scrumptious oatmeal, costly travels, and new beginnings

Here are some pictures of my last few days

friends at cafe clock

Moroccan food... yummy yummy

henna foot

One of the men that many of the Americans go to to buy things, because he gives fair prices and is very friendly and kind.

Yes,t ehre truly was massive store rooms with lots of treasures.

Joab- the skalliwag who also sells things at a good price

A bake sale in the swimming pool

playing games outside on a chilly friday

teachers

5th grade... it was a very cold day.

Jennifer and her son, Naveen became like a mother and brother to me during my stay in Morocco.

Friday night I slept over at Jennifer and Naveens' house so that they could go with me to the airport. We woke up at 5:30 AM (11:30PM Chicago time) and ate the most delicious oatmeal I have ever tried, with brown sugar, dried cranberries and cream. It was so tasty!
Another friend came and picked us up and we went to the airporrt. The man at the check-in took forever to work the system and get my bags checked to New York, but after waiting for about 15 min. He finally figured it out and then told me I had to pay for one of my bags, which made no sense, because I didn't pay a thing on my way here and he changed his story from being that Delta wouldn't let me take more than one bag, to being that Royal Air Maroc was the airline that wouldn't let me take the two bags. Anyways, we argued for a while that it didn't make sense and then gave up, because our flight had been boarded by this point. So, I tried to pay with my card and he told me I had to pay in cash, so I went to the ATM, got some cash out and paid. Then, a lady had to type out a reciept for me and finally I could get in the line for security/ customs. Eventually I got through that line and was the last one on the plane, but Praise the Lord... I made it.
When I got to Casablanca, I found a phone and called the friends who had helped me get on the plane.
The trip from Casa to New York went well. The man next to me said it usually only takes about 6 1/2 hours, but it took us more than 8 hours... there must have been a lot of wind. After the flight, I checked in to my flight in Chicago and the lady said that Delta no longer allowed any free bagage, so I had to pay more money.
Anyways, about 22 hours, and $250 after I left my friends' house, I arrived at 10:30 PM (4:30 AM Moroccan time) in Chicago.
On the way, the first thing I noticed that was strange was that I didn't recognize almost every white, english-speaking person. At the airport, I ordered some food and was shocked at how easy it is when you know that the person on the other end is going to understand what you're asking for. On arriving to Chicago, I realized that it's not quite as easy to forget that it is the holiday season as it is in Morocco.
It is good to be home with my family and I am looking forward to seeing my brother and his tomorrow, when we are going to bake cookies togehter. I will miss the people, the adventures, the tea and oranges, the sights and sounds (not the smells), and the mountains (both literal and metaphorical) of my time in Morocco, but the Lord says,
"do not dwell on the past.
 See, I am doing a new thing!
   Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
   and streams in the wasteland. " Isaiah 43: 18-19

I can never again say that I've never lost my voice

So, I've always been able to say that I've never lost my voice before... not at camp where I would scream my lungs out, or teaching where I'm talking all day. This all came to a close this week. I've had a cold since Tuesday and if you add that to teaching all day and then having parties/ get togethers in the evening and doing more talking, it all leads to not being able to speak.
Yesterday, I was teaching and while I did have a voice, it was not very strong, but I could get the class' attention and teach a couple subjects. Some of my students asked if I was sick and what was wrong with my voice, but it didn't hinder me too much, except that it was strange when my voice would squeek, it sounded funny, and every so often I would have to repeat a word, because it hadn't come out the first time. One of my students, who was also not feeling well, told me that if he could give me part of his voice he would.
So, after abusing the little bit a voice I had yesterday, today I have none. This should be exciting in this culture that is so noisy and people are expected to be loud.

The other day I said I would tell you what the surpises ended up being, and I forgot to do so.
So that night, the teachers gathered together in the principal's office and gave me a wooden box with a hidden key (that I had boughten for one of them who had asked me to get it to send to a friend). Throughout the rest of the evening this box got filled with notes from the school staff and other friends. Anyways, after they gave me the box, they all prayed for me and then we went out for coffee and food. After this, we went to a party at another teacher's house and met up with much more of the school staff. (this party I was expecting) We ate lots of delicious goodies and did some improvisation games and laughed a lot. It was a lot of fun.

The second 'surprise' came yesterday at school. My teacher had told me to be in the classroom at 2:30, so I was walking around the school running some errands and it was about five 'till. So, I walked up to the classroom and the door was shut. I went to push it open and a chair was in the way, so I knew I should wait. I then glanced in and saw one of my students who said "Ms. Stoneman, she's here, and my teacher told me to leave. So, I walked down the hall to the fourth grade class that was about to start watching the end of 'The Polar Express.' I sat down to watch with them, when one of my students walked in and told me the principal needed me. I knew this was a plot to distract me, but I went along with it. The principal was not there, but the student who went to talk with her asked the teacher who was in her office to distract me, so we sat and talked a while in the office, until they came to get me. I walked into the classroom and could see the students hiding behind the desks and my teacher with two other students casually said 'Hi, Ms. Mejia' and I greeted her and then they all popped up from behind the desks... the thing that scared me, was a student was right behind the door and popped up right in my face, which made me jump like a foot in the air. After this, they sang me a little song and we had drinks and snacks. The students had asked me what my favorite snacks and drinks were and gotten these for me specifically. They also gave me a book with pictures and notes from the students. One of the students who wasn't feeling well all day told me after this party that this was the only reason he stayed at school all day.

So, here I am today, 22 hours before I leave this city. I'm excited to go home, but know that with that will come a lot of reverse culture shock. I'm ready for a break, but I don't know if I'm ready to leave this place premanently... maybe God will bring me back someday.

Weeping

Last night as I thought about leaving, I realized that this is the first time I have had to say permanent goodbyes. I've said bye many times, but when we have a relationship with our heavenly father, we can know that we will see each other again. However, last night I realized that only three of my students have such a relationship and the rest is most likely a permanent goodbye. I began weeping for my students and realized that this is the first time my heart has really been truly burdened for the unsaved. This morning I woke up at 5 with a splitting ear ache and went up to the roof and just wept for this country. For the unsaved, the lost, and against the bondage that Satan has put this nation in.

Surprises!

This week, my students have hinted at a surprise that is going to occur. A fourth grader told me that fifth grade was planning a surprise for me. Today, when tutoring got cancelled, a couple of the teachers asked me if I was going to be back at 5 and I told them that I could if they wanted me to be. So here it is 4:55 and I'm pretty sure there is some kind of surprise about to happen. What that is, I have no idea. I am excited and nervous. I never know how to react to a lot of these things. I saw some kids outside, which is suspicious because school ended a long time ago, so I don't know if this is just a teacher surprise, or if students are involved with this and then there's something the students are doing tomorrow. One of my students asked me today what my favorite soda was and another one asked what my favorite candy was. So, anyways... I'll let you know the results soon!

Coming to a close

This is the last week. The last week, that I will spend here in Morocco teaching fifth and sixth graders with the team of teachers I have known to grow and love. While I could come back again next year, many of the teachers will be gone and things will be very different. With each year, I have heard that this school changes drastically. It began 7 years ago and has grown and is changing all the time... it has even changed quite a bit since I got here. Right now, the teacher are trying to figure out what kind of curriculum will work best to teach Moroccan students American curriculum... that definitely has its cultural challenges.
Anyways, so this week many students have asked me why I have to go, will I come back, and have even written in their classwork that I should come back next year to teach here. I wish I could tell them that this decision is not my own, but the Lord's, but they would not understand. I do not always know what other answer to give them.
This week has also been draining, because I have gotten a cold, that has caused me to be more exhausted than usual, and there seems to be an event going on every night. Last night there was a long teacher's meeting about how to improve the curriculum and work more cohesively as a staff. This evening, two of the fifth and sixth graders who have each read 40 books since the beginning of the school year and have decided to start a reading club organized a opening night for this reading club, with the help of their parents, other students in the class and the teacher. It was a fun night of talking about reading, eating food and just sharing in fellowship. I sat at the table of two of the parents who cause quite a bit of frustration among the teachers. This was intimidating, but it was good to talk with them on a friendly level, rather than on the level where they are scrutinizing the school.
Tomorrow night there is a desert party and then Friday night a bunch of the teachers leave for home. On Saturday, I might go on a trip with a couple of the teachers and then I leave early Sunday morning.
The other day, my bed was taken back by the people it originally belonged to, because her mother came to visit, so now I'm sleeping on what they call a frosh, which is like a couch, but it is shaped kind of like a long padded box, I guess and then it has pillows on it. It is incredibly comfortable to sleep on.
This week fifth and sixth grade is working on writing newspaper articles. I am hoping that I will be able to type them up tomorrow night, so that we can print and publish them by Friday. If not, they will be published in January.
So that is basically a summary of my last week here.

Substitute teacher drill

Yesterday morning our principal explained that we need to be prepared for any emergencies that might happen, including all the teachers going to the same restaurant and getting sick. So, we had a surprise substitute teacher drill, which meant that all the teachers switched classes and taught another class. This was a drill for the students to understand that they need to be respectful of any teacher who comes into the classroom... including subs. However, it was more of a drill for the teachers who need to be prepared with plans and information for a substitute teacher to come in and teach.
I taught second grade, which I enjoyed a lot. They were a fun group to teach. Later on, a fourth grader came up to me and said, "If we switch teachers again, I want you to be my teacher." I have no idea what made him think that I would be a teacher he would like to have, because I think I have talked to him once. Anyways, this was an interesting experience that I have never heard of happening before.

Today, one of my students wrote me a note that asked me why I don't want to come back to teach. I have never told them that I don't want to come back, but I know it is very unlikely that I will.
Later today, I ate lunch with a korean girl that I have sang with on Sunday mornings. We have not had much of a chance to talk much, but it was encouraging to talk with her and share in some fellowship. She then gave me a small gift, which was very touching and heart-warming.

Willy willy willy! (omg in Morocco)

Thursday was a fun day. Our class went on a field trip to the Medina (the old city of Fes). I was not sure how it would turn out because on our last field trip to the post office, the students complained about how tired they were and how much they had to walk. This time, even though they were walking most of the day and the students did comment that they were tired and hungry, there was nobody that complained or whined about the fact. We split up into two groups and my supervising teacher took eight students and I took the other eight. The tour guide that led us through the city was very kind and told us a lot of very interesting information about the city, Islam, and other aspects of the Moroccan culture. We saw an old university/ current mosque, a preschool that teaches the Qur’an to 3-5 year olds, a bakery, the largest tanneries in the city, and a library. After this, we ate lunch and then walked the streets and allowed the students to stop and shop a little while. There is a man who sells things for a really good price and is recommended among the foreigners. We took the students to his shop and they all thought he was so funny.

                The only time I really got upset during the field trip was not because of the students. Rather, it was at the people in the streets. It is common in Morocco for men to make comments at women in the streets and especially in the medina for people to be fairly rude. All our students had name tags and my teacher had put a phone number on them for students to call in case they got lost. At one point, one of my students got pulled aside by two men, who started laughing at his name tag. Later, one of the girls got some minor comments from a man on the street. This was definitely a mild comment compared to many, but it made me very upset. I felt like a protective mother and wanted to turn and talk harshly to the man, but I didn’t know the language and knew that punching him would have been incredibly inappropriate, so all I could do was tell the students to keep walking.

                After the trip, the students all seemed to be in a very joyous mood. One of the girls that was in my group said something like, “Miss, thank you for taking us to the Medina. I had a really good time. I liked being in your group. Are you coming back to teach next year?” All I could say was “God willing” in Moroccan Arabic. I think she took that to mean ‘yes,’ because she responded by saying “Oh, good.” We shall see where the Lord leads. While it has definitely been a challenge living here the last 2 months, I am beginning to feel more comfortable and am truly falling more and more in love with the country. This is definitely a country that burdens my heart with all kinds of prayers that are constantly sent up to my heavenly father. 

            Thursday night, the high school had a poetry night. Many high schoolers came and  presented some poems they had written. Some of these poems were quite remarkable... others were very interesting. It was interesting to see how different the high school is from the elementary school. I do not think I would have enjoyed high school here, as a teacher, or a student. The social dynamics are very interesting. Anyways, so the school seems to be going through a poetry craze, because in the elementary school students and teachers have been coming into classes to interrupt the class for a 'poetry break.' It's fun to here different students and teachers recite various poems they have memorized.

             So Tuesday we had a holiday, Thursday we had a field trip and on top of that, Friday we had a half day. After school on Friday, the high school had a soccer competition and the teachers had a lunch and then a meeting about students with ADD/ ADHD. It was hard to concentrate when I really wanted to watch the game and most of what was said I have heard numerous times before. However, it still had some good reminders to keep in mind when teaching any student.

             After this meeting, I came over to the house of a couple friends and ate dinner. We watched 'the Holiday,' which was a better movie than I expected and had some other people over as well. The real adventure came when we were in the middle of baking cookies and fixing dinner and we were running out of gas, so one of us stayed to try to finish baking the cookies and the other two of us walked over to a friends house, with a pot of beans and a pot of popcorn to use their stove. On the way back, we stopped at a Hanut to pick up some things and I'm pretty sure the store keeper thought we were crazy, but it was definitely a fun adventure.

             Today, I went to the medina again and bought a few more gifts for family and friends and spent a lovely day with friends here. I have been so blessed with people here who have loved on me, taken care of me, fed me, clothed me, bargained for me, and just been my friends. God sends his blessings through so many people and I am soooo grateful.

Willy, willy, willy... this post was long!! sorry about that. =)

A lesson from a mountain

Yesterday at school, I spent some time talking with my supervising teacher. She was very encouraging and it was good to get her feedback. The thing that was most encouraging was that she mentioned that I am willing to allow spiritual discussions to arise in the classroom and let God do what He wants to do. Last night I went to a friend's house and stayed up planning lessons, watching movies and discovering that we didn't have school today.
Today, I woke up and took a wonderfully warm shower and then went to worship practice for Sunday. It is always grand to be in the presence of other believers and worship our creator. Then, I got invited to go climb a mountain. It was such a casual invitation, that I did not know what I was in for. I found out later that this is the tallest mountain close to Fes. It was a long trip up, and one person had to get a ride back when she started getting a rash. After they left, the mountain got even steeper and the person leading us kept telling us the top was just past the ridge. We got past that ridge and there was another ridge. This reminded me a little of life and how when we think that we are good enough, God reminds us of other things that we need to work on to change. Or, when we think we have conquered one challenge, there is another one to face us, but in the end it will be worth so much more than just a pretty view at the top of a mountain.
Then, we had the trip down the mountain. We only walked halfway until we reached the road and could hitch-hike down. However, the trip down the mountain was more of a challenge than the trip up. We went a different way than the way there and it was incredibly steep. It was often hard not to fall and there was much sliding on our bottoms in order to get down safely. It was a slow, quite scary trip down the mountain, but Praise God!! we all made it down safely. This trip up the mountain reminded me that in every challenge God is enough. It also reminded me that every challenge in our lives will  make us stronger in the end.

Uncertainty

One of the things I've noticed about the Moroccan culture is the uncertainty. Nothing is ever certain. One of the most common phrases that the people use means "God willing." This last week our water heater needed to be fixed and the man said he would come, but then couldn't make it. The next day the same thing happened. Finally he came on the last day. This week, we are supposed to have a holiday-- The Moroccan New Years, but nobody knows when it will be, because it depends on the moon. All day today my students were asking..."do we have school tomorrow?" and my answer was always " I really don't know."

This spills over into the classroom all the time as well. When I tell a student to do something, they often argue thinking that it is not an absolute.

There is only one girl in the fifth grade class, which has been fine up until now, because she doesn’t know much English, so it was easy to take her out of the group to work with her individually. However, now that she has learned so much English, it would be so good to have another girl for her to spend time with, because the boys in her class exclude her and she does not care to be included either. It would be nice if she had a companion in that class. I pray that another girl would join this class.

This weekend was a lot of fun. I went to the Medina with friends and bought a bunch of presents to take home for friends and family. I hope I can fit it all in my suitcases. I also went to a gingerbread house decorating party and then a dip party where we ate food that could be dipped into cheese or chocolate or ranch etc. Today, I went to church where the pastor talked about the magi. Then, I went to McDonald's for the first time while being here. Then I went to a friends' house and finished the book I've been reading, took a nap and have been working on planning this week out.

New Adventures

On Sunday, my friends and I went to the Medina (the old city) and were walking around. One of my friends needed to buy chicken, so she went up to a shop that had a bunch of live chickens asked for a chicken and the man slit it's throat, dumped it in a bucket so the blood would drain out and once it was dead, plucked and gutted it right in front of us. This was definitely a new experience that made my stomach churn a bit. In Morocco you cannot kill a chicken by wringing its neck for religious reasons.

That night, a bunch of friends were over at someone's house talking and playing cards and I learned what the word pontificating means and that it is similar to the word pontif (pope), so it morphed into the word poping. Anyways, all that to say, I've learned a new word. (Later, when we were playing a card game with teams, my team was called the pontificators, and we won!)

Today was a rainy day and the students could not go out to recess or sport and we do not have an indoor gym and often classrooms are being used or there are no teachers to watch the students. Therefore, we had many children who were not sure where to go and teachers not sure where to put these children. It was quite chaotic and our staff has decided that we need a plan, but as of yet, there is none, and it will probably rain again the rest of this week.

Yesterday, I tried something and I was not at all sure if it would work or not. One thing my writing teacher did with us when I was in fourth grade was rewriting stories. Yesterday, I started out this activity by doing an example as a class. We took the story, summarized it, and then changed the characters and the setting. After this, we worked on describing and adding more detail. Most of the students were all very engaged and participated. Many students were incredibly eager to add their ideas. At the end of the class, one of the students said, “Geez! Time flies when you’re having fun!” This was encouraging to here. I would say that not only did the students enjoy this lesson, but I really enjoyed it, because I got to see their thoughts and enthusiasm for learning and being creative.

Thanksgiving!

Advertisements for bank loans so that people can buy sheep for the Moroccan holiday

Thanksgiving with fiftha and sixth grade. What a feast!

This is the 5th grade student I tutor after school... He's got an incredible singing voice!

Teachers and parents came and joined in the feast.

This is the map... students can move from one country to another by reading a book. If they read two, they can cross an ocean.

Watching a football game after the meal

Ms. Stoneman's team won!



For Thanksgiving, we had a feast with the fifth and sixth grade class. They each brought in something to eat and we had plenty of food to go around. We invited parents and a few of the other teachers joined as well. It was quite fun. After the meal, we watched a football game, but some of us stayed in the classroom playing games.
After the school day, Ms. Stoneman and I had our parent-teacher conference and then there were two Thanksgiving parties going on for the teachers, because people couldn't come to terms and combine them... it was kind of childish, but anyways, everyone seemed to have had a great Thanksgiving dinner. I went over to one of the parties and ate delicious food, including stuffing with pork(that came from Spain) in it. It was delicious food, great fellowship and a time for which I am truly thankful.

A great big serving of humble pie

So, I have a feeling God is trying to teach me something, because just about every day this week, I've been hit with the message that I need to be humble. Yesterday, after school my supervising teacher and I met with one of the parents of a students who got a failing grade. She mentioned some things about our organization and structure that we could really improve on. It was a good lesson to learn, but was hard to take. Anyways, I pray that my heart would be softened to what God's trying to teach me, and that I would not only hear the lesson, but let it change me from the inside out.

Loads of Pictures

Here's just a few of pictures that were on my camera from the past week

Trip to Meknes (city close to Fez)

The entrance to the tomb of the founder of Meknes

The grave itself

A statue in the city, by the river

some funny grafity on the wall of the zoo we visited

A little of the beautiful greenery in the zoo... much more interesting than most of the animals

One of the really cool looking birds at the zoo... sorry you can't see it very well

Trip to Sevilla

bridges across the river

playing soccer at the park

some of the architecture

vines growing on metal structures... I thought they looked pretty strange, but interesting

Taking pictures at the park

Back in Fes

Oh! Fifth grade!... what a great class.

The fifth graders were selected as the singers of the month for November.

Student of the month ceremony... what a confident kindergartener!

Saying the school pledge

Humility

Yesterday a group of friends met up to talk and we started on the topic of humility (Isa. 2). We discussed how often students and their parents don't treat teachers with respect, especially here where the teachers at the school are a couple classes lower than the families of the students. We discussed how that is hard it is to strive for excellence without seeking the praise for it and how difficult a balance it is to stay truly humble while still knowing and using our strengths.

Today was, for the most part a normal day. At the end of the day, I had tutoring and after tutoring the mom wanted to talk to me. This was complicated, because we had to work through her son to translate everything we said. After this, I was going to join a group to play ultimate frisbee. However, whenever I told the taxi drivers where I wanted to go, they asked me something in Arabic that I really did not understand, so I could not respond to them, so I waived them on. This is always a humbling experience. After a few taxis I got tired and gave up and decided to walk home instead. On my way home, I felt so tired. I'm tired of not knowing the language. I'm tired of not being able to communicate. I'm tired of not understanding the culture. I'm tired of not knowing my way around.

Here I am, sitting and realizing that in my tiredness, all I can do is rest in God's arms and trust that He will do the rest. I am realizing more each day what it means to truly be a humble servant of the Lord and follow Him wherever He leads, even if it is not easy. I am realizing how difficult it is to be humble, and yet our Shepherd who leads us is the perfect example of humility and wants us to follow in his footsteps.

This morning, I realized that the word 'holy' sounds very similar to the Arabic word for sheep. In thinking about that, I thought about how the Israelites had to kill a sheep in order to be holy (cleansed of all their sin). I also thought about the sheep who sacrificed himself for all our sins and how as a perfect representation of humility, he was also perfectly holy.

One life goal done: go to all the continents except for Antarctica

Warning: this post will be long.

So this week was a Moroccan holiday call the Eid Kabir. The Eid Kabir is a holiday when every Moroccan family gathers together and sacrifices a lamb. Before they sacrifice it, they get to know the lamb and spend time with it for two days. They first slaughter the lamb and then blow air into it through a long tube so that they can remove the skin more easily. The first day, they eat the liver and intestines and hang the rest of the lamb and spend the rest of the day celebrating. They proceed to eat the rest of the lamb during the next week or two. This is a big festival and everybody looks forward to this event. The king sacrificed a lamb on this holdiay for all the people who cannot afford a sheep. However, even if you can't afford it, most people take out loans to buy a lamb, because it is looked down upon if you don't sacrifice a lamb on this holiday.
Because of this holiday, our school combined this holiday with Thanksgiving and gave us a week off of school, rather than having us take two smaller breaks. So, what did I do with all that time off? Well, Monday, I washed clothes and went to the new grocery store and went into an elaborate carpet store that was full of expensive looking fabrics. It was kind of overwhelming to see the wealth of this store with such poverty just outside. Tuesday two friends and I went to Markesh, a smaller city closeby and just wandered the streets, visiting their old city and enjoying a nice chilly Moroccan day. We took the train there, which was very nice and quite cheap. (about 3 dollars a trip)
Tuesday night, I then left for Spain with 9 friends. This completed my journey to all 6 of the continents that I really care to go to. We ate lots of bacon and other forms of pig (which is banned in Muslim culture) , slept in a heated building, played soccer, went to the beach, read and played risk and other games. We wandered around the streets a couple days and looked at a few touristy things from the outside, but didn't actually pay to go in. One night, a few of us went to a bar to watch some flamenco dancers and musicians.
During my time here, I've been wondering where I want to teach next year. While I have enjoyed being here, it is a difficult place to live, especially for a single woman. I love the school and know that it is the kind of place that I would love to work at, but I'm not sure I'd want to live in this country. Please pray for me, as I seek God's will for my future and where he would have me teach.

So here we are... it's halfway through my journey and I praise God for all that I have learned here. So much, about myself, teaching and SO, SO much about this world's depravity and God's love for all his people. I look forward to going home, but know that there is so much left to do in this country.

I thought there was something else I wanted to share about in this blog, but I forgot. I'm sure I'll remember later and add it then.

Morocco

"Morocco is a place where travelers 'expect mystery and they find it,'...it [is] as multi-layered and intriguing as the patterns in the tile work adorning the building, each of which has its own hidden meaning. Morocco has the mystique of a land from the Old Testament yet appears to be coping comfortably with modernization. Internet cafe's rub shoulders with artisan's workshops; peasants on donkey trot beneath billboards advertising the latest mobile phones. Outside mosques, running shoes are lined up next to pointy-toed babouches. In the souks women wearing long robes and headscarves escort daughters with beautifully cut hair and high heals..." -from A House in Fez by Suzanna Clarke.

This is probably the best description of this country I've heard.

trip to the post office

fifth and sixth grade wrote letters this week and today we took a trip to the post office.