Morocco wrap-up

Things I will miss about Morocco:

1. Linguistic disorientation. Never quite knowing which language (English, French, Arabic) I will hear when I turn the corner, or which language will come out of my mouth when I order a coffee, ask for directions, etc.

2. Smells and tastes. Especially mint tea, olives, dates, freshly squeezed orange juice, and those cornbread cake things that the cafeteria serves for breakfast.

3. Sounds. Mainly I'm thinking of the call to prayer, but in a strange way, I'll also miss the Arabic music videos playing in the cafe or on the radio in taxis. And this relates to #1 up above, but I'll also miss the sound of Arabic, spoken just slightly too fast for me to follow along.

4. Company. The warmth and hospitality of the Moroccans that we encountered from all walks of life. Plus, the summer-sleep-away-camp dynamic of the Georgetown group -- 14 complete strangers who ended up being pretty cool. :-)

5. Colors. Turquoise tiles, white-washed stucco, green shingles, and rust-red sand -- those are the colors that float into my mind when I think of Morocco.

Things I will not miss about Morocco:

1. Being harassed on the street. I know I tend to be a little paranoid, but I really do believe my blonde hair attracted more attention than some of the other girls in our group. It was a little disconcerting to feel a group of men staring at me as I walked by, yet be unable to understand what they were saying. And it was more than a little disconcerting to actually be grabbed -- twice -- by one of them.

2. Constant dehydration. You really can't replenish your water supply fast enough in that kind of heat, and it takes a toll.

3. Worrying about getting sick from food on the road, and even in the school cafeteria. And on another food note, having to resort to eating meat on a daily basis due to lack of other available options.

4. Those creepy earwig-esque bugs with the pincers that always invaded the dorm rooms.

5. The photos of H.M. Mohamed VI hanging in every public building. I'm sorry, but I find it a little creepy. Very "Big Brother is watching" and all that.

Overall, this program was an incredible experience for me. At the risk of sounding cliche, I even dare to say that I learned a lot about myself in the process. Morocco is a country of extremes: extreme beauty, with its deserts and mountains, that you don't always appreciate right away; extreme wealth, in terms of cultural heritage and the personal income of the privileged few; extreme poverty, in terms of the opportunities available to the vast majority of the population.

I am not a very extreme person. I like adventuring and exploring, within limits, but I'm cautious. I like to know that I have somewhere safe and comfortable to go at the end of the day. Although this experience was very sheltered and supervised in many ways, in others it pushed me past my comfort zone. I don't know if I will end up back in Morocco as a Peace Corps volunteer a few years from now, the way I once imagined a few years ago. I'm not sure if my temperament is suited to that. However, over four weeks I think I was able to come to appreciate the strange, extreme sort of beauty that is Morocco. It still holds a fascination for me, a sense of wonder and mystery. I hope someday I'll go back.