I decided to pick this photo of the traditional kaftan my host mom gave me to best represent my time in Morocco (although there were so many to choose from!). My host mom works as a seamstress, and I learned that she had made this kaftan for one of her daughters to wear when they were younger and wanted to gift it to me to wear for the night of our farewell party. Besides being amazed by all the intricate beading and details, I was also surprised by how perfect the kaftan happened to fit me! I don’t know how my host mom knew that it would fit me (maybe she didn’t), but still, it did and I feel like this has been a common theme for me throughout this trip. I am a very big worrier and had convinced myself before this trip started that I wouldn’t “succeed” in Morocco, but here I am! It all worked out! I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and in turn got to meet some amazing people, learn about interesting business models, eat good food, experience a new culture, and make real human connections. Even when things did not go as expected, like when I found out I’d be showering with a bucket or when my company’s site visit schedule got changed, I adapted and worked through it.
This whole experience has given me so much more confidence and trust in myself, as well as others. I did not speak the same language as my host mom, but she always made sure I was fed, comfortable, and made it to CCCL each day on time! And again, the amount of detail and time she put into that kaftan was incredible. Our trip to Morocco was centered around women and entrepreneurship and I feel like living with a host family of all women really emphasized for me how hard they do work. My host sister would work long hours in the medina six days a week. My host mom would go to care for her mother every morning, go to work, and then come back home to do all the cooking and cleaning necessary each day (in addition to caring for me!). It was very impressive and inspiring.
The power of human connection has been a big part of this trip, both during the site visits and my home stay, and I think my host mom giving me the kaftan was a perfect example of it. I think another really powerful example for me (and one of my highlights from this trip!) was the night my host mom made us spaghetti for dinner. Every night we would have the TV playing in the background as we ate and that night a Moroccan horror movie came on. I was already giddy to be eating pasta (it was my first time having it with my host family!) but once I saw what movie was playing, I couldn’t stop laughing. Soon, my host sister noticed too and then we both couldn’t stop laughing. I was dropping spaghetti everywhere, but it was so much fun. Despite the language barrier, like with the kaftan, it was another powerful reminder that many other things can bring people together besides language (including clothing and TV).
Personally, this trip has really helped me with managing expectations, having more trust in myself, and connecting with others. I can be soft-spoken and overthink things, but on this trip, I had to learn to be louder and make quicker, practical decisions. I really enjoyed our group activity with the Moroccan students pitching new products to solve problems and our discussions on different business models. Professionally, these activities and this trip have shown me that product development and supply chain are two areas I would like to explore further. Academically, this trip has proven that despite the country I am in, I still work well taking lots of notes, engaging in group discussions, and with lots of visuals.
This time has really flown by. I am really happy with how this trip has ended and everything I have been able to accomplish and learn. I am writing this from the airport in Germany, preparing to take my final flight to get back home to New Jersey. Goodbye blog! Assalamu alakum!