前途: A Year in Morocco

It was a quiet ending. I taught my last class of the semester today, and we spent the day discussing the Civil Rights movement and contemporary issues in discrimination (where I got to teach microaggressions :D:D:D:D). We mainly focused on how Americans use the discourse of our Constitution and Declaration of Independence to continually examine ourselves and try to fix social problems. Many students have expressed their thanks to me for being here, and I know we all wish that the Fulbright ETA-ship lasted for another year. 悲しいーーーー！

Overall, I feel good about my year. It wasn’t perfect, but I accomplished a lot. I have many students who attended my optional sessions for the whole year, and I see a remarkable difference in their pronunciation and ability to carry on a conversation without worrying too much about the mistakes they make. I see students with a better understanding of America, what it stands for, and how it implements its ideals, and I feel hopeful for the future. Students have become friends, and I expect that I will continue to talk with them through teh interwebs, insha’allah. (prattc2[at]gmail.com—and replace the [at] with @).

I look at myself also, and know that I am a much better and more effective teacher now that I have a year of experience under my belt—speaking of which, I have somehow managed not to gain weight in an environment full of delicious and cheap food and many types of sweets!! I can navigate Morocco in Darija, and I’ve learned a lot about the culture, the people, and the issues. The Transcendentalists said you must remove yourself from your own society in order to see it clearly, and I’ve likewise gained a lot of perspective about my own country.

Cliché #1: We all have things to teach each other, and I will take many lessons home with me and hope that I have left behind equally valuable ones for my students (and other Moroccans I’ve interacted with). All teachers hope that their words will have an impact, even if that impact is not immediately visible.

Cliché #2: The better we know each other, the better we can live and work for similar goals while respecting and appreciating our differences. The more you know someone in another group, the less alien they seem. The experience of living in another country, another society, is something that cannot be replicated by any textbook, news article, movie, or class.

So, what’s in my future?

Tomorrow I will be traveling to the Atlantic coast for the Fulbright ETA Beach Weekend (Week?) 2011. The weather lately has been oppressively hot, the sort of weather that breeds simultaneous lethargy and sleeplessness. No wonder everyone is so caffeinated! The weather today has been cloudy with a cool breeze, but still almost too warm. My destination should be partly-mostly sunny in the low 80’s all weekend, and I am hella looking forward to relaxing.

For the next month or so, I’ll be chillaxing in Morocco. My biggest goals are to send postcards (if you’re moving, make sure to provide a forwarding address, kids!) and to get jellabas tailored before I go back to the U.S.

I would also really like to encourage my readers to submit questions or comments via the “Oh, What Now? (Question Page)” link on the side of the blog. I’ve had a lot of fun writing, and I intend to keep it active after I return to the U.S. and hopefully if/when I go abroad again.