Today we started our morning at the CCCL, and had the privilege of learning about Farah’s story and how she became the founder and visionary behind the CCCL. From creating the organization from scratch, what stood out most to me was the risk she took in choosing such a unique idea. She pushed herself to the limits of risk and challenge in order to create a cross-cultural learning center. That being said, if anyone could do it, Farah could, because she is such an amazing woman. She even stated that she did this to “make the biggest impact.” Instead of viewing challenges as failures, she saw them as necessary parts of the process, which really changed the way I approached our entrepreneurship activity later in the day.
From this, I noticed myself doubting my team when we were brainstorming ideas because some of them were very out of the box. However, I tried to remember that Farah created such an amazing institution from an out-of-the-box idea. When my teammates came up with ideas like live reviews, I was nervous because it could take a bad turn quickly, but I also could see past the risk and recognize the reward — that people might really like it and trust our website more because of it.
That being said, I was surprised by how well our group balanced one another, and I honestly just enjoyed working with everyone. When Anna focused on the writing because she had the best handwriting, I could draw out the pictures, and Mariel could focus on brainstorming ideas from all the places she has shopped in the souks. We worked toward all of our strengths, which made for a great experience.
I do think the best part of the project was when Steph came to find us because we had run out of time. We all laughed because it felt like no time had passed since we were having so much fun engaging with one another and with the Moroccan English student who was kind enough to join us for the day. It was also the cherry on top when I was out shopping in the souks afterward and was able to see one of the students again and stop to say hi.
Day 9! Farah Wisdom
