Perhaps when you were younger, you always thought about a place and wondered what it would be like to live there. For me, these two places were India and Morocco. My passion for India came from my roots and a consistent longing to go there year after year from childhood to adulthood.
As for Morocco, this interest developed in my teenage years after having Moroccan friends and a Moroccan boyfriend who gave me such beautiful descriptions of his country and the different cities. I met some great Moroccans in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.
At the age of 27, a long overdue trip to India finally happened When arriving there I wondered where it had been all my life as I had such wonderful family there and the NGOs are great. After visiting India, I absolutely loved it, but living there still felt like a bit of a question mark for me. There are definitely cities I could see myself living in i.e. Udaipur and other cities in Rajasthan, Kerala, and maybe Mumbai. Perhaps, it would make more sense for me to live there where my roots are than live in a Muslim country where I have no connections, but this is my choice and I take it.
When people ask, "Why Morocco?" I tell them about my interest in Moroccan culture, people, and the country. They still sometimes look at me in disbelief as they can not understand why I would choose living Casablanca over New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. It is difficult for people to comprehend why I would leave America, but there are amazing opportunities all over the world and I am out to explore, experience, and live them. My one student asks me the question multiples times because she still can not understand the reasoning..While I do question my decisions at times, I know that a life in the states is always going to be there. I am an American citizen and I can go back at anytime, but I like living abroad and exploring new cultures-I thrive off it actually and it is great for my writing.
People also know that I do not know the language and majority of people do not speak English so again it draws a big question mark for them. It is important to note that I did come to Morocco with intentions: to learn French, to get involved with NGOs, and to start up my own business. 2 of the 3 have been accomplished, but the learning French has been a very poor effort on my part. In my defense, I am focused on other things, but this needs to be a focus, especially with running a business here-it is pretty essential. I keep missing the deadline at the French Institute, but that is not a good excuse either.
Hopefully, I will show everyone that I can make it in Morocco and there is a reason bigger than me for coming here. Again, there is just something that tells me to stay. Perhaps it would be easier to live in Spain where I speak Spanish, but Spain's economy is awful and Europe in general is not the place to be. People from Spain, Italy, and France come over to Morocco to create business because Morocco's economy is doing quite well. I did know this information before I came to Morocco, which positively influenced my decision.
You will never reach success in a destination if you do not give it a real chance. PRIS
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