Man, I thought freshman year was a busy one, but sophomore year is giving it a run for its money. Between work, classes, homework, TA office hours, and friends, it’s sometimes hard to believe that I ever left at all, or that there is a whole world out there beyond the sphere of my day-to-day life. Since I’ve come back to school, nothing has come close to the experiences I had while across the sea.
I’ve returned from my overseas adventures, and it is definitely true what I was told about reverse culture shock. I became so used to always being on the go, always surrounded by people, always walking and exploring; suddenly I had loads of time and nowhere to go, with only a few people who I really wanted to see. Once I had to start driving everywhere again, my motivation to leave the house dwindled (I really dislike driving). I missed my study abroad group quite a bit during those first few days (and still do), although the few days we spent in Barcelona after the program were a fantastic way to end the trip! Even though I was only away for a little less than a month, it still feels like I have to transition back into my family and the U.S. Every day I remember little anecdotes about the trip that I’d forgotten, and I think my family is starting to get annoyed with my sharing all these anecdotes with them. We’re about to head to a lake for a weeklong vacation in a pretty secluded area though, so soon they’ll have nowhere to run!
I honestly can’t believe that today is the last day of our program. This past week in Spain has flown by, despite the decrease in the number of meetings we had.
My favorite city was Granada, with its old medina and the Alhambra sprawling over the hills in all its glory. There is nothing that quite compares to that beautiful place! I’ve also definitely enjoyed the culture of tapas; sometimes I never ate a true dinner, but went from tapas place to tapas place trying all the different snacks they set out. Since I’m a nibbler at heart that suited me perfectly.
One of the greatest moments this week, however, was the Real Madrid game; a group of us went to see a charity soccer game between Real Madrid and Liverpool in the Real Madrid stadium (none of the main players were there, but it didn’t matter to us). I’m a soccer girl through and through; I’ve played the sport for fifteen years, and never thought I’d get to be in the stands at a soccer game in Spain. Not only that, but I was surrounded by some of the most amazing people! The group from this trip has morphed into a crazy huge family, and it will be such a shock to not see them every day. We had our final group dinner tonight as well; it consisted of so much food that we all thought we would burst, but our reflections on the trip and loud laughter made it worth it. I’m really hoping these relationships last once we get back to the states.
And just like that, we are nearly headed to Spain. The two weeks in Morocco has flown by; I can already tell I’ll miss the mint tea with honey and the bread, but I think I’ll miss the sense of community the most.
I experienced my first hammam today, a sort of scrubbing massage and bath that leaves you feeling extremely clean. All the women were in one room, washing themselves and talking, while people took turns getting scrubbed down by two women working there. There was no shyness or awkwardness about being naked in front of others; there were even whole families washing with their mothers, all taking turns helping each other. Not only did I feel the cleanest I had ever felt, but I actually felt confident in my own skin. The sharing of food from the same plate, the washing together in the hammam, the mint tea before meetings…I love it all! I will definitely be taking back these things to the United States; I’ll try my hand at making couscous and tagine, and of course mint tea.
It has been five days since we arrived in Morocco. By five days I really mean one day because they all blur together in a fusion of mint-flavored wonder. The days we spent in the capital Rabat were confusing at first; I had a bit of a breakdown the first night, fueled by exhaustion, jet lag and culture shock. The feeling magnified upon my discovery of a goodbye note my mother had written to me and slipped into my brand new journal before I left; the homesickness that ensued crippled my defenses and left me sobbing. After many tears were shed and many texts were sent home, however, I was a little more ready to experience a new culture.
The following days were absolutely packed with activities, from meetings with government officials to tours of the beautiful cities of Rabat and Marrakech. I’d say one of my favorite discoveries in Moroccan culture is the tradition of mint tea; every meeting we attended was conducted with a glass of sweet mint tea in hand, and frequently a delicious French pastry in the other. The tea also plays into the Moroccan concept of time; as long as you have a pot of tea and good conversation, it’s okay to start meetings after their set times. The sense of community and friendship is incredible.
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I’m not usually one for stepping out of my comfort zone. I like my routine, and sometimes I even need that routine to help me get through this transitional time of my life (first year of college, living away from home, the list goes on). So I guess you could say I surprised myself when I decided to apply for a study abroad program in my first year of college. After moving a thousand miles away from my family to live in a part of the country I had only seen in movies, I had about as much change as I could stand. Or so I thought.
I have never left the country before; my family always planned to take us to Europe, but I suppose we just never got around to it. So here I go, on my first trip abroad, without any family coming with me. There seems to be a lot of that going on—that feeling of separation, independence and becoming my own person. My introverted spirit has always loved being a part of this close family, and it’s quite strange going about life with them no longer within hugging distance of me.
