I have been reflecting on this question for quite a while. It was my connections with the people that made this such an incredible experience. Returning to my own classroom and sharing about my time in Morocco has brought this question into the forefront. In order to answer it, I need to reflect on how this trip has impacted my life for the better. 
Deciding to apply to the Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellowship began with me wanting to continue to be a life long learner. I was searching out new opportunities that would help me to become a more compassionate and globally aware teacher.  I have always sought out hands on ways to continue to develop my personal and professional life. 
   Learning about global education has brought together many of my interests and it has unified my purpose for teaching. I have been able to see first hand the importance of infusing my instruction daily with the four global competencies ( Also see my "home"  tab of my website for a deeper investigation of these ideas.) and it has moved me to share my learning with others in the hopes of making our world a kinder, healthier and wiser place for everyone. TGC relies on its participants' desire to share their experiences and to widen the circle of exposure to its philosophies and ideas. I am excited to continue to reach out and share my experiences with my local and global communities.
  The four global competencies are investigate the world, recognize one's perspectives, take action and communicate one's ideas to others. The goal of going to Morocco was to have a first hand opportunity to do all of these at the same time and then bring back my experiences to my school and help my school community and beyond also learn how to increase their own level of global competency. Our world today has so many amazing cultures and religions. People desire to live in peace and be close to their families.
   As the world gets smaller with globalization, there are many pros and cons that we must address. One of the greatest advantages to globalization is our increased ability to connect and communicate with people using technology all around the globe in an instant. We can form friendships and professional relationships that will broaden our understandings and help us recognize how similar people are. We all have the similar human needs and desires even if our day to day lives are different. Respecting and honoring our differences and being open to learning from them is one of the greatest opportunities we have in the twenty-first century. Instead of looking at the world with a lens of fear, we could open our hearts and instead strive to be kind and respectful of the beliefs and lifestyles others follow world wide.  The United Nations Global Goals have been opening my eyes to how people all over the world are striving to take care of our planet, working together in peace.
   The people I met in Morocco were so gracious.  Everyone we met went above and beyond to assure our time there was filled with opportunities to learn about their cultural traditions and to broaden our understanding of their religious beliefs and what it means to be Muslim in the world today.  Students in the high school taught us about the Five Pillars of Islam and shared some of their favorite holidays and foods with us. Almost everyone was curious if we liked Moroccan food and enjoyed being in Morocco. My time spent in Morocco was heart warming and welcoming. I enjoyed spending time in a Muslim country where I felt safe, peaceful, and welcomed. I want to learn more about all of the world religions since they guide the belief systems of most of the worlds' population. Many people I met wanted me to return a message from them that Muslim people are peaceful and kind. 
On my first day in Morocco I took a walk near my hotel to buy some water.  I felt self conscious and was aware of being a foreigner and a woman. I thought about what it must feel like to be a person of color and how privileged I am to be a well educated white woman.  It is important to recognize one's privilege and take time to reflect on how many people are not treated with respect. We all need to remember to practice love and kindness in all that we do.   

​       The Moroccan people enjoy gathering together to share food and tea.  Our time in Morocco  was often centered around food and community.  We were welcomed into every gathering with traditional food and drink.  The food was delicious and the tea became a wonderful tradition we all looked forward to at our many different events.  


     Often, the Moroccan people would first welcome us with dates and buttermilk. Dates represent good health and are one of the first foods eaten during Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims fast from sun up to sun down, The buttermilk is also used on Friday when families gather for their traditional couscous meal.  We were invited to our host teacher, Youseel's home to learn how to make couscous. Here are some photos of the process of making the couscous.  The couscous meal can have many different vegetables, but often included pumpkin and fava beans.  The couscous is make from semolina wheat and it is a type of pasta that is very small and granular. It is cooked by adding a small amount of water to it. 

      We were invited to share meals with many people, but the most memorable were going to the farm house of Meriam's family near Casablanca ( our in country guide and local teacher who participated in ILEP) and to my host teacher, Youseef's family home in Agadir. 

     My host teacher enjoyed sharing his favorite meals with us and we were lucky enough to go to some amazing restaurants as well. One day, he took us to an open air restaurant to sample cow hooves in a flavorful sauce with garbanzo beans. I really didn't like the look of this dish, but I bravely sampled it. It was a bit slimy and I really didn't want to eat more of it. I soon realized he wouldn't even eat it. He had just wanted to share some unique local flavors with us.

      Teachers for Global Classrooms scheduled many social and professional gatherings while we were in Morocco. We visited numerous schools from the elementary to university levels. Often we would do a presentation about our educational systems, share about our schools, discuss challenges and successes we face in our different educational systems and participate in cultural fairs or cultural presentations by the students. At each of these events, we would have a tea and cookie time when we would share a small cup of Moroccan mint green tea and some delicious almond and other flavors of cookies.  We were able to sample many different types of cookies and learned everyone makes their tea just a little bit differently. 
When families and friends gather to share food together, they often begin by washing their hands and sitting around a large platter of food. We would begin most meals with a variety of Moroccan salads served in small dishes. Then, we would eat home made bread and tagine (beef, lamb, chicken, or fish stew that is cooked over hot coals in its own small oven) or another popular meal called bastilla ( a light filo pastry around a mixture of almonds, fish or chicken, and vegetable.) When families join for meals together they use their right hand to eat instead of a fork or spoon. The food was amazing and eating was a lengthly and social part of our time in Morocco. It was a great way to learn about cultural traditions and customs.