Meet Sinclair, an American in Morocco
Pronoun(s): She/Her
Nationality: American
Hometown: Bedford MA
Current location: Tangier, Morocco
Occupation: Elementary School Teacher
I am proud to say I grew up in a suburb of Boston, and graduated from Kenyon College in 2019 with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and French.
During my junior year, I studied abroad in Paris and had an amazing time. The experience even shaped my views and inspired me to write my senior thesis on how the soccer team PSG, Les Bleus, represented the true France. Afterward, I realized I wanted to study postcolonialism in Francophone countries alongside social and developmental psychology, with a cross cultural lens.
The only way to really do this is to get out there – to live internationally. Teaching is a great way to do all of this because I am able to connect with the people who live in the country and get to know the culture well while seeing children learn and grow.
With that all in mind, I am currently teaching 3rd grade English at the American School of Tangier in Morocco. It’s an ideal city to be in to understand the influence of both Spain and France in Morocco.
Tangier is a beautiful city surrounded by the Atlantic, the Mediteranian, and the Rif Mountains. It is truly incredible how it looks across the Strait of Gibraltar to see Spain, so close and yet so far away (in many ways).
On Education
If you studied abroad, would you recommend the experience?
Abso-freakin-lutely! It sounds so cliché to say, especially since I studied abroad in Paris. But, studying abroad actually did change my life. My French improved immensely, I got to have so many wonderful experiences and saw lots of beautiful places, and I learned a lot about myself. It also steered me on my life path and helped me narrow the focus of my undergraduate studies.
Interested in reading about where a passion for study abroad can take you? Check out Kerry’s feature about life as a study abroad coordinator!
In your opinion, what makes travel uniquely “educational”?
When we step outside of our comfort zone by physically removing ourselves from our place of origin or our home, we are faced with many challenges. These challenges present themselves in many ways from finding your way around a new city, navigating a new culture of the country you’re in, language barriers, adjustment to a new lifestyle, and taking in all the new and exciting things about the place you are in. To me, each of these aspects are important to travel. As you go, you learn more about the place you’re in, and more about yourself, how you handle situations and as simple as what you like and what you don’t like.
Professional Background
Would you say travel or living abroad have impacted your career path? How?
Definitely. After living, working and studying in Paris, I came out of the experience with a better idea of what I wanted to do. I liked being in France and I gained more perspective on the idea of identity both as individual people and as a collective group.
I saw the influence of many years of colonialism through immigration in France, mainly from North Africa
It inspired me to dig deeper and after visiting Morocco and seeing the influence of France, I realized I was on to something. I enjoyed French culture, but wanted to see more of the Francophone world. After traveling and living abroad, I realized I wanted to study how cultures shape who we are as people. I am not sure exactly how that will turn out, but for now I am going to roll with it.
Psst, bet you haven’t heard of this great coffee shop in Paris’ bohemian 10th arrondissement!
What are some unique challenges facing expats in your career field? How are you working to/how did you overcome them?
I hate to say this, but being treated as an outsider. It definitely depends on where you live, but as an American in Morocco, I stand out. To some degree, I will never fit in and will always be seen as a tourist. Also the bureaucracy is so frustrating! The process is slow and old fashioned, which can be infuriating sometimes.
Morocco is stamp happy. For all official documents they require the original paper and all the paperwork has to be stamped at least three times by three different people, often times in different places around the city. This is all before it can be approved for whatever it is you need, from health insurance to a housing contract. So these challenges are not specific to my field, but living as an international they are things you have to understand and accept it.
As for international teaching, it can be somewhat challenging as an American in Morocco to teach particular students if you do not know and understand the culture you are in
To be an effective educator you need to be able to understand where your students are coming from and what their perspective is. This process can take time and experience so doing what you can to make up for this during your time in the country is important and valuable.
Think you’ve got what it takes to work as a teacher at an international school? Check out Hildy’s interview on teaching in Colombia and Peru.
How might your career path have differed if you’d stayed in your home country?
As an American in Morocco, I’d like to think that I would’ve come to the same conclusion based on my studies and knowing myself. But, of course I might have chosen a different path based on something else I find enjoy and find interesting (like nature therapy) had I stayed in the US.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love how engaging it is. I get a lot of my energy from other people so being able to interact with my colleagues and students on a daily basis is wonderful.
It is also a rewarding job, being a part of students growth and development. Even though I can only do so much, I hope that I am able to positively impact their lives. Even though the school days and weeks seem to be the same, everyday is a little different and you can never really know what to expect with students. The kiddos know how to keep things interesting – for better or worse.
On Lifestyle
Why do you enjoy traveling?
I love a good adventure and exploring new places! It sounds so basic, but it’s true.
There isn’t a place I don’t want to visit
There are so many famous places as well as hidden gems in both nature and cities. The world is not so big and yet there is quite a bit of diversity that I would like to experience for myself. It is so fun and exciting to have new experiences in places with both old and new friends. I enjoy getting to know a place and culture through the people, the food and through its sights.
Would you ever relocate to live outside of the US indefinitely? Where?
As an American in Morocco, it actually crossed my mind this year after being away from home for the longest time in my life (almost a year and a half).
I think maybe.
There are a lot of places I’d like to spend time in, in the US, but at the same time I can see myself living abroad and maybe splitting my time between two places.
Do you think leaders have a responsibility to encourage citizens to travel and experience other cultures? If yes, why?
We would all benefit greatly from being more amicable and peaceful with others around the world. Despite our differences, we have more in common than we think.
Getting to see how and where other people live will open your mind in ways you cannot imagine until it happens to you
So yes, I think leaders of all kinds should have exposure to travel and experiencing other cultures to give them more perspective and open mindedness. I think these qualities can help shape people into leaders who are understanding and make decisions in people’s best interest.
One last question
What advice would you give to a young person who knows they want to travel but aren’t sure where that fits in with the rest of their lives?
#justdoit
I don’t think it’s possible to regret.
It’s more likely you will regret not taking the time to travel later in life. People have told me that the rest of your life will wait for you. Whether it’s a job or a place, those things will be there when you get back. But if an opportunity presents itself to you, you should go for it. Another one might not show up again and you might gain so much more than you thought from it.
I don’t think travel has to “fit” into your life
Some people travel all the time for work or for fun; it is their lives, while others may live abroad, some people might occasionally travel for vacation, and others might not ever leave their home country. Travel is what you make it. So do what is best for you, but keep in mind that the world has a lot to offer and remember to stay open minded.
Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for concision and clarity.
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Thank you for reading #18 in 52 Weeks of Fearless: Sinclair, an American in Morocco
If you connected with Sinclair’s story, she invites you to connect with her on one or both of her Instagram accounts
A new edition of 52 Weeks of Fearless: A Friday Feature Series is posted every Friday evening, France time (CET). If you enjoy reading and want to keep up-to-date with the latest posts, please subscribe and follow @themillennialabroad to support and be the first to receive weekly blog posts and a monthly newsletter recapping the month’s posts and latest in Strasbourg and travel news.
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