A Whole New World

Salam! Bonjour! Hello!

Pont Neuf, Toulouse

This past week was our “winter” break (even though Holy Cross’s spring break is in 2 weeks…) and I took the trip of a lifetime with Erin and Steph. We first ventured to Toulouse, “La ville en rose” or the pink city, in the south of France. It was wonderful to see another part of France and be able to speak the language with the habitants as well as just take some time to venture around and not have to be somewhere all the time. Toulouse is also where my host family used to live, so it was cool thinking that they were here for a while before moving to Strasbourg!

La ville en rose

On Thursday, we woke up at 4am to make our way to the Toulouse airport where we boarded a plane to Marrakech, Morocco, in Africa!! The excitement over seeing another part of the world so different from Europe and America was tangible, and upon arriving over the airport, the differences were unimaginable. Just looking at the landscape from an airplane, you could see the browns and reds of the Moroccan desert and sand, compared to the numerous green fields of France. Getting off the plane, the air was still chilly, but the sun was warm, and from the first site of the airport, everything was written first in Arabic (which is symbols) and then in French, as Morocco used to be a French colony. We booked this trip with a group run for student tours, so we met our guides and exchanged our Euros for Moroccan Dirhams, which were about 10 for each euro. Then we got in a taxi and drove through the loud and disarrayed streets of Marrkech.

On the trip, the tour definitely allowed us the most out of our experience. We stayed in a hostel Riad, which is a old wealthy traditional Moroccan house. It was definitely the most amazing hostel I will ever stay at! Then we took to the streets for a Moroccan lunch of tajines, visited a wood artisan shop and a rug maker, and gathered at the end of the day for a traditional dinner, complete with Moroccan mint tea. The next day we truly “profité-bien” from a visit to a Berber (native Moroccan tribe) house, a ride on a camel, and a hike through the Atlas Mountains. It was exhilarating and truly breath-taking. The adventures didn’t stop there though, as the next day we went dune buggying in the desert! At one point while maneuvering my dune buggy around the rocks of the desert mountain we were climbing, I had to remind myself that this is real, that this experience is truly my study abroad reality and that it is safe to say I am living the dream. I couldn’t help but give praise to the God who brought me on this amazing trip not only to Morocco but to France for this year, and all the blessings that have rained down since.

Equity Point Hostel- Converted Riad

The Atlas Mountains

SIte of the Berber House

Moroccan Museum

Seeing Morocco was truly eye-opening. It struck me for the first time that I have really only seen one view of the world- through the eyes of the West, and how there is so much more to discover and see. I found myself wishing I could have had more time in Morocco and that I am feeling a call to see more of the world after this study abroad experience. I know that it will teach me more about myself, about God, and about life in general. And for that, I am so excited.

Love and Peace,

Jessica

This entry was posted on Monday, February 22nd, 2016 at 11:04 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed.