El Jadida, Morocco
الجديدة المغرب
During my IFE* for the TGC** award, I spent 5 unforgettable days absorbing the experience of being an educator in El, Jadida Morocco. I was hosted by two wonderful people, Abdelmottalib and El Hossain.
The designated host city my partner teacher and I were assigned was El Jadida, a coastal city approximately 100km south of Casablanca. El Jadida is a multicultural landscape with remnants of various periods of occupation, mixed with the present and the new. Although indigenous Amazigh were living in the area, the location became a port city established by the Portuguese in the 16th century. At the time, the city was known by the Amazigh as Mazagan.
When The Kingdom of Morocco established control of the city in 1769, the name El Jadida was chosen to emphasize the location as a new city, under a new light.
The phrase 'El Jadida' when translated from Arabic means ‘The New’.
The blog captures details, memories and insights I recall from my time in this beautiful place, with wonderful people. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy!
*International Field Experience** Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC)
Day 1 - March 7th, 2023
The train from Casablanca was 1 hour and cost 55 Moroccan dirhams first class ($5.26 USD). We were greeted by our Host Teacher Abdelmottalib and his good friend El Hossain (pictured above - who became our bonus host!). They were excited to show us the city they grew up in, traveled away from, and returned to. Both are teachers of English, born and raised in El Jadida, and have hosted many other foreign visitors before us!
We arrived at the El Jadida train station around 4:08 pm, our hosts greeted us with waves and insisted we take some pictures (a theme that luckily continued). When we got to the car, Abdelmottalib informed us we were to make a quick pitstop to drop off our bags, and then off to their school - which I had learned from a morning lecture runs until 6:30 pm. The school day for students is 8:30-12:30 pm (4 classes), then a 2-hour break, returning to school from 2:30-6:30 pm (another 4 classes). Our hosts informed us they were long time colleagues at the public High School in the town, both teachers of English (although El Hossain retired last year).
The school, Lycée Abi Chouaib Doukali ثانوية أبي شعيب الدكالي (named after the Moroccan scholar, theologist, and politician), serves approximately 1500 students from in and around El Jadida city. We were warmly welcomed by the faculty and administration.
Our first stop was to meet with the Headmistress (equivalent to a school director). As we spoke, I learned that she had previously held the position of school principal for many years. It was an honor to be her guest. She showed us around campus and we learned that she was the first woman appointed to the positions she held. We saw some examples of changes she made to systems and school culture.
Our hosts and their friends boasted of the positive influences and lasting legacy her time in those roles have left on the school.
One impactful noticing was the many side projects (urban gardening, decorative fountains) that teachers and students participated in to beautify and maintain the school grounds. I got the sense that the community is encouraged to explore their passions and it showed! After our meetings with administration and teachers, we spoke with some students in the courtyard and took some pictures and shared some candy to cement our American-Moroccan cultural exchange!
Our Hosts were then eager to show us their beautiful city, so once the school day ended we drove to Sidi Bouzid a smaller beach town about 7 minutes on the other side of the peninsula. We were able to walk the beach during a gorgeous sunset, eat some street food chickpeas and beans (we said no shokran *no thanks* to the seaside snail snacks) and then sat for our first round (of MANY) Moroccan teas.
Day 2 - March 8th, 2023
Our day began at Groupe Scolaire-Azzaytouna, a private school in El Jadida that serves students from kindergarten through year 12. Azzaytouna refers to an olive in Arabic and the courtyard was lined with beautiful olive trees that felt inviting and sacred. We were welcomed by both the lower and upper school directors as well as the school owner.
We spent the morning observing classes of various grade levels, meeting with students during their recreational time, and listening in on a teacher meeting. We had the privilege of sitting in on one faculty meeting between Moroccan and Belgian teachers speaking French. It was wonderful to participate and experience a multilingual exchange of ideas with such varying levels of proficiency. During the last class before lunch we met with a group of 10th graders and exchanged presentations on various cultural elements of America and Morocco.
The students were enthusiastic and eager to engage with our presentation, asking questions and enthusiastically participating. One standout moment of enthusiasm was when we were presenting our slides, there was a screen shot from google image that had labeled the Sahara as Western Sahara instead of Morocco. A young lady, as soon as she saw it exclaimed, ‘ Your map is wrong, it is incorrect!’ and explained the political conditions and current standing on the matter. We quickly found a more appropriately labeled map and corrected our mistake. The student presentations on Moroccan culture taught us more about traditions, art, fashion, cinema and many other facets of life. We were informed later that this was their first time giving presentations of such scale and duration using English only- which was both momentous to them as students and for us as educators.
After our visit to Azzatounya, Abdelmottalib and El Hossain took us to the local market in El Jadida. Very quickly we learned that both these men were *very* popular in the town, a common phrase El Hossain said was “it's good to have friends”, and I agree! Their good friend, Pascal, runs a fish stand in the market, filled with fresh, local fish. They bought us some kilos of various types of fish (including some shark meat!) and we walked it over to a nearby restaurant (Chef Kiki) to prepare an enormous platter for lunch. El Hossain’s son happened to be walking home from school for his lunch break and joined us. There was so much food! We were told prior that the Moroccan people love to eat – and I can confirm, yes they do! The food, especially the shark, was very delicious.
After lunch, we returned to Abi Chouaib Doukali to visit with Abdelmottalib’s English classes and attend an International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration. The students gave us a warm welcome, they were excited to ask questions about America, and teach us more about Moroccan culture. We learned that on Fridays it is tradition to eat couscous as a family, and just like many Moroccan dishes it can be eaten family style with your hands!
The International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration took place in the school’s auditorium area. They had various performers, singers, poets, comedians, and a riddle competition. The ceremony was lively and the energy in the room was excitable. Although the ceremony was in Darija (Moroccan Arabic), we were able to identify the types of performances based on crowd reactions and whispered translations from our Hosts. We enjoyed cups of tea and patisseries as we watched the various performances. We learned that some 2nd year (12th grade) students chose an English song to perform a dance, and recite a poem ‘I am Woman’ because of our attendance. The Headmistress, who had invited us to the IWD celebration the previous day, made sure we felt welcome by honoring us with a IWD gift and notecard. It was such an honor to be recognized alongside all the woman of Abi Chouaib Doukkali High School and to present for the celebration.
The ceremony ended at around 7 pm, but our day was not yet over! Our hosts wanted to show us another side of the El Jadida beach town and drove us to Pullman hotel, a beach and golf resort about 10 minutes away from the city center. There we got to walk the grounds and witness a beautiful sunset over beach inlet of El Jadida. After the sunset we enjoyed some more tea and patisseries with a friend of our Hosts who works at the hotel. My favorite pastry that I tried is called “gazelle ankles”… they are a crescent moon shape and taste like a fluffy almond cookie. After a long and busy day of classroom visits, celebrations and sightseeing's we settled on Pizza for dinner. Pizza in Morocco is nothing like Pizza in New York… the biggest distinction being how many toppings are present on each pie. The pizza we settled on was the shops specialty and had minced meat, garlic, shrimp, calamari, peppers, olives and mushrooms!
Day 3 - March 9th, 2023
In the morning, El Hossian picked us up at the hotel after breakfast and we walked about 2 km from the hotel to Lycée Abi Chouaib Doukali (ثانوية أبي شعيب الدكالي) for a morning of class observations. The first course we observed was Foreign Language:English for 1st year Baccalaureate students (11th grade). I observed both the students and the classroom teacher using English only when giving instructions, asking questions, and engaging with the content of the lessons. Students spoke Darija (الدارجة) only when engaging in off topic peer-to-peer side conversations as well as during entry and dismissal from the class.
It was impressive to see a group of teenagers full immersed in a foreign language that many of them have only been studying for 1-2 years. I was even more impressed when I followed that group of students to their history course, which was taught in standard Arabic, and then to Calculus, which was taught in French. On any given day, students are learning in three different languages (standard Arabic, French + Foreign language), and them speaking colloquially in a fourth (Darija). Moroccan students are inherently multilingual, which from their viewpoint creates more opportunity to study, work and live abroad. Many students inquired about the process of attending college in the United States as an international student and asked advice on how to begin their plans. In Morocco, there are 14 major public universities that students may attend upon completion of their secondary school requirements, free of charge. Oftentimes, the specialty area they focused on during their Baccalaureate studies becomes their major at university. We spoke to many students who wanted to be teachers, doctors and engineers.
After the morning classes dismissed, our hosts took us to a "classic" Moroccan restaurant for lunch. The restaurant, Kalaat Naji, operates as a chain with various locations throughout the country. Each interior is decorated with gorgeous, colorful cushion seating, Zellij (Moroccan tilework), and the waiters were dressed in "Jabadour" and waitresses in Moroccan Kaftans. We shared a delicious beef tajine, family style, ripping our bread to scoop the savory meat and apricots until it was complete. We even got to witness a tea ceremony including traditional music and a superbly high tea pour! I was lucky enough to visit a different location in Rabat the following week and enjoy the ambiance and food once more.
On this day, our hosts had their afternoon and evening free, so we took advantage by planning an outing to a nearby town and resort for dinner and sightseeing. After a quick 1 hour rest, we drove 15 minutes to the largest beach and golf resort In Morocco, aptly named Mazagan, the old Portuguese city name before It became "the New".
We walked the grounds of the resort, which proved to be massive and expansive. The resort has a state-of-the-art golf course, horseback stables, spa, multiple swimming pools, private beach access, a number of upscale restaurants, shops, and a casino! We made a plan to return to one of the restaurants for dinner, after some sightseeing nearby in a small town named Azzemour (أزمور ), 20 minutes drive. We enjoyed the adventure of weaving past vendors, artists, bakers and residents of Azzemours old medina, leading us to the river Oued-O'm Er-rbia for view of the city at night. After a long walk and a sunset, we returned to the resort of Mazagan for a late night buffet dinner.
Day 4 - March 10th, 2023
This day excitedly revolved around some cultural experiences that would be the highlight of my time in El Jadida. The students had informed me that a tradition I should experience was Friday family couscous. I had learned that on Fridays it is a time to wind down from the week and enjoy a meal with Family. The women of the house spend many hours preparing a traditional Moroccan couscous with zucchini, pumpkin, turnips carrots, onions, and meat. While Abdelmottalib's wife, Wahiba, worked on preparations, we explored the fortified port of El Jadida stopping off for tea and many, many pictures!
Today, the impressive 16th-century fortified Portuguese port still stands and consists of modern rooftop tea cafes, Impressive shops, apartments, and a church! Much evidence of global (European) and local (Amazigh and Moroccan) influence in the cities' architecture and city planning is what makes this place so special. The walled port was recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004 because of this monumental cultural exchange. Many of the city centers architecture (Avenues, Post office, Theatre, and even The Museum of Resistance and Independence) is evidence of the French protectorate (colonial rule) from 1912-1956. The Museum of Resistance and Independence, was a great place to learn about the battles and circumstances surrounding Morocco's Independence from the French Protectorate. We built up an appetite from walking around the city and were excited for a delicious couscous meal.
Our unforgettable family meal was spent with the Abdelmottalib's wife and two children. After some rest, we were ready for the next part of our traditional Moroccan Friday and accompanied Wahiba, and her daughter to the "Hammam" (a public bath). The Hammam was another unforgettable experience! I was grateful to have them as my guide, and grateful to have a professional help me with my scrub down. There was camaraderie in a public bath, and it was deeply relaxing to end the week with a cleansing experience. I was surprised to see how filled the rooms were with women of all ages, participating in the same restorative ritual. The sleep after a hammam is excellent!