Living in a country like this, the children become tough. Taking risks that would make an American mother shriek with worry. I once saw a small boy standing atop a 15-foot wall and as I am going crazy with worry for his safety, he jumped down and ran off like it was nothing. Children must be extra careful when it comes to traffic. Drivers tend to drive very fast when they shouldn't and respect of pedestrians is not a concept that Moroccan's are familiar with. I have learned that obsession with safety is a American trait because Moroccan's don't think about it nearly as much as Americans. When asking my downstairs neighbors what the fire escape plan was, they responded with, "we don't have a plan, we just hope there will not be a fire." They were sensitive about my cultural difference but did not share my desire in having a proper plan for evacuation.
Peace Corps Volunteer Alexandra Cash writes: One of the top reasons I wanted to join the Peace Corps was to meet and hopefully positively affect children in another country
From Morocco: Children share same carefree spirit as kids in America
By Alexandra Cash
January 13, 2010, 6:14AM
Caption: School Bus in Morocco "No one, not even police, seems to care about this." Photo: Pedro Lozano Attribution 2.0 Generic
One of the top reasons I wanted to join the Peace Corps was to meet and hopefully positively affect children in another country. I had a hunch that children were mostly the same no matter where you go. In any footage or news that I have ever seen covering children in other countries they all seem to have the same carefree spirit. They all just want to play and they love to laugh.
It turns out, at least where Morocco is concerned, I was correct about my assumptions. The children here in Morocco are just like children in America as they play until they are too tired to play anymore. They possess the most whole-hearted smiles I have ever seen and they are always curious about something new.
As I said children enjoy playing in every country, but the games they chose to play can vary. I have found that children in Morocco have usually only 1 or 2 toys if they have any at all. More likely things that the choose to play with are sticks and rocks, or anything that can be beat on like a drum. I see them inventing games as I walk past groups of them, using their imaginations, rather than materials to entertain themselves. Sometimes all it takes in a rock, a piece of chalk, and a few friends, to produce hours of fun.
Seeing as Morocco is a developing country, in many areas that are underdeveloped there are hazards everywhere you look. Unpaved streets and massive potholes always can present a problem when trying to play, or even walk for that matter. I have found that I must always be watching my feet as to not trip over trash or twist an ankle by stepping in a hole.
Living in a country like this, the children become tough. Taking risks that would make an American mother shriek with worry. I once saw a small boy standing atop a 15-foot wall and as I am going crazy with worry for his safety, he jumped down and ran off like it was nothing. Children must be extra careful when it comes to traffic. Drivers tend to drive very fast when they shouldn't and respect of pedestrians is not a concept that Moroccan's are familiar with. I have learned that obsession with safety is a American trait because Moroccan's don't think about it nearly as much as Americans. When asking my downstairs neighbors what the fire escape plan was, they responded with, "we don't have a plan, we just hope there will not be a fire." They were sensitive about my cultural difference but did not share my desire in having a proper plan for evacuation.
Boys enjoy playing soccer and you can see many streets games going on daily. I have never once seen a girl participate in one of those soccer games. Girls tend to sit on the sidelines and watch sometimes playing with marbles and chatting. Girls tend to spend more time inside the house helping their mothers with cleaning and cooking.
There is one small play ground in my town but I can tell is has been neglected for many years as all the equipment has become completely unusable. The children in Morocco use the Earth as their playground. There are 1 or 2 small basketball courts and a couple places to play large soccer games.
Kids are kids no matter what country you are in. They all believe that they are invincible and run towards things with a fearless mindset.
