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...
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
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!
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!!!
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!!!
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