Morocco: A Land of Many Contrasts

Finally after a 10 hour bus ride I am safely back in the capital where I began this adventure. The ride took me through farms and fields as well as famous cities such as Casablanca and Marrakesh, so I saw the rural and urban.  Here are some of the things I thought about as I rode along:  
In Morocco, you may see a man driving a donkey cart filled with vegetables sharing the road with a woman driving an American-made SUV.  You might see McDonald's, Pizza Hut or KFC on the same city block city with buildings that are 1,000 years old.  You could find a shepherd attending his flock of sheep as he talks on his cell phone.  Snoop Dogg performed in Morocco last week, and the porter who helped me with my bags at the hotel in Taroudant wore an outfit straight out of the 1940's, but he spoke 5 languages.  I was really thinking about how amazing it is that old and new things seem to work so well together in this country.

Artwork painted on a wall

STOP

The most important thing I want my students to learn from my experience in Morocco is that people aren't so different after all.  We really share more similarities than differences and can coexist peacefully if we take the time to learn about each other.  I think back on earlier today when I got on the bus. Just as it was pulling out a man hopped on and the only available seat was the one next to me.  I was disappointed to have to share because I wanted to stretch out my legs. After a few minutes he asked me a question in Arabic ( I think it was, "Do you have enough room"), and me being language-challenged I replied, "I only speak English".  Then he tried to ask me in French, which of course I didn't understand, so we sat in silence for about 2 hours.  I then pulled out a container of cookies that Hassan's family gave me during our farewell last night and I offered him some.  He took one and said, "Shukran" (thank you).  When the bus stopped in the next city, I got off to go to the bathroom and he got off permanently.  When I came out of the bathroom, we bumped into each other at a kiosk.  He saw I had a drink in my hand and took it and paid for it.  It struck me that even though we didn't understand each other verbally, kindness is a language we can all speak...

A teacher at Sidi O Sidi who kindly taught his math class in English just for our visit.  He also helped me Skype with my 4th period class

Love the doors!

New friends

I prefer Moroccan food

Almost all of the questions left from students were about sports.  Moroccans love soccer and they root for two teams- Raja and Wydad.  Both are Moroccan teams from the same city!  American football isn't popular here

Team Raja sign painted on a wall

Question of the Day;  What is the largest city in Morocco?