Moroccan Adventures: 3rd and Final Week

Monday, June 16
We each started our final week at placement with 2 other volunteers who had come to CCS that weekend. This was the perfect set up so we could have one week to co-teach each class and have the smooth transition from one teacher to the next. The students made the transition very easily which made me leaving that Friday so much easier. That afternoon we had a session on the demographics and education of Morocco. The children start public school just as we do but their education is all free from elementary to college. The only draw back is after 2 failing grades, they are kicked out for good. There are no special education classes or other resources, thus explaining why they have 60% illiteracy rate.

Tuesday, June 17
Placement went well again with the co-teacher, and the students are really settling in the curriculum. That afternoon we had our 3rd cooking class where we made zucchini and carrot pockets. They are made from shredding carrots and zuccchini and putting them in a very thin layer of dough to be fried and eaten. They were one of the favorites of all the volunteers. That evening the East West Foundation had their opening night of the Cultural Festival so us and 2 friends of ours set out for the Mohammad V Theatre. There they had a few speakers (in French) and the UN representative (in English) followed by the American Gospel group called The Campbell Brothers. They had a great performance which, in the end, slowly incorporated the African drummers and chorus of people from the Foundation.

Wednesday, June 18
Our 3rd Wedding Anniversary!! Following placement, we went to the pottery village which is a whole section of town full of pottery and little trinkets. This village had many spots to buy Argon oil for reasonable cost which is quite expensive in the states. That evening, Dustin and I went out for supper for our anniversary. We started at the shopping area of the medina to get some last minute items we wanted to get before we headed home. We then found a nice pizzeria and finished our night at the East West Foundation Cultural Festival. When we got there they had just started the style show and moved into the African drums and chorus.

Thursday, June 19
Following placement, we took pictures with our classes and started to say our goodbyes to many of the students. We ended up going out for lunch with 4 of our students who took us by city bus deep into the medina and to a nice little restaurant for tajine. We had then used all but 1 of the Moroccan ways of transportation- taxi, city bus, train, greyhound bus, and plane. They then took us for a little tour and ended on the boardwalk along the river. We then made it back to home base for a band the staff had hired to come in a perform for us. That evening we went back to the Mohammad V Theatre for a jazz band who was performing.

Friday, June 20
This marked the final day of our English class and full day in Morocco. Following an amazing farewell with gifts and many good wishes from the students, we took a grand taxi (our final different transportation) to a suburb of Rabat to have couscous Friday with 4 of our students. This was an experience as this was the first family meal we had had outside of our homebase. It is actually a big occasion to have couscous in a tajine every Friday with the family only they usually eat it with no utensils, only their hands. Everyone sits around the ceramic bowl and dives in :) It is quite neat to see everyone coming together for a wonderful meal. We then made our way back to home base and said our farewells so those leaving for their weekend trips. We stayed in that evening to pack and finish last minute travel arrangements for the weekend.

The CCS volunteer group from May 31-June 14. It was difficult to come back after our 2nd weekend trip to most of these people gone home. They definitely made our trip amazing!!