#FirstWorldProbs

My habbibis to get me through the semester

Living in a developing nation has really made me appreciate what the United States has to offer for its people.  I thought I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I decided to come to Morocco, and I did, but some days are harder than others.

1.  I miss having rights.  As a woman living in Morocco, I basically have no rights.  I am not protected under the law.  As a "tourist" I have a few more rights, but not many.  

I cannot go out by myself because if something were to happen to me, I would be blamed rather than helped.  I cannot wear whatever clothes I want because if a man were to grab my butt while I was walking down the street, I would be asking for it.  (Even if I were completely covered up and this were to happen, I could do nothing except ignore it and walk away).

2.  I don't like that people stare.  It's socially acceptable to stare here; I've been here for four months, and I'm still not used to it.  Men can stare at you, but you can't stare back.  If you stare back, it's showing interest and says "hey, come talk to me".  NOT WHAT YOU WANT.

3.  I miss vegetables.  It's an odd thing to miss, but I miss them.  It's hard to find vegetables that aren't drench in some kind of heavy sauce or salted out of this world.  I just want some good sautéed vegetables with black pepper and olive oil.  When I do get vegetables here, I get as many plates as possible to keep me satisfied until the next time.

This is a toilette......

4.  I do not feel comfortable working out.  They have a gym, but I don't like running on treadmills very much, and you can only reserve them in 20 minutes intervals.  They have a track, but when it's warm, and I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt, I feel very uncomfortable because people stare...I really don't like the whole culture of staring.


5.  Western toilettes...let me tell you.  WE HAVE IT GOOD!  Haha!  No worries, the toilettes at school are like the ones at home, but once you leave campus, it's a crap shoot.  There's no telling what kind of bathroom facility you are going to find.

I've had my fair share of non-Western toilettes (holes in the ground), and I will not miss them at all!  Things get...difficult when that's all you have on a road trip or other places off campus.  Basically what happens is that I use the restroom as often as possible when I know I have access to Western toilettes and try very hard to never use it otherwise.

6.  I miss cooking and cleaning.  There's just something about those simple chores that can be so therapeutic after a stressful day.  I also miss doing my own laundry...the people here dyed three of my favorite white things yellow...THERE WAS NOTHING YELLOW OR COLORED IN THAT BATCH OF LAUNDRY!  I'm still a little upset even though this happened over a month ago now.

I apologize if this post sounds a bit whiny, but it's the truth!  However, I will say that I've enjoyed my time immensely in Morocco!  I've had to adjust several times to different things, but that's part of the experience.

Can't wait to see these crazies!

I would not trade this semester abroad for anything because I've learned so much about myself as a person, as a student, and as a woman.  I'm beginning to recognize my strengths and weaknesses as a travel; I know my limits as to what I can handle (for the most part).  While this has probably been one  of the toughest semesters, it's also been one of the most rewarding.

I'm so excited to return home and to see all my friends and family whom I have missed immensely whilst here... and have access to certain amenities that are unavailable here (*cough* *cough* tampons *cough*).