The Princess Fusion: April 2017

This Spring break I had the opportunity to push myself and expand on cultural horizons that I never dreamed possible. Before I begin explaining about my adventures of Morocco I should probably give you guys a bit of a pretext.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know much about Morocco before getting on my plane two weeks ago. In fact, I was so uneducated on Morocco that I watched Sex and the City 2 in preparation for my voyage only to realize that it wasn’t in fact in Morocco, but Abu Dabi. Yep. That’s how little I knew about Morocco. Okay, I take that back. Sure, I knew some stuff based off of what my students told me (many of whom are originally from Morocco) including their love for couscous and knowing French, but other than that I was completely clueless.

As our plane ride descended my two friends and I began to get anxious to see the city. After all, it was my first time in Africa and I was ready to cross another continent off of my list. The first thing to know about Morocco is that they use Dirhams. Right now, the exchange is 100 Dirhams = 10 euros. A pretty awesome deal if you ask me. After what seemed to be the longest taxi ride of my life, we ended at the edge of the city saying that we would be picked up at a restaurant named Timbuktu (I’m sure it has a better reputation than the place itself). As we entered our way into the Medina, I felt as if I was taken into a time warp and into another era. To my amazement people were using donkeys and horses as modes of transportation about the streets. Cats were seen picking up scraps on every windy street, and each little store seemed to be selling fresh meat.

To say that I was unprepared for a culture shock on this trip was probably an understatement. Culture shock’s aren’t always a bad thing. If I think about how the Western media portrays Muslim countries (particularly America), you almost always hear solely about the negatives. Staying a week in Fez Morocco allowed for me to understand about a different culture and religion that many aren’t able to experience. By the end of the trip, I found it comforting to hear the call of prayer throughout the day (maybe not always the one at 5 am but I digress). I am thankful for the freedom of religion in the United States, but I actually found it beautiful that in this country- almost everyone practiced the same religion. At no point did I feel suppressed as a woman during my trip (sure there were cat calls, but there will be regardless of where you go in the world). Instead, I felt enlightened thanks to a few friends of mine that we befriended in Morocco.

Culturally, Moroccans are known to be very giving, My friend at told this to us before entering the plane, and this could be seen even before landing when my friend was offered 10 euros to the woman sitting next to us on the plane offering to pay for his lunch. We were dumbfounded that she would do this gesture of kindness to a complete stranger. Fast forward to a couple days later. We are sitting at the garden and find ourselves playing go-fish with some of the local teenagers laughing for hours. Throughout the week the guys show us around Fez, introduced us to their family and friends, and even opened their homes for us to share a family meal. Each day I was more dumbfounded by myself for wondering how people could be so nice. Maybe society had made me cold, but I always believed (until now) that people had ulterior motives. I was humbly reminded that week in Fez, by two guys in particular, that kindness still exists.

So even though I might have touched Roman ruins, seen multiple villages, touched a donkey, and seen at least five panoramic views nothing will compare to the memories I made with my friends in Morocco. From the memories I made with my Airbnb hosts and his family members to countless number of times playing cards; Morocco will always have a special place in my heart. It’s a beautiful reminder, as my journey of living abroad comes to an end shortly,that beauty can be found all over the world in different ways, shapes, and forms.

Until next time,

The PrincessFusion

The dreaded wait list; everyone's favorite indefinite answer for helping plan life altering decisions. Here are a couple of things to know about being wait listed for the program in TAPIF.

There are many reasons why you were wait listed: Let's start off with the obvious. Though I can't tell you 100% why you weren't accepted, I can tell you that this is a competitive program in the US and Canada. Each year the program's application rate has increased dramatically. This means that the chances of being accepted as a teaching assistant can actually be pretty tough. Here's a quote from the website on acceptance rate: For the 2016-2017 program, approximately 1,850 people applied for roughly 1,100 available positions. After ranking applicants based on the program’s application evaluation criteria, the top 1,100 applicants were immediately offered positions in early April. Approximately 400 other applicants were kept on the waiting list. A large number of accepted applicants withdraw over the course of the summer, meaning that roughly 300 waitlisted candidates were eventually offered positions for the 2016-2017 program. The remaining candidates were declined positions. The Teaching Assistant Program in France has become increasingly competitive over the last few years. Applicants should NOT assume that they will be accepted if they meet the program’s eligibility criteria. Applications are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and only the most qualified candidates receive offers in the spring. ↑ I have personally found that teaching experience was a big factor as to why I was wait listed for TAPIF. Though I had some experience mentoring, I did not have many credentials as a teacher, making me a bit undesirable as a candidate.
Ask for your placement: After I had received news that I was wait listed, I emailed Natalie Cox asking about my placement on the list. This allowed for me to know whether or not I should consider other career options instead of TAPIF. A day later, I received news that I was in the top 100 on the wait list and had a "high chance" of being accepted into the program.
Time line: Though the time line may vary a bit each year on when you'll hear back from TAPIF on you're acceptance, I've found from previous timelines on social media to be the same. Generally placements begin for wait listers in the middle of April (top 100) and will continue until the 4th of July. Candidates are contacted in groups of 25-100 in waves throughout the summer.
You might not get your top choice (s): Because you are on the wait list, be aware that you might not get your dream location. Though they will try and put your preferences into account, it is not guaranteed (same as with the other applicants) that you will get your desired academy. But don't give up your hopes just yet. I, for example, was wait listed and got my first choice (Montpellier). You just never know.
Stay connected on social media: What really helped me stay sane was checking in on social media and seeing who else was a part of the wait list group. This is your support group. Stick with them and who knows- you might see them in a couple of months in France!
If you get accepted, know that you might have less time to prepare: Prepare yourself for the possibility of being accepted, even if you haven't received an acceptance email yet. This really saved time and stress once I was accepted into the program because there was a lot of paper work that needed to be completed pretty much right after I was accepted. For Americans we are required at the moment to complete an FBI check and get a VISA from our nearest French consulate before going to France.
Also, think of alternative solutions: Maybe TAPIF isn't in the cards for you at this moment. Know that it's okay, and that there is always a reason for everything. This might feel like the shittiest thing to happen in your life right now and that's okay. Rejection is hard to deal with and everyone processes it differently than others. Look at other things that you can do (maybe become an au pair or work on a cruise for example) that allows you to have a great work/life/ travel balance.

Do you have any other TAPIF related questions? Comment below or shoot me an email at Sabrina.Kennelly@gmail.com.

Until next time!

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