Spain/Morocco: Pre-Departure Jitters

By Jaclyn Smith

“Have you ever even been out of the country?” “Well does Mexico count?” Yup, that’s me, I’ve never been out of the country. In fact, the farthest I’ve ever travelled was to Florida. If we want to get a little further into my situation, I’ve never even flown on a plane by myself, and I believe my flight to Casa Blanca is a solid 16 hours. I’ve never been more nervous in my life, and anxiety is definitely an understatement in my case. It’s so hard to explain what’s going on in my head! First off, I’m so excited it’s almost overwhelming; I mean I get to go to Rabat, Casa Blanca, Marrakesh, Madrid, Granada and who knows where else. I finally get to apply all of my sustainability education to a real life situation.  On the other hand, my brain is so scattered with what to expect, I can barely think straight. I probably ask close to 10 questions a day (my poor teachers) and overthink every possible situation, or at least all the things that could go wrong. Luckily, this blogging opportunity came to me, a chance to get all my jitters out and focus my mind on why I’m really going on this study abroad trip.

Speaking of study abroad, my expectations for this trip is anything and everything in between. The truth is, I don’t know what to expect, I really have no idea. I haven’t been able to think past my airport adventure. My mom’s exact words were, “I’ve raised a hot mess.” Even though I may come off as a complete worry ward, I want to soak in every aspect of this trip; I want to load my brain with information and culture that will last me a lifetime. I’m excited to talk to Moroccan students and visit the University, just to see all the differences and learn about their way of college life. Of course I’m totally stoked for the Sahara desert experience, we get to ride a camel and spend the night in the Sahara desert? I bet that’ll be one hell of an experience. I’m also really interested in the meetings we have with members of different embassies and of course the visits to solar plants. Then there’s the week in Spain, who doesn’t want to go to Spain?

I’m actually most excited about stepping out of my comfort zone, and doing all these activities that may make me uncomfortable. I want to learn how to navigate around an unfamiliar city, pick up phrases from other languages, but most of all, fully submerge myself into the culture. I really hope to understand the connection between Morocco and Spain in the solar industry after my trip, but also experience everything non-American.

Well, I leave for the airport tomorrow around 8am and it’s currently 2:38 in the morning…I still haven’t begun to figure out how I’m going to fit all my stuff into one backpack… I’ll let you guys know how it went when I get to Morocco! 🙂