These last weeks have gone by in
one very long, very exciting, very exhausting dream that I never wanted to end
and will never forget. I don’t really know where to start. I typed the last
blog post on a bus going towards Fes, Morocco. I was so overwhelmed by the
experiences and the feeling that it still wasn’t over. Right now, I am tucked
safely away in the SIT office, just noticing the rain that began to pour
outside and looking at my peers that I now see as my best friends.
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| Fes |
Week 2 of Morocco was more of a
mini vacation than an educational visit. We managed to hit Fes, Marrakech, Beni
Mellal and Agadir in five days. We stayed at plush hotels, shared 9 hour bus rides
and even got to stick in trips to a couple of beaches. The week went by way too
fast, but there are some things that stuck out.
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| Volubilis- and Old Roman City |
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| Marrakech |
In Agadir, we were completely
spoiled by Yvette’s (our SIT academic director) in-laws. They made us tea and
cookies, lunch and scrubbed us down in their local Hammam. If you don’t know,
Hammams are very popular in Morocco. They are like giant bathhouses where women
strip down to just their underwear and spend hours relaxing in the Sauna. (In
these communities, most homes do not have showers)The men and women of our
group separated as we went to our separate Hammams. It took the group about
three minutes to get over the awkwardness of us all standing around in nothing
but our underwear. As we went inside the Hammam, there were other women there
scrubbing down their kids and they didn’t even blink when 19 Americans came
into their personal sanctuary. It was a
safe space for no judgment and some serious relaxation. We shampooed each
other’s hair, gave each other massages and chatted away as the time quickly flew
by. It was a truly moving experience. During our visit, I took a few minutes to
lie down by myself and think. I took a look at my scars from my lumpectomies
and biopsies. I thought about how many times I had to take off my shirt at the
doctor’s office as tens of doctors worked around my breasts. I thought about
how maybe ever since then, I saw my body as a science experiment that could
only be understood by a doctor. At that moment, I looked around and saw that no
one in the room cared about my scars, my lumps, my medical history, we were all
enjoying our bodies for what they are. We were excited to see the how different
and beautiful every body was. It was a natural, moving experience. I knew right
then that these women would really be in my heart forever. I would not share
this kind of experience with anyone else in my life. Whether they liked it or
not, they saw me naked and now they are stuck with me forever. It made me think
about how we as Americans would view our bodies if we grew up in a society where
there was no shame in one’s naked self amongst other women. How if we saw from a young age, the beauty of
everyone’s own body, we would feel less self-conscience about our own. I don’t
know if that is actually the case, but I knew in that moment and beyond I was
definitely less self-conscience about my unique body and it’s unique history.
Upon our return to Amsterdam, I’ve
realized these three important things:
One, I really missed my homestay.
I missed my host mom’s endless tea, my host sibling’s & I bonding time and
my Nutella bread breakfast. I was relieved I was returning from a place I loved
to a place I missed. They welcomed me back with open arms and pancakes, because
they know it’s one of my favorite treats in the Netherlands. I sat back into my
chair in front of the TV and finally felt truly comfortable in my temporary
home. On Monday, I had an urge to buy
every item necessary to make cupcakes and baked them at home (with my lovely
assistant Lyla) and it really hit me in that moment. Making cupcakes for me is
how I know I’ve really settled into a home. I made the kitchen my own personal
bakery and spent three hours flattening fondant (apparently they don’t believe
in good ol’ frosting in Holland). I wish I could tell September 9th Alex
that ‘these people will become your family in 6 short weeks and Gaasperplas
will become your home. Don’t you worry.’
Two, I asked Mandy if I should
mention this in the blog, because I wasn’t sure if it’s what we really blog
about. But she reminded me that it’s part of this abroad experience I’m having
and adding to my happiness 100%. I am seeing someone (dating someone? in an
exclusive bind?) on my program. It’s weird to be in a place in life when I have
to inform my closest friends that this is happening and they just don’t see us
walking around campus and make their own assumptions. It’s different that I
can’t get all my friend’s approval before starting something serious. It feels
so… mature? Anyway, now you all are informed on the gossip. Who knows what life has in store for us come
December, but know that right now I’m overwhelmingly happy and definitely have
her to thank for that.
Last, but not least, we just had this incredible, life changing experience in Morocco and didn’t even go ‘home home’. We came back to Amsterdam for two more months of incredible experiences. We still have Norway, Barcelona, Budapest and the United Kingdom. We still have our independent study projects and interviews to conduct. We still have more bars and museums to visit. My life is not done changing and I just think that’s pretty awesome.
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