Aside from teaching, we also did camps, workshops, and any other projects we wanted to do. I did environmental projects.
At the end of my service, I had built a strong foundation of connections that I planned to build upon while in the States. I had also left with my project idea of creating pottery kilns powered by solid waste and methane gas from liquid waste. My idea is that this would be a better alternative to their current use of burning tires. When I returned to the U.S., I went to the engineering school with a project proposal. I wanted to engage the engineering students to help me with the technical designs.
As I worked on my pottery kiln project, I thought to myself, "I need data to support this project and an entity to implement it." So, I decided to apply to the U.S. Fulbright Student Program to receive a grant to carry out more research in Morocco. I also began creating my own non-governmental organization (NGO) called Resilient Communities. I was able to establish it with help of an environmental engineering student who helped me with the pottery kiln project. Now, he is the Vice President of our organization. We are working on a waste-to-energy project that we created for his senior class at UC.
I was fortunate to be selected into the Fulbright program! I have been in Morocco since September 2018. My first six months are dedicated to learning Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) becuase I was given a "Critical Language Enhancement Award" in addition to my research grant, which allows me to stay for 15 months total.
During my time here, I am gathering data on solid waste in the El Haouz province (where Tameslouht is located) to support my kiln project. I also plan to create an additional waste management project.
