I saved the hardest part of this blog post for first because I have been thinking about how to write this since the moment I left and I still do not think I have the right words for it. My host family gave me something I did not fully expect when I walked through their door on day 2, and leaving them was genuinely one of the harder things I have done in a while. My host brother and sister both spoke English so communication with them came naturally, but it was my host mom Fatima who left the biggest mark on me and she did not say a single word I could understand the entire time. And yet she was the one who was the saddest to see me leave. That says everything.
The language barrier between us was real but it never once felt like a wall because action really does speak louder than words with her. The way she cared for me, always making sure there was food, always covering my lap with a towel so the bread crumbs would not dirty my pants, every single little thing. And the fact that she always had so much energy to smile and laugh every time I came back from my activities, like genuinely every time. She made the whole house feel welcoming and she was just such a happy person, which hit even harder when I found out her husband had passed away a couple of years ago. And she had trouble walking which made her pretty immobile, and yet she would still get up and get me breakfast every morning despite the pain. My first instinct honestly was to feel so bad for her, but then I realized I should not pity her, I should be proud of her. Her strength and her willpower to keep doing the things she can and to always have the biggest smile and the warmest laugh in that house, that is something I am genuinely going to carry with me.
Okay wiping my tears and I’ll summarize days 12 through 14 because a lot happened and I promised this would be my most complete blog post yet so let’s get into it.
Day 12 we made couscous together and had our final party where all of us where in traditional wear and dancing! This was something none of us were fully ready for but all needed.
Day 13 was our final presentations which honestly went really well, and after all the stress of putting it together it felt really good to see it come together in the room. Aanya and I ended the day by going to the beach one last time to see the view and I think that was the perfect way to close out Rabat, just standing there looking at the water knowing it was the last time.
Day 14 we flew out of Casablanca and landed in Germany at 6 AM which is a sentence I still cannot fully believe I am writing. We did a little day trip exploring near Rothenburg, tried some German coffee and food, and saw the big cathedral which was absolutely massive and gorgeous, it was giving Cathy in Germany!
Going from the medinas and the souks and the coast of Rabat to Germany in the same day was one of the strangest and most surreal transitions I have ever experienced, but it was also kind of the perfect ending to a trip that was full of things I never saw coming. Morocco you really did something to me and I am so glad I came.