In 36 hours I will be on a plane back to the United States and my semester abroad will have come to a close. There were certainly times in the middle of my three and a half months that I never thought this day would come, but now I am dreading it.
The leader of my program gave us a sheet with some fill in the blank questions to reflect upon as we purchase our last gifts, pack our bags, and say our goodbyes. Here are some of my answers…
I think the hardest part of leaving Morocco is knowing that even if and when I return it will be a different place. I have always imagined when I leave a place, it is like I hit the pause button and the place and people simply remain as I know them to have been. This of course is not true, in leaving Morocco the country will continue on without me. My two younger host brothers will grow up, the population will expand, new buildings will arise, and my presence here will become less significant. While I will never forget Morocco and this time has shaped me as a person, I know that people here will continue to live their lives and may forget me.
I will miss my host family, living by the ocean, surfing, the food, the call to prayer, being woken up by an actual crowing rooster, knowing the names of all the shopkeepers, but most of all the incredibly generosity and kindness of every Moroccan I have met.
When I think of returning to the US, I feel excited but nervous. I am ready to be home, to see my family and friends, have a shower with both hot water and good water pressure, experience cold weather, and numerous other simple pleasures. But I am nervous about how to synthesize my experiences in Morocco into the sound bite that people will inevitably be interested in hearing. I know family and friends will ask, “how was Morocco?” but I also know that they are not interested in a 30 minute answer. It is simplest to just say “great” but this would not be true. I love Morocco and my time here has been overwhelmingly positive, but there were very real and tangible struggles that have been just as impactful. Further, there are so many cultural and political complexities here that I have only begun to understand and I don’t want in simplifying my experience into a short answer to perpetuate any stereotypes or misconceptions with which Morocco is unfairly associated. Offering an honest, informed, short and summarizing answer will be a significant challenge as I return home.
When I think of going back to school, I feel incredibly excited. Morocco was filled with innumerable learning experiences, but most of these were outside of the classroom. I look forward to rejoining Georgetown’s tradition of intellectual curiosity, high and challenging academic standards, and even to the homework that will inevitably be a part of classes. I have really honed in on the academic research topic I am most passionate about through my time in Morocco and I can’t wait to explore it more at Georgetown.
I am really looking forward to Christmas cookies, drinking hot chocolate, seeing snow, playing with my dog, showing my family pictures, and sleeping in my own bed. But what I really am looking forward to is planning how and when I will return to Morocco. This is most certainly not a good bye, only a see you soon.
