Shame/Honor

 The root of all feelings of shame or fear or guilt stem from the Fall in the Garden. In the US we deal with our sense of guilt by trying to prove we are innocent. In Morocco, people feel shame when they do wrong or are accused of doing wrong, and they lie or deny to try to remove the shame and restore honor. If one can hide a crime, all the better. People hide handicapped children as well. They must maintain honor just as much as we must maintain innocence.

If I say to a student they are bringing honor to their family by telling me the truth, it might work, but it is hard for them to understand.

Shame- culture	Other people believe:
I believe	I didn't do it	I did it
I didn't do it	No problem	I am shamed and dishonoured by their belief
I did it	No-one knows, so I am not shamed	I am guilty and am punished

A number of us attended a meeting to better understand the culture we are living in. It is very different than the guilt/innocence culture of America. I am seeing why the students deny wrong-doing, even lie about it. They are taught that if you deny wrong-doing you are 2/3rds forgiven, or something to that effect. I needed to take notes. The talk helped explain some of the lying in class.

I have much to think about now, and I was thankful for the lovely meal that came with the talk. Hospitality is also very important here, and it is very much appreciated!


Earlier, I taught a slew of classes. The K-3 classes went really well, and I even sang "Gray Squirrel, Gray Squirrel, swish your bushy tail with them. The class with the 3rd graders doing texture frontage or rubbing was my best class. They really got excited to see all the textures they could find around the room, they were so excited when they colored an area on their paper, and voilla, texture!

Kids were saying it was like magic, and I was just enjoying their wonder. It was a good teaching moment. The other classes were hard, but I just want to enjoy these children tonight. They blessed me with their presence today, and I saw God's beauty in them. So, enjoy these precious little ones all the way over here in Morocco with me.

The students all got into rubbing the bottoms of each other's shoes; and since I acted out for them how to do it without being disruptive, it went really smoothly. Some girls had flower textures on their pretty shoes, and some boys had cool waves that looked good on their fish.


I am thankful for the really happy moments in art today. Thank you for your prayers!

Frottage of the fan cover

Before I close for tonight, I want to thank Marge for sending me a lovely, beautiful bouquet of flowers via a photograph. News from home is so special when one is so far away, and a vase of flowers is an extra special treat. So, thank you, Marge for cheering me up and on! Goodnight from Morocco.