مرحبا اصدقاء
Hello Friends!!! If I’m being honest my mind is a complete mess right now. I cannot put what is in my head into words but here is my sad attempt to come to terms with my feelings and all the little thoughts running around in my skull driving me absolutely crazy. I really want to tell you about my experience in Spain and how it reminded me why I love travel but also made me extremely homesick. Homesick for Morocco. First of all traveling to Spain did not go as planned (but it isn’t supposed to right?). Every mean of Transportation we used (train, ferry, bus) were all late! Everything that could go wrong did and instead of making it to Granada and missing our hostel reservations on Tuesday night we had to stay in Algeciras. This my friends is a very realistic part of traveling. Unfortunately not everything goes as planned and things (or all things) are late and trains get missed and THIS IS ALL PART OF THE ADVENTURE. Half the fun of traveling is the journey not necessarily the destination. Eventually, Inshallah (god willing in Arabic), Jamie and I made it to Granada. Granada is a city surrounded by mountains so naturally it is a very beautiful place. Coming from Morocco it was very hard for me to appreciate this city the way that most people would. Although Spain is fairly cheap when comparing it to the rest of the European Union coming from the Moroccan Dirham (which I can literally buy a full meal and drink for 3 USDA) it is anything but cheap. Jamie and I were blown away by how much we missed Morocco. But more importantly how much we missed our host family. I missed Fouzias cooking and our daily political conversations; I missed Omar’s laughs and giving him crap about smoking cigarettes. (And Omar if you are reading this I only do it cause I care so you should stop (: ) I missed randomly running into Soufiane and him genuinely asking me how I am. It made me think about how hard it is going to be when we have to say goodbye in December, not knowing the next time I will see them. This brings me to the subject of people vs. places. What makes you fall in love with a place? Is it actually the place itself that draws you to it? In some way yes. There is no doubt that the mountains make me want to go to Colorado or the beach is really the only reason I go to Florida or maybe some people only go to Paris to take pictures in front of the Eifel Tower or see the Mona Lisa. And although these geographical and historical aspects may draw you into initially going to a place what makes you never want to leave? The people. The people you meet while traveling will be the sole reason you keep traveling. I met some people in Seville that did just this and one might even join me in January to travel together. I had intellectual conversations with these people about the Palestine and Israeli conflict, the role of an Islamic state, and about religion in general. I’ve found that these relationships are the sole reason I love traveling and now I can say I have friends all over the world. As much fun as Spain was when we got off the fairy in Tangier I have to admit I wanted to kiss the Moroccan soil and scream Alhamdulilah (Praise God) to finally be back where my heart belongs, home sweet home. When Jamie and I arrived to the train station on Saturday night in Meknes at around 11:30 pm after an exhausting day of traveling we were welcomed home by Omar and Tareq waiting for us with big hugs and smiling faces. It felt good to be back with our friends. If you do ever make your way to Spain I would recommend going to both Granada and Seville! In Granada all restaurants have free tapas when your order drinks so that helps your save money and experience some Spanish sangria and food for cheap. Jamie and I’s favorite was Los Manneles, we got five drinks and three tapas for 15 Euros. Seville is a very old city, which is the reason I fell in love with it. The history there is fascinating with a lot of Islamic cultural influence. I would also recommend the hostel Seville Inn Backpackers to anyone. The people were lovely and the vibe was more then good. SO sorry for being so out of touch but I have been super busy enjoying this place! Maybe I will write again sooner than later, Inshallah!!! (God willing) All my love, Jess
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AuthorHi I'm Jess!!! I have a soul for traveling and loving people. All kinds of people from all conners of the world from all walks of life. I've left pieces of my heart all over the world. This is my safe space to write all the things on my heart. I hope you find some comfort and encouragement in the words on these pages. Thanks for reading friends (: Archives
July 2016
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