Feeling Good

It’s February and the days are flying by. Everyone told me that after New Years the rest of my exchange would be like rolling down a hill, but I shrugged and said I still had 6 months left. Now it’s almost 2 weeks into February and I have 4 months left, possibly even less than that! It’s sad and exciting, but I can’t think about it like that. I can’t count down, but I can reflect on what I’ve been through and how I’ve grown.

September was your usual honeymoon stage. Well, actually I think my honeymoon stage was more before I even left! I was so excited for the year to start and dreaming about the things to come. In October I felt really settled, I was starting to feel adjusted to life here. Then November hit, and it was hard. I think November was hard for all of us YES Abroad Morocco kids. School was getting tiring and difficult, and we experienced our first real holiday away from our families. Daily life had lost its shine, but we knew it was all a temporary feeling. December began our way back up; Christmas was absolutely amazing and the New Year opened into a wonderful January.

Now it’s February and I feel great. I really do. Yes, it’s daily life, and yes, it can be hard, but I’m feeling good. I have wonderful, wonderful friends from the program, church, and of course my Moroccan friends. I've settled into a routine; I go to the gym at least three times a week, the hammam once, Church on Sundays, Youth Group sometime during the week, class every day, meetings at AMIDEAST Tuesday and Thursday, etc.

The things that stressed me out in the beginning of the year are finally getting better; my acne is finally starting to clear up, and my exchange 18, (our equivalent of Freshman 15, or as another creative exchange student shared: added Fluff), is less and less of a worry. My grades are okay, and I’m working hard to improve my French.

My host family is great and every day I feel more and more comfortable with them. Of course we can get frustrated with each other, but that’s family and I love them.

At times it’s been hard opening Facebook or twitter and seeing posts about Track, or soccer, or band, or church, or things that my life used to revolve around, but I've finally come to peace with the truth that I’m living a different life here and that’s okay. I've made so many amazing memories this year and still have more in store for me. I have two more trips, my capstone project, and over a hundred more days to make the most of!