#bossy

Morocco defies the norm, breaking stereotypes that limit many other countries. Morocco, located in Northern Africa bordering the Sahara Desert appeared to be hot, very hot. I expected to experience scorching heat as soon as we landed, but contrarily a cool ocean breeze whipped through our hair as we took our first steps in Morocco. We entered the maze of the medina, a section of Rabat where we are staying, and I was immediately embraced in their culture. The medina is exquisite- unlike anything I had ever seen. It was a scene from Aladdin with rugs, lanterns, and new smells around every corner. We arrived at the school and entered the office where we met the director of Abdasalam Sayah Middle School, Touria. She was inspirational. Entering a culture where “all women are oppressed” it was enchanting to see her command and authority. It is clear that she is superior and what she says goes. Through Jihane and Ali, our hosts and translators, we were able to hear her story. Raised in a middle class family Touria ended at the top her class and taught history giving her a passion to learn about other cultures. Eventually, she became the director of the school and has held this position for 16 years revolutionizing it to provide the best education for her students. For having only slept for 2 hours since leaving the Denver Airport at 7 am Sunday I was wide awake hearing her inspiring story. This strong display of feminism immediately changed my expectations for the trip. And so far these new expectations have been met. Along with the excited nervousness that accompanies teaching on the first day there was surprise when I walked into a classroom with 8 girls and one boy. And the boy, Taha, despite his exuberant personality he was less advanced in his English than many of the girls. I was expecting there to either be a 1:1 ratio where or more boys in the class than girls. Hearing about the oppression of Middle Eastern girls such as Malala Yousafazi it is easy to stereotype one culture off the isolated single tragedies rather than all the good that happens every day in peaceful countries. Not to say that women aren’t oppressed, but they are not severely oppressed in every nation. There is no doubt that Arab nations are portrayed pessimistically in most American media. This negativity should not be displayed towards Morocco; everything I have seen defies this stigma. It is my responsibility and yours, reading my blog, to help change this perception. Eventually this ripple will spread help to change the misconception about Morocco, as well as other Arab nations. Butterflies every time, occurring with the first steps into the classroom in Tanzania and Cambodia- Morocco is no different. Stepping into the classroom I had no expectations except for the one fact we had been given that the students speak no English; this was proven false. Megan and I expected to walk into a class and be able to teach the ABC’s and other basic, beginner lessons. However, their levels of English were not suitable for the lessons planned- they were higher, much higher. Our first day we were left to do many improvised lessons, however the second day we had suitable lessons outlined which smoothed over yesterday’s cracks. This success made our goals for the rest of the trip seem feasible and encouraged the power of my teaching. We reviewed nouns and verbs throughout the day with activities ranging from acting verbs outside to unscrambling nouns. As the bell rang the class jumped up, I assumed to leave, however they ran up to the board all of them eager to answer one last question. This simple moment I will never forget. This set my class apart from all other classes I have taught. This will inspire me for the duration of the trip, and my own education at home. This is why I continue to these trips: for when the unexpected happens and the norm is broken. I feel fortunate to be able to see this raw talent and eagerness to learn and to be able to help cultivate it changing their future through the strength of being able to speak English. These students are the ones who will be leaders in Moroccan society through their high aspirations and love to learn. There has been considerable progress, but Morocco needs to continue to move forward. Kevin, Katie, Fatimazara, and I went on a home visit to Miriam’s and Btissam’s home. Although they are only a few years apart in age Miriam is Btissam’s aunt. When Miriam was a child Btissam’s mother took her in after the death of her mother and father. We were able to hear how Morocco has changed for the better through Miriam’s sister. She was unable to continue school after her sister got married because of her mother’s fear of wasting money on education for her daughters who would end up as married housewives. As much as Miriam’s sister wishes she could go back to school she is thrilled about Miriam’s and Btissam’s education and their desires to become and doctor and engineer. Five people live in their narrow house in the heart of the medina- four girls and one boy. All the girls share the living room while the 17 year old boy has his own room with 2 beds, a phone, TV, and computer. However, no one seemed to question this system. Despite having more access to knowledge about women’s rights along with a higher percentage of girls entering schools and going to college it is still not questioned when a man who provides limited income has a room and luxuries to himself, while four other women share a living room to sleep in. These slight disparities can be seen throughout the world even in our homes. On average women make 79 cents to the dollar that men make. However, what I observe in Morocco is progress. Whether it is in the classroom learning prepositions, nouns, and verbs with in the span of two hours or the progression of women’s rights in Morocco from the 1980s to where they are today. I hope to continue to see this process and help foster it.