Adventures in Morocco, Pt. II
I am a planner. I color code my calendars, set out my clothes the night before I wear them, and check my schedule for the day at least twice before I actually live it.
As far as I know, I’ve always been this way. If anything it’s only gotten stronger as I’ve aged. It’s become such an intimate part of who I am that I wouldn’t know what to do without it. That being said, I’ve seen the ways in which it limits me. I’m uncomfortable when given a task with little to no parameters and it makes me anxious when I don’t have at least a general sense of what to expect in my future (both short- and long-term).
Still, I’d like to consider myself a flexible person. I’ll be the first to admit that spontaneity does not always come naturally to me but this does not inhibit it from happening or prevent me from being adaptable. I understand that some things simply cannot be planned for and that’s more than fine with me. I like that side of life almost as much as I do the things within my control; I believe that it is in these unaccounted moments that we are often gifted with memories that remind us who we are and will last a lifetime thereafter.
I came into this program armed with the knowledge that time would move differently. I thought I was prepared for what that meant, I thought that would be the worst of my challenges.
I was wrong.
This program has tested me in ways I wouldn’t have thought possible. In all honesty, I’m still trying to process what exactly this all means for me because at this point I’m not sure.
What I do know is that I’m absolutely exhausted and my spirits are low. We haven’t accomplished nearly as much as I would have hoped yet we’ve been working constantly, without a break, for weeks on end. I’m fried. Even as I write this, my head is pounding from lack of sleep and staring at a computer screen for 10 hours.
That being said, there is nowhere else I’d rather be.
I have not lost sight of the fact that, despite everything, I am still in Morocco. I am still halfway around the world, meeting new people, and experiencing new things. I’m so lucky to be here and I am grateful for such an opportunity.
I’m also grateful for Keala. Truthfully, I don’t know what I’d do without her here. Her work for ASILA is excellent and her unbreakable spirit has made it much easier to laugh about our challenges than it would have been otherwise. Her company has made this whole experience an adventure as opposed to an ordeal. I sincerely hope we stay in contact when we return to SCU.
Not to mention the work itself. The sheer volume of it is taxing to say the least but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it. Though the amount to be done far exceeds the bounds of what we will be able to accomplish in our time here, I am proud of what we have done so far and I am excited to see what more can be done in the future.
The combination of meeting the female artisans responsible for ASILA’s products and the tangible skills gained from working on the company website and editing content has reaffirmed my belief that this is the type of work I am meant to do. What that translates to, in terms of finding a “real” job, is still to be decided. One thing is for sure though: whatever I end up doing, I must believe in it wholeheartedly.
