimsuit; everyone else had winter clothes on.  A famous theater there belongs to Spain which has offered it to Morocco for free if they will restore it.  So far, nothing has happened.  There is also an old Anglican church which I visited to see the combination of Moorish and Christian ornamentation.  We had fantastic meals, Italian and Spanish, in restaurants we chanced upon.  Finally, we tried to watch the sunset from the Phoenician tombs, but it was too far south.  It would have been better to check it out from the Caves of Hercules, 20 minutes away on the Atlantic side.

Tangier

Tangier

Nuestra Senora de Africa

Thursday we went further east to visit another Fellow and go to Ceuta, a piece of Spain in Africa.  It was so nice to sit in a cafe with men AND women and be offered wine or beer as well as juice.  One Fellow started her morning with an Irish coffee.  We wandered around and checked out the cathedral of Nuestra Virgen de Africa and the fort.  There was a free art exhibit of Bertuchi whom I had never heard of, but really liked.  Finally, we did some shopping before heading back to Morocco and the mountains to Chefchaouen.

Hercules in Ceuta

Bertuchi

Chefchaouen is known as the blue city because the walls in the old part of town are painted blue.  It's very beautiful, but very cold in November.  And the riads, or traditional guesthouses, have no heat.  We hiked up to the Spanish mosque and walked around.  Strangely, the best dinner we had was Chinese; there are a lot of Chinese immigrants in town.  Otherwise, it was the quietest part of our vacation since it is much more traditional (little alcohol or dancing.)

Chefchaouen

We returned to Casa on Sunday and I had a day to recuperate, thank you Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) for having a birthday.  My next round of visitors starts Tuesday.  I'll keep you posted.