First few days of school end with a Moroccan feast!

Wow, it's only been two weeks since I've arrived in Casablanca!! It feels as though I've been here for at least a month! It's been a whirlwind of planning, getting situated and of course staff outings!

So I keep talking about this infamous yellow school bus that drives the teachers to and from school, and here it proudly awaits its passengers:

 

 

 

Well, the first week (actually only 3 days since we began on a Wednesday) went smoothly. I teach Middle School Science to 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. The class sizes are small and I only have a total of 70 students. This is great as I'll be able to develop a deeper teacher-student relationship with each young person. Immediately upon first introducing myself I had a few students tell me that they LOVED my accent and they even tried imitating it. Ha, wait till I start calling the hogs, then they'll really be in for a treat! Speaking of the Razorbacks...I'm able to get updates and I'm so proud of how well they played against LA-Lafayette at their first game :) WPS!!

 

 

So I'm finding a few American-inspired restaurants and goods. This place will be a must after a long day at school:

 

 

Of course I'll have to keep coming back to try them all!

 

 



After the short first week of school, a parent of one of my students graciously offered all of his teacher's to their house for a Moroccan Barbeque. I looked forward to it all week/weekend because I truly didn't know what I was in store for me! Some fellow teachers and I took a taxi to the family's house near the beach. The house was grandeur, modern and immaculate! I would compare it to a very modern house that you would find in Miami. From what I've heard about other houses and seeing this one, the houses are very open and have many lounging areas. The backyard was full of exotic trees and was just beautiful. We had light appetizers (olives, variety of nuts, dried fruit, candied ginger, fresh fruit drinks) and chatted for awhile. I was blown away when I saw the cooks and maids bringing out our feast. There were steamed prawns (large shrimp), patellae with mussels, beans, Moroccan salad (cooked eggplant), salad with fresh veggies and of course the staple of all Moroccan meals bread.

Patellae

Prawns

My plate full!

 

 

Right when I was finishing my plate and getting full, they announced that the meat will be served. Oh my was it delicious and new to me! They served BBQ chicken, steak, lamb, and a variety of sausages as you see below.   

 

 

Now by this time, we're all stuffed and either wanting to go on a walk or be lethargic and lay down. However, any meal couldn't be complete without a sweet ending. This course blew my mind the most and it hurt my stomach just taking a picture of it all.

 



 

Frozen fruit ice, flan, chocolate cherry cake, Jell-O, chocolate mousse, rice pudding, Whipped cream/strawberry (shortcake?) trifle, banana/whipped cream/toffee trifle, cupcakes and fresh fruit galore. My friends and I took one of each and tried a bite of each. It all was truly delicious. And then only to find out that the cook hand made each and every dish and dessert was truly astounding! After this, there was no walking...we all layed down on outdoor blankets and carpets. As customary at the end of a meal (or just whenever), hot mint green tea is served. I love the tea and it's very refreshing, even on a hot day. But of course tea couldn't be served alone....

Moroccan & Lebanese Chocolates!

 

 

Needless to say I didn't eat dinner nor breakfast the next morning. We teachers had a great time with the family and we were grateful for their hospitality. Next time I'll be sure to sign up instantly when another invitation for a Moroccan BBQ is offered to me :)