9 Days In Morocco

I spent the Easter holiday exploring Morocco. It would have been rude not to visit Morocco while I am living in Algeciras considering it's just a short ferry ride away. It was a jam-packed 9 days full of adventure that truly felt like a trip of a lifetime. We packed in the "top things to do in Morocco" (according to our guidebook) in our limited time. This meant traveling hundreds of miles by train, grand taxi, car, coach, camel and foot. It meant exploring a wide range of environments from beaches (Tangier) to snow peaked mountains (Atlas) to rocky and sandy deserts (Sahara) to bustling cities (Marrakech). It gave us the opportunity to climb Mount Toubkal (4,100m high - altitude sickness unfortunately meant I could only reach 3,800m) and ride camels over the sand dunes in the Sahara. We visited a number of small Moroccan towns and villages across the country that varied hugely in their architecture and terrain. Among all this excitement we met fantastic and interesting people from all over Morocco and all over the world.  

Nine unforgettable days.

Chefchaouen - The blue city in the Moroccan mountains

Some very different Moroccan architecture near Ait Benhaddou

Selling traditional Moroccan rugs and carpets

My first visit to Africa

Todra Gorge with my tour group

A Moroccan lady at work in the commune farms

Riding camels in the Sahara desert

During the long hike to our refuge at Mt Toubkal

The hike had stunning scenery of the valleys and mountains - complemented with mules, streams and waterfalls

Marrakech - the mosque and minaret where calls to prayer would be shouted across the nearby area

Sunrise in Tangier

I'm Somewhere New Again...

Woah, it's been a while!

Tomorrow is 1st March. Ticking on to almost a year since I left South Korea and last posted on this blog. Time flew by so quick that, until the last few weeks, I had forgot I even had this blog. But today is Andalusia Day which means a day off work, so here's a post to update the last few months.

Andalusia Day, I hear you ask, does that mean you are now in southern Spain? Correct. I arrived in the small city of Algeciras in early January and am teaching here at a private English academy. My second teaching post is very different to my time in Korea. At this school I am teaching beginners who are around 5-6 years old all the way up to adults. It's been great getting to experience teaching such a variety of ages, something that was lacking at my previous school.

In Spain, one of the largest examination boards for English is 'Cambridge' and a large proportion of the teaching time is allocated to preparing the students for these exams. While the system isn't the most exciting, it does allow me to gain experience with teaching one of the largest examination types in the world (for ESL).

There is also a large focus on teaching grammar at this school which has proven to be one of the most challenging aspects to this new job. I have a grammar book called 'Practical English Usage' by Swan. The guide book was recommended to me by my TEFL course teacher a few years ago. I bought it before I flew to Korea but I could count on one hand the amount of times I used it in the 12 months I was there. Now, in Spain, that book is my bible. Whenever I am required to teach nuanced grammar points, I refer to the previously mentioned book.

Now whether or not the focus on grammar at my school in Spain compared to my school in Korea is a cultural difference or merely an institutional choice remains to be seen. One thing for certain is that I am teaching far more grammar these days. Not that I am shying away from this challenge. While the need to study certain grammar points prior to a class does eat up some of my free time, I do notice that I enjoy learning about English grammar.

I'm noticing that describing and explaining why we use certain grammatical formations in English is equally fascinating, challenging and completely frustrating. While some grammar rules such as when to use the modal verb 'should' and when to use 'must' are clear and easy to teach others leave the students begging for a rule to follow which doesn't exist. Such as, why do we say 'I am interested in biology' and not 'I am interested on biology'?

It's also been great getting to know Andalusia. Algeciras is an interesting small city. While it lacks the charm and beautiful beaches you may expect with southern Spain it does have convenience and opportunities to (kinda) easily reach any other city in Andalusia. I have done trips to both Malaga and Granada and have been impressed by both cities. Granada, in particular, is very beautiful and the iconic Alhambra is a really picturesque and fascinating element to the city. Algeciras is only 45 minutes from Gibraltar which I have also had an opportunity to visit. It is just across the bay from Algeciras and would be easily visible from my city were there not a massive shipping port (3rd biggest in Europe) here. Just across the sea is Africa and at the tip of Africa is Ceuta. Ceuta is a small city which borders Morocco but is officially Spanish. I went there a week ago and was a great day trip. Although being in Africa, it felt very Spanish with just a sprinkling of Moroccan influence. Algeciras has a similar feeling although being very industrial with the huge port the city also has a gritty, hard-nosed atmosphere to it.

That'll be it for now. Enjoy the following photographs of Andalusia...

Gibraltar, as seen from a beach near Algeciras

Plaza Alta, Algeciras

Selfies with the monkey on Gibraltar's Rock.

Rewarded with good views from Gibraltar

Malaga's impressive cathedral

Malaga

Malaga's bull ring

Ceuta - geographically African, politically Spanish

Just one of many ships docked in Algeciras' port

Granada

Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance

Granada as seen from the Alhambra

The narrow, small market streets in Granada

The Arabic influenced Alhambra

Looking down a narrow Granada street to the Alhambra

Sacromonte, Granada

And a final one of the Alhambra

One Year In Korea - Done

I've now been home from South Korea for a week. The last couple of months in Korea flew by and I did so much in that short period of time. Plenty was ticked off my Korea bucket list including doing a DMZ tour, the Korea war memorial museum and a couple of hikes - Namhansanseong and Bukaksan.

Saying goodbye to my friends and students was tough. Perhaps they were some of the hardest goodbyes I've ever had to say. Not just because they are awesome people but because it signaled the end of the awesome adventure I'd been on for the last 12 months.

Arriving back in England has been nice. Seeing family and friends again was special. As expected, I am eager to start the next adventure. In fact, the next one isn't too far away. On Thursday I fly to Berlin to meet a few friends before traveling on to Copenhagen and Amsterdam.

Overall, Korea was such an amazing experience. One that I cannot put into words. The beautiful scenery, the friendly people, the amazing food and wonderfully unique culture were fantastic to experience. The teaching was so much more enjoyable and rewarding than I ever thought possible and the students were a real pleasure to teach and get to know. Finally, the friends I made in Korea made the experience so much more fun and enjoyable. Korea is a great country... one I am not finished with just yet.

Here are some photo highlights of my last couple of months in South Korea.

Peace in North Korea

The famous blue huts at the DMZ

White water rafting!

The city was covered in lanterns for Buddha's birthday

The Blue House - the S Korean presidential palace

The Korean war memorial museum was fascinating

Hiking in Korea is a favorite pastime for the locals

Spectacular views of Seoul from Mt. Bukaksan

One last night out in Hongdae

MA class

E3 class

HI class

MB class

HI class

E3 class

One last samgyeopsal

One last hungover shabu shabu!

Peace out Korea!

And a few from a trip to Taiwan...

Eating chicken feet!

Hiking up Mt. Qixing

And hiking back down Mt. Qixing

Taipei 101 reaching into the clouds