Hello from Rabat. Morocco

 

I have been priviledged to be chosen to participate in a program at work called Connecting Hearts Abroad. My employer sends 200 individuals each year around the world to participate in service/cultural exchanges. I applied for two years in a row and was lucky enough to be selected this year for my first choice, Rabat Morocco.
The experience started on May 10, when Mike and I left Indianapolis for Rabat and the actual placement began on Monday.

I am posting blog entries at work and will be copy and pasting them here for others to enjoy. (I hope)

We've gotten our assignments now. Posted May 6, 2014

I will be working with an association called Ibny whose goal is to improve the lives of underpriviledged children. I'll be working with 3-5 year olds organizing activities, including games, songs and crafts. I have a 4 year old grandson and teach a pre-school Sunday School class so I feel like I have some working knowledge of the age group.

We've also been given the names individuals who have worked at our placements. We are encouraged to contact them. I sent a short email to the five names on my list and received an answer from one person this week. Some good advice, I think ... including . "The kids LOVED arts and crafts- so bring lots of craft ideas and materials with you that you can leave behind. Try not to do crafts that involve dried macaroni or other food type items. The kids were sad that they couldn't just take the dried beans and pastas home for food instead of gluing them onto an art project." A different world.

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!  Rabat, Morocco May 12,

Living/dining area at homebase, Rabat

The title of this post is so Indianapolis! I had a better one last night right before I went to sleep in my alotted bottom bunk. (I was happy to find out that CCS had not skimped on mattresses and mine was NOT two inches thick. It was very comfortable.) So I slept, and forgot my clever title.

What a group we have here. A mix of college students, Lilly folk, and a retiree or two. A good mix of male and female as well (almost 50-50 which is unusual..usually there are significantly more women than men.)

We begin our assignments tomorrow and there is a lot of planning and collaboration going on in the groups going to the Children's Hospital and Ibny (two groups working with children) and Feminine Plurel and the East-West Foundation (two groups teaching English). We've shared stories about ourselves at several meals and taken a walk or two.

The staff here is great and very enthusiastic. We had our orientation this morning and a lesson in Arabic. I made sure that I learned how to say "Stop That" and I practiced several times in totally inappropriate situations. I've also been saying Shukran (Thank you) often, because we are well taken care of. I will be at Ibny with 2 others. We will be working with 3, 4, and 5 year olds divided into age-specific classes. We don't know what to expect, but thanks to advice from previous volunteers, we have a plan. Simple songs to begin with. Some impromptu music with some rhythm instruments, and coloring. (Colors and numbers in English with the 5 year olds.) I CAN HARDLY WAIT!

First Day--Ibny Rabat, Morocco May 13, 2013

I am tired and my feet hurt. What a day. Sergio, Michael, and I spent the morning in half hour slices with 20 3-year olds, 20 4-year olds, and 27 5-year olds. The 3's were shy and whispered when they told us there names. During coloring, they were content with 2 crayons, one in each hand. The 4's each tried to accumulate as many crayons as they could and when twarted would punch each other. The 5's could speak French AND count to 100. They were also willing to repeat some numbers in English after us. With the 5's it was safe to put the crayons in the middle of the table and they would (usually) just take the colors they needed.

The Center is in a Public School there is a classroom for the kids at each age level. We had a small area in a hall way that just fit 4 tables. We abandoned our plan for a rhythm band when the classroom beside us didn't want the noise. Singing was allowed and we belted the "Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes;" "When You're Happy and You Know It;" and "The Wheels on the Bus." Good thing that every age group enjoyed coloring. All the kid's wanted to "high-five" and Sergio learned how to say it in Moroccan. We've got a plan for tomorrow. Oregami Kites and Paper Airplanes--Keep your fingers crossed.

Pictures Below. Homebase Rabat and the surrounding neighborhood.