The most challenging part of being in Morocco has been not being able to communicate almost ever. I don't speak French (except for numbers to 20, Monday and Saturday and a few random pleasantries). I don't speak Dirishna (sp--Morocco's form of Arabic). And I certainly don't speak Berber. However, I had thought that would be beneficial while walking though the Jemaa El Fna, the major square in the Medina of Marrakech. After dinner and a belly dancing show at Jad Mahal, Maren and I decided that we would walk through the Medina to see the street theater. We were prepared for the snake charmers, cross dressing belly dancers, baboon owners and teeth pullers, but I did not expect what we met in the food stalls. Pablo Aguilera and Joe Dunn had once given me great advice to speak Spanish while in the souks in North Africa. I had already prepped Maren to go with it if I started speaking Spanish and we had already agreed that we were from Buenos Aires (small hint of nostalgia, tear). So immediately we were whisked away by some of Marrakech's best chefs. As we walked through a path of grills and picnic tables, chefs grabbed at our arms trying to persuade us to eat their food. Most we were able to brush off, but one was super persistent. When he wouldn't let go of my arm (Mom, not in a threatening or scary way), I said, "No hablo ingles." He immediately started speaking fluent Spanish. Crap. Thanks PB&J. So in Spanish, I said, laughing, Russia? Holandia? Maren Getz was no help, her and the chef trying to pull her in were laughing hysterically, but she was behind me the whole way. Never did I think I needed a plan C, but next time I will start speaking Acholi. I even taught Maren to say Apwoyo ba anytime I say anything in Acholi. A simple safi (stop, enough in Arabic worked).
It's really all down hill from here, culturally and linguistically speaking anyway. I cannot wait to speak Spanish, but my Acholi is ready!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Are you even a taxi driver?
Morocco has been an adventure. When I got in, I took a taxi to Nikki's house. My taxi driver had to stop and ask for directions and gave me a high five when we found the major intersection he was taking me to. When I pulled up, Nikki asked me why I was in a blue car (Mom, close your eyes). Apparently, taxis from the airport are white. However, when I walked to the taxi stand at the airport, there was a blue car in the line with the white taxis and it definitely had a taxi sign on the top (which, unbeknownst to me, the driver took off when we left because it wasn't actually attached). On a positive note, he did take me to my destination and did not abduct me. I immediately text Maren, as we did not fly in on the same day, to only take a white taxi. Her taxi was definitely white---but still not a taxi. Oops. Maren is still waiting for her luggage to arrive and is wearing my underwear--gross. :-)
It has been pretty great though. Saturday, Nikki and I went out to a restaurant/dance club in the basement called La Bodega. We did not make the same mistake we made in Argentina three years ago when drinking red wine--we brushed our teeth at the bar. When Maren arrived Sunday, we went shopping at the Habous and Nikki made us delicious Mac and Cheese with broccoli for dinner. Yesterday, we went to visit Nikki's school, American Academy Casablanca, and I presented to the secondary students about Invisible Children. Most of her students are Moroccan and remind me of Nepali kids, loud and vivacious. Nikki took a half day, and we had a very touristy afternoon, eating lunch at Rick's Cafe and touring the Hassan II Mosque. Today, Nikki has to work, so Maren and I are headed to Morocco Mall, obviously a big deal, it's the biggest mall in Africa(?) Tomorrow, we're heading to Marrakech. xo, jm
It has been pretty great though. Saturday, Nikki and I went out to a restaurant/dance club in the basement called La Bodega. We did not make the same mistake we made in Argentina three years ago when drinking red wine--we brushed our teeth at the bar. When Maren arrived Sunday, we went shopping at the Habous and Nikki made us delicious Mac and Cheese with broccoli for dinner. Yesterday, we went to visit Nikki's school, American Academy Casablanca, and I presented to the secondary students about Invisible Children. Most of her students are Moroccan and remind me of Nepali kids, loud and vivacious. Nikki took a half day, and we had a very touristy afternoon, eating lunch at Rick's Cafe and touring the Hassan II Mosque. Today, Nikki has to work, so Maren and I are headed to Morocco Mall, obviously a big deal, it's the biggest mall in Africa(?) Tomorrow, we're heading to Marrakech. xo, jm
Monday, May 21, 2012
morocco-->spain-->england-->uganda
Whenever I am preparing for a big trip, I am usually running around like a crazy person trying to get everything done. I forget to live in the moment but am always thinking about the place that I am going. There is one person who can pull me back in and remind me what (who) I'll be missing--my mom. One of the hardest things I have done in my life is saying goodbye to my mom at the airport when I am leaving for a long time. This process is usually harder when even I am uncertain about my adventure (although I would never say that out loud).
Case in point #1: My first major trip abroad to Argentina, we both cried.
Case in point #2: My first trip to Uganda, we both cried.
Yesterday, I spoke in front of my church congregation (both services) to share what I am doing in Uganda. Of course I made my mom go to both services. At the end of every service, we sing this song:
May you run and not be weary. May your heart be filled with song.
May the love of God continue to give you hope and keep you strong.
May your life be filled with joy!
And may the road you travel always lead you home.
I certainly believe that Case in point #3 will be my second trip to Uganda/the longest trip of my life. I haven't even made it to the airport yet. As excited as I am, it's always hard to leave behind my family, knowing their lives continue without me.
So the plan is this:
Morocco with Maren and Nikki (Maren and I met Nikki in Argentina)
Spain with Maren
And may the road I travel lead me home.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
I think it's meant to be.
Last Thursday, we (us TEX teachers) received our placements for the summer. I was actually surprised to see the words "Your School Placements" in the subject line of the email because last year we received everything at the end of March. I was super excited looking for my name, then felt a slight pang of disappointment. You see, I had imagined my name under Awere or even Anaka, but when I saw Gulu Senior Secondary with the words "in Gulu town" next to it, I panicked. Because of what happened last year, I had mainly decided to go back to Uganda so that I could have the village experience that I was supposed to have had. I was even more disappointed that Awere wasn't even an option this year. Of course, I immediately emailed Catherine to find out if there was any way I could be out of Gulu town.
Catherine did do some stellar work, finding a way to make it happen. However, I had already started thinking about Gulu Senior Secondary (aka Gulu SS) and letting it sink in. The actual reason that I chose to return was because of the wonderful friends I had made that live in Gulutown. I no longer feel like I have to "prove" to myself that I can do a village, because I can--it just hasn't worked out this way. Maybe it's just not meant to be for me to be in a village. Maybe two years in a row of thinking I'm going to a village but really ending up in town is meant to be. Despite my initial disappointment, I am so excited to work at Gulu SS. From looking at my friends' pictures who were placed there last year, I already know the experience will be drastically different from Layibi. And who knows--things may change again. Let me remind myself to not set expectations for this journey, as they will ultimately be shattered and built up to be something better. Besides, I already have a really good boda boda driver and I wouldn't want another munu to steal him away from me.
Here's a bit of info about Gulu SS taken from the IC FB (Photo Creds: Invisible Children)
GULU SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
Founded in 1960, Gulu SS has long been caught in the middle of the conflict. During the Liberation War in 1979, Gulu Senior was used as a frontline for Idi Amin’s military coup. Between 1985 and 1986, the school was also involved in the conflict in which current President Yoweri Museveni overthrew Tito Okello. During this time, soldiers looted the school and used the desks as firewood. The school also became a battlefront for Alice Lakwena’s Holy Spirit Movement (the precursor to the LRA) between 1986 and 1989, during which many displaced people from the suburbs came to loot the school.
There are currently over 1400 students attending the school, 75% percent of whom are total or partial orphans, or considered extremely needy. Many of the orphaned students cannot afford school fees and are continuously forced to take leaves of absence due to their inability to pay these fees. Still, teachers average about 104 students per class. Ninety percent of the students have never used a computer and access to books is severely limited by the lack of a library. The structures are in extremely poor condition, with termite infested walls and floors turning to mud during the rainy season.Previous rounds of fundraising resulted in the complete renovation of the school labs and provided a large quantity of equipment and chemicals. The lab renovation offered an opportunity to create a rainwater harvesting distribution system that has six faucets as opposed to the single faucet they previously had. A six stance girls’ latrine was the first step towards solving the huge sanitation problem for students, with the renovated staff latrines helping the teachers and school administration.
We have supplied the school with a limited amount of core textbooks and we’ve also been able to assist the staff through teacher trainings, psychosocial support for guidance counselors along with financial management, record keeping and computer literacy trainings.
The school development committee has continually advocated for the desperately needed all- purpose library and function hall. With this in mind, we embarked on the largest Schools for Schools project to date: the Gulu Senior Multipurpose Hall will include a large library and auditorium over two stories. The funds raised under Round III will only partially complete the multipurpose hall, meaning the majority of future funds will automatically be applied to this project until complete. If Round IV proves to be successful, this project could well be finished with a year from breaking ground.
Catherine did do some stellar work, finding a way to make it happen. However, I had already started thinking about Gulu Senior Secondary (aka Gulu SS) and letting it sink in. The actual reason that I chose to return was because of the wonderful friends I had made that live in Gulutown. I no longer feel like I have to "prove" to myself that I can do a village, because I can--it just hasn't worked out this way. Maybe it's just not meant to be for me to be in a village. Maybe two years in a row of thinking I'm going to a village but really ending up in town is meant to be. Despite my initial disappointment, I am so excited to work at Gulu SS. From looking at my friends' pictures who were placed there last year, I already know the experience will be drastically different from Layibi. And who knows--things may change again. Let me remind myself to not set expectations for this journey, as they will ultimately be shattered and built up to be something better. Besides, I already have a really good boda boda driver and I wouldn't want another munu to steal him away from me.
GULU SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
- School Type:
- Day School
- Enrollment:
- Girls: 685 / Boys: 989
- Founded in:
- 1960
- Student/Classroom Ratio:
- 180:1
- Student/Latrine Ratio:
- Girls: 118:1 / Boys: 71:1
- KOBS/READ Implemented:
- Yes
Founded in 1960, Gulu SS has long been caught in the middle of the conflict. During the Liberation War in 1979, Gulu Senior was used as a frontline for Idi Amin’s military coup. Between 1985 and 1986, the school was also involved in the conflict in which current President Yoweri Museveni overthrew Tito Okello. During this time, soldiers looted the school and used the desks as firewood. The school also became a battlefront for Alice Lakwena’s Holy Spirit Movement (the precursor to the LRA) between 1986 and 1989, during which many displaced people from the suburbs came to loot the school.
There are currently over 1400 students attending the school, 75% percent of whom are total or partial orphans, or considered extremely needy. Many of the orphaned students cannot afford school fees and are continuously forced to take leaves of absence due to their inability to pay these fees. Still, teachers average about 104 students per class. Ninety percent of the students have never used a computer and access to books is severely limited by the lack of a library. The structures are in extremely poor condition, with termite infested walls and floors turning to mud during the rainy season.Previous rounds of fundraising resulted in the complete renovation of the school labs and provided a large quantity of equipment and chemicals. The lab renovation offered an opportunity to create a rainwater harvesting distribution system that has six faucets as opposed to the single faucet they previously had. A six stance girls’ latrine was the first step towards solving the huge sanitation problem for students, with the renovated staff latrines helping the teachers and school administration.
We have supplied the school with a limited amount of core textbooks and we’ve also been able to assist the staff through teacher trainings, psychosocial support for guidance counselors along with financial management, record keeping and computer literacy trainings.
The school development committee has continually advocated for the desperately needed all- purpose library and function hall. With this in mind, we embarked on the largest Schools for Schools project to date: the Gulu Senior Multipurpose Hall will include a large library and auditorium over two stories. The funds raised under Round III will only partially complete the multipurpose hall, meaning the majority of future funds will automatically be applied to this project until complete. If Round IV proves to be successful, this project could well be finished with a year from breaking ground.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Could it be magic?
I couldn't have seen this picture at a better time in my life. Stepping out of my comfort zone is scary--I mean, why would I want to?--it's so comfy there! But maybe, just maybe it was a good idea. Time will tell. Thanks Meaghan and Maren--I couldn't have done it without you.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
...and it's only Tuesday!
Although this may prove to be the longest week of my life, I have two student quotes that cannot go unmentioned.
1. V: Miss, why don't you teach math and science anymore?
Me: Because I have a new job.
V: That sucks.
Me: Why?
V: Well now you teach ELD and you already know English. Don't you miss discovering things with us like last year in science.
Me: Yes. Very much.
2. J: Miss, will you be here next year?
Me: As far as I know, why?
J: Because I just realized that there are 3 Hunger Games books and I don't think our book club can read them all this year. Can we meet next year, too?
Me: Yes! (Oh the joy of tricking kids into reading something that they realize they love!)
Tuesdays are tough, but these are wonderful kids. It also helps to have Tuesday night Date Nights with Maren. Maybe I will make it to Friday after all...
1. V: Miss, why don't you teach math and science anymore?
Me: Because I have a new job.
V: That sucks.
Me: Why?
V: Well now you teach ELD and you already know English. Don't you miss discovering things with us like last year in science.
Me: Yes. Very much.
2. J: Miss, will you be here next year?
Me: As far as I know, why?
J: Because I just realized that there are 3 Hunger Games books and I don't think our book club can read them all this year. Can we meet next year, too?
Me: Yes! (Oh the joy of tricking kids into reading something that they realize they love!)
Tuesdays are tough, but these are wonderful kids. It also helps to have Tuesday night Date Nights with Maren. Maybe I will make it to Friday after all...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Passion+Cause=Purpose
I just wish I could teach my kids this. It took me 28 years to learn.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jessicahagy/2011/11/30/how-to-be-interesting/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jessicahagy/2011/11/30/how-to-be-interesting/
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