SCC Instructor, John Liffiton, Travels to Morocco on Fulbright-Hays Grant

Scottsdale, AZ (December 15, 2008) – John Liffiton, Scottsdale Community College’s English as a Second Language (ESL) coordinator, spent six weeks in Morocco this past summer to learn about the country’s culture, people and history.  The trip was made possible through a Fulbright-Hays grant, which is awarded to educators to increase mutual understanding between the people of the US and the people of other countries. 

The State department wanted to send US educators to an Arabic country to foster positive relations between the US and other countries.  The Morocco trip gave Liffiton and his colleagues the opportunity to gain a better understanding of Islam through educational opportunities provided by local professors and daily interaction with the people of Morocco.

Many secondary and postsecondary educators were part of the Morocco trip, including high school teachers from different cities in Arizona.  Liffiton, representing SCC and the ESL program, joined other faculty members from the Maricopa Community Colleges who represented various program areas such as Religious Studies, languages, English literature, Sociology, and Business.

Educational opportunities for the visiting faculty were plentiful.  While in Morocco, Liffiton learned about the history of the country, their modern literature, education system, politics, culture, and economics.

Liffiton attended lectures continuously, many given by local professors, government officials, and business leaders.  He and his colleagues also visited a textile factory, The Casablanca Chamber of Commerce, and the Matis factory, a subdivision of Boeing, to name a few —each stop providing a wealth of information about the business climate in the region.

One of things Liffiton learned while in Morocco was their acceptance of diverse cultures. 

“Moroccans are very tolerant of people of other religions, cultures and languages,” he said.  “In general, Moroccans are multilingual and so have a penchant for learning languages and being multicultural, but the society seems to have gone beyond that and are actually educating themselves to be open minded and accept diverse cultures.”

Liffiton and his colleagues visited five cities while in Morocco – Rabat, Fes, Casablanca, Marrakech and Zagoura.  In Rabat and Fes, they studied the culture and linguistics. 

In Casablanca, they learned about the unions, economics, and the history of the area—and of course, visited Rick’s Café—the famous restaurant based on Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall’s rendezvous in the 1942 film Casablanca.  Liffiton and his colleagues visited the Muhammad V mosque, which is the 2^nd largest mosque in the world overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Casablanca.

Marrakech, the most ‘western’ of Moroccan cities, was very expensive -- supported economically by tourism, golfing, and foreign investors, according to Liffiton.  There the group experienced the daily culture in full force - storytellers and snake charmers in the plaza, and were invited by the Mayor to his house for tea.

Across the vast terrain, Liffiton saw amazing architecture.  He experienced beautiful palaces, and enjoyed an international sacred music festival.   On the other side of the Atlas Mountains, he saw a huge date palm oasis that stretched for miles in every direction.  He also got to visit the village of Ait Benaddou, a location that has been used in films such as Babel, Gladiator and The Jewel on the Nile.

“I will never forget the trip over the Atlas Mountains and seeing the town of Ait Benaddou, which is a World Heritage site,” he said.

Liffiton visited a museum of ancient Islamic/Arabic writings where medieval manuscripts were on display.  Touring the cities of Morocco and being immersed in the culture provided as much learning as some of the more structured lectures.

Now that time has passed, aspects of the trip remain in his mind, such as the contributions Morocco has given the world in architecture, religion, philosophy and education.

“Morocco has a wonderful history, and people should learn more about it, and if they have the chance, visit Morocco for an extended period of time,” he said.  “The food was delicious and the country was exotic and colorful.”  

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John Liffiton coordinates the ESL for Hospitality program at Scottsdale Community College.  SCC is the only college in the US to address the needs of today’s diverse workforce by offering a Certificate of Completion program in English as a Second Language for Hospitality.  The classes in the program are focused on areas where associates working in the industry are taught to speak, read and write English so that they may respond to colleagues, supervisors and guests with skill and confidence.

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About Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale Community College offers over 1,500 academic and non-credit classes each semester. Located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the campus is known for its serene atmosphere and beautiful plant and wildlife. With nearly 12,000 students, Scottsdale Community College is proud to offer high-quality, affordable programs in small class settings. From Motion Picture/Television Production and Culinary Arts to Nursing and American Indian Studies, students have a wide variety of programs from which to earn credits for university transfer, launch their careers, train for new ones, or pursue a special interest. The SCC Business Institute offers customized programs to meet the needs of local business. Scottsdale Community College is one of the ten Maricopa Community Colleges.

To learn about the many academic programs at Scottsdale Community College, call us at (480) 423-6000 or visit our website at www.scottsdalecc.edu.