Jennifer Karchmer || Independent. Journalist.
  • About
    • ESL
    • Public Speaking
    • Reporters Without Borders
    • Links I recommend
    • Master's Thesis
  • Journalism
    • Essays >
      • Profiles
    • The Transparency Report >
      • freedom of Assembly: #womensmarch
      • freedom of the press: Frontline Heroines >
        • Photo Gallery: Frontline Heroines
      • freedom of the press: AP style
      • freedom of the press: libel
      • freedom of the press: Iceland >
        • Iceland: Press Freedom
        • Iceland in pictures
      • freedom of speech: coal train transport & the environment
      • freedom of speech: 2010 Winter Olympics
    • Print reporting
    • Broadcast News
    • Editorials & Whatcom Watch >
      • freedom of assembly: The Bellingham Twelve >
        • Q & A: Conversation with an activist
    • Financial reporting >
      • ignore this page
    • Service
    • Support indy journalism
  • Over the Shoulder Editorial
    • Clients
    • Proofreading
  • The Off Season Traveler
    • Iceland
    • Montpellier, France
    • Cairo, Egypt
    • South Africa >
      • Kruger National Park, S.A.
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Live BIG! Session
  • Contact

Morocco in Days

9/27/2016

Comments

 
Picture
*Words in italics = Arabic
Morocco-Le premièr jour!
Arrived in Casa. Line for immigration was about an hour. Kind of melange, not really a line. Two men got in a heated yelling match about cutting. I wasn't afraid or threatened but it got intense. He was yelling profanities in English and then other people chastised him for not respecting the older man. I thought I heard a woman say, "He's American" possibly because the guy was speaking in English but I don't think he was American because of his accent.

Walked through customs no prob. A little skrewy locating the right baggage carousel for my flight but my bag was there no prob and I saw Dave, a fellow American, right away. Mostafa is very nice. He speaks no English so he and I talked in the car the entire way from Casa in French which was really fun.

I saw lots of squalor and poverty what I would consider run-down buildings but wondered hmmm as you arrive from JFK or LGA or drive through Queens don't you see the same thing with graffiti or run down buildings or garbage? Very different ride from Keflavik into Reykjavik though where it's all natural, clean and beautiful.

Met Steve DeRosa, the school director, real quick then got pizza of all things at a restaurant on the park. The school is looking good. Some areas are still being built but it's all modern and new and the classrooms look great. Spacious.

Bought some things at the grocery store known as Acima kind of like Monoprix in France and settled into the apt.

Slept fine in the single bed. Reminds me of college. I chose the bigger bedroom. :-)

Sheets blanket and pillow and a few items in the kitchen but no furniture for the salon like couch table chairs etc.

We have a small round dining table with four metal chairs so that's good. Fridge works and the place is clean seems just painted and cleaned. It's a spacious apt with two bedrooms and real nice sized living room once we get the place furnished.

So far so good in terms of it being relatively calm and quiet not a lot of traffic on my little street.
Call to prayer: 17h00
Picture
Morocco Day Deux
Breakfast at Cafe Le Paix w Dave. Omlette fromage cafe au lait du pain and little bowl of soup which I think might be grits or hominy? Le jus orange sans sucre. They add four cubes of sugar to your orange juice.
La=no in Arabic

Later on, I was nervous about the evening in terms of should I walk around? Where can I go for dinner? Is it ok as a woman to be walking around? How late is too late? Anyway I left the apt and got a coffee at the joint on the corner just to use the wifi. Then I departed and turned down the street and ended up at The Skipper restaurant. I guess it's a seafood place lol

The server was very nice of course and suggested la salade nicoise which ended up being huge so I have leftovers tonight. He spoke English and readily wanted to continue in English. We chatted a bit about my stay and he offered me his number if I need help with anything. Apparently Moroccans want to offer you their number and help you. It's their nature whether you're a man or woman.

Call to prayer 5h

Words today
L'Abonnement (masc) = subscription, when you want a phone "plan"

Morocco Day Trois
A lot Accomplished today!
Mostafa fixed the shower head and the stove situation.

Purchased stuff like slippers and food and staples for kitchen like butter and eggs and olive oil. Some items are totally cheap like a two liter bottle of water which was $0.35. In the USA that bottle would have been easily $2 or $3 or more?
Yet a bath towel at the store was $14. Go figure.

Made friends with a girl at Acima, Sokayda, who wants to learn English and will teach me Arabe.

Met nice ladies at Carrefour pharmacie too. Louba and Nadja.

Walked to beach and went through the parc which is awesome. Love that area right near the préfecture.

Met guy at beach who bought me mint tea and offered to give me free surfing lessons. Hmmm? He spoke English and I was able to ask him a few questions like are the seats with the parasol/umbrella free to use on the beach? Oui. I asked BC as I sat on the beach, a man approached me saying something about the parasol so maybe he detected I was a tourist and wanted money? I felt safe and fine all day but self conscious as I stick out as the only American, white woman at all. I see women with the head scarves and long robes and I see Arabe women in jeans and regular tops. But no white girls like me or British or even French.

Made dinner at home and my phone rang! It was Sokayda so we spoke in French a few mins and plan to meet on Monday.

"In a pinch" as they say...I moved the fabric shower curtain to the rod in the bedroom to cover my window for a little privacy and so I can keep the window open for air but subsequently got the floor all wet during my lukewarm trickling hot water shower. Lol. Tomorrow need shower curtain.

Words today
Ravir, je suis ravie = To delight, I am delighted

Salam alaycham = hello/greeting
Shukraan = thank you

Morocco Day Quatre
Ceremony at ALC
Very nice presentation. Met lovely people. Very gracious. All of them gave me their number and offered to help if I need anything in the country. Offered to take me traveling. Offered to host me and show me around. Very proud of their kid who speaks English. Can understand my French.

Spoke French for a long time with lots of people today young and old mixed with English. Met woman who offers French language lessons. Apparently the school offers both English and French so I'm in luck and will take lessons.

Took petit taxi to the mall where there's a big store like Wal Mart. Spent entirely too much time here but needed housewares like French press, can opener, shower curtain etc. and yoga mat which I got at Decathlon same sporting store as in Montpellier. All told $125, probably a steal compared to the USA.
​
Quick shower and need to crash as we're going early to Rabat for a training. Gotta catch train at 7h55 and am meeting Michael, new American teacher guy at about 7h20.
I have coffee here and yogurt and an egg then onto the gare. He speaks pretty good French and even Arabic and just a nice well traveled open guy.

I need to exercise!

Call to prayer 13h26
Call to prayer 20h40

Morocco Jour Cinq
Took an early morning train to Rabat. Super easy to get on ad figure out. The one way ticket was 28MAD which is $2.80. The ride was about 30 mins.

Rabat is the capital so on a Sunday morning was pretty quiet. We walked to the training center and grabbed a quick coffee beforehand.

Today I really felt like I was in Morocco despite having New York style pizza for lunch lol

Met about a dozen more fellow teachers who are all stationed around the country. We did some ice breaker games and get to know you. Met Emma from Portland, ME, Syracuse Uni grad. All of the teachers were either from the USA, Australia or New Zealand it was a long day but we covered a lot of ground about customs, safety, expectations, traveling etc. I now how an entire network of people I can connect with when traveling around the country. Emma just finished a two year Peace Corps stint.

Later a few of us traveled around Rabat with the three Moroccan buddies, native Moroccans who speak fluent English who are helping us acclimate. Rabat was amazing as we walked through the medina where the vendors are selling shoes, clothes, everything. Then we ended up at this beautiful overlook for the sunset where we had mint tea and almond pastries-quintessential Moroccan. A bunch of them decided to stay for a jazz concert and I wanted to head back so they got me to the train station and I navigated myself back to Mohammedia.

I supposed I was a little nervous but it was totally fine and I sat next to a nice man who spoke French to me the entire ride. In fact, he wanted to practice his English and all I had was my novel, Ruth Ozeki's "A Tale for the Time Being." So I opened up to a random page and he read aloud in English and then together we translated. It was so much fun and I realized how well I can translate (actually it's interpret as translate is written and interpret is spoke word).

Then I read aloud in French from my copy of Le Matin I had in my bag and he wade equally impressed with my French pronunciation. Moroccans find English kind of easy since many words have French origins. Still it's not too common to meet people on the street or in the stores who speak English. Even some folks ball at French and speak only Arabic. See pic above.

Call to prayer 19h55
Comments

What brings me to Morocco?

9/26/2016

Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
What brings me to Morocco?

Since the time I was a high school student in the 1980s, I've had the dream of traveling to French speaking countries around the world, particularly in Africa: Morocco, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and also to other places like Haiti, Vietnam and of course Quebec.

I love the French language and am fascinated by our ability to think, read, speak, and understand bilingually.
http://www.pinkpangea.com/2014/11/quit-day-job-finally-pursued-dream-speaking-french/>

So in 2014, I earned an ESL (teaching English as a Second Language) degree -- effectively my passport around the world. It gives me the opportunity not only to travel but also to live in a country and experience it as a local rather than only as a tourist.

When you are planted in a city for an extended stay (9 mos-1yr) and visit the same cafe, shop at the same stores and get to know the shopkeepers, you get the deeper experience.

To boot, I get paid to learn a new culture, customs and language. In fact, the ESL school here offers courses in French language.

As a side note, my advice to young people going to college is to consider complementing your studies by looking into earning an ESL degree.

I took my course through The Language House in Montpellier, France (so I actually have a TEFL degree, Teaching English as a Foreign Language). It was an intensive 4-week course, which met Mon-Fri, 9-5p with two weeks of grammar review and testing then two weeks of lesson planning and student teaching in small groups and one/one.

You are observed by your instructor and then your peers. It's intense but within one month you have completed 120 hours and are finished with certificate in hand. It's also advisable, if you can, to take a supplemental Business English course which qualifies you to teach business English to managers, CEOs, and professionals.

This is nice because under this type of work, you can command higher fees so if you gravitate toward teaching adults over children, as I do, then it can be a good career move. The course I zoom was about US $1,500 and I paid a separate housing fee of $500 to do a homestay with a French speaker for the month.

Of course I needed to cover my airfare to France and allot money for food and personal items. Doing the homestay was more affordable and gave me the opportunity to practice French while having a nice cozy home base to live and relax and study. You don't have much free time during the month while taking the TEFL course because it's quite intense with assignments, homework and studying but the payoff is great once you are done.

Read about my travels in Montpellier, France: http://www.jenniferkarchmer.com/montpellier-france.html>

Comments

My First Writer's Retreat: Hosting "Ask the Editor"

9/8/2016

Comments

 
Picture
Writers gather around the drawing board as we brainstorm manuscripts during the first "Ask the Editor Writer's Retreat" held in Poulsbo, WA in August 2016.
What do you get when you put a handful of writers and one editor in a room for eight hours? Well, the punchline doesn't involve a bar, how to screw in a lightbulb or entering the gates of heaven, but it can lead you to improving your manuscript and ultimately answering the question: How do I hire the right editor?

In August, I explored that question as part of my first writing intensive course: The Writer's Retreat: Ask the Editor. As the owner of Over the Shoulder Editorial, I work with a  variety of writing clients in fiction, essay, memoir, and creative writing, in addition to master's students, academics, and corporate clients. The writers who come to me are published and also up and coming. Over time, I've been compiling a FAQ list based on clients' questions related to writing.
​Apparently, there is a mystery surrounding what exactly an editor does. For example, many clients ask what is the difference between proofreading and editing? How about the different types of editing, such as copyediting and line editing? How do I know when I need an editor? How do I hire the right editor? What is a developmental edit? How about a  Manuscript Overview? Do I have to "Accept" each of my editor's suggestions, or can I "Reject" them (ode to MSWord's Track Changes).

These are all very good questions, so I decided to hold a retreat to help writers get the basics of what an editor does. This is helpful for writers at all levels. You will be able to decide how and when to hire an editor.
Picture
Original promotional poster for The Writer's Retreat: Ask the Editor
Take for example the different writing phases. If you are in what is known as the "messy draft" (the very beginnings of writing your novel where you are trying out language, character development and just getting the story on the page), it doesn't make sense to hire an editor because much of the manuscript may change and it's OK to be making mistakes at this phase. 

Later, when you've moved into your "method draft," (when the story has taken shape and you need guidance), you will want to hire the right person to offer suggestions on story arc, scene development, tension buildup and overall organization. 


Would you like an hour with a professional editor? 
I am available for writing coaching. Send me an email today to set up your consult.



With these critical questions in mind, I began "The Writer's Retreat: Ask the Editor" with five  motivated writers from a variety of backgrounds. We had two Young Adult writers, an author of historical fiction, a romance/mystery writer and an author dabbling in both fiction and nonfiction.

​During the two days, I presented  structured workshop sessions and also more informal discussions on how to pitch to an agent, common writer's mistakes and how to improve your MS (see agenda and sample materials below). Also, writers had an opportunity to sit down one/one to receive personalized critique on a sample of their MS. We also covered how to start and join a writer's group, how to write a synopsis, and helpful advice on when to hire an editor. It was a weekend chockfull of information, brainstorming, collaboration, laughing, oh, yea, and good meals and coffee. I too learned a great deal about writer's concerns so that I can be best attuned to their needs and cater to their specific manuscripts. No two writers are alike!
​
"Apparently, there is a big mystery surrounding what exactly an editor does."
I teamed with Laura Kemp, an artist and writer, who graciously offered her Poulsbo, WA home and studio, Gamble Creek Farm & Studio for our setting. Gamble Creek has a spacious indoor workspace where we held instruction, lovely grounds for lunchtime and writer reflection (and birdwatching!), and a private and relaxing area for an editor to hold one/one consults with writers for individualized manuscript feedback sessions.

Please contact me if you'd like me to design a special workshop or session for your writer's group, conference, school or event. ​Also, contact Laura Kemp at Gamble Creek Farm & Studio as she continues to host creative workshops in Poulsbo, WA in writing, art, drawing, and photography.
Click below to see a sample of the "Ask the Editor" materials including the agenda

Photo gallery (below) of The Writer's Retreat: Ask the Editor held in Poulsbo, WA, August 20-21, 2016.

The editor treats participants to a rendition of the Auxilary Verbs (sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy). 

So if you missed the inaugural writer's intensive, not to worry. I plan to hold more of these workshops in the future. Meantime, I am very accessible via social media and around the Internet so please see the links below and LIKE and Share and read some of my work. 

Connect with Jennifer on social media:
  • Listen to my Podcast "The Whatcom Wordsmith" http://www.jenniferkarchmer.com/podcast.html
  • FB (LIKE and Share my page please) https://www.facebook.com/The-Whatcom-Wordsmith-322427831172671/
  • Find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/editor_jk
  • Check out my website: http://www.jenniferkarchmer.com/
  • Here's a fun piece about New York Times best-selling author Robert Dugoni: http://www.jenniferkarchmer.com/blog/why-a-robert-dugoni-master-class-is-like-a-course-in-film-appreciation
Comments

    Jennifer Karchmer

    CEO and Grand Poobah of
    ​Over the Shoulder Proofreading

    Email Jennifer
    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Categories

    All
    Addiction
    Advice
    Ask The Editor
    Authors
    Bellingham
    Cemetery
    Coach
    Confidence
    Editing
    Editor's Note
    Essay Writing
    Food
    Freedom Of Speech
    Freedom Of The Press
    Frequency
    Funeral
    Journalism
    Meditation
    Morocco
    Non-fiction
    Podcast
    Press Freedom
    Prominence
    Proofreading
    Public Speaking
    Retreat
    Self Help
    Situation
    Slow Writing
    Students
    Tighten Prose
    Typos
    URL
    Vipassana
    Washington State
    Women Journalists
    Workshops
    #writelikeajournalist
    Writing

    Archives

    June 2021
    January 2021
    July 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015

    RSS Feed

'Don't wait to be deprived of news to stand up and fight for it.' - Reporters Without Borders
Photo used under Creative Commons from Hythe Eye