Before I departed for Morocco in May I read an article about a young boy found alive in a suitcase. He was caught when the security agents spotted him in the x-ray machine. Thankfully the child was just dehydrated but a recent death of another man found in a suitcase bound for Spain illustrates just how dangerous this journey can be.
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I am in disbelief that my travels have come to an end. Visiting Morocco and Spain for the past month has truly been an amazing experience that I will never forget. It has been great catching up with friends, family and especially my puggle Rocko but I am already planning my next adventure. I have discovered a passion for traveling that I do not believe will go away anytime soon.
Sustainable development in Morocco is perceived differently than we typically perceive it here in the United States. This difference became apparent in our very first meeting with the MENA Hub Policy organization. The Moroccan view of sustainable development contrasts with our own in that it focuses on the social and economic factors without any regard to the environment. Through my experiences I came to see that the Moroccan view is strictly to meet human development goals through education and political reform. Morocco has vast disparities in wealth and access to education. We saw this first hand in our visit to the village of Tassalmante near Ouarzazate.
Tomorrow we are heading for Spain and I cannot believe I have to say goodbye to Morocco already. I have truly had the adventure of a lifetime. I played with monkeys in Marrakech, Held a cobra and rode a camel through the Sahara desert. I am so happy I decided to take the extra classes to complete my sustainability minor my last semester instead of taking the easy route. It was all worth it. Every essay and every test seem trivial compared to the things I have seen, touched, smelled, tasted and heard. Before the trip I purchased a GoPro and it is by far the best purchase I have ever made. I already have hundreds of pictures if not thousands that I will be able to see and reminisce about my wonderful experiences.
I want to start off by saying how grateful I am for this amazing opportunity to study abroad. Our professors noticed how quickly all the students on the trip came together and said that we were a very unique group. I haven’t studied abroad before but I have to say I am thrilled with each and every single individual on the trip. I have already made so many great friends and it really helps ease the tension of leaving behind friends and family back home for a month!
In exactly one week from today, I will be boarding a plane headed to Casablanca, Morocco. The feeling is surreal. Yesterday I graduated Summa Cum Laude from ASU with a major in Supply Chain Management and a minor in Sustainability. Studying abroad for me presents an enormous opportunity to network, gain international experience and expand my own horizons. As an Arizona native, I have never really been away from home for more than a few days at a time. The thought of flying more than 17 hours and traveling more than 5,700 miles from home gives me butterflies in my stomach. There really is not a better way I can describe the feeling. I am going to miss my family, my friends, my dog and the comforts of home, but I know they will all be waiting for me when I return. I am thankful that I was able to talk to a friend who went on the same program last year. She told me it was the best experience of her life and highly recommended the program, which eased some of my worries.
