I remember sitting in class my senior year of high school and knowing that I needed to be out in the world. I would look at these blogs everyday and marvel at the amazing opportunities and experiences Carpe Diem students were having and I knew that I wanted to have the same ones. So, I packed up my backpack and spent my first semester traversing around Southeast Asia. I explored temples, rode elephants, hiked through Hill Tribe villages, survived Dengue, paddle boarded, walked through killing fields and learned more about myself than I ever imagined. It was nothing like I expected but everything that I needed. I needed to experience being away from home, coping with homesickness, working through group issues, understanding poverty, and making the most out of unusual or unexpected situations. I loved Southeast Asia and saying goodbye to a land full of smiles, great food, humid weather, and amazing culture and history was hard. I knew that what I had experienced my first semester was something I would never forget and that I wanted to have a similar experience for my second semester.
I had been to Morocco at the beginning of high school with my family but I didn’t know quite what to expect going back. I was extremely nervous and so was everyone else when I chose to go to Morocco. Luckily, another latitudes student, Omar, chose to go to Morocco as well so we’ve been each others support system since the day we got here. We’ve ridden camels in the Sahara Desert, danced in a Berber tent, shared many tagines, had after-work tea and hot chocolate, hiked in the High Atlas mountains, laughed with our host families, struggled through Arabic, and talked non-stop for the last month. This experience has been even more amazing because of the friendships I’ve made through Carpe Diem, through work, through language school, and through my homestay. My home stay family is amazing. I have four host siblings and a host mom and dad. I come from a big family so moving into a large family wasn’t too much of a culture shock. My host sister, Ishrak, and I share clothes, go sledding, go to hammam (Moroccan bath house), and laugh and talk all the time. My host brother, Mohamed, watches out for me and is always willing to bike all over Marrakech to help me out. My two younger brothers, Adem and Said, don’t speak English but are always willing to show me their handstands and ninja moves. My host father, Aziz, works at the local Souk (market) and is constantly showing me new Berber treasures while we practice my Arabic. My host mom, Zameera, is amazing. She doesn’t speak any English but she shows me everyday how much she loves me in small ways such as watching Bollywood together or when we make cous-cous.
For those of you who don’t know, Morocco is part of North Africa and is the gateway between Europe and Africa. The national languages of Morocco are Moroccan Arabic (Durija) and French and it is a Muslim country. In short, it is extremely different compared to Southeast Asia was. For starters, Omar and I are doing an internship at the High Atlas Foundation so that involves both showering everyday and makeup (on my part), which is a HUGE change from last semester. We also take Arabic three times a week so we have homework and are actively learning one of the hardest languages, which has been both hysterical and unbelievable at many points.
Over the course of the month I’ve been here, I’ve learned about how many un-true and unrealistic stereotypes there are about North Africa and Muslim countries. I’ve had to realize how many unknown prejudices and assumptions I had which has been a really interesting and eye-opening experience. Everyday I’m learning. Whether it’s from school, work, my co-workers, my host family or even just walking down the street, I learn more about life and people than I would have if I were sitting in class. I’ve learned how to be a self-resilient, strong young woman. I can handle myself in many situations but I also know that I don’t need to do any of it by myself. The community I’ve built through Carpe Diem continues to amaze me. I have friends on almost every continent right now and it is a blessing to be part of such an amazing community. My parents gave me the wings to fly, but Carpe challenged me to jump, and for that I am eternally grateful.
مَع السَلامة (with peace!)
Emma Tobin
