Spontaneity, and the flexibility that comes with spontaneous moments, is really what allows someone to immerse themselves in a new culture. For me, I did not fully know what eating with my host family, bargaining in the Medina, or going to the Moroccan bathhouse, hammam, would be like. I had an idea thanks to cultural orientation sessions, but nothing was set in stone. There was no guarantee my experiences would be like the ones described to me. I therefore had to be flexible. 

One night for dinner, I was one of eight people sitting around a large plate filled with couscous, vegetables, and meat, as it was a family member’s birthday. While eating, I made sure to “respect my zone” by only eating the food that was directly in front of me, something I had learned during the family life orientation. As I took in everyone chatting in Darija and enjoying themselves, I noticed that people, especially my host mom, were putting pieces of meat in other peoples’ zones. To me this was a very thoughtful gesture, as it reflected wanting other people to enjoy the best parts of the meal. Towards the end of the meal, I took a piece of meat and put it in my host mom’s zone. She expressed her gratitude with a heartfelt “shukran,” and a few moments later split the piece in half for two other peoples’ zones. In this moment, understanding the cultural norm of respecting my zone allowed me to observe other things happening around me and make deeper connections. This experience among others motivates me to orient myself with new cultures before traveling in order to be more present. 

Academically, I learned that one of my strengths is taking in a significant amount of information, processing it, and generating ideas from it. What helped me do this during the trip was taking notes and asking insightful questions to further my knowledge of the topic or company at hand. I also put into practice asking questions to further the discussion of an issue, specifically during our entrepreneurship exercise with Moroccan university students. Professionally, I believe these skills would be an asset to me in a financial planning or consulting position, two career paths that interest me. Working with the Center for Cross Cultural Learning and seeing the amazing impact they have on students also inspired me to consider a career that combines business, tourism, education, and language.

The picture of me standing outside my host family’s door best represents my time in Morocco because each day in Rabat, I walked out that door with confidence and an excitement to learn and explore. It was also the door I walked through to feel welcomed and cared for by my host family, to feel the most deeply immersed in another culture I have ever felt. When we arrived back in Rabat from our trip to Marrakesh, I felt a sense of being at home, in a familiar, heartwarming place.