He who foretells the future lies, even if he tells the truth.
-Moroccan Proverb
We’ll be leaving soon for our first trip to Morocco and our first volunteer trip. We’ve booked a program through an organization that pairs travelers with local charities throughout the world. UBelong has set us up to work in an orphanage for abandoned children and destitute elderly where we’ll fulfill teaching and mentoring roles while we live with a host family in the capital city of Rabat.
Though we’re not exactly sure what to expect, we’ve been reading up on living and volunteering in Morocco. Our favorite reading, so far, has been The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah.
The top tip for both we’ve come across is to be flexible. Though you should be prepared for anything, being open to flux in your schedule can lead to wonderful opportunities.
We’re taking this mantra to heart as we prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Monica is most looking forward to immersing into the Moroccan culture by living with and learning from the host family. Chris is most looking forward to immersing into the culture by seeing daily life with a Moroccan family while volunteering to help the community.
Monica’s biggest concern is the restriction on women. Morocco is a predominately Muslim country with conservative religious standards, but the country is seen as a more liberal than other Islamic nations. Chris is most concerned about immersing into an environment where the main language is Arabic and even the characters don’t hold meaning for us. The second language is French, which we have an extremely limited background.
We’ll be on holiday from the blog starting next week until Aug. 21 when we hope to post about our entire Moroccan volunteer experience. Until then, يسافر آمنة وممتعة
-Chris & Monica
photo credit: papalars via photopin cc
