Update/ Dear 2013

To anyone who still reads my blog, I am so sorry about my inconsistency, cough, lack of posting over the last three going on four months. Exchange is hard folks, harder than you can imagine but SO worth it in the end. In light of the New Year and updating my blog I have written a short letter to our dear friend 2013.

Dear 2013,

Wow, I can't believe how fast you have flown by, it feels like only a couple of months ago that I was ringing you in but now your leaving for good. What an insanely magnificent, invigorating, exhilarating, eye opening year it has been. The shortest and longest year I've yet to experience. If anyone would have told me a year ago this time that I would be living in Morocco on New Year’s Eve 2013, I wouldn't have believed them at all. Even when I left the U.S. back in August, I had no idea what I was getting into. This whole year has been such a journey, one I will be forever thankful for. As I reflect back I smile; at the good, the bad, and the really ugly. All the unexpected challenges, street harassment, homesickness, miscommunication hiccups (as so happens when you’re learning two languages) and our good old friend culture shock. Before you leave, I want to say thank you. Thank you for an incredible year, one I will never forget. The amazing people I've met, the stunning sights I've witnessed, and all the lessons learned. I've grown and changed in ways I didn't imagine. I've learned about determination, persistence, and how a sense of humor goes a long way! I'm sorry that I haven't had time to blog as much as I'd like but I hope to change that in the New Year. My New Year's resolution? To pursue truth, deepen my relationship with Christ, live in the moment, and love till it hurts! Oh, and learning Darija would be nice too. To your sister 2014, let her know I am so excited to meet her and see what she has in store for me!

 

I am in Morocco!!!

Hey everyone! This blog post is long overdue as it has been over a month since my last blog post. A lot has happened since July; for one thing I am now in Morocco!!!

On Saturday, August 31st, I said "See you later" to my family and friends in the United States to head for the Kingdom of Morocco. I met the 7 other YES Abroad students going to Morocco with me at Dulles International and together we headed off on our year long journey. After flying for what seemed like forever, actually only about 7 hours, we landed in Frankfurt, Germany for a 6 hour layover. Our layover in Frankfurt was pretty pleasant as we spent the time learning more about each other, discussing our fears and expectations for the upcoming year, and exploring the German airport which was full of wonders. Next stop on our journey was boarding Royal Air Maroc to head for Casablanca, Morocco. I can quite fondly recall all the jitters and thrills I experienced boarding the flight. All the fears of the unknown: a new country, a new city, a new family, a new school, a new language, the crazy adventures awaiting us.

The second flight seemed to be the longest flight in history, probably because I became pretty nauseous after takeoff. I couldn't wait to land breathe in the Moroccan air and walk on Moroccan soil. As you can imagine after landing I was on cloud 9; nothing could bring me down, not even nausea! Everything I saw was amazing and different: the streets, the toilets, the hand dryers, the people, and the languages! After touching down and making it through customs and baggage claim, we met our phenomenal in-country coordinator Sarah. We then drove for about an hour and a half from Casablanca to Rabat. We got to our hotel after midnight but nevertheless we were excited. That first night after Face Timing with my family back home, I didn't get much sleep; I could not contain the excitement running through my veins.

The next morning, we gathered up our belongings to head over to the AMIDEAST center, our headquarters for the year. We spent the morning doing some in-country orientation before heading out to lunch. For our first official meal in Morocco, Sarah; our fantastic coordinator, took us to this awesome restaurant called Babylon where we were stuffed to the brim with deliciousness.




Grilled Chicken with Fries and Bread. Deliciousness.



First Meal in Morocco.
 




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch we got to meet our host families!!!! Usually, this is not the norm as most exchange students only get to meet their families after enduring days of orientation. Within less of 24 hours of landing in the Kingdom of Morocco, we walked into a room to meet our host families; the people that have graciously and willing invited us into their homes, families, and lives.

Our in-country organization, AMIDEAST, prefers to pair up students together when it comes to host families. My partner/ roommate/ friend is Charis Ramsing (you can find her blog on my blog list!). Our host family is amazing, everything and more! They could not be any more welcoming, kind, and courteous. From day one they have accepted us as their own children, a fact they remind us of quite often. We have a mother, a father, an older sister who is 24, a sister who is 16, and a little brother who is 10. I've been in Morocco for almost 3 weeks now so far everything has been going great. The first week we mainly spent doing orientation and exploring Rabat, it still has not sunken in that I now live in Morocco!!! There is so much more to blog and talk about but until next time!



Belinda in Arabic!!! Gift from Sarah.

YES Abroad

 

Hey Readers! I thought that for my next blog post I would talk a little about the YES Abroad program.

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, I will be studying abroad for a year in Morocco through the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad Program. The YES Abroad program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The original YES program was created after 9/11 in pursuit of creating peaceful relationships between the U.S. and countries with significant Muslim populations. Through the YES program, high school students from these countries are given the opportunity to study abroad for a year in the U.S.

 

In 2009, the YES Abroad program began as a reciprocal extension of the original YES program, offering scholarships for American high school students to study abroad in host countries for a year. These students act as “youth ambassadors” of the United States, forming mutual understanding and lasting relationships with their host families and communities. YES Abroad students live with a host family and attend a local high school where they learn the local language and actively engage in the country’s society and values, all while helping to educate others about American cultural values.

 

The YES and YES Abroad Programs are eye-opening and life changing; they give students from around the world opportunities to immerse themselves in new cultures while simultaneously teaching others about their own culture. I can honestly say that receiving the YES Abroad scholarship has changed my outlook on other cultures and life in general. I hope to make the most of this fantastic opportunity to delve into Moroccan culture, better my French, and learn Arabic. For more information on YES Abroad, visit their website at: http://yesprograms.org/yesabroad . I encourage anyone and everyone to apply!

                                Countdown to Morocco: 44 Days!!!

 

The Beginning

Hello! My name is Belinda and I am spending my junior year of high school studying abroad in Morocco through the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad Scholarship!

On April 12th at approximately 3:33 PM, life as I knew it was forever changed. I got an email titled "YES Abroad Program in Morocco", at that moment I shrieked! I was shocked, I couldn't believe it! I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing. Just to be sure, I opened the email to find this:

"Dear Belinda,

Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as a Finalist for a 2013-14 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad scholarship for study in Morocco!"

As you can imagine, I was ecstatic. All that was running through my mind was "Oh-my-freaking-gosh, I can't believe I got in!!" And from that moment, my life has been a blur of talking about going to Morocco, researching about Morocco, filing paperwork, meetings with counselors and administrators at school, and so on.

The funny thing is, if you had told me six months ago that I’d be studying abroad, I’d never believe it! I am incredibly excited and grateful for this unique opportunity. First and foremost, I want to thank God, as well as my family and friends who have supported me and prayed for me every step of the way. Y'all are truly a blessing.

I am excitedly looking forward to next year and the life-changing journey I am about to embark on. I plan on utilizing this blog to document my experiences during my year abroad and keep everyone updated on what I'm doing. In a year, I’ll be able to look back on this post and reflect on how I’ve changed and what I’ve done. But first, on to Morocco!

                                                                                                                                     ~Belinda                                                    


Rabat, Morocco