An Unforgettable Summer in the Western Kingdom

Perhaps the singular moment that best embodied my Moroccan experience was the commute to school on my very first day as a teacher: my host brother accompanied me out of his flat to the nearby street, where a horse-drawn carriage was waiting for us! As I sat in the carriage, I smiled to myself at how utterly insane my life had become, at how odd it was that commuting by horse-drawn carriage was normal (as it is in that neighborhood of Casablanca; a single ride cost only 25 US cents), at how strangely charming the whole thing was. This is, in fact, how I would describe my whole experience in Morocco: surreal, insane, bizarre, almost unbelievable, but beautiful too, and something that I will take with me for the rest of my life.

No, the program is not comfortable by any means. The "toilets" were holes in the ground. I got bit rather frequently by mosquitoes and sandflies. I felt somewhat anxious every time I got into a car, because traffic in a developing country is rather ridiculous. Privacy is not a thing. But that experience taught me that the Western comforts to which I had grown accustomed do not actually matter. What mattered was knowing that in some small way, my presence in Morocco enabled my students to further themselves. The satisfaction of seeing students progress was immense.

The WorldTeach program in Morocco is not for everyone. You need to be headstrong, self-motivated and very willing to adapt. You really need to know going into it that there will be moments (likely quite a few) in which you will feel pretty isolated and lonely. But if you're willing to take the leap, it's an experience that will not only help the local communities in Morocco but will also, hopefully, make you a better person.