Thanks to:
My Ain Aouda Teacher host: Abdellatif El Moncef. My Morocco host: Meriem. My IREX Education Programs Officer: Robin My TGC Cohort- Dawn, Emilia,Michael, Amie, Wendy, Michele, HIna, Kelly, Amy, David, John, Guido and Wally. To TGC and IREX.
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Robin led the team through a reflection exercise: Lingering Emotion and Memory that evokes that emotion. Lingering Emotion: Beauty Memory: Seeing all the colors of shoes and clothing in the various Medinas we visited especially in Fez and Marrakech. Looking at the architecture and city designs – the mosques, Hassan II Mosque Tower, Rabat’s Sky line and Shorefront at night. Getting temporary tattoo- henna from the students in Ain Aouda and being surrounded by women who gave beauty instructions as the work is done. Eating first dinner at the hotel in Rabat and the elaborate food designs we encountered throughout. Lingering Emotion:Joy Memory: Doing an Inquiry lesson on Polymers (Teaching Science in the English class) with the students in Ain Aouda and excitement of the students as they completed the investigation. Watching the collaborative efforts of the students as they did their first science group competition. Observing how proud the people are of Morocco and how they feel about their culture. Lingering Emotion: Sadness Memory: The working conditions of the people working in the Tanneries in Fez. I will always associate the sight and smell with any leather item I am in contact with. I now have continued reason to advocate for improved worker condition including those of teaching and learning. Seeing children hustling to sell things along the rail lines on the way to Casablanca and Marrakech. Doing the hand wash ceremony in Marrakech - but it is sadness mixed with joy. Lingering Emotion: Surprise Memory: Seeing a lot of Women in leadership position in the school. The festivities around March 8th- The United Nations International Women’s Day. Getting flowers and greeting card on the train from the train officials on March 8th. Every woman on the train got a rose!! Awesome!!! More so, the roses were handed out by men! “Moroccan men are not sexist. They actually treat women well”- so said a Moroccan woman. We sat together today to welcome one another back from our various local communities and talk about our experiences. The experiences varied as the communities we went to. After that we went on a tour to the medina and had our farewell dinner at Le Ziryab restaurant. Fez is the oldest and the largest medieval city in the world. • It is also the city of the oldest continually operating university in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records- the Al-Qarawiyyin Madrasa which was founded (859) by Fatima Muhammad Al-Fihri Al-Quraysh .It is one of the most venerable cities in the Islamic world, and boasts a wonderfully intact medieval medina. • Fez is a city of three parts, Fez el-Bali (Old Fez), dating back to the 9th century, Idrissid dynasty, Fez el-Jdid (New Fez), dating back to the 13th century, and the New Town, built by the French. The Medina of Fez is a maze of ancient and modern houses with amazing arts and very talented artists working with both traditional and modern tools. Classes in Ain Aouda today are starting in the afternoon. I am staying back at Tulip, Rabat and commuting with my host teacher to school. I saw Dr. James Miller, Director of the Moroccan-American Commission for Education and Cultural Exchange (MACECE. He is hosting the Fulbright students from Middle East and North Africa for their Summer Seminar in Rabat. I had the opportunity to sit in on the welcoming ceremony for the Fulbright Scholar’s 2015 Rabat Enrichment Seminar: Shared Experiences hosted by MACECE (Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange) and sponsored by the Bureau for Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. Dr. James Miller, Director of MACECE, invited me in and I am so grateful for that. I learned a lot about Moroccan Architecture and the Medina of Fez from the keynote address: “My Fulbright, My Life in the World of Architecture in the Middle East and Morocco” given by Dr. Hassan Radoine, President of the National School of Architecture, Rabat. Panel sessions by the scholars included 1. The Modern City in the Middle East and North Africa 2. Refugees and migration 3. Caring for the Youth: Three National Perspectives 4. Perspectives on Health in the Middle East 5. Rights and Mights: Language, Land and Force 6. Water Management 7. Art in Morocco. All the students spoke well. I am eagerly looking forward to visiting the Medina of Fez. 3/9
There is this look I get as I pass through the lobby of Tulip hotel. I was wondering when it was going to happen. It was not that I was expecting it but quite frankly I was not all that surprised when it happened. ‘Madame? ’ the lady receptionist said. Are you staying in this hotel? ‘Yes’, I said “Pardon?” She said and something else in French. “What is your room number?” I told her “What is your name?” I told her. I was also wearing my TGC name tag. I always had it on even at night. My TGC team mate even wondered why. She was not asked whether she was staying in the hotel and she was not wearing her ID. Not satisfied, she went to her list, scanned the document for some time. She turned and asked “Angela?’ I nodded but in my mind I said “wasn’t that what I told you 5 minutes ago”? Then I started noticing that anytime I am eating at the restaurant, someone will always come to inspect me and then look down on my nametag. “The prize or price of liberty is eternal vigilance” Also, the military were discreetly everywhere with their red beret and full armor. This was a reminder that it was a tense time in Morocco. Happy International Women's Day!
In solidarity with women all over the world, we acknowledge all the progress made so far on behalf of women while recognizing the urgency for the work that still needs to be done. Today though, we are celebrating and it feels good to be appreciated even more so when it is so unexpected and from strangers. At the train to Marrakech, Morocco, every woman receive a card and a rose from the train attendants. |
Angela Osuji is aMinneapolis Public Schools Science Teacher and Teacher on Special Assignment.. Here she describes her field experience in Morocco as a TGC sponsored by IREX. CategoriesArchivesThis blog is not an official U.S. Department of State blog. The views and information presented are the grantee’s own and do not represent the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, IREX, or the U.S. Department of State.
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