My Teams

As the fall semester of my junior year is coming to a close, I am beginning to narrow down the list of colleges I would like to apply to. With this, comes other decisions like what I want to study, how many people I wish to be surrounded by, which part of the country or world I would like to live, and what I'm eventually going to pursue as a career. I don't have a definite answer to any of those questions, though there is one thing I know; I need to be a part of a team.

Vail Valley Soccer Club and Vail Mountaineer Hockey Club have exposed me to people from all over the valley because they are combinations of players from every school in the county. I am grateful for this exposure because it has given me the chance to meet some of my best friends. Playing soccer at the high school level allowed me to get closer to the girls in other classes. Then, joining the Battle Mountain High School Hockey team allowed me to spend more time with boys. I have met amazing people through each of these teams and all of my closest friends play soccer or hockey with me.

This year, I joined Eagle Valley High School’s cross country team. The runners at our school were people I hadn't spent much time with. Though after the season ended last week, I had a whole new group of friends that I never would've made without the sport.

Each group that travels with Children's Global Alliance is a team too. The teams I've been a part of with CGA have been diverse groups of kids who all have different things to teach me. Through this program I have met some of the best student leaders in the valley. The kids I've traveled with have inspired me to adopt some of their characteristics such as strength and compassion, in order to be a better version of myself.

The most important team in my life is my family.  I have a family which is fully supportive of me in every aspect of my life. I am lucky enough to have my brother on my team at home and at hockey. Over the past year we have gotten much closer and I am thankful to have him around to protect and encourage me. My mom and dad are very loving and the hardest workers I know. I understand how fortunate I am to have such a great examples set by my family members.

There is something special shared between teammates. When you get a group of people together who depend on one another to reach a desired goal, a bond is created that doesn't exist between most friends. Having teammates has allowed me to create the strongest bonds.

This summer I will be given the opportunity to be a part of a new team with Children's Global Alliance; Team Nepal. My teammates and I will be traveling to Bhaktapur and teaching kids from preschool through grade 6. I am excited about this team because I can tell it is full of of students who are eager and passionate about making a difference. So far, this team has been the most timely and dedicated one I have been on with CGA. Along with teaching, we will participate in home visits and help aid in efforts to recover from the 2015 earthquake. The opportunity to complete manual labor was a major factor in my choice to apply to Nepal. I love to help the kids mentally in the classroom, but I am also appreciative of the chance to contribute to the betterment of their physical condition. In order to participate in this trip I must raise $2,600. I plan to save all the money I make working at The Beaver Creek Market and babysit more frequently. I am grateful for another chance to see a new part of the world and gain more understanding about the tiny part I live in. Additionally, I am ready to give love to every individual I have the opportunity to work with. I am excited to give all I have to the children in Nepal.

Live and Let Live

The first year I traveled with Children’s Global Alliance, I was asked on many occasions what inspired me to volunteer. I would tell people I had a strong desire to help others, and along the way, I was trying to find myself. In the two years since my initial trip, I have learned I was never really “finding myself”. Instead, I have been working to create myself.

Growing up in the Vail Valley, I was seldomly exposed to poverty. Reading about poor countries in textbooks, and seeing them in the news, could not come close to the understanding I received staring into the eyes of a starving boy. Similarly, the situations I put myself in at home have not pushed me to shape my personality as quickly or as deeply as experiencing how people live in other countries.

The families I have had the opportunity to visit in Morocco have taught me about acceptance. A young student, Fatima, kindly welcomed us into her home. After hearing countless stereotypes about Muslims in the United States, I was curious about how people in Morocco would feel about Americans. Fatima’s mother told me she thought Americans were no different from her. She told us, it does not matter what language you speak, what color your skin is, or which people you love. Fatima’s mother accepted others without judging them. She focused only on being a good person herself and allowed others to do what made them happy without any discrimination.

Of course, I have met others who have told me they do not discriminate, but Fatima’s mother was different. Listening to the powerful tone she used to speak and watching her dark eyes become so focused and set in their place helped me understand, this woman truly believed each word she was saying. This impacted me in a way I could not even comprehend at the time. After reflecting upon her wise words, I realized a level of acceptance exists here that does not exist at home.

At the school we teach, the children not only accept foreigners, they accept each other and themselves. In the United States, we would not readily accept anyone into our classroom, especially not anyone from a Muslim country. Alternatively, here the children welcomed every new teacher with open arms and open minds. Watching the children play helped me realize each individual is valued. The kids have friends that they spend time with often. Although, they have their own group of friends, no group acts superior to another. When playing games, every person is invited. Even though the kids are different, they all have the same mindset. To me, it seems this mindset is based on the idea that before we judge others, we must judge ourselves. In the Moroccan culture, people have grown accustom to focusing on improving themselves, not changing others.

As I am working to continue becoming the person I want to be, I am going to integrate the acceptance I have experienced in Morocco. I plan on getting to know each person I meet before assuming who they are. When I meet people who are different from me, I will remember those I have met in the past two weeks and attempt to embrace the differences, as my Moroccan friends have taught me.

"America the Brave Still Fears What We Don't Know"

Everything in our world is separated into groups. Movies, books and music are categorized by genres, stars are grouped into galaxies and people are grouped based on their prominent characteristics. Each group is analyzed and then labeled. In high school, the football players are labeled cool, while the cheerleaders and dancers are pretty and the kids who enjoy learning are nerds. Whether your label is justified or not, each person and each group has more value than a single word can express.

In the United States, I became aware that each person in the Muslim group has the label of a terrorist. Many of my teachers only explained the few violent practices of the Muslim culture and failed to express how beautiful and empowering their deep devotion to themselves, their families and their God truly is. My peers have honestly felt threatened in the presence of a Muslim individual. Millions of hate-crimes have been committed against those peaceful people. I saw a woman in the airport refuse to board a plane simply because a Muslim family was also on the flight. The idea that everyone in the Muslim culture has terrible intentions is heartbreaking, angering and nowhere close to the truth.

In the class I have been teaching, the students have welcomed me and expressed great amounts of love to everyone in the room.  A very intelligent boy who sits in the back of the class, named Zaki is filled with so much compassion and love it is inspiring. Zaki is always excited to learn and is very close to being fluent in English. Every time we learn a new subject, Zaki absorbs the information quickly and then helps his friends understand too. Zaki is patient and humble, he never acts as though he is superior and he helps others simply out of kindness. Zaki explained to me, it is his dream to travel to New York. He aspires to become fluent in English and do any work that will help him get to the United States. Zaki has ambitious goals and in many ways I want to help him reach the. I hope that Zaki gets the opportunity to see the New York City lights at night. I want him to be able to swim in the deep oceans and summit high Rocky Mountain peaks. I think Zaki deserves the opportunity to be surrounded by people who speak the language he has been working so hard to learn. I believe Zaki would love to experience all of the amazing opportunities presented in the U.S, although, if he ever were to go, I would fear for his well-being. Since Zaki is from a Muslim country, he would have great difficulties even entering the United States. Then, in the country Zaki or any other Muslim individual would be hated and feared. He would not be given equal opportunity because he is labeled a “terrorist.” This reality confuses me beyond words. How could you possibly look at a child like Zaki and call them such a malicious word? The idea that Americans could see Zaki and hate him without ever giving him a chance breaks my heart.

I think that the only way this irrational fear will cease to exist is if Americans decide to become more open-minded. People would have to stop just saying they are not racist and truly attempt to understand others before making any judgments or assumptions.  I hope someday Americans will have the courage and the wisdom to look beyond the label of terrorist and accept Muslims as an equal and beautiful group.

Kebda

In Morocco, I have been welcomed into homes filled with love. The people inside have taught me not only about their own lives, but about my life as well. They have explained that nothing would be possible without their kebdas. Kebdas bring love, happiness, support, and purpose to life. In Moroccan Arabic, kebda literally means liver, but the word is also used to refer to your family. It is not possible to function if your liver is absent; similarly, many people in Morocco believe it would not be possible to function without their families.

            It is common to live near your family for the entirety of your life. In Morocco, home is not a building or a town; home is where your family is. This idea was foreign to me.  In the United States the majority of people move away from home at 18 years old, and many never look back. This custom has never seemed abnormal or wrong to me, because it is all I have ever known. Although now, being exposed to families with so much long-lasting love, I cannot imagine wanting to leave forever. A young girl, Fatima-Zahara, allowed me to visit her home. She explained to me, many people want to live near their parents because God has given them parents that make them feel lucky. Fatima-Zahara; who lives in a one-room home with her Mother and Grandmother; who has small amounts of food and water; who owns three pairs of clothes; feels lucky.  She is thankful to her mother for working, for cooking, for cleaning, for loving, and for trying. Seeing Fatima-Zahara be grateful for so little has made me even more grateful for so much. My kebda and ones I have been exposed to are so special because they are comprised of people you can depend on. Children know that their parents will work extremely hard to buy food and water, provide them with education, and keep a roof over their heads.  They put this effort in because they love their children and want the best for them. Children in Morocco are wise and understand their parents’ intentions. This understanding and love keeps the children close to their parents for decades when parents in Morocco become elderly, it is always their children who come to their aid.

            This tradition seems natural to me and I want to take part in it. My parents have already started to follow the tradition and have provided me with so much care. I have been given a wonderful home and have always been blessed with copious amounts of food and water. More importantly, my parents have shown me what love looks like. They have shown me I have importance and should not allow myself to be treated otherwise. They help me up when I fall and teach me how to stay on my feet. I am so thankful for each lesson I have learned and feel like it is right to do my part in the tradition. I will remember that as I age, they age too. Even if I get less dependent on them for basic needs, they may become more dependent on others as they get old. I want to be there for my parents just like Fatima-Zahara and countless other children in Morocco. Even though it is less common in the United States, I hope I can stay close to my kebda for many years.

To Be Remembered

Our first night in Tanzania when Karlie handed me the stapled paper, I knew. I knew where the paper was from and who wrote it.  The quarter sheet of paper that made each one for my efforts worth it, read “Sarat loves Zoe I miss you.” Stapled to the note was a bracelet made from string and beads. The gesture might have seemed so simple to him, but meant everything to me. Sarat has been, and continues to be, the source of some relief and so many new goals.

Two summers ago when I met Sarat in Cambodia, he was 13 years old, the same age as me at the time. Sarat and I connected while I worked at the orphanage. He is such a caring and hardworking human. When I was doing manual labor around his home, he would follow me and ask how he could help. This made me feel truly useful. Not only was I helping do my job temporarily, I was setting an example for Sarat who started developing impactful habits that would last even after we were gone. I remember helping Sarat with his english homework and having him help me practice my Khmer. Sarat made me feel at home. He helped me be inexplicably excited to wake up early work for him and for all of his brothers and sisters, day after day.

I still think about Sarat and Cambodia daily. I am so grateful that we both had the courage to be completely vulnerable and trust one another. Our relationship was one that developed so quickly, and even though I couldn’t bond with him for very long, I bonded with him very deeply. I will never forget Sarat or the things he taught me about choosing happiness.

When I received the note, I understood the feelings were mutual. He remembered me over a year later and wanted to remind me, he loves and misses me. The feelings I received reading his words are the basis of my goal for Morocco.  In Morocco, I will strive to be remembered. I want to make so much of an impact on someone that they remember me the way Sarat does.

Not only has this helped me set goals, it has also instilled some fears in me. In Tanzania I felt myself doubting my own abilities as a teacher. The schools we work at have teachers who are qualified. They went to school and studied how to teach effectively. I was asking what I could possibly offer that these individuals couldn’t.

My answer is care. I truly care about the education of each one of these children. I am not teaching for money or a reputation or a raise in social class. I am doing it because I want to; I want to show these people I believe in them and think they can accomplish anything they put their minds to.

Sometimes I worry that I won’t make an impact because I am not truly a teacher. Although, I know if I work hard enough in Morocco, I can give hope to each person I encounter.

Confused

There are a lot of things I don’t understand about this new country.


I don’t understand how their government works. I asked my history teacher if she could explain it to me. “We the people control the government,” she said ushering us out the door as the final bell was sounding. How do “we” all control the government? Are everyone’s opinions similar? Is everybody’s voice heard? Is this why my parents say America is so great? Although, if everyone’s voices are heard, then why are people upset with choices the government makes? It seems like some kids and even teachers at my school disagree with the beliefs of our current president. Didn’t they give him power though? My father commands me not to talk about it. He says that subject would be called “taboo” here. If people are upset why shouldn’t we all discuss the issues? It must be more complicated than I am aware of. I do see the benefits of choosing who makes your decisions, it confuses me, though, because problems like this would never arise back home. The king simply tells us what to do and what not to do, and the citizens listen. It is functional and I have never wanted it any other way.

I can not comprehend the school system. There is a girl in my mathematics class who is always on her cell phone, even while our teacher is presenting. I have always assumed she was extremely committed to an english course, because she was always typing. I was very curious so I asked her,
“Why do you use your phone in mathematics? Are you working on something?” Her initial reaction was a very confused face. My hands started to sweat and I was worried my english was improper. Instead of asking me to repeat myself, she responded with three astonishing words- “No. I”m bored.” Bored?! How could she be bored in a classroom? This is school, this is a mathematics course, I can not possibly think of anything more interesting than that. Doesn’t she want to learn? Isn’t she grateful?

When we got our exams back, I thought I was closer to understanding her point. Her score was perfect, an actual 100%. “Very smart,” I said pointing at her paper, “did you prepare at your home?” I enquired. “No you’re obviously not ‘very smart’. I cheated,” she said now directing my attention to her phone. I did not understand what she meant but I replayed her response over and over in my head until lunch break arrived. During lunch I went to the library and looked up the word “cheated” in the Merriam-Webster's dictionary. I learned something absolutely dumbfounding. Cheated is the past tense of cheat, a verb meaning, “to act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination.” I realized that during our examination she used her phone to get the answers. She did not truly receive a 100%, her phone did! In Morocco this would not happen. That is a fact. People do not do things like this. Why would they? At home we value education and we want to retain all of the information so we can use it on a test. We pay attention in class and we want to get better. I didn't know that when I came here, no one would be excited to be at school. I didn’t know people would use information that was prohibited on tests. I thought students would be honest and would perform well on their exams because they have quality teaches and access to great facilities. I have not been privileged with these things my whole life but I have something most of them don’t- desire. I want to be taught, therefore I will learn so much more.

The one thing I do not think I will ever be able to understand is the way that my peers and even some teachers treat me. Sitting alone in the cafeteria, boys often walk by me and make fun of my hijab. They ask if I have burnt my hair off trying to create bombs. They tell me it looks dumb and stupid. Insulting things are said about my family and my home country. The boys may seem bad, but the girls are worse. Most of them, simply seem too afraid to talk to me. If I try to create conversation they walk away or respond as quickly as they can and move away from me. My parents have told me it will take time for students to get used to someone who has a different culture than them. It does not hurt my feelings as much as it confuses me. I just don’t understand their belief. They view everyone in the Muslim culture as a terrorist. It is not fair. I am so very sorry about the attacks that were brought upon this country by people with my religion. Although, there are terrorist in every culture and I am not here to hurt them in any way. I have moved here with my family and I want to integrate into my school. I wish I was not feared in this way. I wish they could visit my hometown in Morocco. They would realize many Muslims are loving, accepting, and nothing but peaceful.

I wrote this blog from the perspective of a teenage girl who moved from Morocco to the United States and was trying to understand some of the complex portions of our culture. I attempted to inform about the aspects of the culture in Morocco as well. I included some information about the government, which is Constitutional Monarchy. The chief of state in Morocco is King Mohammed VI and he has ruled since 1999. Prime Minister Abbas el Fassi was appointed by the king. The king is involved in all decisions. Later in my writing, I discussed how I believe the students will feel towards learning. After talking to other students who have traveled to Morocco they have told me that the pupils are eager to gain more information. I have experienced this with students I taught two years ago in Cambodia, and again last year in Tanzania. I am very excited to be around people who want to know the things I have the ability to share with them. Finally I included information about the stereotypes some Americans have towards Muslims. I have heard these stereotypes in my school, read about them online, and even seen them in books. I do not believe we give many Muslim individuals an opportunity to show they are not a part of the tiny percentage of Muslims who are extremists. I am excited to visit Morocco and have all of the rumors disproven in front of my eyes.

Fundraising has been going well. I just reached my deadline of $1650, earning the majority of it working at a general store. I plan on continuing my work there to get the rest of my money before the trip. Thinking about this opportunity makes me very excited and I am grateful to share it with you.