When asked to pick one picture that summed up my trip to Morocco, I had no clue which one to choose because each one told a story of its own. From shopping in the souks to relaxing by the beach, and making new friends to exploring different businesses, Morocco left me with a lifetime of memories. But when asked to pick the picture that summed it all up, I would have to choose one that showed the power of connection, which is what Morocco really showed me. I chose the picture of the pottery shop in the souks because it was where I made a connection I never thought I would.
One day, we were tasked with bargaining in the souks. We were given 30 Durham and told to go shopping in the souks and practice our bargaining skills. Before coming to Morocco, I had never really bargained for anything other than candy when I was a little kid, so I was put out of my comfort zone, which is something that happened a lot throughout this trip. I am typically a planner of what I want to do and when, yet when you stepped into the streets of Morocco, those plans went out the window. If you wanted to walk somewhere ten to one you took a different path each day to the same spot. At first that unpredictability really irritated me, but then I started to lean into it. Letting go and just seeing where I end up like I did when walking the streets each day, to some degree I still had apple maps as a backup, is one of the biggest personal lessons I am taking home with me.
Being open to trying new things is what led me into the pottery shop and into the conversation that helped shape my trip. When I walked into the shop, there was no one there, and my friend and I just took a minute to look at everything. I knew I only had the 30 Durhams to spend, but I really fell in love with a mini hand-painted Tagine, so I decided to ask how much, and he told me 40 Durhams. I knew that was out of my budget, and I asked for 15. I explained that I was a student and that’s all I could pay. He said the lowest he could go was 20, and I said yes. While I know I could have bargained for a lower price I didn’t because of his story. Once he found out that I was a study abroad student from America he started talking to me about how he handmakes his pottery and how he learned english. He explained how he first started learning english from tourists that came through the souks and then he decided to actually study the language because he wanted to better himself. One thing that stood out to me is how he studied not only Darija which is the local arabic dialect, but he also studied classical arabic with rules and structure because once you understand the foundation you can use that to learn other languages to keep pushing yourself to better. To me I really understood what he was saying because I love learning the way thing are done in school because it makes me understand the topic better which pushes me to be better. But while that stayed with me the most shocking thing was what happened after I first met him. Whenever I was passing by his shop he would way or if I was looking at more of his items he would have a conversation with me about my trip. In a place that was so crowded and busy, the fact that he remembered me and had other conversations with me really moved me and showed me just how much personal connection matters.
Personally, this trip taught me that I am more flexible than I give myself credit for. Before coming to Morocco, I was someone who always had a plan for where I needed to be and when, but now I am ok with a detour now and again, just like walking the streets in Rabat, where no one path was ever the same. There was always some kind of detour, and I had to be ok with that even when it annoyed me. Additionally, I learned that I am very interested in peoples stories. I found myself asking most shops I went into the story behind the products just so I understood the culture better and those conversations ended up meaning way more to me than any of the items I bought even though I bought a lot of different items.
Professionally, all of the conversations I had with different shopkeepers showed me that networking is not all about making a connection on LinkedIn or talking to a guest speaker about their job, but sometimes networking is just about building connections with nothing in return other than a good conversation. Coming back home I want to start treating networking a a way to actually get to know people and not something I am just checking off my to do list because those conversations really showed me how much personal connection matters and if I can take that into my professional career I have a feeling it will be better than a linkedin connection.
Academically, coming to Morocco showed me that there is so much more to learning than sitting in a classroom. By walking the streets of Morocco, I was able to not only learn about the culture and different businesses, but I was also able to learn about myself, which is something you cannot do within a classroom. Talking with the man in the pottery shop helped remind me that some of the best learning happens outside of the classroom and by actually talking face-to-face with someone. Now coming back home, I want to continue the curious that I developed and turn that into the studying because the classroom is the starting point to a story, not the whole story.
All in all, traveling to Morocco showed me way more than I could ever learn in a classroom, and that is something I will forever be grateful for. From the pottery shop to the souks and to every random street I went down, which detoured me, every step of the journey left me with some kind of lesson I would have never learned sitting in a classroom, and that is why I will forever be grateful for my trip to Morocco!