Experience in Morocco in 7 words or less
Taylor: Wonderful people and yummy tea. Also cats.
Most Memorable Moment
Taylor: To pick out one moment from eight weeks worth of unforgettable ones is quite difficult, but I would have to choose the first time we went to the hammam as the most memorable – probably because I had no expectations going in, and it really was a shocking experience for my western sensibilities. But there really were so many others: seeing the tanneries in Fes, riding a camel and sleeping out in the Sahara, figuring out how to use the trains, bartering for everything, exploring some souks that seemed to go on forever, rug shopping, meeting our students, the first time we were asked if all Americans hate Muslims (not so much the positive kind of unforgettable), meeting our students families, learning so much about a culture that is so different than our own... It really could go on forever.
Culture Adaptation
Doors of Morocco
Things we will miss
Taylor: The food and the people, mostly. I'm also very tempted to say the design. Islamic design is so interesting to me, not only because it's different than western designs, but because it's so colorful and full of life. And I know I’ve mentioned it before, but all the people we met in Morocco were so open and friendly with us that it was hard to say goodbye. Especially to the people in the house. I already miss the food. Definitely eating couscous every Friday. There are so many small aspects of the culture that we learned about (and so many more that we still do not know) that just makes the mystery of Morocco that much more enigmatic and appealing. And despite looking forward to spending the next 8 weeks in South Africa, I’ll miss the unique culture and atmosphere of Morocco in general. Unlike our experience in China, where at the end of our four weeks I was ready to leave, I spent the last few days in Morocco already mourning the loss of such a wonderful place. I can definitely say that without a doubt, someday I’ll be back.
Things we won't miss
Taylor: Bread. While the food was delicious, eating so much bread with it did get tiring after a while. Especially as someone who doesn’t eat bread frequently, I was done having bread (and lots of it) with every meal of the day. Also, lesson planning. I enjoyed teaching and my students, but being in charge of what they were learning is incredibly stressful. Especially because so many answers to questions about the English language is “because it is” or “I honestly have no idea.” Especially with the beginners, because what you're teaching then is the foundation of their language skills – which means that you can’t show up and just have a conversation with the students about some topic or give them reading comprehension assignments – you need to teach them the basics and determining what the most important of the many many basics are is very difficult.
Cats of Morocco
- Taylor