Homesickness did not hit until I woke up Sunday morning, knowing I was going to throw up camel meat in a matter of seconds.
That’s not a typo. I had camel kefta for lunch last weekend and think it might be the death of me. I’m still shaking off whatever sickness I got from it. I haven’t eaten animal products with the same omnivorous passion since.
The food in Morocco is incredible. There’s couscous and tagines and fresh fruit and vegetables. The flavors are deep and there are spices used here that I’ve never even heard of. I was expecting the same with camel. I mean, it was a great idea. A chunk of camel chopped and ground in a back alley, cooked in a back alley grill and served in a back alley hole-in-the-wall? I mean, we even had lunch mates: a couple of flies and some stray cats. What part of that doesn’t sound like a great idea?
But sadly, it wasn’t.
Like all things, the sheen wears off after enough time. I’m still in love with Morocco. My classes are fascinating, the people are kind and the city still feels like home in spite of the amount of time I’ve spent with my head in a toilet. It’s just not as sparkly and new as it was when I arrived.
I miss home. I miss my family and friends. I’m craving a juicy bacon burger made with the most processed, all-American ingredients available. Those feelings don’t mean anything is bad or wrong about the culture I’m living in. It’s just different.
People are sometimes frightened of the unknown. We tend to cling to what’s close; the things that we know we love and that make us feel safe. That’s all my life has been up until now. This is my first time out of the country. Being in North Africa after the Arab Spring, when America’s image is so poor, feels very distant from what I know and love.
I haven’t regretted making the decision to travel here for a second, even in my frantic searches for a place to be sick. Every adventure has its setbacks, but at its core everything I love about this country remains the same. Some of the hiccups might even have made my love stronger — like getting sick, wondering why my teacher didn’t show up to class or being stranded in a snow storm at the Spokane airport.
It’s all a matter of putting things into perspective, finding the positives and remembering those even when times are hard. Maybe that’s a bit of advice we can all use sometimes.
Happy travels.