Thuriday!

Today was like Friday, only it was Thursday...thus it was Thuriday! Today was a pretty loaded day. It was the day before our four day weekend. The day before Eid Al-Adha (or the Sheep Holiday) according to my students. It was also the day my vice principal was observing me. It is also the day before I leave for Ifrane (apparently similar to Denver, only in Morocco). More on all of that to come but first, it was also our first Moroccan Dress Day at school...

*They were adorable in their outfits, the preschoolers especially, but I kind of felt like I was in a fairy tale with all the long nightgown-ish apparel!

 

Of course, not all students participated in Moroccan Dress day so they had to wear their lovely uniforms. This was the best photo from the SEVEN I had to take of this group....I think it sums up the day rather well! 

 Like I  said, we have a four day weekend! Followed by a 1.5 day week of school which is followed by another four day weekend. What's the point right? I don't know...we're gonna play games! 

My observation. Yesterday, I was telling my roommates what an improvement my students have made and how well they are (sometimes) behaving. If only my principal could have seen one of those times! Instead, my children reverted back to behaviors I haven't seen since the first week of school! Maybe it was holiday hype, maybe it was the presence of an administrator, I don't know! I would take it personally and think maybe my students hate me, but the "We love you Miss" notes that literally covered my entire desk this morning lead to believe that isn't it! My principal knows the kids though (she taught a lot of them in kindergarten) and understands their silly antics. The lesson was okay overall, but definitely not a good reflection of what my classroom usually looks like. When we came back in from recess, my students had returned to normal! I did have to send two of them home with red for calling each other bad names (in French of course, so I wouldn't understand). The insult was "you color like a donkey." Here, that is a pretty serious insult!

The Eid Al-Adha (or the Eid al-Kabir). It is a celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, but having his son spared in the end and sacrificing a sheep/ram instead. So, Moroccans celebrate by buying a sheep, killing it, and feasting for days! Thus "The Sheep Holiday." Similar to Thanksgiving but anticipated and hyped up almost as much as Christmas is in the states. The Moroccan schools will probably be off for week or so. My students have all been talking about where they will go and the sheep they bought. One little boy told me his leg was hurting because the sheep ran into him...I didn't really feel bad for him knowing the sheep's fate. I had another little guy tell me I should buy a sheep so I could play with it and have a friend. That same little boy had sheep poo on his shoe today. That was nice. 

It was a long, energy-filled day and I could not be more ready for a break than I am now!

Happy Thuriday!

Time for a break!

I feel like I was just planning for the first week of October and suddenly it's almost November! Crazy how fast time can move!

It is beginning to feel more like fall here, weather wise at least. It is chillier in the mornings (especially in the bathroom because we broke the window and can't close it...whoops!) and evenings but still warm during the say when the sun is out. I am really missing my favorite sweatshirts (stupid 50 lb weight limit!). Fall is my favorite season, but sadly here in Morocco fall is not the same. No apple orchards, pumpkin patched, cornfields, football games, changing leaves (at least near me). It just doesn't feel right. I'm not really a fan of living in a place that doesn't have fall time.

The rainy season is coming. We have had a few rainstorms and it's been a little cloudier lately. We had some storms come through on Thursday. All day I could watch the cloud build over the ocean and the waves were huge! The storm moved in just as we went out for dismissal. The wind was crazy and my kids kept shouting "tornado!" We don't have tornadoes here though (that I do like!) so I wasn't worried. The wind was fine until it turned into a dust storm. Suddenly, I was surrounded by 7 year olds trying to shield their eyes and hoping the really little ones didn't blow away! Friday was nice and sunny again and we picnic-ed outside for lunch!

Next weekend is a big Moroccan holiday so we have Friday and Monday off! This is our first break since school started in August...about time too! The kids have been acting crazy school-wide and are in need of some time off. As are the teachers! I was asking my students to tell me about the holiday and I got was"It's the day we kill the sheep." Complete with creepy throat slicing hand motions. Factual, yes. Informative, not really. The school board president has a home in the mountains and offered to take a few people there for the weekend. So on Thursday, I am off to Ifrane! I've heard lots about the town and many have said they will have changing leaves!!! The color green is getting a little old. We will likely celebrate the Eid with some families there. I will share more details later!

We actually don't have another full week of school until the end of November. Like I said, it's time for a break...or several! One week we only have 1 and half days of school! The half day being Halloween, which a few of the kids know about. Then there is another Moroccan Holiday, followed by conferences, followed by American Thanksgiving, and then it's practically December already! Yay for Moroccan and American holiday recognition!

Speaking of December, I booked my flight for Christmastime! To Seville, Spain. I would love to come home, but a part of me knows that wouldn't be right. I miss the familiarity of faces and places like crazy and would love to believe that a brief trip home would be enough. But I don't think it would be. And, this is my chance to travel and see new places-- of which Spain has always been near the top! Not to mention the cost comparison--> home- $1000 vs. Spain- $200. There are five of us going right now and one of the girls knows the area and town well. I am really looking forward to it, even if it isn't home!

Oualidia

Some of the foreign staff was invited to a beach town south of Casablanca for a retreat! After being in Casa for 2 full months I was ready to get away!

We left shortly after school on Friday and arrived around 8:30. It gets dark around 6:30 right now so we couldn't really see anything when we arrived. We found the villa we were staying in and unpacked our things then took off for "the best shawarma in Morocco." It came with a delicious garlic sauce that reminded me of La Pita in Dearborn!

On Saturday, we had a breakfast at another villa then went back to ours for worship. A couple came from Marrakesh to be our guest speakers for the weekend. After the meeting/worship we climbed over dunes and spent some time at the beach! It was a beautiful beach!! The water was a deep, clear blue. The beach was totally empty and quiet, except for the sound of the waves crashing against some of the rocks.


After lunch, we had free time to do as we wanted in the town. There was a group of us that decided to go quading and then kayak in the lagoon. On our way to the quad rental we passed some others from our group going by on the quads! So we had to wait an hour or so but we explored the boardwalk and the time passed quickly. We rented four quads for 8 of us with the plan that we would switch drivers half way through. Cherith and I were riding buddies and I won the ro-sham-bo to drive first! We chose the sturdy green one third in line. Why? Because I didn't want to lead. The second one was the "sporty" model. And the last one had just been towed in because it broke on the first group. So, the 3rd green one it was! We went down the road until we got to the same dunes we had climbed earlier. We drove over the curb and away we went. After the first dune, the already broken quad broke again! Cherith and I turned back and went to the shop to tell them. (Rescue 1). Then we went back out and found the sporty quad.  I was starting to feel more comfortable and actually having lots of fun! Cherith and I switched so she could try driving. The four of us decided to look for some caves that were somewhere in the area. We were following the sporty quad and watched it start up this crazy hill. It wasn't really a hill. More of drainage ditch. Which meant it was un-level and at the bottom was a giant concrete block half buried in sand and hard to see until the last minute! Cherith was carefully approaching the bottom as the others were reaching the top. And then they flipped! It was awful to see and we didn't really know what happened. We were stopped halfway up the hill yelling to them.  We had to drive the rest of the way up the hill before we could jump off and help. Thankfully,  both girls were okay. They were definitely in shock- one with a hurt knee the other having chest pains and a beat up arm. A few Moroccans that were around came over to ask if we needed help....with the language barrier it was almost comical. One man imitated an ambulance with the siren and all! We turned down their offers for help. Instead Cherith drove one back on the sporty quad and I drove the other girl back on the green one (rescue 2). Before we got them back to the shop, we ran into the 1st quad that had been repaired but broke again. They carved SOS in the sand as a joke! We took the two injured girls back only to find another girl already at the shop. Apparently, they had split off and then stalled the quad in some deep sand. So one left the other to walk back for help. The quad guy came out, got on Cherith's quad with her and led us back toward the dunes (rescue 3). He took us over a hill I had attempted earlier but stopped because I wasn't sure what was on the other side...and if it was the ocean we would have a 300dh fee. Instead at the top was the opening to the caves we had been going to find. If only we had known they were so close! We climbed down a narrow opening in the rocks and then it opened up to a beautiful view of the ocean! The quad guy turned into a little photographer and took somewhere a hundred photos of us on Jasmine's camera. It felt like a senior photo shoot. The quad guys continued to guide the 5 of us that remained on the three still semi working quads. They took us through some cool trails but I was freaked out after the luck the other girls had faced. I was ready for our quading adventure to be over. Cherith and I agreed later we felt we were on Baywatch...driving all over the beach rescuing people. It was pretty fun!

After checking in on the girls we were going to go kayaking but by that point we were ready to just chill on the beach. We watched a football game and climbed another rock/dune and then the sun was starting to set...the afternoon went quite fast! We went to an Italian place for dinner, walked around the town, star-gazed on the beach, and went back for another worship time and dessert! Sunday, we went to the beach again as the tide was coming in. The waves were huge! It was even more beautiful! After brunch we packed up and headed back to campus. It was really nice to get away and I am already looking forward to the next trip planned for the end of October! Exploring Morocco is a goal I have and one I am determined to fulfill!

Highs and Low!

It is a crazy week. I wasn't expecting a crazy week and I am totally surviving minute by minute in my classroom but Friday is almost here right...?

On top of the extra unexpected craziness in my room this week today I had extreme highs and lows with my kids! One minute, they were exceptional! The next minute, I wanted to walk out the door!

[Total. Chaos.] That's how I will remember this week or at least the past two days!

I have a tie for my favorite moment (high) of the day:
The first one was Mohamed's achievement. Mohamed broke his arm last week, so this week he has a cast and (sometimes) a sling...he hates wearing it and would rather just sit with his arm raised in the air! Whatever works, kid. He had a ton of things to take home today...agenda, homework folder, sweatshirt, the sling, and a toy dinosaur he brought in for our Dino unit. He was struggling to get it all in his bag which is even more of a challenge with the tiny bag he has and only one good hand. I offered to help, but he was determined to make it all fit on his own. After punching things around he finally had space to fit the dinosaur in the bag too...but he left the head out because the dinosaur has to breathe! The pride he had after making everything fit was funny enough, but the fact that he threw the bag down like he just scored a touchdown and walked away with his chest puffed out made me literally laugh out loud!

The second favorite moment goes to Adam. Adam is 'that' student; the one who makes you want to scream one minute but melts your heart the next. That is Adam. Everyday, it is a battle with Adam's shoelaces. One one shoe, the laces aren't long enough. On the other they are too long. And Adam can't tie them himself. Of course. So I spend way too much time each day tying his shoes, waiting for another student to tie them, or just praying that no one steps on the floppy laces while he goes up and down the concrete stairs! Today I stopped class, ignored the other 18 students and taught Adam how to tie his laces! *sidenote: Mom, I am even more supportive of your "no tie shoes until you can tie shoes" rule!* I took both of his shoes off- not the best idea... Stinkiest little kid shoes ever! I gave him one shoe and used the other to show him what to do. He got it on the 2nd try! And then just before we went home (30 minutes after tying them) he had to tie them again, and succeeded! We all clapped and celebrated and his smile was the perfect reminder of why I became a teacher...something I desperately needed after the last two days!

The low.
I think this may be a moment that haunts me throughout my teaching career. I probably could have and should have found another way to handle it, but I had to stick to the consequence or the next offender would feel slighted. It started at lunchtime (I hate lunchtime). Stefan came out with two cookies; a mistake on the cooks part. I don't know how he got two, but the others only got one...and all 19 of my students felt the need to inform of this. Of course, they all wanted to go back for another cookie, and I had to say no because 1. they don't need two cookies and 2. you can't have 2nds on dessert. Tarik, my sweet, hard-working, dependable Tarik, asked if he could get a second bottle of water. I reluctantly said yes, because I'm not really sure if they can have two waters, but I let him go ask. He came out with a water AND A COOKIE! The chef was shortly behind to scold him for taking a cookie. The chef could see the first cookie wrapper on T's tray and then asked who Tarik's teacher was...as though he was about to shift his rage to me! An Angry Moroccan Man yelling at me Will bring me to tears; I have no doubts about this. I told the chef Tarik wanted another water and the chef told me that Tarik said he never got a cookie. The school and classroom policy is that when rules are broken student's get a 'red mark' in their agenda and a note to their parents. They also don't get recess if they have a red mark. I told Tarik he would have to go right to red (I don't even think he has been moved to 'warning' before). He instantly broke into tears and wailed for the rest of lunch. I felt awful. He is the kid who never does wrong and I think part of him thought cookie #2 was okay because another student had gotten 2 desserts. We got to recess and I dismissed those who could play and gathered those who didn't finish their morning work. Tarik kept asking if he could move to yellow for being really good the rest of the day. I so badly wanted to agree, but he did lie and steal and that is not okay. I pulled him aside and explained that for those reasons he had to have red. He wailed again. I felt terrible. I asked if he wanted to play at recess or come to the room (even though he shouldn't have gotten recess) and he chose to come to the room. The kid punished himself! Making me feel even worse! He brought me his agenda and we wrote the note together. I added a sentence that his behavior was great outside of this incident! I don't want him to be severely punished because I do believe he felt bad and was truly upset.  He put agenda away and then just sat at his seat. He was perfect for the rest of the afternoon and thankfully he seemed to recover shortly after the Social Studies lesson began. I still feel terrible for him though.
He will probably never eat a cookie again.