Growing Pains
Today was Eid al-adha. I woke up to the sounds of several sheep who had temporarily taken up residence in the houses of my neighbors. They bleat maybe because they can sense their fate as the traditional meal later on in the day, or maybe they just don't like being cramped up inside. The sun was bright but it was crisp, and I felt how it had somehow turned into autumn here in Rabat. Gone are the days of 100 degree afternoons in my tiny, 7th floor apartment. Here now, is the autumn. In the Midwest where I am from, it is my favorite season. Here in Morocco, the leaves don't really change like they do at home, and it doesn't really ever get too cold. A normal day averages in the 70s, though it does get a bit chilly at night. And pumpkin spice will not be abundant, something I can't believe I will miss this year...
Lately I have been reflecting a lot on what I have done in the past year. Yes, as of 11 days ago, I have been here in Morocco for exactly one year. I say to myself, as I always do when I take the time to reflect back on my life, that I can't believe I am where I am today, and that so much unprecedented change has taken place. I still stop myself sometimes, and just take it all in - the sights, but mostly the sounds. The street sounds are so different from what I had come to be used to in the US. Here, you can hear the people calling to each other, talking loudly on the phone, eating, drinking, and laughing, and today, sheep baaing. It's still so surreal at times, but I am trying to organize everything inside my head, to make sense of it all.
Over the summer, every one of my American friends has slowly drifted away, back to their respective countries to pursue higher education or a different life, and I have been left here on a raft with no oar. I have made several Moroccan friends, and I have a boyfriend whom I am very close to, but I currently don't have a best female friend within a telephone call. It's been a little rough, adjusting to life like this, but I am making progress on my own personality along the way. Learning to make friends as an adult in a different country....and learning to be okay alone has been one of the hardest things about this experience. Growing pains are hard. But I believe the reward will be worth it, and I hope to become a person that I can be proud of. For now, though, I will continue to try to extend myself in order to find growth and figure out where I am, and where I want to be.
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| Here is a man going around the neighborhood collecting skins from the slaughtered sheep. |
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| Unwilling sheep delivery. |
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| A mule I saw on a mountainous road trip. |
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