I Took A Plane from Morocco Just to Bless the Rain – Alex Frumkin

It’s 3:30 AM and I’m finally settled in before my flight home. Today has certainly been intense, but in retrospect, it’s really just the same level of intensity as any other day over the past 6 weeks. My entire trip felt like a whirlwind from start to finish, and looking back, the days seem to blend together. But there are certainly specific memories that stand out. There was the time I rode a camel in the Sahara Desert; there was the time I went to a beautiful 17^th century synagogue in Fez; there was the time a sheep was slaughtered a few feet away from my bedroom. While I will never forget any of those (especially the sheep slaughter and all of the other festivities for the baby welcoming), the most important memories are actually the ones that blend together, the ones we forget about. I can’t speak to most people’s memories, but mine works in a way where I only memorize the things that stand out to me; I remember very little about my typical daily experience. But those experiences are the most important because those are the ones that make up most our lives. Your special experiences shape your life, but your routine is your life. Morocco will always be one of those special experiences that shape my life, but at the same time, it was merely a microcosm of the routine that is my life. At the end of the day, all that means is that my time in Morocco will forever be part of me.

As an important time in my life, I wanted to reflect on what I learned from it that I will take forward in my life. Because I have learned a lot in Morocco, but only some of it has an impact moving forward.

1. I learned the Arabic alphabet, which will be essential to any future Arabic studies
2. I have reconsidered my definition of citizenship and how I view my role in the world
3. I now fully understand the concept of civil society and its importance in my life
4. I have reconsidered my relationship with Judaism
5. I have learned about multiple opportunities that I could pursue in the future.

Overall, I have learned so much in Morocco, and there’s plenty more that I haven’t even considered. I am so happy that I took this trip; I had to leave because my time there was over, but the country will always have a special place in my heart.