Goodbye, Morocco – Thanks For All The Memories

My heart is heavy today as I pull out the dusty backpack from underneath my twin sized bed, from the first room on the left, in my little corner I’ve called “home” for almost four months. My favorite meal, Couscous, is being prepared in the Kitchen and the smell is slowly swirling underneath my door filling my room with the scent I will always associate with Meknes. The last time I saw my backpack in the daylight was when I was excitedly pulling out my belongings nearly three and a half months ago, then quickly shoving it under my bed, ready and eager to learn about the city I would come to love, hate, and forever take a little piece of my heart that I’ll never be getting back.

As I sat in my arabic class for the last time yesterday, I started truly thinking about returning home to America, and I’ve never been more scared in my life. When you’re in a country completely different from your own in every single aspect of life, it’s hard not to be scared to return to what was once comfortable to you. What if it’s not comfortable anymore? I’ve learned something new every single day living abroad. I have constantly changed and grown and gained new perspectives that I know won’t necessarily align with the way all of my friends and family will think back in the states.

I’ve grown so attached and accustomed to doing something new every weekend, speaking in three different languages, paying 30 cents for a coffee, and constantly having intelligent conversations about the world, politics and religion, from others who are completely different and come from a different background than I do. I’ve become accustomed to relying on myself, being independent and looking for adventure around every corner. I feel free here.

I’ve learned how ignorant America and American’s are in general. Living in a Muslim country has completely opened up my eyes to a life of patriarchy, the joint coalition of “church and state,” and a language and society completely built around the 5 Pillars of Islam. In three months time I’ve become a feminist – and gone from a Republican to a Democrat.

And above anything else, I have grown to love who I am. I am constantly surrounded by a group of people who boost me up and make me proud of who I am. I’ve learned to value my thoughts and thinking critically rather than believing everything that’s said to me. Morocco has made me fall in love with people (and hate people at times) but overall, understand where people are coming from and value someone else’s opinions even if they don’t align with my own.

I’m still really young – the youngest in our group actually. I’ve been surrounded by a lot of older individuals who have already traveled and seen a lot of the world. They have all inspired me to follow my dreams of traveling the world and I couldn’t thank them more.

So, in the end, I couldn’t have picked a better time to follow my dreams of going abroad. I’ve changed a lot and grown to be a wiser more intelligent, humbling human being. I couldn’t have picked a better country, either. I don’t think I would have learned as much about people, culture and the world if I would have gone to and English-speaking country like I had originally planned. The world works out funny that way, I guess. So…

Ma’sallama, Maroc || Goodbye, Morocco.

Thanks for all the beautiful memories. 

Why I *Probably* Won’t Return to Portofino

Let me start off by saying that Portofino, Italy is dream-like.

It’s absolutely beautiful. A picturesque seaside town with restaurants dotted along the harbor, each one painted with hues of warm reds to bright yellows. Hundreds of brightly colored boats slowly bobbing in the water to a light breeze. The cobblestone streets are lightly filled with couples walking hand-in-hand, shopping the strip or enjoying coffee over light conversation.

It looks like a scene from the movies… But I don’t think I will be returning any time soon. 

Let me start by pointing out that I am in college. Let me also point out I live in America and pay thousands of dollars to get an education. This further means that my travel budget is not where I would like it to be.

I’m not staying in hotels, eating fancy food, or buying souvenirs (even for myself). My choices are limited, but I’m okay with it. It means I get to roam cities in search of great food for amazing prices or experiencing bartering my way down for a leather purse.

In a simple statement, Portofino is NOT for a young traveler on a budget.  

Once you’re in Portofino, there’s no turning back. I was spending the afternoon there with my roommate just to see the views and grab lunch before making our way to Pisa for our flight. Just getting here is a nightmare in itself; requiring a train and a fifteen minute bus ride with sixty other tourists squeezed in like sardines. On top of that, there are only about 10-15 places to choose from for lunch. All of which are sitting along the harbor… and extremely out of my budget.

We walked to every restaurant to see which one had the best prices – the answer is none of them. Each restaurant had main courses starting around 15 Euros all the way up to 70 and 80 Euros. WHAT?! I was getting extremely frustrated.

We trekked on and found a place that was offering some simple dishes for around 10 Euros. My roommate and I decided to give it a try; we would be here for another couple of hours anyways.

For 12 Euros, I ordered Spaghetti Ragu, or, Spaghetti with meat sauce. A dish that is, well, really hard to screw up in my opinion. It was the worst pasta I’ve ever had in my entire life. The spaghetti was overcooked, the sauce was non-existent, and the plate itself was about the size of my hand. On top of that, the waiter had the nerve to make me pay for my dish when I sent it back and told him that I didn’t like it. It was a nightmare.

It may be the one restaurant, but either way the food I had in Portofino was awful and extremely over-priced.

The reason I say that I probably wont return, is because it looks like a great town to vacation in when you’re in your 50’s or 60’s, with your spouse, and have a lot of extra money to spend. I’m sure there is great food in Portofino, but a backpacker or college student like myself definitely cannot afford it.

Besides this, as I stated before, the views were gorgeous. My other two roommates decided to hike the five cities of Cinque Terre, Italy. From my roommate’s stories and experiences I would highly recommend going there rather than Portofino. The views look better anyways!