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[1] It may sound strange, but culture shock is one of my
favorite parts of going abroad. Though often awkward and uncomfortable, I love
that feeling you get when you visit a place that challenges what you believe in
and what you know about the world and even about yourself. Since I had never
traveled to an Islamic or an African country before, the culture shock that I
experienced in Morocco certainly met my expectations. Waking up to the sound of
a rooster crowing, hearing the Islamic call to prayer ( or the Addan)
five times daily, experiencing street harassment were frequent reminders or
signs that I was in a culture that I did not know, but that I hoped to
understand in a better way. Frankly, I was challenged by such new experiences.
However, what impacted me most were the common ground and the same cultural
characteristics that we, Americans, shared with the Moroccans.
[2] Personally, I didn’t experience Morocco just as a
tourist. Those experiences enabled me to immerse myself in the culture and
interact with people from various sectors of society. One afternoon, I took a
tram to the slums of Salé, which is “the sister city of Rabat”. In a community
center there, I taught basic English lessons to Moroccan youths who hoped to
secure employment in the tourism industry. Although their limited English made
communication difficult, we managed to communicate by using gestures. We shared
stories and information about aspects of American and Moroccan popular
cultures. In fact, the director of the community center described my time with
the youths as essential to “give them another vision of life—more than Salé,
more than Morocco.”
[3] In addition, I paid visits to a nursing home and a
community hospital in Rabat. While there, I also had the opportunity to
meet with some Moroccans, members at several human rights organizations, such
as Amnesty International and the National Human Rights Council. As we sat
around a table and discussed issues of human rights and gender equality, I
realized that despite our different cultural backgrounds and our values,
we are similar; we all believe in freedom, equality, tolerance, and justice.
Experiences such as eating snails in the marketplace, riding a camel, attending
Moroccan weddings and other celebrations gave me a greater appreciation for
different cultures.
I-COMPREHENSION (Base all your
answers on the text)
A- What is the main idea of the text?
………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………
B- Are these sentences true or false; justify.
1-The writer had already visited Africa before he
visited Morocco.
………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………
2-Americans and Moroccans have completely different
cultural characteristics.
………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………
C- Answer these questions.
1-What are some of the places the writer visited in Rabat?
………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………
1-What are some of the cultural values American and Moroccan cultures
have in common?
………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………
2-Based on the text, write an appropriate definition of culure
shock?
………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………
………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………
E-Find in the text words which mean almost the same
as:
1-odd
(1para):......................................
2-important (2para):....................................
F-What do the underlined words in text refer to:
1-we
(1para):……………………………. 2-there
(3para):……………………………………
II-FUNCTIONS:
A-Rewrite
these sentences using the expressions given
1) She dropped out of school at an
early age. She couldn’t afford books and school supplies. (because)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
2) The headmaster
called the participants in the literary circle. He wanted them to start the
first session. (because of)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3) They became
criminals. They dropped out of school at an early age. (as a result)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
C) Fill
in the gaps with the appropriate word.
Illiteracy –
development- self-confidence- social justice
1- Women should have …………………….in order to
improve their situation.
2- One way to sustain …………………..….. is to link
rural areas with urban ones.
III- GRAMMAR:
A- Use the appropriate tense:
1-Nadia …………….(not want) to buy the
literacy textbook. She …………………(have) one.
2-Before, she………….(sleep,) she
……………….(write) a poem.
IV- WRITING:
In a
paragraph, write coherently some ways of preserving the environment.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
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………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
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