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| Got a flower bouquet from my village host brothers Mourad and Tarik. |
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| Had a great time in Casablanca. Hassan II Mosque is unreal. |
We had no idea what to expect; just no showers or western toilets for the week. We were thrilled to begin the 4 and a half hour journey to the unknown. Everything seemed to annoy
me; once we arrived I wanted back in the van.
We met our host families and quickly settled in. I had an 18 year-old host sister and 2 younger host brothers. We ate lunch together. It was my first time in Morocco not being offered a spoon or fork to eat with, so it was a messy experience, but I quickly learned. After leaving the village it was even weird to use a fork.
Later that afternoon some friends and I planned to go for a walk around the commune, but as we passed my little brothers playing soccer we were dragged into the game. I hadn't laughed at all in Morocco as much as I did that afternoon with the boys playing soccer. They were really good; if it had been an Americans versus Moroccans match we would have gotten our asses kicked.
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| The best way to end the day: A soccer match. |
The next day we woke up and walked to the closest school -- about 35 minutes away off the side of a very busy main road. We got to teach English that morning to the students. The 2 classrooms were filled to the brim with students and there is only one teacher assigned to each class. The kids break into morning and afternoon shifts for the different classes because there is not enough space or manpower to have the kids in school for the full day.
Teaching English was by far the best part of the week. We got to break down the language barrier by always giving us something to talk about -- aka counting numbers. Teaching allowed us to get to know the kids better, especially the ones from our commune. A few of us turned to each other, knowing why people go teach English abroad.
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| Recess break at school. |
We continued on with the day. When my brothers got home from school they promptly started a soccer game. Tired from the day before and all the events of the morning I was on the side with my friend not really playing soccer. There was a small boy over watching the match as well. We called him over and tried to teach him more English. We eventually taught him to say "I'm number one;" a phrase we begged to hear every time we saw him after that. It was the last thing a kid said to me before I got back in the van at the end of the week.
That week I was also stuck in a rainstorm with 2 of my friends. I fell in mud (twice), my friend's iPhone finally lost its home button, we were offered shelter by 3 amazing women, my friend revealed her fear of chickens and were laughed at by the women and one of my little brothers.
We also went on a hike the day after the first big rainstorm, so it was ridiculously muddy. Then it poured. I fell in the mud about five times and laughed harder and harder every time. It was absolutely ridiculous; towards the end I couldn't stay standing because I was laughing so hard. If you ask any of my friends at school they can tell you of a few times I had trouble staying on my feet.
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| I gave the ball to Nisreen, the girl in the pink and grey jacket. It took a little effort to get her to realize I was giving her the ball, but she eventually took it. |
On the last day we had a free afternoon and my brothers already had school that morning. Being the ring-leaders they are they started a game of soccer ver early. With the frisbee my friend brought and my rugby ball it turned into a multi-sporting event. Kids joined in the fun as they returned from school.
Girls from the village were helping their mothers get water from the well near the make-shift soccer field. I invited them to come play soccer, but when they refused I enticed them with my rugby ball. Once I got them passing and their faces lit up with a smile. It was amazing to see the girls out there playing; the first time I had seen it all week.
I know in the US that there is a strong correlation between girls playing sports and getting involved with their academic success and confidence. So, I would like to think that this could help them speak up in class more often. Joining rugby at school has given me insane confidence in myself and having that community and friendships back home is part of the reason I'm thriving here. Hopefully giving the girls this ball with help them gain even the smallest fraction of the confidence I found and help these smart girls thrive the way I know they can.
The week in Beni Koulla was one of the most amazing weeks of my life. I would not have traded it for a week of showers and western toilets. I would gladly go back in a heartbeat. After learning so much about Morocco during the past two months it was interesting to see how so many of the social issues came about in the home stay. I was happy that I could do my little part to fight the patriarchy that is so deeply entrenched in Moroccan society.
P.S. I know Spring Rugby is starting up at St. Mikes, so kick some ass ladies! My love is with you from across the ocean!
