"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain
To do anything, there is no time like the present. Had I not decided to fork over the money to take the trip to Morocco, I don't know that I ever would have made it to Africa for the rest of my life. It's too easy to put things aside and say, someday I'll get to it, someday when the timing's better, or the money's better, or whatever the case may be. It's always someday. For me, someday was last Thursday. Last Thursday beginning at 4:30 am I started my journey to Morocco, to a country that was unlike any I had ever traveled to before. The night before Gabi and I repeated to each other I don't know how many times "We're going to Africa. Is this really happening?" Packing was an interesting adventure, because while it was going to be hot in Morocco, we knew that as women we would have to stay covered up. We also had to make sure that we remembered things like flashlights, aquatabs, high protective sunscreen, hand santizer, and toilet paper.
In the grand scheme of things I know very little about Morocco as a country. The more I travel the more I realize my own ignorance. So honestly, I had no idea what to expect for this trip. We flew from Paris to Casablanca and started the tour right away. The first thing that strikes me about Morocco is the abundance of wildflowers. Beautiful, vibrant wildflowers. There are fields of lavender, pale yellow, and bright red. It's a beautiful country, there's no denying that. As we drive from the airport into the city, we're all glued to our respective windows just attempting to take it all in.
We drive around Casablanca and stop at Le Mosquee Mohammad V which is the 3rd largest mosque in the world and the tallest religious structure in the world. The architecture in this place is absolutely phenomenal. The Mosque was constructed right on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean which allows for an amazing backdrop to an amazing Mosque. Before entering we all have to remove our shoes and carry them with us. When you walk in we're bombarded with fantastic colors and huge lighted doors, keyhole windows opening to the ocean, and huge chandeliers. It's much more aesthetically pleasing than most Christian churches or cathedrals. But for me it evokes some of the exact same feelings. It's one of those places where, as Emily likes to say, you just get it. It's awe-inspiring and incredible.
After touring the mosque and the surrounding area, we met back at the bus and had lunch in Casablanca before moving on to Fes. The bus ride to Fes was a little over 3 hours long, and in those three hours I think we saw every different type of landscape imaginable. The countryside changes so rapidly. Fes, from what we can tell of it around 7 at night, is a fairly large city. It's a city that really, really likes fountains--the main boulevard was covered with them. We were warned not to leave the hotel, especially the girls, but we were all so exhausted anyway that it didn't much matter. So we ate dinner at the hotel, carefully avoiding anything that resembled fruits or vegetables so as not to get sick. This is much more difficult than you might think. One of the things that I loved most about the trip to Morocco was that it allowed me, Carolin, Emily, and Gabi to have plenty of time just the four of us. We stayed a dinner chatting away until we realized we were the only ones still left in the restaurant and that the waiters wanted to clean our table. So we then moved our talk to one of our bedrooms before finally heading off to bed.
At this point in the journey, I still have no idea what the rest of the week is going to hold. Morocco kicks off the start of my spring break tour, which is a way is the beginning of the end of my study abroad experience. Upon returning to Paris I will have approximately 3 weeks left in the city that I've called home for the past 4 months. I have so many mixed feelings about this. Being in Morocco gives me the travel bug and I'm eager to move. But at the same time, being away makes me realize how much I miss Paris and how much it has become a true "home" for me. In January my safe harbor was the States and Paris was an unknown adventure. Somehow in this short span of time, Paris has turned into my safe harbor. Morocco and other parts of Europe are now my adventure. So even though sometimes I crave my niche that I've created in France, I also know that right now…it's time to explore.
