Final Reflection

"It's hard to deny that the act of living in another country, in another language, fundamentally changes you. Different parts of your personality float to the top, and you take on qualities, mannerisms and opinions that define the new people around you. And there's nothing wrong with that; it's often part of the reason you left in the first place. You wanted to evolve, to change something, to put yourself in an uncomfortable new situation that would force you into a new phase of your life."

—	Chelsea Fagan, “What Happens When You Live Abroad”

Wow, I'm so appreciative that I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Morocco this summer and experience what I was able to experience. Learning Arabic, living with a host family and seeing the culture and country dynamics was a exhilarating whirlwind six weeks. It opened my eyes up and made me realize that I have so much more to learn about the world. I'm honored and privileged to have met such beautiful people in Morocco and create lasting relationships with my host family and mentors. I will miss Morocco and the people I met especially, but I know I will be back to visit one day. Until then, inshallah. (Word used in almost every conversation in Morocco, "inshallah" means god willing.)

Immersion Learning

Learning through immersion is the most aesthetic and enriching learning method I've experienced. It taught me more than I've learned in some classes and textbooks in a whole year.  Because of my experience in Morocco and everything that it taught me, I have such a deep respect for the powerful force of  immersion learning. There is something about living in someone else's shoes that changes you. You aren't learning about that person, culture or country through a textbook, newspaper, television, radio or word of mouth. You are learning first hand and from your own personal experience and interactions so that you can't make a judgement based on a stereotype that you heard somewhere. It has taught me to observe and discern a situation before I react. It has taught me to open my mind and heart to people and things that I'm not familiar with. It has taught me to always question and learn about what's around me. It has taught me that the only way we really learn is when we get out of our comfort zones and allow new experiences for ourselves. Or else, how will our hearts and minds ever grow? Seven billion people and counting make up our world, all of us with different perspectives, religions, ethnicities, and cultures. All those differences cause a lot of misunderstanding and stereotyping. But if we took the time to share with each other, live with each other, and realize we are all human than there  would be a lot of understanding happening. At the end of the day we are all human beings with the same hopes, dreams, sorrows and pains just in different forms. We must strive to learn. Not merely through a textbook or a classroom. But truly learn, by delving into the world and retiring from our comfort zones. By opening our minds and hearts to other people, ideas, religions and cultures you are expanding your understanding of the world and have a fresh perspective on our society as a whole.
Acquiring a worldview and personal discovery cannot be found in multiple choice questions and cannot be represented by a letter grade. Immersion is the most effective way to learn a language, learn about another culture, and learn about ourselves. Experiencing a situation rather than reading or hearing about it is two very different things and results in two very different understandings afterwards.

Diplomats, ambassadors, and representatives from the U.S. Embassy and the Fulbright Association came to discuss career opportunities inside the U.S. Department of State as well as the possibility of becoming a Fulbright Scholar in the future.

Rabat

Youseff-Teacher at Qalam wa Lawh

My last "hoorah" through the Medina! 

Cemetery right along the Atlantic and beside the Kassbah

Pop of Color-Yes that's a home. 

Last Class. 

Morocco Living Rooms

Typical Moroccan couches...wrapped around the room against the wall. 

Common to fall asleep here after meals...especially during Ramadan!

Smart use of space

The less typical Moroccan couch, but still beautiful! 

Jeehen and I! 

I have to dedicate a post simply for Moroccan living spaces. I'm a huge fan. The living rooms in Moroccan homes have such a great use of space. I'm basically obsessed and want to have a room designed like this one day when I have my own house. Also, how beautiful is this living room? I felt like I was in a Royal Palace. This is my families formal living room for parties and family occasions. 

Graduation!

On my last night in Morocco we had a graduation ceremony for completing our six week course in Modern Standard Arabic at Qalam Wa Lawh Center for Arabic Studies. Earlier that day we had our final exam which consisted of a three hour written exam and a presentation in front of a panel of professors and students that included questions from the panel afterwards. It felt so rewarding to graduate! I'm sad to be leaving because I had such a fabulous teacher and won't have anyone to speak Arabic with when I get home.

Graduation Certificate and Arabic Calligraphy Plaque

Fabulous teacher-Aziza! 

The Goodbye

Saying goodbye to my host family was harder than I thought it would be. We had just finished Ftour and I had to say goodnight/goodbye to them because only my Dad would be up in the morning. The second I hugged my cute little host cousin Jehen, I started crying. It was in that instant that she was holding on to me that I realized I was saying goodbye to my family, and that I probably wouldn't see them for a long time if not ever. In that moment it all hit me-I was going to miss the sounds and smells of the house, my daily routine, my host mom taking care of me as if I was her own child, and the love that the whole family embraced me with. Finally, here are some pictures of my host family! I posted one of my favorite quotes below that fits this particular post because living with a host family allowed me the opportunity to really experience the daily life of a Muslim Moroccan family and that's something that a hotel or dorm room couldn't give me. I'm so lucky to have been able to meet such wonderful people and be loved by them as if I was their own kid!

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” — Aldous Huxley

My host cousin Jeehen, basically my bestfriend and Arabic tutor! 

Host cousin, Siltan. 

My host sister Malika!

Aunt Loubna

Host Mom and hos cousins!

Morocco by night

Its my second to last night and i unexpectedly went out with my host mom and sister.  I decided to go out at night with them because i wanted to experience ramadan at night since all my friends have been going out late the last couple weeks with their host families.  My host sister told me we were going to a ladies house for her to get fitted for jellabas but it turned into a night around the city. Nothing comes as a surprise to me anymore,  Moroccan time is a way of life here. Just go with the flow! We drove for about forty minutes, beautiful cool weather!  Then we stopped at a shopping mall where my host mom bought kitchen supplies. Its so interesting to experience shopping here. Its not our Walmart or target. The store is filled with products that look like they haven't been regulated or certified as safe. The shopping center was filled mostly with women and children. At night during Ramadan a lot of the men sit at cafés.  Its really rare to see woman sitting there, especially alone. The cafes remind me of mens clubs. All of them have fun lights and are super modern because they are like "u.s bars", the place to be at night since alcohol is forbidden in Islam. There are also alot of families out, playing in the park and street. Its so awesome to experience the days reversed.  People sleep in the day and go out at night. Im so glad i decided to go with my host mom and sister so i could experience Ramadan by night!

Going to miss my neighborhood walks!