It’s so hard to choose one photo that best represents my time in Morocco because of how much we were able to experience in these two weeks here. I will say, though, that when I look at all of the experiences I’ve had, it boils down to the welcoming community that we joined and learned from throughout these past two weeks. From hearing “Welcome to Morocco” on the streets to being sent off at our farewell party with a traditional Moroccan band, a welcoming community was always present. I chose this image to represent that because you can see my sister Niema letting me wear her traditional dress for the farewell party. Inviting me to participate in and experience her culture is something she did not have to be so open about, but of course she was, and it made my trip so amazing.
I also think this picture does a great job of showing the friendship that we were able to create over these past few weeks. It is a friendship that I hope will not end with this trip, as we both agreed that if I ever come back to Morocco, I am always welcomed back, and if she ever comes to America, she will be welcomed with open arms.
From this experience, not only have I learned more about Moroccan culture, but I have also learned more about myself. Personally, I feel as though my confidence in myself has completely changed. Coming to a new country with so many unknowns was extremely nerve-racking for both me and my parents. I remember sitting in my Towers dorm room with Sadie, and we were both admitting to one another how scared we were of the unknowns we were going to face. I think this is such a full-circle moment for us now because I can see the growth in both of us as we gave each other encouraging smiles throughout the trip while trying new things and pushing ourselves into new experiences.
Professionally, I did not realize how impactful our group’s site visits were going to be for me. This is because I was able to see ANDD in person. When looking at a business abroad, you do not always realize the differences that exist within a company just from viewing its website. I was able to see how business is conducted in Morocco from a more personal standpoint. I think this was especially interesting to me because when they first welcomed us, the woman leading the site visit came up to me, gave me a hug, and asked all of us our names. This greatly differed from what I have experienced professionally in America, where during site visits we focus more on things like firm handshakes and elevator pitches. This experience has helped me grow professionally because I now place more importance on personal connection when networking with businesses.
Academically, this program gave me the opportunity to study abroad. Even though that may sound like an obvious statement, I am not planning to study abroad for a full semester and only plan to attend college for four years. Stumbling across this opportunity was something that fit my lifestyle perfectly and honestly felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience because of that. I never understood how impactful studying abroad could be. There truly is nothing better than learning in a live classroom where the world around you becomes part of the lesson, and I think that is one of the main reasons I was able to gain so much from this program.