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!