"Rain Days" and other exciting things

It has been a busy few weeks since I last wrote. After our long break (Belgium and Amsterdam), we had school on Monday and then torrential rain that caused houses to flood, people to die, and school to be canceled for two days! Then for the weekend, the "young ones" went to Essaouira. A beach town, Essaouira was peaceful and relaxing. The days passed slowly and we had lots of fun enjoying the sunshine and 75 degree weather (in December)!!! Back to school Monday but wait, Tuesday was the Islamic New Year so NO SCHOOL again :) I didn't quite know what to do with myself with so many little "weekends". They were greatly appreciated but have made it difficult to really get anything done. The kids (and I) just want the holidays to be here NOW!
Back-to-back middle school and high school dances kept me busy on Friday...Three parties took up my Saturday...a combined Christmas church service today and a quiet afternoon at home were in order today...Now only 5 more days of school and I'll be back in Michigan in the cold and snow (but loving every minute)!!!

How to cure a sore tongue

On our last night in Belgium, Alec and Chloe came down asking for medicine. Alec was complaining of a sore thoat so he was given something. Chloe had a sore tongue. Her dad explained that he didn't have anything for sore tongues. She suggested the pharmacy :) Since it was late, the pharmacy wasn't an option...so Sarah said, "I've heard tickling helps cure sore tongues!" Before Sarah could attack, Chloe started tickling her tongue with both hands! It was possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen :D

Visiting the "Motherland" (and other nice places!)

Last week Sarah and I had a week off from school for Eid AlKhbir (comparable to Christmas). Our adventure for the week...Belgium and Amsterdam!
We flew into Brussels on Tuesday, spent the afternoon walking around, then headed to Lueven to stay with friends of Sarah's. Wednesday we went out for coffee in Lueven, then headed for Amsterdam. Short detour along the way...Antwerp. After some shopping, waffles, and a few pictures, we were back on the train to Amsterdam. It was crazy how much the Netherlands reminded me of Holland, MI. Although Thursday was overcast and a bit rainy, we had a wonderful day. One of my favorite parts was touring the Anne Frank house. It was really interesting to see the secret bookcase and the rooms where her family had been hiding. We finished up sightseeing and shopping on Friday and headed back to Lueven. Detour #2...Brugge...quaint, medieval city already decorated for Christmas! Relaxing Saturday...saw Sinterclause and Black Pete...served spaghetti at the kids' school...and went to bed. Sunday we journeyed back to Casa, rested and ready to go!

First Dance Performance!

After weeks of practice, hours of shopping for costumes, a few tears, and many words of encouragement: my dance class had their first performance! We performed for the elementary awards assembly as a dress rehearsal for our secondary assembly. I was so proud of my rhythmically challenged students :) I would have never guessed how difficult it would be for them to count and dance to a beat...but they did it! I received so many compliments about their performance. My favorite was from one of the arabic teachers (who teaches PE during my dance class)...he said, "Good job Laura. I guess you really do work when those doors are closed." This experience was a great confidence booster for so many of the girls. They are already asking me about doing a holiday piece!

Volleyball Weekend

This weekend was our school's first volleyball tournament! We have just started putting together a sports program, so being involved in this was very exciting for our students! The tournament was all day Friday and Saturday. Sarah and I had originally planned on going for the Saturday games but when we found out there were Friday afternoon games, we found people to cover our classes and set out for Rabat...
Our train was supposed to leave at 2:03. So when a train pulled up at 2:02 and the sign said Fes (Rabat is on the way to Fes), we assumed it was our train and got on. About ten minutes into the ride, the conductor came around to check our tickets and told us we were on the wrong train...we were heading south! SO we got off at the next stop which happened to be the VERY small town of Bouskoura. We waited and waited for another train to come through and finally after an hour and ten minutes one arrived. By the time we got back into Casa we realized there was no way we were going to make it to the games.
Not wanting to go back to our apartment, we decided to play Casablanca tourist. We walked from the train station to La Scala (a restaurant) and ordered banana juice and mint tea...took pictures with the canons...and tried to forget how stupid we felt. We continued walking toward the mosque...taking random pictures with trees, flowers, archways, etc. We arrived at the mosque around sunset and stayed there for a couple hours talking, taking funny pictures, eating cookies that were meant for the players...trying to figure out what we wanted to do next. We called our friend Simo and he came and picked us up and we went out to dinner at TGI Fridays. Yeah for cheese broccoli soup, boneless wings, and real salad! And that concluded our lovely day in "Rabat".
On Saturday we actually made it to Rabat. The kids played well for only having had about 10 practices total and no prior sports experience. Both our girls team and our boys team finished last (4th) but they did not lose by much. We were quite proud!

Winner Man :D

At the end of our church service today, the pastor called the praise team up to close out the service with a song...their choice...Winner Man! Now imagine these words being sung by sub-Saharan Africans to a reggae beat..."Jesus is the winner man, the winner man, the winner man. Jesus is the winner man, the winner man all the time. Winner man, winner man , winner man, winner man, winner man, winner man, winner man, winner man. Jesus is the winner man, the winner man all the time." In case you can't imagine it, what you actually hear is..."Jesus is the weener man, the weener man, the weener man. Jesus is the weener man, the weener man all the time. Weener man, weener man, ...." You get the picture :) When the praise team had finished, our paster got up and said, "For all the Americans who were confused during this last song, no we were not just singing about Oscar Meyer!"

To stay or not to stay...

...that is the question! Every day I change my mind. Yes...no...yes...no...yes...no...ahhhhhhh!!!!! So if anyone is wondering what's new in my life, thinking about that questions pretty much consumes my non-teaching moments :)
On a happy note though...my dance class is going amazingly!!! I finished my ballet unit a week and a half ago, and have now moved on to jazz. The girls are loving it! I usually have stretching and conditioning days on Fridays, but last Friday the girls begged me to dance :) They are enthusiastic and motivated and are practicing...I am really seeing positive changes in them. It has proven to be my favorite class and a great way to start the day!

Life Updates...

After talking with my grandma, I realized it had been a very long time since my last post! So here's the synopsis of my last few weeks...

-Started tutoring 3 students
-Had sushi, thai, and indian food
-Back-to-School Barbeque
-Watched 3 movies in a row
-Finished LOST season 6...anyone figured that show out yet?
-Started a book club with teachers at school
-Found out I can buy bacon here!
-Saw my first movie in Megarama (movie theatre)...a bit bloody but in English :)
-Had tea with friends
-Busted 7 students for cheating
-Finished my Ballet unit and began a Jazz unit
-My dance room is now equipt with a ballet bar and mirrors...and it was done before the class ended...I wasn't sure that was going to happen ;)
-Booked tickets to Belgium for our week-long November break (also to visit Amsterdam...my motherland!)

True Story

8th grade Pre-Algebra class...Lesson: Algebraic Expressions and Equations
Question: How many days are there in 4 weeks?
Students: ?????
Me: Well let's think about this. How many days are there in one week?
Student 1: Five
Student 2: Eight
Student 3: Ten
Me: (Jaw has now dropped to the floor and my head is on my desk) Seriously? Okay, let's count... (my hands go up in the air and we count)...Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday...How many fingers am I holding up?
Students: Seven
Me: Thank you!

Mediterranean + Mountains = Cabo Negro, Morocco

This past weekend I went to Cabo Negro with Amber (new teacher) and Ruth (friend from another school). Sarah decided to climb the highest mountain in Morocco instead...don't understand why :D Cabo Negro is in the north of Morocco, just east of Tangier. We stayed at a student's family's vacation apartment...swimming pool, real grass, mountains, beach...can't ask for any better!
Being that it was a holiday weekend (end of Ramadan), most people were with family. After waking up at 4:30am and riding on a bus for 7 1/2 hours, we then began our adventure trying to find something open where we could buy at least milk. Instead we found and old man who gave us roses and offered us milk from his house. We declined but thanked him...not wanting to become his next three wives ;) Then we found a taxi driver who offered to drive us to McDonald's! (Apparently it was one of the only things open...and in a different city) The remainder of the evening consisted of trying to watch a movie in French, reading, and a nice 10pm bedtime.
Day 2 - I slept in all the way to 7am! (haha) We made our way to the beach to enjoy the sun and sand. Later in the afternoon it started to become overcast, so we returned to the apartment, made a yummy dinner, and read for most of the evening. I love vacations where you can read, sleep, read, sleep, repeat!
Day 3 - Cleaning...taxi to bus station...tour Tetouan...long trek home.

I'd say the weekend was just what the doctor ordered!

Week 1...Complete :)

One week down! I can't believe how fast this first week went. In some ways it feels like I never left. My days are going by much faster this year due to an extra class (Dance/Fitness!) AP Calculus will keep me on my toes but I'm excited for what this year will hold. It's Ramadan for one more week and then things can get back to normal. The kids are tired from too few hours of sleep and the heat makes things even worse (especially without water!)

Monday is "Moroccan Dress Day"...kind of like wearing a bathrobe to school :)
Friday...no school!
Weekend plans...Paris...Spain...Portugal...London...where should we go?!!

Only in Morocco...

Only in Morocco does your bathroom fan produce so much smoke that it can be smelt everywhere in the apartment.
Only in Morocco does the power go out in your entire apartment except the bathroom (and can't be reset)
Only in Morocco is your classroom 10 degrees hotter than the outside tempurature.
Only in Morocco do half of your students not show up for the first week or two of school.
Only in Morocco does it take over an hour for your concierge to come up to your apartment, do nothing, and then leave and never come back.
Only in Morocco do you work in the bathroom because it's the only place you have light.
Only in Morocco do you sit around 3 lit candles with 4 co-workers pretending it's a bonfire.
Only in Morocco...
...But I must say, I do love this place!

Morocco Round Two!

Hello everyone!
I'm back in Morocco and gearing up for another year. Travels went smoothly...new apartment is great...new teachers are a lot of fun...it's good to be back! The weather is hot so Sarah and I went to the beach today :) ...need to take advantage of no school while we still can. Tonight we are going to Hasna's house for iftar (breaking of the fast). I'm excited to see her and Kenza again (although I don't think Kenza will remember me). We're having the staff over to our apartment on Friday for a potluck...which we can do now with our bigger apartment!
On the "to-do-list"...finish unpacking...set up classroom...write syllabi...plan for the first week...enjoy my last days of freedom :)
Love you all...

Dumb internet...

Hello everyone! So I do realize it's been quite a while since my last entry...however I'd like to clarify that it was not from lack of effort. For some reason Google and internet in Morocco do not get along. This is unfortunate because my email is Google and so is my blog :) Today must be my lucky day because after a month of trying, I finally got in!!!
Life here has been busy wrapping up loose ends as the school year comes to a close. I only have 4 more days of teaching, 3 days of exams, packing and then I'm homeward bound! This year has been incredible and I will have a lot of processing to do when I get back (just a warning Mom!) I look forward to many lazy afternoons at my grandparents' pool, time with my family and friends, and Starbucks :) Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. I look forward to catching up on all that's happened this year.
Sending my love...soon it will be in person!

Broken Heart

I love my job. I love my kids. But I don't love their attitude. I don't love being seen as a little higher than a maid. And I don't love their self-righteous attitudes. Needless to say, it was a rough week.
I headed up a fundraiser for Earth Day at our school this week. A co-worker and I found an organization that plants fruit trees in poor villages (which then is a way to provide for their families). For the equivalent of $3, students could purchase a tree. The idea was to give back to the earth and to Morocco. Now I didn't really care how much money we raised because it would be more than I could do on my own (We raised, by the way, over $500!). What really made me angry were the comments made by the students after I explained why we need trees to live, etc..."Why should we care? We'll be dead by then anyways."
It's been comments like this, whiny voices, defiant children that have made me tired. I have poured my heart into these kids and they don't care. I am feeling defeated and out of ideas.
I'm asking for prayer. I need strength, love, and a fresh perspective. It's the end of the year so the kids are ready to be done (and I'm ready to be done) but I want to finish strong!
Sending my love to all of you...

A Moroccan Tour

Our travels began in Meknes. We stayed at a lovely riad that was just outside the main square. From the roof top terrace we were able to look out over the square and parts of the city...perfect location. Our first stop was a museum held in an old Moroccan palace. If we hadn't been stopped by a man who worked there, we would have been in and out within a matter of minutes. Thankfully this man latched onto us and began explaining everything from the exhibits, to the architecture, to the purposes of each room. The rest of the day we wandered the city, taking it all in.
Next stop Fes. With our guide Mohammed, we covered a lot of ground...and not necessarily the usually Fes tour. He had us looking under doorways and peeking through cracks...it was the "behind the scenes tour"!!! Mohammed himself was a very interesting man...spoke 7 languages, had visited 18 countries, was one of 14 children, loved hippie music :) In the souqs we saw real Moroccans doing real shopping (bringing swatches of fabric to get thread to match)...looked into large ovens where they bake bread...were escorted upstairs to see women making a carpet on a large loom...made tannery purchases custom-made for me! It was a great day.
Marrakesh here we come...7 hours later we arrived :) This is were we spent the majority of our time. One day in the souqs...one night on camels and in the Sahara...dinner in the big square...cappuccino at a cafe...beautiful hike through Berber villages on the tallest mountain in Morocco = PERFECT Spring Break!

Yo...What's up Mamma Smallegan?

One of the biggest reasons I wanted my parents to visit was so that they could picture my world and meet the new people in my life. They arrived late on a Friday night, so the weekend was pretty low-key. We ate breakfast at the corniche (ocean), visited my church, ate ice cream in the Medina, and walked a lot :)
Monday...Welcome to AAC! It was so nice to show them around the school and introduce them to my kids and coworkers. The title of this blog is how one of my 6th grade boys greeted my mom ;) I was permitted to leave school early on Monday so that we could visit the Hassan II Mosque (one of the largest mosques in the world). It was beautiful and so interesting to learn about how it was made...complete with retractable ceiling!
Tuesday...The parents slept in and met me at school later in the day. The Koons flew into Casa in the morning so the six of us went to a juice bar after school to keep the Koons from falling asleep :)
Wednesday...Another early morning on the school bus :) My kids were excited to see my parents again. After school we went to the Habus (small souq/shopping area) to get dinner and mint tea.
Thursday...My parents were off in Rabat (the capital) with Paul and Cindy. We met up again after school to go to my Arabic teacher's house for a traditional Moroccan meal. The evening was perfect...an absolute highlight of the trip!
Friday...SPRING BREAK here we come!!!

T minus 5 days..

5 days...or 124 hours according to my mom...until my parents arrive in Casablanca!!! Two weeks of togetherness...I'm so excited :) A week in Casa (while I am still teaching), a few days in Fes, then a week in Marrakesh and the surrounding areas. I am so blessed!

"My Baby"

Today a few of my students had to stay after school to make up a test. As usual, only half brought their calculators :) I had already given away my spare and then another student asked to borrow a calculator. The only calculator I had left was my graphing calculator aka "my baby". So I said to the student, "I do have MY calculator that you can use but you need to be SO careful because it's my baby!" He totally played into it and held out both hands to receive it then very slowly and carefully set it down. After he completed the test, he returned it saying, "Here is your baby." And to the calculator, "Now go to sleep (as he put the cover on)." It was so funny...highlight of my day :) How I love my kids...

Please Pray...

On a personal note, I'm asking for prayer for my family. My grandpa's sister has been battling cancer for many years now. Over the past weeks things have become much worse. They have spent winters in Arizona with my grandparents but have just returned back to Michigan to be with family. We have been told she probably only has a few more days. Last spring Hannah and I were able to spend a lot of time with Aunt Sharron and Uncle Loren, which was such a blessing: they are kind of like second grandparents. I am so grateful to have those special memories. Please pray for my Uncle Loren and the rest of our family as we anticipate, and cope with this loss. Aunt Sharron, I love you!

Our Journey Up North...

This weekend we had Friday off from school so decided to head north to Chef Chaouen with another friend for the long weekend. The plan had been to rent a car, however, that proved to be more difficult (and more expensive) than expect...Plan B, the bus!

Background info: There has been a lot of rain all over Morocco for the last 3 weeks.

So on the way there we came across some flooding. And, no, not just minor flooding. Thigh-deep water flooding! And you guessed it (or maybe you didn't) we drove right through! It was incredible but all the while I'm thinking, "Oh no. My bag!" Everything came out at least a little wet...but not my Bible! Thank you Jesus!

Saturday was a Moroccan holiday celebrating the birth of the prophet Mohammed. Many things were closed, but not nature. We spend a few hours hiking up hills, rocks, across water falls...it was breathtaking! When we got back we went to the local hamman, a community bath, to relax. Dinner, tea, dessert, bed...Thank you Chef Chaouen for a wonderful relaxing weekend :)

Fellowship in Ifrane

Our crazy adventures in Italy left Sarah and I a little "traveled out". After a few low-key weekends, we were ready to go again :) Last weekend we spent time in Ifrane with some friends from Tangier. The plan was to go skiing, however with a week of 60's and rain, snow was no where to be found! But it was still a wonderful weekend of friends, food, and fellowship. We were picked up by a girl from Marrakesh and met the rest in "the little Switzerland" of Morocco. Sarah and I came back from the weekend so refreshed. 11 people sharing an apartment for 4, sunshine and hiking, chili and spiced cider...can't get much better than that!

Valentine's Day...Moroccan Style :)

So today the students celebrated Valentine's Day with flowers, cards, and chocolates that they could purchase to be delivered to their friends. I left this exchange for the end of class (knowing I would never get them to focus again). After everything was passed out, one of my 6th grade boys asked if he could give me his gift. He came to the front of the room, got down on one knee, thrust the gift bag in the air, and said, "Miss, will you marry me?" I said, "No. But thank you for the gift :) I don't date younger men!"
My story doesn't stop there...in the morning, one of my 6th grade students showed up to my class with a bag. I thought he was leaving it in my class for later, but he told me it was for me...sweet, right! During my first break I decided to open it...a red fuzzy heart pillow...a pair of underwear...a gold tube top!!! So needless to say I was freaking out because this is completely inappropriate on so many levels. Then I noticed a business card on the floor...it had the student's mom's name on it. My best guess is that his mom put together this gift for me from the store she owns/works at. I'm sure he didn't know what was in it because if he did, that would have been the talk of 6th grade! So I guess that means his mom got me underwear and a tube top for Valentine's Day :) Still inappropriate but better (I guess).
It was quite the eventful Valentine's Day for me...going to be tough to beat that!

Soccer and the Zoo!

On Monday I attended a middle school soccer (futbol) match between our school and CAS (another American school in Casa). Although we lost 0 to 6 it was fun to support our team and watch them do something they love. I even got some girls to start cheering with me! Sarah tried to convince them to do a pyramid but that didn't go over so well...something about Miss Smallegan volunteering to be bottom middle :)
(Pictures are in my AAC album on Picasa)
Today (Saturday) we went to the zoo in Rabat! One of our co-workers has a little boy and invited us to join them on their adventure. We weren't expecting much but it turned out to be pretty cool. I never would have expected to see a chipmunk in a cage...but I suppose in Africa you don't see many of those :) The craziest/coolest part was the lion exhibit. The "lion keeper" started to get them riled up...and soon we had a lion choir! It actually was a bit scary. He wasn't being very careful and one time I thought he was going to be a goner! It was a powerful display of the might of a lion...wouldn't want to meet it when it was angry (or hungry)!
(Pictures from today are in my Morocco album on Picasa)

Here we go again...

Getting back into the routine of things has been difficult these past two weeks. Snooze button...a must! Being productive at night...not really happening :) I've found my kids struggling with the same thing. Coming back from break was like starting school all over again. Rules, expectations...what are those? A positive change at school is the addition of our new 6th/7th grade English/Social Studies teacher. This fall one of our teachers left unexpectedly. She was a favorite of the students and my "partner in crime" with the 6th grade. The students have had to deal with the inconsistencies of substitute teachers and I often feel like I am the only constant for them (aka the only one keeping them accountable) So, having someone to crack the whip with me and work to mold them into responsible students is a huge gift.

Something you should know about my 7th graders is that they are a tight bunch and can gang up if they don't like something. After their first encounter with the new teacher (he is quite strict...which they need, but don't like), they came running to me about how they didn't like him. In this conversation they shared about playing tricks on teachers they didn't like and indicated plans to do something similar to him. I sat them down and told them they needed to give him a chance because I thought they would really like him (He's a funny guy with a quirky sense of humor). Next day in class..."Miss, he's so cool!" Success :)

Another new activity in our lives is weekly Arabic lessons. Over these past months we've developed a relationship with an English-speaking Moroccan. She has become a friend and offered to tutor us. Sarah and I are both excited about learning the language and all the new doors that will open with being able to communicate with people.

One final funny story about this week... My last period is a math assistance course for 11th grade students. It was near the end of class and I was not being as strict about working. I was at my computer entering in grades and all of a sudden the girls started to scream and were running to the other side of the room. What scared them you may ask...a tiny bird that decided to join us :) SO I have the girls huddled in one corner and one of my boys trying to capture it! After a few tries I was able to get the bird out. What a way to end the day! BUT the story doesn't end there. Two days later another bird rams into my window, almost knocks itself out, and then flutters away...crazy. There must be something about my classroom that is attractive to the birds...or maybe they just like math ;)

I think I want to be Italian :)

After visiting Italy, I'm convinced that I could live there and be quite happy! The history, the buildings, the landscape, the food... Honestly I don't even know where to begin or how to capture the incredible time we had. My conclusion: to let the pictures do the talking and give the highlights :)
1. Milan: parks covered with snow, castle, shopping, beautiful church, outdoor concert (brrr)
2. Pompeii: remains of an old city after a tragic volcanic eruption...really cool
3. Naples: churches, palace, castle, the Mediterranean, "real" pizza, coffee at the cafe where espresso was invented!
4. Rome: Spanish stairs, the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, and more...we literally didn't sit down for more than 15 minutes from 7am to 4pm! That's what happens when you try to see Rome in a day...call us crazy ;)
5. Florence: New Years Eve party at the hostel, rainy New Years Day...saw the city but put a damper on our day :(
6. Bologna: good food, beautiful buildings, great sales that we didn't have time to hit
7. Cinque Terre: beautiful scenery...I thought places like this were only pictures in books
8. Venice: 6 trains and 8 hours later we arrived!, interesting Australian hostel worker, more rain, incredible church, lots of wandering

We packed a lot into that week and a half. By the end we were exhausted and ready to come home...the sign of a good vacation :) If ever given the chance, I would love to go back!
http://picasaweb.google.com/laura.smallegan/RomaniaAndItaly#