OAK PARK HEIGHTS - Considering all they had in common, it is perhaps no surprise the two women became friends, but neither Charifa Alaoui or Mary Ellen Kasak-Saxler knew what to expect when they were paired in a Fulbright teacher exchange program between the U.S. and Morocco.
"When she came to me, I was worried. 'What type of woman will I receive and welcome into my home?' I wondered," recalled Alaoui, who hosted Kasak-Saxler in Morocco, for six weeks last fall. "But within two hours I felt that Mary Ellen was a member of the family."
Kasak-Saxler, who just this weekend finished hosting Alaoui in Stillwater, said the feeling was mutual.
"It was kind of remarkable, I think, for both of us. When you look at it on paper, you think, 'Wow, this lady and I have a lot in common.' We both taught for a long time; she has five, I have four children, and they're roughly the same age; her family is very close, and so is ours; and on top of all that, we have a similar approach to teaching," she said.
"There were a lot of surprising similarities that came out, but I think that's a goal of a cultural study - not to only look at the differences between cultures, but the commonalities, as well."
That is what Kasak-Saxler encourages her French students at Stillwater Area High School to do. Alaoui's six-week visit illustrated that point far better than anything else could have, she said.
"It's one thing to read about a culture, but it's another thing entirely to sit down with someone from Morocco," Kasak-Saxler said.
Alaoui teaches high school English in Salé, near Rabat, the capital of Morocco. The country sits on the northwest coast of Africa, just south of Spain. Nearly 100 percent of Moroccans practice Islam, but the nation is a longtime ally of the United States and a relatively liberal member of the Arab world. Arabic is the Morocco's official language, but most educated people are also fluent in French, its unofficial second language.
Though it was her second time in the U.S., Alaoui said was always learning in her six weeks in Stillwater.
"Every day, every moment, I was learning something. In everyday life I was learning about the culture: when to say this, when not to say that, how to do this, how not to do that," she said.
And what did she think of Stillwater?
"A woman I met in the airport in Washington D.C. told me I was lucky to be going to Minnesota because you are the sweetest people in America. It was true. Wherever I was, I was welcomed; everyone was so nice and helpful, especially here."
She said she also enjoyed how calm the city was in comparison to Salé, which she said was far noisier.
And Alaoui was perhaps the only one who was happy to see the recent April snowstorm.
"I really enjoyed it. For me, it's a change. That's the purpose of this, to experience completely new things."
Kasak-Saxler said much the same about her time in Morocco, which coincided with the holy month of Ramadan.
"It's renewed my belief in the value of cultural exchanges. ... It was so exciting, so stimulating, and so challenging to be surrounded by so many aspects of culture that are different all at one time," she said. "In a way, it's reminded me what it's like to be a student again - helped me remember how the world looks through their eyes."
Kasak-Saxler and Alaoui said they hope their cultural exchange continues to have an impact well into the future; their students have started communicating via e-mail, and Kasak-Saxler hopes to lead a student trip to Morocco next summer.
Both women said they hope their experiences will inspire others to study foreign language, especially at an early age, and connect with others across the globe.
"It's important to be able to support those kinds of exchanges among peoples from different parts of the world," Kasak-Saxler said. "I don't know how else we build a peaceful world unless we bring people in closer contact. I know that sounds cliché, but I think it's true."
For that reason, both teachers said they would like to see a stronger emphasis on foreign language instruction in American schools.
Alaoui said Moroccans are well known for their hospitality, and they would welcome Minnesotans with open arms - even moreso if they could speak a little French or Arabic.
"I would like Americans come to Morocco and visit it and exchange e-mails, correspondence and, in our case, people. People in Morocco just love this country and are so hospitable that they are ready to receive anyone at anytime," she said. "This is my invitation to you on behalf of all Moroccans."
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