Blog Challenge

I'm determined to blog more. I love writing but I find I've been writing in other places than my blog. Well now I'm writing across the board, journals, blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. I've found this "random blog posts" site so some days I'll follow that, other days I'll write whatever I want. I can't promise I'll blog everyday or every week, but I'm shooting for every other week.

Up first: "15 facts about yourself." I'm diving in. Join me.

1. I'm doing the 365 Project. Check it out: http://365project.org/mrahili/365

2. I have 68 pairs of shoes.

3. I have great friends. No really, mine are awesome.

4. Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi is amazing.

5. I want a tattoo but I'm too scared to move beyond that desire.

6. I have a "Wicked Awesome" playlist on iTunes.

7. I could never get sick of reading.

8. Recently I became a Mac girl and I wonder why I didn't become one sooner.

9. I used to have three earrings in each ear.

10. My Mom is my hero, my inspiration, and the reason why I'm the person I am today.

11. I can't list my favorite bands, it depends on the day and my mood.

12. Dark nail polish always wins out over light nail polish.

13. I like how I write the letter "R."

14. Crosspointe feels like home.

15. If it were up to me the teacher dress code would be Vans/Converses, jeans, and a T-Shirt. I would probably have more street cred with my students if that actually happened.

Music, You Make My Heart Beat

Music. I love you. I am obsessed. I can barely get through teaching for six hours without you. In fact, the moment my planning period starts I being playing my latest playlist on my school Mac. I have no musical talent. I can’t play the guitar, drums, or bass. I can’t sing. But I know good music when I hear it.

I love seeing bands live. I love seeing the energy. I love the pulse of the crowd; beating as a singular unit. That must be the moment bands live for. Not in a crowded studio but in front of an audience. The live set resonates so much more with me than listening to the album on my iPOD. Hearing the emotion behind the words and listening to the stories behind the songs affects me. I connect so much more with a band when I see them live.

I love the Rolling Stones so I saw them in concert a few years ago when they stopped in Durham. I grew up listening to their albums and fell in love with “Rock and a Hard Place”, “Start Me Up”, and “Gimme Shelter.” When I saw the Stones play and heard Mick tell the story of why he wrote “Wild Horses” the lyrics seemed to come to life. It’s not just a story about guy meets girl, guy likes girl, guy gets girl. It has depth. Songs have so much more to them than just a nice beat. Maybe it’s my love of words but I connect with what the songwriters are saying.

Seeing bands perform live is a high for me. Watching the passion from the lead singer means the words are real. I have been to so many concerts and there is no way I could begin to count them all, and I have seen bands connect with their lyrics and I’ve seen bands lose me halfway through their set. I love when a band comes alive. There is always a moment at a concert when I stop singing and dancing and look around at all the people. Everyone singing and moving in unison validates what the band is doing. That image validates my purpose for even being there, to see amazing music. I watch all these strangers connect through music.

Music bridges so many gaps, cultures, and beliefs all for the love of a song. Thank you Music, for giving me a proper education and for teaching me how to see another side of myself. Thank you Music, for showing me what feeling and emotion is. Thank you Music, for showing me what passion is. I love you Music and you’ve always loved me back.

A Berber Wedding

So we experienced a traditional Berber wedding yesterday, and no it wasn't mine. Talk about different. The reception consisted of only women. No groom or male guests. The men were downstairs having a reception of their very own. The bride changed dresses five times. She had on a regular wedding dress then she proceeded to change into different dresses representing the different regions of Algeria. She wore each dress for about 20 minutes. For those 20 minutes she walked around showing everyone her dress and then sat in a massive chair and watched people dance. Now I had no idea who she was and she was not family of anyone we know, but my family wanted us to go with them. The entire time we were there all eyes were on us. All the women were staring at us saying "Look at the Americans!" And when I went to go dance...I quickly sat down. Nobody knows about churning the butter or mopping the floor. Oh well. Algeria isn't ready for this yet.

Some quick facts about the past few days:

The police are so nice.
I have, no joke, over 300 family members in Algeria. I have met at least 150 of them since we've been here. Ok, there might be some hyperbole in that last statement. But we have met a ton of family.
When you go to someone's home you are offered coffee, cookies, cake, water, juice, and Coke. And you are expected to eat it all.
My cousin Emene (7) is probably the cutest kid I have ever met, right after Cooper Lynch. :)
You have to be authorized to ride in a boat here and they did not authorize Sahra and I because we are American.
It is hot here all time.
Men are still everywhere.
When you go to buy something you haggle over the price. There is no firm price on anything, expect food.
Walking is the primary mode of transportation.
My dad is a fantastic man.

The Past Few Days

So our cousins Mila (23), Llamia (18), and Yasmene (18) have been our personal tour guides. They have showed us so much of Algiers in the past two days. We went to my family's clothing store that my grandfather used to own. My Uncle D'Jamel now runs the store. Since my dad is the oldest he techinically is in charge of it, but he can't run it from the U.S. so my uncle does.

After the store we went to this massive war monument. It was incredible. The floor underneath it is all marble. No one is allowed to walk on it. If you do, the guards will shoot you with their machine guns. We see a lot of machine guns here.

Yesterday we went to a museum of Algerian art. It was really cool to see some national treasures and a lot of traditional pieces of paintings and art of Algeria. At one point it took us 15 minutes to translate the word "summary." My cousins speak very little English because they all speak Arabic, Berber, and French. Sahra speaks French. My cousin Yasmene also speaks Spanish. I speak English and Spanish. We sort of form a language train and end up understanding what is being said after a few minutes. It sounds like the United Nations everywhere we go.

Everyone has been so friendly. Store owners, waiters, cops. We don't know if it's because we are American or if it's because we are female. You never see any women on the street. It's all men everywhere. All the time. And they stare at you. I mean stare. It's as if they have never seen a woman before. And yes, Sahra and I have been hit on, proposed to, etc. The women you do see are covered. Long sleeve shirts. Pants. And a head covering. And it's 92 degrees here.

Today we are going to the zoo and staying with my uncle, his wife, and his four kids. More to come soon!

Culture Shock

Wow. So I've been here for six days and I've learned so much. When we arrived last Thursday we met about 15 family members. Three speak English. There was a lot of hand motions and pointing happening. Then Friday we left for the village. Six hours up a mountain, winding streets, and a ton of Berber being spoken is not my idea of a "nice drive." We left the village on Saturday and went to the beach until today. I have learned so much and I've only been here for six days. There is no way I could tell you everything I've learned and experienced but I've listed some things below. Enjoy!

Sleeping on a plane is not fun, at all.
When you go to the village you are not supposed to wear a glitter shirt, a skirt, and rainbows.
My family is so welcoming. They are the nicest people I have ever met, hands down.
After a while, language isn't a barrier anymore.
Algerians are the worst drivers and they pay 300 to learn to drive like that. Seriously, I needed an air sick bag driving around Algiers today.
You think that's what you're eating for dinner, as it turns out more food is coming your way.
I will never, ever get used to the bathroom here, a.k.a. the hole in the ground.
I get my laugh from my Aunt Farida.
There is no A/C here. They own A/C units; but never turn them on.
Dessert is fruit, and it is awesome.
It sounds like everyone is yelling, but really they are just talking about the weather.
Everyday at 5:00 we drink coffee and eat cake.
There is a police checkpoint every three miles and they carry machine guns.
Everyone can tell we are Americans. Everyone.
Sahra can milk a cow. I can't.
Sometimes the electricity goes out, it happens.
I understand my dad a whole lot more now.

I will try to update more frequently but there is no telling what my family has planned for us.

An American in Algiers

Wednesday I head to the third world, Algiers, Algeria for two weeks. Mixed emotions are definitely present. I’m not sure what to expect. I’ve asked about one million questions and I still don’t have a clear picture of what to expect.

It will be hot. No shorts. I will be sleeping with several female cousins, plus my sister, in the same bed. No air condition. There is a limited use of English. Breakfast is coffee, black. I can’t help in the store that my family owns; I’m a woman. There is some great shopping. Dad instructed me not to be so loud…yeah, right. We are visiting the Mediterranean. I will learn how to cook some traditional Arab food. The toilet is a hole in the ground.

I am filled with excitement, nervousness, anticipation and apprehension. I am a planner. I need to know what we are going to do each day. My dad: not so much. He is more of the “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of guy, never planning more than 30 minutes in advance. I will have to learn to surrender control and let my dad take over. I will do it, but it won’t be easy, at all. I know me. But putting that aside, I have longed to know my dad’s side of my heritage for so long and now it’s finally going to happen. Getting to know my dad’s culture will hopefully shed some light on why he thinks, behaves and reacts the way he does. Having the chance to travel to Algeria is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I will fully embrace all that Algeria has to offer. Please pray for safe travels, great bonding between my father, sister and I, and that I won’t end up in a terrorist video.

P.S. I will attempt to update you on my blog about my trip as much as possible.

Education 101

I’m not sure if anyone’s has been watching the latest in education coverage in the recent weeks. If not, here’s Education in America: The Latest 101. Newsweek, Time, The New York Times Magazine, and the current administration, have all been in a heated debate about education and how to reform the whole institution. The overwhelming and mind blowing solution is to fire bad teachers.

Yes, get rid of the bad teachers. The ill equipped teachers that teach because they don’t know what else to do with their degree. Get rid of the non-team players that don’t follow simple school procedures which in turn negatively affects their students. The teachers that have no idea what they’re in for and get in the classroom and either turn it into a zoo or a daycare. Dismiss the teachers who don’t really care about their students and attempt to make no connection with their audience. Yes, there are bad teachers, just like there are bad lawyers, bad accountants, and bad waiters. So what is normally done when someone is a bad employee? Fire them.

What can be done to ensure that there are competent people working in the teaching field? For starters, raise the pay. School districts would attract more people who have a genuine interest in teaching but don’t go into the field because they have a family and can’t swing getting paid in Cheerio’s and good feelings. Raising the pay would make the field more competitive and districts would be able to hire from a more select group. Step two: get rid of standardized tests. The pressures teachers face for their students to pass the End of Course tests, the writing test, and benchmarks is daunting. Then, add in the fact that you have to give one of these tests every two weeks. When is the teaching supposed to happen? When is the learning supposed to happen? Most of the time teachers are too time constrained to go in depth with the material and the students are presented with so much information at once that they don’t comprehend everything. The money it takes to print these tests can be used to raise teacher pay.

But are teachers 100% at fault? No. I can offer extra tutoring sessions, supplemental materials and a myriad of activities to help students prep for quizzes and tests, but I can’t go home with these kids. I can’t look over their shoulder and make sure they are studying for their vocabulary quizzes. I can’t make sure that Little Johnny is reading chapter four in The Great Gatsby. I can’t do it. But parents have the ability to do so. Parents should enforce and regulate homework time, even when their kid is in high school.

So why isn’t this happening? Why is there a systematic breakdown once the bell rings every day? Because parents can’t be the heavy all the time. All parents work. The majority of parents of students that I see everyday are parents that work two or three jobs. How can they be at home when Little Sally gets of the bus to make sure she studies when they are working second shift at a hospital, restaurant, or hotel? Sometimes a parent is so concerned with putting food on the table and making sure there is a roof over their children’s heads’ that they can’t be there to reinforce that their child has a test in U.S. History the following day.

Students control so much of their own fate in the classroom. If a student doesn’t want to get suspended, then the student will not get in a fight. If a student doesn’t want to go to lunch detention, then the student won’t be late to class. If a student doesn’t want to get a “D” in a class, then they will take every offering presented to them to succeed in the class. A student that comes into class everyday and sleeps still has to take the E.O.C. at the end of the semester. And that grade the student earns counts. Just like the “A” the boy sitting next to him earned on that very same test. In a district wide meeting when the school board members analyze the progress of each school, which grade do you think stands out more?

So who is to blame? The student? The teacher? The parent? The politicians? Society? I think a combination of all of these have led to the downward spiral that is education in America. The student for not taking initiative and not being the master of his or her fate. The lackadaisical teachers who are burned out, unqualified to teach, and ignorant about their students lives. The parents who are unaware of what their child should be doing in school and who are busy providing for their family. The politicians who don’t pay teachers enough and are too busy with implementing new programs without taking the time to fully understand just what they are proposing. Society for not knowing just how much of a negative influence it is having on education today. So really, no one specific is to blame. We all shoulder the blame. The solution: keep fighting for what is right and hopefully, education can be a number one priority again. But I can’t do it alone.