Blog Entry 1 – January 3, 2019 – Holden, USA

Today is my last full day in the United States before leaving for Morocco. I realize I have procrastinated writing this introduction blog for quite some time now and I have come up with two reasons for this. Firstly, I am not an emotional person. Secondly, I do not want to think about what leaving home for two months is going to feel like because this will make me emotional. People have been asking me questions about traveling to Morocco for about a year now and I have never had trouble answering them until today. Before today, talking about the trip was similar to when you greet someone you know. They usually say something along the lines of “Hey there! How are you?”. And you automatically answer, with no consideration at all, “Good. How are you?”. I would blurt out some sentiment about how excited I was to experience a new culture so different from my own and how much I was looking forward to the food and scenery. All of this is true of course, but I never really let myself feel excited or nervous until today.

I am full of anxieties about being in a new community. At the top of this list is that I am nervous about being a “foreigner”. I have travelled to many countries, but all have them were located in Europe or Oceania. I am used to being a tourist who can blend in when she wants to. I have never before had to consider cultural differences and how they would impact my stay. I feel like I have a lot to learn about my new community and I am nervous for the uncomfortable period in which I have to settle in.

Some of the apprehensions I have are similar to those I had before going to WPI. For example, I knew then as I know now that this experience will change me for the better. However, all my friends were going to college at the same time, so we were all going through the same thing. Also, going to college is such a common experience I didn’t think about what I was feeling. It was expected of me to go to school, so I did so without thinking about turning back. Traveling to Morocco however is such a unique experience that it almost frightens me more. Most study abroad programs consist of simply going to class at an international school. I am nervous, but also excited to be able to live in Morocco. And by that, I mean to be able to truly live in the experience. Yes, I’ll be doing work, but I won’t be shuffled class to class watching the clock all day. This freedom is overwhelming and a part of me is afraid I will not take advantage of it to its fullest extent. There is a magnet on my home fridge of a quote I have decided to live by from now on. It reads: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” I will especially keep this in mind throughout my time in Morocco. The distance of Morocco is also daunting. I had the comfort of going to college a few miles from home. I never go home while I am at school, but just having home close is comforting and I basically grew up in Worcester. I am nervous about not knowing anything about the city I’m living in and being so far away from home.

I actually have one cognitive dissonance moment that I can clearly remember. I woke up in my dorm room and jumped out of bed and thought, “why did I ever sign up to go to Morocco?” I am not sure if I had just dreamed about it or if something reminded me of the trip, but I did seriously second guess my decision at 7 am on a Tuesday. I remember pondering why I was voluntarily putting myself through the stress and anxieties of traveling somewhere so different from home. I could have easily passed up the opportunity and completed my humanities here at WPI. I wouldn’t have to skip taking Anatomy & Physiology and I could save the money for IQP. I then took a shower and never thought about not going to Morocco that hard again. Sure, it would be easier and more comfortable not to go, but is that really how I want to live my life? I look back and chuckle at how excited freshman me got during Get More Insight Day when I went to the Arabic session and learned about Morocco. That initial feeling gets me through any doubtful thoughts I have.

The more I learn about Morocco, the more I feel like I don’t know. I am very excited to feel the speed of life in Morocco. From what I’ve gathered it is much more laid in back in a sense than the US. I wonder if I will have a hard time getting back to US pace after this experience. I am nervous about my future initial reactions to Moroccan hospitality. I already know that I am too apprehensive to not judge people’s intentions of inviting me over. My favorite thing about telling people I am traveling to Morocco is their initial reaction. I have found that there are three types of people who have given me advice for this trip; people who do not know Morocco, people who know Morocco and people who think they know Morocco. People who know Morocco get overly animated and express how excited they are for me. They list out food to try, places to see and tell me to talk to strangers and accept invitations. People who don’t know Morocco tell me I will have a great time and that I will learn a lot from being emerged in a different culture. People who think they know Morocco give me advice based off of movies they have watched about the Arab world. Most, if not all, of these people were shocked when I told them Morocco was right underneath Spain. I has been difficult not let other peoples perceptions cloud my own.

I hope to gain a new outlook/perspective on life that I can use to better understand the world and solve challenges presented to me. I hope to meet strangers and make friends with people I would never have come into contact with if not for this trip. I hope to make unforgettable memories of experiences unique to Morocco and of the people I befriend.