Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Status: not bad / ちょっとホームシック
Can't read Japanese? English is below.
みんなさん、メリークリスマス！超久しぶりだよね。ごめんごめん、申し訳ないっすよ。この日記も短くてすみません。今時間がないから。でもみんなに「メリークリスマスとよい冬休みを！」と言いたくて…
俺はいまバンコックにいて4月まで仕事しているんだ。また英語の先生だけど数学の先生にもなったんだ。面白い経験だよ。
とにかくニューズがたくさんあるけど今時間がないから今度の日記を楽しみにしててね。ドイツを出た後のすべてを書かなきゃ。できたら年末前に書くよ。できたら。
ではでは！
Merry Christmas, everyone. It's been a really long time since I've written here, and this post isn't going to be long either. Sorry about that. I just don't have the time right now. I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Right now, I'm in Bangkok. I've become an English teacher yet again, but I'm also teaching Math. It's an interesting experience.
Anyway, I have a lot of news, but no time right now to write it, so you'll have to wait for the next update. I have to write about everything that's happened since leaving Germany, and there's quite a bit. I'll try to do it before New Years, but I make no garauntees.
Ciao. :)
2007-12-25
2007-10-08
I am a donut! / ドーナツです！
Location: Berlin, Germany
Status: Excellent
"Ich bin ein berliner!" - John F. Kennedy
英語を読みませんか？日本語は下の方へ。
So, I am in Berlin and loving life. My flight from Fes to Frankfurt-Hahn on the 4th was uneventful, as was staying the night in Frankfurt-Hahn Airport so I could catch the 05h00 bus to Frankfurt Central on the 5th. There, I caught a bus at 07h30 to Berlin, and basically spent the rest of the day on the bus. I arrived in Berlin at 17h30, and there I met up with my friend Maria for the first time in a long time.
Maria was one of my exchange students while I taught at Myojo Gakuen High School in Japan, and from that we became friends. She is definitely one of the cooler people that I know in the world. Anyway, I have been staying with her and her family while in Berlin. Tonight is my last night in Berlin, and I will catch a bus back to Frankfurt tomorrow.
My schedule has completely changed because it turns out that Kuwait Airlines, which is the Airline I am flying to Bangkok, canceled the flight on Wednesday the 11th. The informed me of this by email and offered to reschedule me for the flight on the 12th. I replied saying that would be fine, but apparently they didn't receive the reply, because when I called them today, they said that since they hadn't heard from me, they didn't reserve me a seat and now that flight is full. I'm not sure what will happen now, as I am waiting for them to get back to me with my options.
Anyway, Berlin... What an excellent city! It's a really cool place. The feeling is, it's a really small city spread out over a big area. It really doesn't feel crowded here, nor very hectic. It feels like a smaller city. The public transportation is absolutely excellent, and cheap. Also, it is SO clean! The air actually smells really good (like fresh fallen leaves), much better than in Meknes, which is impressive considering that Berlin has 8x the population of Meknes. I haven't really been prepared for the cold weather (hey, I just came from Africa), but it is nice to experience a real autumn.
Anyway, I've been having a pretty good time hanging out with Maria and her friends. We've been out for drinks at a few places, and it is nice to drink really good beer for a change. :D Maria took me around a bit, and I have managed to get my shopping done as well. Today, while Maria was in class, I wandered around on my own for a bit and managed to take a few pictures.
Anway, Berlin has been great. I'm almost sad to be leaving, but, hey, that's the usual thing on these kinds of journeys. Next stop is Frankfurt, Germany.
ハァー、ベルリンか… ここに来てすごく楽しんでいるよ。４日にフェズからフランクフルトは問題なしで５日に空港からバスターミナルまでのバスに乗るのも問題なしでベルリンまでのバスも全然問題なかった。それでベルリンに着いたらすごく久しぶりにマリアに会ったんだ。
マリアは俺が明星学園高校で働いてた時に留学しに来たんだ。その時に結構いい友達になった。本当にすごくかっこういい人なんだよー！(^o^)v とにかくマリアの家に泊まっている。明日はフランクフルトの戻るんだけど。
予定が変わっているんだ。10日にタイへ行く飛行機に乗るはずだったけど、それがキャンセルされて１２日に出る事になるはずだった。でもそれも何かあって予約できなかったから、これからどうになるかよくわからない。トラベルエージェンシーからの連絡を待っているんだ。サァ、なるようになる。
とにかく、ベルリン… 最高！本当にすごくいい都会。なんか広くても小さい町って感じなんだ。そんな混んでなくてそんなに忙しくない都会って感じなんだ。公共輸送機関(バスとか電車など)もすごいよ。全然遅くなくて、日本のより安い！そしてベルリンはすごくきれい。モロッコがすごく汚くてここに来てきれいな国で嬉しいんだ。でもあったかい服をあまり持ってないからちょっと寒いよね。まぁ、もうすぐタイへ行くから我慢できる。
とにかく、マリアと遊ぶのはちょう楽しい。飲みに行ったりして、ここのビールはもちろん超美味しいよ。ハァー、久しぶりにそんなに美味しいビールを飲んだんだ。そして買い物をしたからタイへ行く準備ができあがった。今日、マリアは学校へ行って、俺は写真を撮りに行った。
とにかく、ベルリンがすごかった。フランクフルトに戻りたくなくなってきたぐらいおもしろいけど。でも明日はフランクフルト！よし！
Status: Excellent
"Ich bin ein berliner!" - John F. Kennedy
英語を読みませんか？日本語は下の方へ。
So, I am in Berlin and loving life. My flight from Fes to Frankfurt-Hahn on the 4th was uneventful, as was staying the night in Frankfurt-Hahn Airport so I could catch the 05h00 bus to Frankfurt Central on the 5th. There, I caught a bus at 07h30 to Berlin, and basically spent the rest of the day on the bus. I arrived in Berlin at 17h30, and there I met up with my friend Maria for the first time in a long time.
Maria was one of my exchange students while I taught at Myojo Gakuen High School in Japan, and from that we became friends. She is definitely one of the cooler people that I know in the world. Anyway, I have been staying with her and her family while in Berlin. Tonight is my last night in Berlin, and I will catch a bus back to Frankfurt tomorrow.
My schedule has completely changed because it turns out that Kuwait Airlines, which is the Airline I am flying to Bangkok, canceled the flight on Wednesday the 11th. The informed me of this by email and offered to reschedule me for the flight on the 12th. I replied saying that would be fine, but apparently they didn't receive the reply, because when I called them today, they said that since they hadn't heard from me, they didn't reserve me a seat and now that flight is full. I'm not sure what will happen now, as I am waiting for them to get back to me with my options.
Anyway, Berlin... What an excellent city! It's a really cool place. The feeling is, it's a really small city spread out over a big area. It really doesn't feel crowded here, nor very hectic. It feels like a smaller city. The public transportation is absolutely excellent, and cheap. Also, it is SO clean! The air actually smells really good (like fresh fallen leaves), much better than in Meknes, which is impressive considering that Berlin has 8x the population of Meknes. I haven't really been prepared for the cold weather (hey, I just came from Africa), but it is nice to experience a real autumn.
Anyway, I've been having a pretty good time hanging out with Maria and her friends. We've been out for drinks at a few places, and it is nice to drink really good beer for a change. :D Maria took me around a bit, and I have managed to get my shopping done as well. Today, while Maria was in class, I wandered around on my own for a bit and managed to take a few pictures.
Anway, Berlin has been great. I'm almost sad to be leaving, but, hey, that's the usual thing on these kinds of journeys. Next stop is Frankfurt, Germany.
 |
| A night in Berlin |
 |
| A day in Berlin |
ハァー、ベルリンか… ここに来てすごく楽しんでいるよ。４日にフェズからフランクフルトは問題なしで５日に空港からバスターミナルまでのバスに乗るのも問題なしでベルリンまでのバスも全然問題なかった。それでベルリンに着いたらすごく久しぶりにマリアに会ったんだ。
マリアは俺が明星学園高校で働いてた時に留学しに来たんだ。その時に結構いい友達になった。本当にすごくかっこういい人なんだよー！(^o^)v とにかくマリアの家に泊まっている。明日はフランクフルトの戻るんだけど。
予定が変わっているんだ。10日にタイへ行く飛行機に乗るはずだったけど、それがキャンセルされて１２日に出る事になるはずだった。でもそれも何かあって予約できなかったから、これからどうになるかよくわからない。トラベルエージェンシーからの連絡を待っているんだ。サァ、なるようになる。
とにかく、ベルリン… 最高！本当にすごくいい都会。なんか広くても小さい町って感じなんだ。そんな混んでなくてそんなに忙しくない都会って感じなんだ。公共輸送機関(バスとか電車など)もすごいよ。全然遅くなくて、日本のより安い！そしてベルリンはすごくきれい。モロッコがすごく汚くてここに来てきれいな国で嬉しいんだ。でもあったかい服をあまり持ってないからちょっと寒いよね。まぁ、もうすぐタイへ行くから我慢できる。
とにかく、マリアと遊ぶのはちょう楽しい。飲みに行ったりして、ここのビールはもちろん超美味しいよ。ハァー、久しぶりにそんなに美味しいビールを飲んだんだ。そして買い物をしたからタイへ行く準備ができあがった。今日、マリアは学校へ行って、俺は写真を撮りに行った。
とにかく、ベルリンがすごかった。フランクフルトに戻りたくなくなってきたぐらいおもしろいけど。でも明日はフランクフルト！よし！
2007-10-04
1 year in Morocco
Location: Meknes, Morocco (for the last time)
Status: excited to be leaving
Happy Sputnik Day! 50 years since the first artificial satellite!
英語がわかりませんか？ごめん。まだ日本語で書いてない。
Well, I've been in Morocco for a year, so I guess it would be a good time to write my impressions of living here. To any of my Moroccan students or former co-workers who may be reading this, I apologize in advance if anything I say offends. This is just how I've felt during my time here.
The quick and dirty
The good: the students, the people I worked with, the food, the wine (especially Domaine de Sahari), the low cost of living, having a good apartment for couchsurfers, the friendliness.
The bad: the garbage, the way people drive, how run down everything is, the lack of caring, the noise, the thoughtlessness, the scouts, guides, and beggars, the way people don't pay attention to anything around them, the dirty air, the way it seems like everyone is trying to scam you, the separation of men and women, the lack of integrity.
The Tolstoy
I've been looking through my journal recently, trying to get an overall idea of how life has been in Morocco. It's funny. I was really optimistic when I was on the ferry from Séte to Tanger last October. I remained as optimistic as I could when I arrived in Tanger, even when I saw how run down it the city seemed. I tried to continue to remain optimistic as I saw the mountains of garbage strewn along the railway, hoping that is was an exception rather than the rule. I arrived in Meknes, and I had to jump right in with work with no help or guidance from the Director of the ALC at that time. I was in a large apartment that, for the better part of a month, was furnished only with a cushion from a Moroccan couch that I borrowed from one of the other American teachers at the school. I had to try and save up money and buy things bit by bit as I went. Of course, that proved difficult when someone stole 6000 dirhams from my apartment (there is little doubt about who did it; karma will get him in the end, I'm sure).
Obviously, I had a rather negative first impression of this country, and it has only become more negative since.
Don't get me wrong. I don't hate everything about Morocco or all things Moroccan. There are good number of things I actually like about this country and living here. I just don't fit well in this culture. My wavelength is different. I can't get into the rhythm of things.
I'm probably about to say a lot about Morocco that some will disagree with or may find offensive. Just remember, it's not Morocco, it's me. I don't fit, so I had a more negative time than positive time. There are some good things, and I'll hopefully point them out, but I'm afraid that this will be a bit of a rant. On the extreme positive side, I'd rather have been living in Morocco for the past year than in the United States. It certainly was an interesting experience.
It's really difficult to point out just what drove me so crazy while living here, because it is not any one big thing. It is a bunch of little things that recur day after day and build up into a mountain of annoyance. On this note, I can say that Morocco is a very nice, interesting place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here. I've often summed it up to couchsurfers like this:
There is a lot of friendliness here, and it isn't (usually) the mock friendliness of someone with ulterior motives. People are very open and welcoming, sometimes too much so. Friends, acquaintances, even strangers will greet each other with handshakes, hugs, kisses on the cheeks, and a flurry of Labess? Bikher. Al-hamdu-lillah! I want to hammer this point home, because I think it is important to realize that there isn't any malice behind the things that drive me crazy. They are just the way of life here. Like I said, Morocco is not a bad country, it just isn't the right place for me.
So, Morocco is very friendly. However, those other things are often lacking and these lacks often manifest themselves in many ways. Take the way people drive, for instance. Now, I am SURE there are countries where people drive worse, but Morocco is the worst to date for me. Drivers just don't care. They are in the giant steel death-machine, so you had better get the hell out of their way, because they aren't slowing down. Crossing the street is like playing Frogger in real life. There is just no sense to how people drive. The lines painted on the road seem to be suggestions, traffic signs are to be ignored, and traffic lights are only to be obeyed if there is a police officer around. Turn signals, if they are used at all, are often turned on about half-way through the turn, or often indicate the opposite of what the driver intends. Obviously, I haven't been cycling here. I don't want to die just yet, and certainly not at the hands of a Moroccan driver. Here's a good example of an annoying lack of sense. This happened often enough to be considered regular: The way to the nearest supermarket is on a two-lane one-way street. There are no cars coming, so you decide to cross the street. About halfway across, a car turns on to the street and accelerates towards you. Common sense would dictate for the driver to drive in the empty lane behind you and pass you safely. However, more often than not, the drivers here will try to drive through the ever-decreasing gap between you and the opposite side of the road. This causes you to either retreat or make a mad dash for safety.
Cars will often pull out into traffic without looking, counting on someone to honk of there is a problem. People will change lanes (lanes?...hah! they just drive wherever the hell they want to in the road) randomly, again counting on someone to honk if there is a problem. People often drive the wrong way on one-way roads, park on the sidewalk, turn or stop without warning. All of this makes a simple task like crossing the street a bit stressful. Of course, somehow Moroccan pedestrians manage just fine. They will often just walk out into the street without looking and somehow manage to cross safely. It's magic. It boggles my mind.
Little things, little things. I know that by themselves my problems with Morocco seem like nothing. However, just like a drip of water every hour on a rock will eventually erode it, all of these things every day eventually eroded my sanity a bit.
The other big thing, which I have mentioned in previous posts, is how dirty the country is. There is garbage everywhere! People just throw it wherever they please, and then others come and dig through it, strewing it about everywhere. There are some clean places. Rabat was relatively clean, and Ifrane was nearly spotless. However, it is just about everywhere. This is one of the things that got right from the beginning, an annoyance that started to build up pretty much from the moment I got off the boat. I remember being on that first train from Tanger to Meknes noticing all of the garbage along the railway, and I remember hoping that it was the exception rather than the rule. I was wrong. People just don't care. I have seen people standing next to public garbage cans still throwing their litter on the ground. I cannot understand this. I've often asked my students about this when they ask me how I like Morocco, and the general consensus is that a.) there aren't enough places to throw the garbage, and b.) no one has ever told them that throwing garbage wherever you please is not a good thing. There are no campaigns against littering, and there is no public awareness about the problem. I don't think it's that people actually like living in a dirty place, but more that they just don't care or don't think it is their problem to fix.
I guess a lot of these things are cultural difference. If people are brought up one way, then it doesn't really occur to them to think about other ways of living. A big cultural difference is the difference in and separation of the sexes. Morocco is very much a "Man's Country", at least, out in public. Especially during the day time, most cafés are populated with only men, at least at the outside tables. It is a perpetual sausage party. You do see girls and women out and about, but you don't really see them hanging out, at least, not in Meknes. Now, I like women. I like seeing women. I like meeting women. I like talking to women. This is not really the place to do that. Also, being such a "Man's Country", I find myself feeling sorry for any female travelers, especially those traveling alone. I've hosted quite a few female couchsurfers, and most of them had stories about the crap they'd had to put up with from Moroccan men: cat-calls, being followed, inappropriate behavior, being made to feel uncomfortable, etc. It sucks that this is they way it is here. Ladies, if you are going to travel to Morocco, I highly recommend traveling with a guy. It will save you a lot of annoyance. Sad, but true.
Surprisingly, even though it is a very religious country, differences in religion were not really a big deal for me. I felt less uncomfortable being and atheist here than I ever did in the United States, probably because I didn't have to deal with so many people coming up and asking, "Have you found Jesus yet?" or getting in my face and damning me to hell for not believing. Here, the closest anyone has ever come to trying to convert me to Islam is to ask if I'd ever considered it. When I reply that I'm not interested, it is left at that, and we continue talking about other things. There were times in class (where it is not appropriate to discuss religion or lack thereof) when I had to dodge the question of whether or not I believe in god. I'm not uncomfortable about my lack of beliefs, but an English conversation class is not the place to discuss it. Any other impacts of the religion on my life were small. Sure, on some days everything is closed, it can be difficult to buy alcohol, and during Ramadan, it is impossible to eat out during the day. But none of these things were a big deal.
I mentioned before a lack of integrity. This isn't true for all things, but I do get a feeling that most people are only interested in getting the job done well enough and getting paid that actually doing a good job. A lot of things here seem really half-assed. A notable exception is the majority of the students at the American Language Center. They work their asses off, and I'm rather proud of the ones I taught. But, in general life, you see a lot of shoddy workmanship and half-assed rigging that only leads to problems down the line. Get the job done right and well the first time, and you don't have to worry about it any more.
Yikes, this is extremely negative, hasn't it. Like I said, it wasn't all bad, and most of these things were problems for me rather than problems for Morocco. Having such a negative initial impression probably didn't help much either.
So, was there anything good about living here?
Teaching here was a pure joy. The students here are awesome. They try very hard, they learn very quickly, and they are very engaging. Most of my best times in Morocco have been during class. I've had a lot of great students and I really hope they succeed in everything they set out to do. If any of you are reading this, keep in touch. I want to know how you are doing.
Moroccan wine is excellent. Being a Muslim country, you wouldn't expect alcohol to be a high point, and with beer that is true (with the exception of Casablanca Beer, which is pretty good). However, there is some good wine, especially around Meknes. The best, in my humble opinion, is Domaine de Sahari. It is cheaper than a lot of worse wines, and it is just excellent. I have no idea how many bottles I have consumed in the past year, but I am sure it is over 50.
Moroccan food is pretty good. Now, my favorite food in the world is Japanese. I love the attention to subtle flavors and the mixing of natural tastes. Moroccan food is good in almost the exact opposite way. There is very little subtlety in Moroccan cooking, but the spices they use are excellent.
The best times I have had in Morocco were when I was hosting CouchSurfers. I had a really big apartment with a lot of space and a nice view, and I had quite a few visitors pass through. It was a good excuse to go outside and show off the parts of Meknes that I really liked. I had nothing but wonderful guests and hopefully I'll continue to have wonderful hosts as my travels continue.
Yes, there are parts of Meknes that I do like. It isn't all dirty and full of annoyances. The Medina is often interesting, and one of my favorite parts of the Medina is on the north side, near Bab Tzimi. In the morning, it is a produce market. There is nothing touristy about it, just Moroccan people living their daily lives, and it was always interesting to see. Every step has a different smell, the sound of haggling is a cacophony, and it was just full of life. You could buy everything from all sorts of fruits and vegetables to live chickens that they will kill and pluck for you to fresh beef, sheep, and camel meat.
Ok...I'll have to continue this later. It's time to go. Next stop: Germany
Status: excited to be leaving
Happy Sputnik Day! 50 years since the first artificial satellite!
英語がわかりませんか？ごめん。まだ日本語で書いてない。
Well, I've been in Morocco for a year, so I guess it would be a good time to write my impressions of living here. To any of my Moroccan students or former co-workers who may be reading this, I apologize in advance if anything I say offends. This is just how I've felt during my time here.
The quick and dirty
The good: the students, the people I worked with, the food, the wine (especially Domaine de Sahari), the low cost of living, having a good apartment for couchsurfers, the friendliness.
The bad: the garbage, the way people drive, how run down everything is, the lack of caring, the noise, the thoughtlessness, the scouts, guides, and beggars, the way people don't pay attention to anything around them, the dirty air, the way it seems like everyone is trying to scam you, the separation of men and women, the lack of integrity.
The Tolstoy
I've been looking through my journal recently, trying to get an overall idea of how life has been in Morocco. It's funny. I was really optimistic when I was on the ferry from Séte to Tanger last October. I remained as optimistic as I could when I arrived in Tanger, even when I saw how run down it the city seemed. I tried to continue to remain optimistic as I saw the mountains of garbage strewn along the railway, hoping that is was an exception rather than the rule. I arrived in Meknes, and I had to jump right in with work with no help or guidance from the Director of the ALC at that time. I was in a large apartment that, for the better part of a month, was furnished only with a cushion from a Moroccan couch that I borrowed from one of the other American teachers at the school. I had to try and save up money and buy things bit by bit as I went. Of course, that proved difficult when someone stole 6000 dirhams from my apartment (there is little doubt about who did it; karma will get him in the end, I'm sure).
Obviously, I had a rather negative first impression of this country, and it has only become more negative since.
Don't get me wrong. I don't hate everything about Morocco or all things Moroccan. There are good number of things I actually like about this country and living here. I just don't fit well in this culture. My wavelength is different. I can't get into the rhythm of things.
I'm probably about to say a lot about Morocco that some will disagree with or may find offensive. Just remember, it's not Morocco, it's me. I don't fit, so I had a more negative time than positive time. There are some good things, and I'll hopefully point them out, but I'm afraid that this will be a bit of a rant. On the extreme positive side, I'd rather have been living in Morocco for the past year than in the United States. It certainly was an interesting experience.
It's really difficult to point out just what drove me so crazy while living here, because it is not any one big thing. It is a bunch of little things that recur day after day and build up into a mountain of annoyance. On this note, I can say that Morocco is a very nice, interesting place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here. I've often summed it up to couchsurfers like this:
Morocco is a very friendly country with very little sense, integrity, or courtesy.
There is a lot of friendliness here, and it isn't (usually) the mock friendliness of someone with ulterior motives. People are very open and welcoming, sometimes too much so. Friends, acquaintances, even strangers will greet each other with handshakes, hugs, kisses on the cheeks, and a flurry of Labess? Bikher. Al-hamdu-lillah! I want to hammer this point home, because I think it is important to realize that there isn't any malice behind the things that drive me crazy. They are just the way of life here. Like I said, Morocco is not a bad country, it just isn't the right place for me.
So, Morocco is very friendly. However, those other things are often lacking and these lacks often manifest themselves in many ways. Take the way people drive, for instance. Now, I am SURE there are countries where people drive worse, but Morocco is the worst to date for me. Drivers just don't care. They are in the giant steel death-machine, so you had better get the hell out of their way, because they aren't slowing down. Crossing the street is like playing Frogger in real life. There is just no sense to how people drive. The lines painted on the road seem to be suggestions, traffic signs are to be ignored, and traffic lights are only to be obeyed if there is a police officer around. Turn signals, if they are used at all, are often turned on about half-way through the turn, or often indicate the opposite of what the driver intends. Obviously, I haven't been cycling here. I don't want to die just yet, and certainly not at the hands of a Moroccan driver. Here's a good example of an annoying lack of sense. This happened often enough to be considered regular: The way to the nearest supermarket is on a two-lane one-way street. There are no cars coming, so you decide to cross the street. About halfway across, a car turns on to the street and accelerates towards you. Common sense would dictate for the driver to drive in the empty lane behind you and pass you safely. However, more often than not, the drivers here will try to drive through the ever-decreasing gap between you and the opposite side of the road. This causes you to either retreat or make a mad dash for safety.
Cars will often pull out into traffic without looking, counting on someone to honk of there is a problem. People will change lanes (lanes?...hah! they just drive wherever the hell they want to in the road) randomly, again counting on someone to honk if there is a problem. People often drive the wrong way on one-way roads, park on the sidewalk, turn or stop without warning. All of this makes a simple task like crossing the street a bit stressful. Of course, somehow Moroccan pedestrians manage just fine. They will often just walk out into the street without looking and somehow manage to cross safely. It's magic. It boggles my mind.
Little things, little things. I know that by themselves my problems with Morocco seem like nothing. However, just like a drip of water every hour on a rock will eventually erode it, all of these things every day eventually eroded my sanity a bit.
The other big thing, which I have mentioned in previous posts, is how dirty the country is. There is garbage everywhere! People just throw it wherever they please, and then others come and dig through it, strewing it about everywhere. There are some clean places. Rabat was relatively clean, and Ifrane was nearly spotless. However, it is just about everywhere. This is one of the things that got right from the beginning, an annoyance that started to build up pretty much from the moment I got off the boat. I remember being on that first train from Tanger to Meknes noticing all of the garbage along the railway, and I remember hoping that it was the exception rather than the rule. I was wrong. People just don't care. I have seen people standing next to public garbage cans still throwing their litter on the ground. I cannot understand this. I've often asked my students about this when they ask me how I like Morocco, and the general consensus is that a.) there aren't enough places to throw the garbage, and b.) no one has ever told them that throwing garbage wherever you please is not a good thing. There are no campaigns against littering, and there is no public awareness about the problem. I don't think it's that people actually like living in a dirty place, but more that they just don't care or don't think it is their problem to fix.
I guess a lot of these things are cultural difference. If people are brought up one way, then it doesn't really occur to them to think about other ways of living. A big cultural difference is the difference in and separation of the sexes. Morocco is very much a "Man's Country", at least, out in public. Especially during the day time, most cafés are populated with only men, at least at the outside tables. It is a perpetual sausage party. You do see girls and women out and about, but you don't really see them hanging out, at least, not in Meknes. Now, I like women. I like seeing women. I like meeting women. I like talking to women. This is not really the place to do that. Also, being such a "Man's Country", I find myself feeling sorry for any female travelers, especially those traveling alone. I've hosted quite a few female couchsurfers, and most of them had stories about the crap they'd had to put up with from Moroccan men: cat-calls, being followed, inappropriate behavior, being made to feel uncomfortable, etc. It sucks that this is they way it is here. Ladies, if you are going to travel to Morocco, I highly recommend traveling with a guy. It will save you a lot of annoyance. Sad, but true.
Surprisingly, even though it is a very religious country, differences in religion were not really a big deal for me. I felt less uncomfortable being and atheist here than I ever did in the United States, probably because I didn't have to deal with so many people coming up and asking, "Have you found Jesus yet?" or getting in my face and damning me to hell for not believing. Here, the closest anyone has ever come to trying to convert me to Islam is to ask if I'd ever considered it. When I reply that I'm not interested, it is left at that, and we continue talking about other things. There were times in class (where it is not appropriate to discuss religion or lack thereof) when I had to dodge the question of whether or not I believe in god. I'm not uncomfortable about my lack of beliefs, but an English conversation class is not the place to discuss it. Any other impacts of the religion on my life were small. Sure, on some days everything is closed, it can be difficult to buy alcohol, and during Ramadan, it is impossible to eat out during the day. But none of these things were a big deal.
I mentioned before a lack of integrity. This isn't true for all things, but I do get a feeling that most people are only interested in getting the job done well enough and getting paid that actually doing a good job. A lot of things here seem really half-assed. A notable exception is the majority of the students at the American Language Center. They work their asses off, and I'm rather proud of the ones I taught. But, in general life, you see a lot of shoddy workmanship and half-assed rigging that only leads to problems down the line. Get the job done right and well the first time, and you don't have to worry about it any more.
Yikes, this is extremely negative, hasn't it. Like I said, it wasn't all bad, and most of these things were problems for me rather than problems for Morocco. Having such a negative initial impression probably didn't help much either.
So, was there anything good about living here?
Teaching here was a pure joy. The students here are awesome. They try very hard, they learn very quickly, and they are very engaging. Most of my best times in Morocco have been during class. I've had a lot of great students and I really hope they succeed in everything they set out to do. If any of you are reading this, keep in touch. I want to know how you are doing.
Moroccan wine is excellent. Being a Muslim country, you wouldn't expect alcohol to be a high point, and with beer that is true (with the exception of Casablanca Beer, which is pretty good). However, there is some good wine, especially around Meknes. The best, in my humble opinion, is Domaine de Sahari. It is cheaper than a lot of worse wines, and it is just excellent. I have no idea how many bottles I have consumed in the past year, but I am sure it is over 50.
Moroccan food is pretty good. Now, my favorite food in the world is Japanese. I love the attention to subtle flavors and the mixing of natural tastes. Moroccan food is good in almost the exact opposite way. There is very little subtlety in Moroccan cooking, but the spices they use are excellent.
The best times I have had in Morocco were when I was hosting CouchSurfers. I had a really big apartment with a lot of space and a nice view, and I had quite a few visitors pass through. It was a good excuse to go outside and show off the parts of Meknes that I really liked. I had nothing but wonderful guests and hopefully I'll continue to have wonderful hosts as my travels continue.
Yes, there are parts of Meknes that I do like. It isn't all dirty and full of annoyances. The Medina is often interesting, and one of my favorite parts of the Medina is on the north side, near Bab Tzimi. In the morning, it is a produce market. There is nothing touristy about it, just Moroccan people living their daily lives, and it was always interesting to see. Every step has a different smell, the sound of haggling is a cacophony, and it was just full of life. You could buy everything from all sorts of fruits and vegetables to live chickens that they will kill and pluck for you to fresh beef, sheep, and camel meat.
Ok...I'll have to continue this later. It's time to go. Next stop: Germany
2007-09-17
Preparing for Thailand / タイへ行く準備
Location: Meknes, Morocco
Status: excited
Can't read Japanese? Scroll down for English.
久しぶり！全然書いてないね。とにかくもうすぐモロッコを出るんだ。9月末に今の契約が終わって、次はタイへ行くよ！超楽しみにしている。1年間モロッコにいて、もういいって感じだなぁ… モロッコは悪くないけど、俺のタイプな国じゃない。なんか波長が合わないって気持ち。まぁとにかく今度のブログはモロッコについて沢山書くつもりだから楽しみにしててね。
タイへ行くよ！予定は10月4日にドイツのフランクフルトへ行って数日を過ごして10日に飛行機に乗ってバンコク へ！それから… まだ決めてない。もしかしてまた自転車で旅するかも…タイではどうかなぁ… とにかくドイツとタイにいるカウチサーファーに連絡して泊まる場所を準備している。そしてここでいろんなもの売ったり予防接種したり荷物を詰めたりしてモロッコを出る準備もしている。
楽しみだなぁ… 後2週間ちょっと…
それじゃ。 (^_^)v
アップデート： 航空券を買いました！10月4日の夜にフランクフルトへ飛んで10月10日にバンコクへ行くよ！よし！2週間で準備を終えなきゃ！ p(^_^)q
Well, it's been a long time, and I haven't written here at all, but I'm leaving Morocco soon, so I though I should post a little something about my plans. My teaching contract ends at the end of September, and I'm going to Thailand! :D I'm really excited to be getting back on the road again and seeing more of the world. I've been in Morocco almost a year, and I'm more than read to move on. Morocco just isn't my type of country. It's not a bad place, but I just don't really fit in the rhythm of life here. Next time, I will write all about my time in Morocco and my thoughts on this country. Sorry to keep anyone who is interested waiting.
Anyway, I'm going to Thailand! My plan is to fly out of Fes to Frankfurt, Germany on the 4th of October. I will spend a few days in Frankfurt, get some important shopping done, and then fly to Bangkok on the 10th, arriving on the 11th. After that...well, I don't really know yet. I have some ideas, and if it seems feasible, I hope to travel once again by bicycle. I'm waiting to hear from people in Thailand about that. Anyway, I'm starting to get ready. I've been contacting CouchSurfers in Frankfurt and Bangkok trying to set up places to stay and cool people to meet. I've gotten a few replies, so there shouldn't be any problems there (I can't say enough how AWESOME CouchSurfing is! There are so many wonderful people all over the world participating). I've also been making preparations to leave Morocco: trying to sell stuff that I've acquired while here, getting vaccinations, packing, etc.
Anyway, not much to say, but I can't wait! Next stop: Southeast Asia!
Update: I bought my tickets. It's official. I am flying from Fes to Frankfurt on the evening of the 4th and then flying to Bangkok on the 10th. I have about 2 weeks to get everything prepared.
p(^_^)q
Status: excited
Can't read Japanese? Scroll down for English.
久しぶり！全然書いてないね。とにかくもうすぐモロッコを出るんだ。9月末に今の契約が終わって、次はタイへ行くよ！超楽しみにしている。1年間モロッコにいて、もういいって感じだなぁ… モロッコは悪くないけど、俺のタイプな国じゃない。なんか波長が合わないって気持ち。まぁとにかく今度のブログはモロッコについて沢山書くつもりだから楽しみにしててね。
タイへ行くよ！予定は10月4日にドイツのフランクフルトへ行って数日を過ごして10日に飛行機に乗ってバンコク へ！それから… まだ決めてない。もしかしてまた自転車で旅するかも…タイではどうかなぁ… とにかくドイツとタイにいるカウチサーファーに連絡して泊まる場所を準備している。そしてここでいろんなもの売ったり予防接種したり荷物を詰めたりしてモロッコを出る準備もしている。
楽しみだなぁ… 後2週間ちょっと…
それじゃ。 (^_^)v
アップデート： 航空券を買いました！10月4日の夜にフランクフルトへ飛んで10月10日にバンコクへ行くよ！よし！2週間で準備を終えなきゃ！ p(^_^)q
Well, it's been a long time, and I haven't written here at all, but I'm leaving Morocco soon, so I though I should post a little something about my plans. My teaching contract ends at the end of September, and I'm going to Thailand! :D I'm really excited to be getting back on the road again and seeing more of the world. I've been in Morocco almost a year, and I'm more than read to move on. Morocco just isn't my type of country. It's not a bad place, but I just don't really fit in the rhythm of life here. Next time, I will write all about my time in Morocco and my thoughts on this country. Sorry to keep anyone who is interested waiting.
Anyway, I'm going to Thailand! My plan is to fly out of Fes to Frankfurt, Germany on the 4th of October. I will spend a few days in Frankfurt, get some important shopping done, and then fly to Bangkok on the 10th, arriving on the 11th. After that...well, I don't really know yet. I have some ideas, and if it seems feasible, I hope to travel once again by bicycle. I'm waiting to hear from people in Thailand about that. Anyway, I'm starting to get ready. I've been contacting CouchSurfers in Frankfurt and Bangkok trying to set up places to stay and cool people to meet. I've gotten a few replies, so there shouldn't be any problems there (I can't say enough how AWESOME CouchSurfing is! There are so many wonderful people all over the world participating). I've also been making preparations to leave Morocco: trying to sell stuff that I've acquired while here, getting vaccinations, packing, etc.
Anyway, not much to say, but I can't wait! Next stop: Southeast Asia!
Update: I bought my tickets. It's official. I am flying from Fes to Frankfurt on the evening of the 4th and then flying to Bangkok on the 10th. I have about 2 weeks to get everything prepared.
p(^_^)q
2007-05-02
Mountains of Photos! / 写真が山ほど！
Location: Meknes, Morocco
Status: normal
I've finally managed to get around to organising and uploading many of the photographs I have taken since this journey began last may. I have uploaded them all to my Picasa Web Album, and the albums are linked below. There are a lot of pictures, so feel free to take your time. Enjoy. :)
ハァー…やっと!この旅が始まったから撮った写真をやっとオーガナイズしてアップロードしました。お待たせ。GoogleのPicasaというソフトのウェブアルバムにアップして、下にはリンクが書いてあるんで、楽しんで見ててください。山ほどありますのでごゆっくりどうぞ。 (^_^)v
Pictures I took around London near the beginning of my trip. / 旅の最初のロンドンで撮った写真。
I spent a few days in Winchester, England. / イギリスのウィンチェスターで数日を過ごした。
The beautiful medieval city where Joan of Arc was burned. /「Joan of Arc」が焼かれたきれいな都会。
I spent about a week wandering around Paris. / 一週間ぐらいパリを回った。
The city where Joan of Arc was born. /「Joan of Arc」が生まれた都会。
Along the Loire River, France. / フランスのLoire川で。
I spent a week hanging out with my wonderful CouchSurfing hosts. / ステキなカウチサーフィンホストが一週間泊まらせてくれて、結構遊んだ。
This city has some incredible graffiti. Also, I was there for the music festival. / この都会にすごいグラフィティーがあるんだ。そしてフランスの国中音楽祭の時にいた。
Bordeaux was an awesome city, and my CouchSurfing hosts were great. / ボルドーもすてきな都会で、カウチサーフィンホストも最高だった。
Belize (one of my CouchSurfing Hosts) took me to an abandonned train depot for some urban exploration. It was an interesting place. / べリズと呼ばれたカウチサーフィンホストが打っちゃられた停車場へ俺を連れて行ったんだ。超面白かった。
The area around Ychoux, France. / イシューの近く。
From Irun, Spain to Madrid, Spain, including San Fermines in Pamplona. / スペインのイルンからマドリードまで。パンプロナのサンフェルミネスという祭も。
Madrid was a wonderful city. マドリードもすてきな都会だった。
Taken from the Train. / 電車の中から撮った。
All along the Mediterranean Coast. / 地中海岸。
Hanging out with my cool host and some cute girls in Malgrat de Mar. / かっこういいホストとかわいい女性と一緒に。
Coast and then mountains. / 海岸。それで山。
I stayed there for 2 months. / 2ヶ月をそこに過ごした。
Alet les Bains has a big festival at the beginning of August. It was a lot of fun, though a little strange. / Alet les Bainsは8月に大祭りがあるんだ。楽しかった。ちょっとおかしかったけど。
We took a little trip to Andorra. / ちょっと車でアンドラへ行ってきた。
Another beautiful French town. / またきれいなフランスの町。
Finally, I left Europe and came to Africa. / 最後にヨーロッパを出てアフリカに来た。
That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed them. Otherwise, there isn't much news. As you may have noticed, there are some new things on the sidebar of the blog. I have recently gotten into Last.fm, a site which is great for discovering new music and finding people with similar music tastes. Now, you can see what I have been listening to and which artists I like the most. Feel free to sign up and add me as a friend, if you like.
じゃ、それで。面白いと思ったといいね。とにかく、他のニューズが特にない。あ、そうだ。このブログの新しいことに気づいたかなぁ。右側にある。最近Last.fmというHPをよく使っている。そこで新しい音楽を聴けるし、同じ音楽が好きな人も見つけられる。結構おもしろい。んで今からみんなは俺が何と誰を聞いているかそこに見える。よかったら参加して、そこでもつなぎましょうね。
ciao.
Status: normal
I've finally managed to get around to organising and uploading many of the photographs I have taken since this journey began last may. I have uploaded them all to my Picasa Web Album, and the albums are linked below. There are a lot of pictures, so feel free to take your time. Enjoy. :)
ハァー…やっと!この旅が始まったから撮った写真をやっとオーガナイズしてアップロードしました。お待たせ。GoogleのPicasaというソフトのウェブアルバムにアップして、下にはリンクが書いてあるんで、楽しんで見ててください。山ほどありますのでごゆっくりどうぞ。 (^_^)v
 |
| London, England |
 |
| Winchester |
 |
| Rouen, France |
 |
| Paris, France |
 |
| Orleans, France |
 |
| Loire Valley |
 |
| Poitiers, France |
 |
| Angoulême, France |
 |
| Bordeaux, France |
 |
| Abandonned Train Depot |
 |
| Ychoux, France |
 |
| Irun--Pamplona--Madrid, Spain |
 |
| Madrid, Spain |
 |
| Train to Valencia |
 |
| Road to Malgrat de Mar |
 |
| Malgrat de Mar, Spain |
 |
| The Way to Alet les Bains |
 |
| Alet les Bains, France |
 |
| Fête d'Alet les Bains |
 |
| Andorra |
 |
| Carcassonne |
 |
| Ferry to Morocco |
That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed them. Otherwise, there isn't much news. As you may have noticed, there are some new things on the sidebar of the blog. I have recently gotten into Last.fm, a site which is great for discovering new music and finding people with similar music tastes. Now, you can see what I have been listening to and which artists I like the most. Feel free to sign up and add me as a friend, if you like.
じゃ、それで。面白いと思ったといいね。とにかく、他のニューズが特にない。あ、そうだ。このブログの新しいことに気づいたかなぁ。右側にある。最近Last.fmというHPをよく使っている。そこで新しい音楽を聴けるし、同じ音楽が好きな人も見つけられる。結構おもしろい。んで今からみんなは俺が何と誰を聞いているかそこに見える。よかったら参加して、そこでもつなぎましょうね。
ciao.
2007-04-13
Bringing Things up to date / 最近どうなってるんだ？
Location: Meknes, Morocco
Status: A bit homesick, but otherwise OK
Can't read Japanese? Scroll down for English.
さて、久しぶりだね！最近全然書いてないから今まで何してたか書こうと思った。
仕事
冬セッションは1月10日から3月18日までだった。良くない生徒やクラスが得になかったけど他よりいいのがあったね。まぁ、とにかく結構楽しくて難しくない仕事だね。でも冬セッションにはカウチサーフィン以外に面白い事があまりなかったんだ。暇はほとんど家で本を読んだりギターを弾いたり音楽を聴いたりiPodに入っているダウンロードした映画を見たり日記を書いたりしたんだ。あまり家を出たくないんだ。ちょっとひきこもりになった。でもな、それはそんなにダメな事じゃないと思うよ。お金をためているから家を出なくていいじゃん。
3月19日から4月8日までは休みだった。何か旅行したかったけど、スペインへとかモロッコ以内でも良かったけど、色々あってどこにも行けなかった。やっとビザみたいな「Carte de Sejour」ってやつを申し込めたんだけど領収書を早くもらえなかった。－で、申し込み中に領収書がなかったら国を出ちゃいけないんだ。そして「すぐもらえるから数日待っててね」と言われてずっとメクネズにいたんだ。残念だったけど。ちょっと友達に会いにスペインへ行きたかったのに。でも面白いカウチサーファーズが来てくれたから結構楽しかったな。
それで、春セッションが今週始まった。また教えている。今回はもうちょっとハイレベルな生徒だから結構おもしろそうなんだけど、まだ一週間たってないからわからないね。でもおもしろくなるだろう。そして新しい部活みたいなクラブを作ったんだ、この英会話で。それは「Creative Writers Workshop」という物語とか詩など書くのが好きな生徒のためのクラブなんだ。結構面白そうだろう。楽しみにしている。
とにかく次の休みは6月なんだ。それまではどうになるんだろうな。
カウチサーフィン
そうそう！この旅が始めたからこのブログには何回かカウチサーフィンについてちょっと書いたね。何か褒める事をやめられないみたい。本当にすごいことだよ。旅人心とか面白い人に会いたいとかそういう人だったら絶対参加したほうがいいと思うよ。ホストしてもホストされてもどっちでも超面白くて楽しいよ。去年旅してた時に沢山なすごくいい人に泊まらせてもらった。そしてモロッコに来てから25人ぐらいが俺の家で泊まってくれた。とても楽しかったよ。
今まではカナダ人、アメリカ人、スペイン人、イギリス人、イタリア人、日本人、ギリシア人、プエルトリコ人など俺の家に泊まりに来たんだ。みんなはすごく面白くて楽しくていい人だった。カウチサーファーがいる時は出かける時なんだ。メクネズを紹介するために。メクネズをよく知る事になったからいろんなきれいな場所とか面白い場所など結構あって見せてあげたいからね。
とにかく、いつかカウチサーフィンについてもっと詳しく書くつもりなんだからとりあえずそれでいいじゃん…
モロッコについて考えたら…
もっとモロッコについて書こうと思ってたけど、今はちょっとできないね。ちょっと説明しにくいからなんだ。いつか書くつもりなんだけど、とりあえずこれで…
(これからは英語)
I've been pretty out of touch lately, so I thought I would bring things up to date for those of you who are following this.
Work
The Winter Session ran from 10 January to 18 March. I didn't have any bad classes or really any bad students, but I had some of both that were better than others. Still, all in all, it isn't a difficult job and I do enjoy it. Nothing particularly exciting happened with work during the Winter Session. Outside of work, I mostly hung out at home reading books, playing guitar, watching downloaded movies on my iPod, or writing in my journal. The only times I didn't really do this was when I was entertaining CouchSurfers (more on that below). I don't like going out much. However, that isn't such a bad thing, since I'm trying to save money anyway.
Anyway, from 19 March to 8 April, we had a break from work. I was hoping to do some traveling, either around Morocco or out of it, but things came up that prevented me from being able to do so. I finally got all of my paperwork together to apply for my "Carte de Sejour", which is basically a visa so I can stay in the country and work here. Near the start of my vacation, I submitted everything to the police, and they were supposed to give me an official receipt which I could use if I wanted to leave the country while they are processing the application. However, they were very slow getting me the receipt (I got it on 12 April), so leaving the country during my vacation was not an option. It's a shame, because I would have liked to have gone up to Spain and visited a few friends. Also, during the vacation, I had some CouchSurfers scheduled to come and stay at my place, and since I had already promised them, I couldn't really leave. The ones that did show up were cool, however, so that worked out well.
Anyway, the Spring Session has just started and will run until June. Since this is still the first week and I haven't taught all of my classes yet, I'm not sure how things will go, but I'm hopeful. I'm teaching mostly intermediate and upper level classes, so it should be interesting.
Also, I have just started a new club at the ALC: the American Language Center Creative Writers Workshop. Assuming I find enough interested students, it should be a lot of fun, and hopefully just the kick in the ass I need to do more writing myself. The plan is basically to give students who have a passion for writing a group of people they can share their writing with and hopefully get some good comment and critique on how to improve it. There will probably also be various writing exercises and such as well as a lot of discussion about the art of writing and how to improve our own abilities. (As you can see from my writing style, this is something I sorely need)
Anyway, we'll see how the session goes.
CouchSurfing
I've mentioned CouchSurfing several times over the course of writing this blog since my travels began, and I cannot praise it enough. It is a simply amazing phenomenon, and I encourage all travelers and like-minded open-minded people to join up and either host or be hosted by wonderful people all over the world (or both, of course). During my travels from May to September of last year, I mainly was hosted by several CouchSurfers across England, France, and Spain. Since coming to Morocco, getting my own place here, and getting used to living in it and putting furniture in it, I have been hosting several travelers passing through. I think I have hosted about 25 people total so far, and I love it.
I've had travelers from Canada, the US, Japan, Spain, Italy, Greece, Russia, Latvia, England, Puerto Rico, and perhaps more. Everyone has been super cool, and we've managed to have some good times. These are the main times when I go out and around Meknes. I know my way around the city fairly well, including a lot of places that usual tourists probably wouldn't get to, so I usually take the CouchSurfers out and around town. There are some nice things about this city, and it is fun to show them off to those who stop by.
Anyway, in the future, I'll probably devote an entire post to CouchSurfing, but for now, I'll leave it at that.
Thoughts on Morocco
I intended to write a good bit about my impressions of Morocco after living here for 6 months, but I'm having a hard time organizing my thoughts on the subject. I guess it will have to be the subject of a future post.
Status: A bit homesick, but otherwise OK
Can't read Japanese? Scroll down for English.
さて、久しぶりだね！最近全然書いてないから今まで何してたか書こうと思った。
仕事
冬セッションは1月10日から3月18日までだった。良くない生徒やクラスが得になかったけど他よりいいのがあったね。まぁ、とにかく結構楽しくて難しくない仕事だね。でも冬セッションにはカウチサーフィン以外に面白い事があまりなかったんだ。暇はほとんど家で本を読んだりギターを弾いたり音楽を聴いたりiPodに入っているダウンロードした映画を見たり日記を書いたりしたんだ。あまり家を出たくないんだ。ちょっとひきこもりになった。でもな、それはそんなにダメな事じゃないと思うよ。お金をためているから家を出なくていいじゃん。
3月19日から4月8日までは休みだった。何か旅行したかったけど、スペインへとかモロッコ以内でも良かったけど、色々あってどこにも行けなかった。やっとビザみたいな「Carte de Sejour」ってやつを申し込めたんだけど領収書を早くもらえなかった。－で、申し込み中に領収書がなかったら国を出ちゃいけないんだ。そして「すぐもらえるから数日待っててね」と言われてずっとメクネズにいたんだ。残念だったけど。ちょっと友達に会いにスペインへ行きたかったのに。でも面白いカウチサーファーズが来てくれたから結構楽しかったな。
それで、春セッションが今週始まった。また教えている。今回はもうちょっとハイレベルな生徒だから結構おもしろそうなんだけど、まだ一週間たってないからわからないね。でもおもしろくなるだろう。そして新しい部活みたいなクラブを作ったんだ、この英会話で。それは「Creative Writers Workshop」という物語とか詩など書くのが好きな生徒のためのクラブなんだ。結構面白そうだろう。楽しみにしている。
とにかく次の休みは6月なんだ。それまではどうになるんだろうな。
カウチサーフィン
そうそう！この旅が始めたからこのブログには何回かカウチサーフィンについてちょっと書いたね。何か褒める事をやめられないみたい。本当にすごいことだよ。旅人心とか面白い人に会いたいとかそういう人だったら絶対参加したほうがいいと思うよ。ホストしてもホストされてもどっちでも超面白くて楽しいよ。去年旅してた時に沢山なすごくいい人に泊まらせてもらった。そしてモロッコに来てから25人ぐらいが俺の家で泊まってくれた。とても楽しかったよ。
今まではカナダ人、アメリカ人、スペイン人、イギリス人、イタリア人、日本人、ギリシア人、プエルトリコ人など俺の家に泊まりに来たんだ。みんなはすごく面白くて楽しくていい人だった。カウチサーファーがいる時は出かける時なんだ。メクネズを紹介するために。メクネズをよく知る事になったからいろんなきれいな場所とか面白い場所など結構あって見せてあげたいからね。
とにかく、いつかカウチサーフィンについてもっと詳しく書くつもりなんだからとりあえずそれでいいじゃん…
モロッコについて考えたら…
もっとモロッコについて書こうと思ってたけど、今はちょっとできないね。ちょっと説明しにくいからなんだ。いつか書くつもりなんだけど、とりあえずこれで…
(これからは英語)
I've been pretty out of touch lately, so I thought I would bring things up to date for those of you who are following this.
Work
The Winter Session ran from 10 January to 18 March. I didn't have any bad classes or really any bad students, but I had some of both that were better than others. Still, all in all, it isn't a difficult job and I do enjoy it. Nothing particularly exciting happened with work during the Winter Session. Outside of work, I mostly hung out at home reading books, playing guitar, watching downloaded movies on my iPod, or writing in my journal. The only times I didn't really do this was when I was entertaining CouchSurfers (more on that below). I don't like going out much. However, that isn't such a bad thing, since I'm trying to save money anyway.
Anyway, from 19 March to 8 April, we had a break from work. I was hoping to do some traveling, either around Morocco or out of it, but things came up that prevented me from being able to do so. I finally got all of my paperwork together to apply for my "Carte de Sejour", which is basically a visa so I can stay in the country and work here. Near the start of my vacation, I submitted everything to the police, and they were supposed to give me an official receipt which I could use if I wanted to leave the country while they are processing the application. However, they were very slow getting me the receipt (I got it on 12 April), so leaving the country during my vacation was not an option. It's a shame, because I would have liked to have gone up to Spain and visited a few friends. Also, during the vacation, I had some CouchSurfers scheduled to come and stay at my place, and since I had already promised them, I couldn't really leave. The ones that did show up were cool, however, so that worked out well.
Anyway, the Spring Session has just started and will run until June. Since this is still the first week and I haven't taught all of my classes yet, I'm not sure how things will go, but I'm hopeful. I'm teaching mostly intermediate and upper level classes, so it should be interesting.
Also, I have just started a new club at the ALC: the American Language Center Creative Writers Workshop. Assuming I find enough interested students, it should be a lot of fun, and hopefully just the kick in the ass I need to do more writing myself. The plan is basically to give students who have a passion for writing a group of people they can share their writing with and hopefully get some good comment and critique on how to improve it. There will probably also be various writing exercises and such as well as a lot of discussion about the art of writing and how to improve our own abilities. (As you can see from my writing style, this is something I sorely need)
Anyway, we'll see how the session goes.
CouchSurfing
I've mentioned CouchSurfing several times over the course of writing this blog since my travels began, and I cannot praise it enough. It is a simply amazing phenomenon, and I encourage all travelers and like-minded open-minded people to join up and either host or be hosted by wonderful people all over the world (or both, of course). During my travels from May to September of last year, I mainly was hosted by several CouchSurfers across England, France, and Spain. Since coming to Morocco, getting my own place here, and getting used to living in it and putting furniture in it, I have been hosting several travelers passing through. I think I have hosted about 25 people total so far, and I love it.
I've had travelers from Canada, the US, Japan, Spain, Italy, Greece, Russia, Latvia, England, Puerto Rico, and perhaps more. Everyone has been super cool, and we've managed to have some good times. These are the main times when I go out and around Meknes. I know my way around the city fairly well, including a lot of places that usual tourists probably wouldn't get to, so I usually take the CouchSurfers out and around town. There are some nice things about this city, and it is fun to show them off to those who stop by.
Anyway, in the future, I'll probably devote an entire post to CouchSurfing, but for now, I'll leave it at that.
Thoughts on Morocco
I intended to write a good bit about my impressions of Morocco after living here for 6 months, but I'm having a hard time organizing my thoughts on the subject. I guess it will have to be the subject of a future post.
2007-03-02
明星の12年生へ…
Location: Meknes, Morocco
Status: ちょっとホームシック… 日本に…
Can't read Japanese? Sorry. This one is meant for my former students.
最初は俺がみんなに謝らなきゃ… 今年の3月に卒業式のために一度日本に帰る約束したんだな。でもその約束を守れないんだ。仕事があって、お金もあまりなくて…まぁあるけどそのお金をためないとこの国を決して出られなくなっちゃうね。ごめんなさい。またいつかね。
とにかく卒業式はもうすぐだよね。お疲れ様、みんな。よくがんばってきて嬉しいよ。これからもがんばってね。一つの言いたい事があるんだけど。これを信じても信じなくてもいい。俺はこう思っている: 高校の卒業はただの一歩だけだぜ。大きな一歩みたいけど実は本当に小さな一歩なんだ。
人生の一番大事なステップがスケジュールされてないよ。
それでも卒業は大切な一歩だね。これから大人の世界にごっそり入る。高校が始まったからちょっとずつ(一歩一歩)その世界に入ってたからあまり何も変わってない気がするかもしれないけどこれからは100パーセントだよ。でも心配しないで。楽しんで自分のやりたい事をやってちゃんと責任を持ってたら人生が上がるしかないから。高校で色々学んだけど、これからは人生を学ぶよ。
Carpe diem. p(^-^)q
卒業おめでとうございます。お疲れ様でした。
チャンスがあったら連絡してね:守＠ジメール.コム。みんなどうしているか知りたいからね。そして卒業式の写真も見たいね。
Status: ちょっとホームシック… 日本に…
Can't read Japanese? Sorry. This one is meant for my former students.
最初は俺がみんなに謝らなきゃ… 今年の3月に卒業式のために一度日本に帰る約束したんだな。でもその約束を守れないんだ。仕事があって、お金もあまりなくて…まぁあるけどそのお金をためないとこの国を決して出られなくなっちゃうね。ごめんなさい。またいつかね。
とにかく卒業式はもうすぐだよね。お疲れ様、みんな。よくがんばってきて嬉しいよ。これからもがんばってね。一つの言いたい事があるんだけど。これを信じても信じなくてもいい。俺はこう思っている: 高校の卒業はただの一歩だけだぜ。大きな一歩みたいけど実は本当に小さな一歩なんだ。
人生の一番大事なステップがスケジュールされてないよ。
それでも卒業は大切な一歩だね。これから大人の世界にごっそり入る。高校が始まったからちょっとずつ(一歩一歩)その世界に入ってたからあまり何も変わってない気がするかもしれないけどこれからは100パーセントだよ。でも心配しないで。楽しんで自分のやりたい事をやってちゃんと責任を持ってたら人生が上がるしかないから。高校で色々学んだけど、これからは人生を学ぶよ。
Carpe diem. p(^-^)q
卒業おめでとうございます。お疲れ様でした。
チャンスがあったら連絡してね:守＠ジメール.コム。みんなどうしているか知りたいからね。そして卒業式の写真も見たいね。
2007-01-03
Happy New Year! / あけましておめでとう！
Location: Meknes, Morocco
Status: pretty good, trying not to be lazy
Can't read Japanese? Scroll Down for English.
お久しぶりです。ごめんなさい、モロッコに来てから全然書かなくて・・・ とにかくもう2007年になっちゃって書いたほうがいいね。いろんな事がたくさんあったから。
去年の10月10日にモロッコに来た。11日にアパートを見つけて、仕事も始まった。それからはほとんど毎日仕事だった。休みがちょっとしかなかったんだ。でも週には24時間ぐらいだけ働いているからそんなに大変じゃないけど、休みなしの毎日は難しいね。でも今は冬休みだよ！ p(^_^)q
とにかく・・・
俺は今American Language Centerという英会話で働いている。生徒たちは面白くて結構がんばっているからこの仕事は結構楽しいね。ほとんどの生徒は高校生だからいい仕事だね(その年の人々に教えるのは一番楽しい)。授業中は英語だけ。
モロッコにいる生活は・・・面白い・・・ まぁ、食べ物はおいしくて、面白い場所が結構あるけど、何か・・・ この国は汚い。本当に。どこへ行ってもゴミがたくさんある・・・公園でも田舎でもどこでも。それは本当に残念ですよ。こういう事がなかったら、ここは本当にきれいな国だろう。そしてモロッコ人は何か・・・ 優しい人がいるけど・・・ 何かわがままみたいな怠け者もたくさんいるみたい。
とにかく、モロッコが嫌いじゃないけど、あまり好きじゃないね。
そういえば、一つの超悪いことがあった。ある日、俺が仕事中の時に、誰かが俺の家に入って6万円ぐらいを盗んだ。それはちょっと俺のせいだったけど・・・ 俺が初めて入った時にかぎを変えなくて、そしてお金はちょっと見つけやすい所に置いてた。俺は本当にバカだね。でももう二度とそういう事が起こらないね。絶対。
とにかく、このメクネズで撮った写真を見てね。
そうだ！今は冬休みって言ったね。俺はスペインへ行ってきた。グラナダという都会へ行ったんだ。すごくきれいだった。そしてその町は面白いgraffiti artがたくさんあるんだ。写真をたくさん撮った(見てね)。とにかくそこに住んでいる友達と一緒にカウントダウンをして、朝まで踊ってた。すごく楽しかったなー。
とにかく、あけましておめでとうございますよ。
俺はもっと書こうとするね、これから。ではでは！
Well, it is a new year, and I have been here for nearly 3 months, so I guess it would be a good idea to post about it. A lot has happened.
I arrived on October 10, found a place to live on October 11, and also started my job on October 11. Since then, with the exception of a few national holidays and one teacher's conference in Tanger, I worked every day from then to December 20. However, the hours are not long. I'm only working about 24 hours a week. Still, having to worry about going into work everyday with no breaks can burn you out a little.
Now I am on vacation, and have been since the 20th.
I am working at the American Language Center here in Meknes, teaching English. It is actually pretty enjoyable, because the students learn quickly, want to learn, and have a pretty good overall English level. Also, most of the students are young: high school and university age, which are my favorite age groups to teach. Teaching consists 3 hours per class per week, and I had 8 classes in the fall session, which just ended.
Life in Morocco is...interesting. There are things I like and things I don't really like. The food is delicious and there are a lot of interesting places to go. However, from what I have seen, it is a fairly dirty country. There is a lot of garbage an litter around making what should be very beautiful places kind of ugly. It is sad, because otherwise this would be an incredibly gorgeous country. The people are generally friendly, though sometimes a bit noisy.
Anyway, I've pretty much gotten used to life here. I have no trouble getting food and most of the things I need. I can't really speak either of the two commonly spoken languages (French and Moroccan Arabic), but I am working on my French, and it is almost passable enough for everyday situations...I just can't really converse.
I have only had one particularly bad thing happen to me here, which stemmed from my own stupidity, but I have managed to deal with rather well. When I arrived and got my own apartment, I didn't even think to change the locks after I moved in, and so in mid-November, someone who had a key to my apartment (it might have even been the landlord for all I know) walked in while I was out, managed to find my money stash (which, again by my own stupidity, wasn't hidden particularly well), and stole the 6000 dirhams that I'd managed to save to that point. Luckily, cash was all they took, so I still have my camera and all of my other gear. I've since changed the locks, and I carry my savings in a security wallet strapped to the inside of my leg. It's not the best solution, but it will have to do until I can get a bank account.
Anyway, like I said, blame my own stupidity for that one. Well, I'm the type to only get burned once, so that won't ever happen again.
Check out some pictures I have taken around Meknes (Picasa Web Gallery).
Like I said, I have mainly been working, but now I am on vacation. I just went up to Spain for New Year's. I had to go because I can only be in Morocco for three months at a time without a carte de sejour (basically a visa to stay in the country), and things have been slow with my paperwork to apply for one. Still, it was nice to go up to Spain. I went to visit a friend in Granada, and got to see Andalucia for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful area of Spain, and Granada was a very cool city.
Check out some pictures I took (Picasa web gallery).
Anyway, I'll try to be more up-to-date, but I wanted to let the few of you who are following this thing know that I am still alive. Happy New Year!
Status: pretty good, trying not to be lazy
Can't read Japanese? Scroll Down for English.
お久しぶりです。ごめんなさい、モロッコに来てから全然書かなくて・・・ とにかくもう2007年になっちゃって書いたほうがいいね。いろんな事がたくさんあったから。
去年の10月10日にモロッコに来た。11日にアパートを見つけて、仕事も始まった。それからはほとんど毎日仕事だった。休みがちょっとしかなかったんだ。でも週には24時間ぐらいだけ働いているからそんなに大変じゃないけど、休みなしの毎日は難しいね。でも今は冬休みだよ！ p(^_^)q
とにかく・・・
俺は今American Language Centerという英会話で働いている。生徒たちは面白くて結構がんばっているからこの仕事は結構楽しいね。ほとんどの生徒は高校生だからいい仕事だね(その年の人々に教えるのは一番楽しい)。授業中は英語だけ。
モロッコにいる生活は・・・面白い・・・ まぁ、食べ物はおいしくて、面白い場所が結構あるけど、何か・・・ この国は汚い。本当に。どこへ行ってもゴミがたくさんある・・・公園でも田舎でもどこでも。それは本当に残念ですよ。こういう事がなかったら、ここは本当にきれいな国だろう。そしてモロッコ人は何か・・・ 優しい人がいるけど・・・ 何かわがままみたいな怠け者もたくさんいるみたい。
とにかく、モロッコが嫌いじゃないけど、あまり好きじゃないね。
そういえば、一つの超悪いことがあった。ある日、俺が仕事中の時に、誰かが俺の家に入って6万円ぐらいを盗んだ。それはちょっと俺のせいだったけど・・・ 俺が初めて入った時にかぎを変えなくて、そしてお金はちょっと見つけやすい所に置いてた。俺は本当にバカだね。でももう二度とそういう事が起こらないね。絶対。
とにかく、このメクネズで撮った写真を見てね。
そうだ！今は冬休みって言ったね。俺はスペインへ行ってきた。グラナダという都会へ行ったんだ。すごくきれいだった。そしてその町は面白いgraffiti artがたくさんあるんだ。写真をたくさん撮った(見てね)。とにかくそこに住んでいる友達と一緒にカウントダウンをして、朝まで踊ってた。すごく楽しかったなー。
とにかく、あけましておめでとうございますよ。
俺はもっと書こうとするね、これから。ではでは！
Well, it is a new year, and I have been here for nearly 3 months, so I guess it would be a good idea to post about it. A lot has happened.
I arrived on October 10, found a place to live on October 11, and also started my job on October 11. Since then, with the exception of a few national holidays and one teacher's conference in Tanger, I worked every day from then to December 20. However, the hours are not long. I'm only working about 24 hours a week. Still, having to worry about going into work everyday with no breaks can burn you out a little.
Now I am on vacation, and have been since the 20th.
I am working at the American Language Center here in Meknes, teaching English. It is actually pretty enjoyable, because the students learn quickly, want to learn, and have a pretty good overall English level. Also, most of the students are young: high school and university age, which are my favorite age groups to teach. Teaching consists 3 hours per class per week, and I had 8 classes in the fall session, which just ended.
Life in Morocco is...interesting. There are things I like and things I don't really like. The food is delicious and there are a lot of interesting places to go. However, from what I have seen, it is a fairly dirty country. There is a lot of garbage an litter around making what should be very beautiful places kind of ugly. It is sad, because otherwise this would be an incredibly gorgeous country. The people are generally friendly, though sometimes a bit noisy.
Anyway, I've pretty much gotten used to life here. I have no trouble getting food and most of the things I need. I can't really speak either of the two commonly spoken languages (French and Moroccan Arabic), but I am working on my French, and it is almost passable enough for everyday situations...I just can't really converse.
I have only had one particularly bad thing happen to me here, which stemmed from my own stupidity, but I have managed to deal with rather well. When I arrived and got my own apartment, I didn't even think to change the locks after I moved in, and so in mid-November, someone who had a key to my apartment (it might have even been the landlord for all I know) walked in while I was out, managed to find my money stash (which, again by my own stupidity, wasn't hidden particularly well), and stole the 6000 dirhams that I'd managed to save to that point. Luckily, cash was all they took, so I still have my camera and all of my other gear. I've since changed the locks, and I carry my savings in a security wallet strapped to the inside of my leg. It's not the best solution, but it will have to do until I can get a bank account.
Anyway, like I said, blame my own stupidity for that one. Well, I'm the type to only get burned once, so that won't ever happen again.
Check out some pictures I have taken around Meknes (Picasa Web Gallery).
Like I said, I have mainly been working, but now I am on vacation. I just went up to Spain for New Year's. I had to go because I can only be in Morocco for three months at a time without a carte de sejour (basically a visa to stay in the country), and things have been slow with my paperwork to apply for one. Still, it was nice to go up to Spain. I went to visit a friend in Granada, and got to see Andalucia for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful area of Spain, and Granada was a very cool city.
Check out some pictures I took (Picasa web gallery).
Anyway, I'll try to be more up-to-date, but I wanted to let the few of you who are following this thing know that I am still alive. Happy New Year!
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