As I am writing this, I am back in my home in Iowa reminiscing about my time in Morocco. I flew back to Washington DC to have the IFYE debriefing for two days and then finally made it home after three long months of travel.
My last two weeks in Morocco did not have anything extremely remarkable in them, but it was the little moments and experiences that I knew that I was having for the last time that made it so special. My host brother and I made American pizza for everyone that we ate on a picnic, I joined in on some traditional dancing in a park, we visited family, had fun riding around the neighborhood on a bike and danced away at our nightly discos. During my last week the kids were starting school – trying to get them to do their homework each night was not easy - so we spent the week in Meknes hanging out.
Looking back, my time in Morocco was not an easy one, but it was an immense time for learning and personal growth. I learned to trust in myself and practice resiliency. Coming back to debriefing it was interesting to hear everyone else’s IFYE experiences and realize how unique my experience really was. Almost every other IFYE went to a European based country – besides one IFYE to South Korea – so the cultural differences I experienced were a lot different than theirs. I am very grateful for the time I spent in Morocco and will look back at my time with fond memories and lots of laughs.
I wanted to end with some advice/things I learned for future IFYEs, regardless of what country they are going to:
Do not be afraid to advocate for yourself. As they say in orientation, this experience is really what you make. If there is something that you want to do or see (within reason) ask! If you are in a host situation that really is not working out and you have tried your best to make it work, ask to switch (note this is not something to do lightly but if you feel it is necessary advocate for yourself).
Unfollow other IFYEs on social media if you need to. When on your IFYE experience there are a lot of ups and downs. If you are going through a tough week or struggling with something it can be difficult to see all the amazing things other IFYEs are doing on social media. It can lead to comparison between experiences and make you feel you are the only one who is struggling. But as we know, social media is just a highlight reel.
Have no expectations. I know this is easier said than done but I have found throughout my time here that having expectations only makes things harder. You really do have to go with the flow and things almost never go as you thought they would and having little expectations can make the experience a lot easier.
Talk to people at home. While you do not want to spend your whole experience on the phone talking to people at home, having one or a couple of people that you can share your experiences with, good and bad, and talk things through with can be incredibly helpful. And sometimes you just need to have a conversation in English that you completely understand.
