Saying goodbye
I sometimes feel in song. Not my own, but songs that I’ve at some point listened to and relate to at certain times. This is one of those times, and I can’t seem to get this song out of my head:
“Saying goodbye, why is it sad?
Makes us remember the good times we’ve had
Much more to say, foolish to try
It’s time for saying goodbye.”
Our study abroad experience is over. And though I continue to spend the rest of my summer in Europe, nothing can change this feeling in me—that a momentous event in my life has come and gone. I’ve made new friends; I’ve discovered two countries in ways I could not have possibly done had I travelled alone; I’ve learnt from people from all walks of life: from young women away from home, from a single nomadic girl welcoming our group to her humble tent, to the eyes of an old man in a small village. I’ve gazed at the Milky Way, eaten snails at a market, watched the eyes of the village children light up after having their faces painted. I’ve seen grand palaces built by a history so palpable, you feel like a time traveler. I’ve gazed at world-famous art, been to sacred places of burial. I’ve seen poverty and desperation and lives lived in simplicity and to its fullest.
I have flashes of moments from our trip, and many of those moments are from Morocco. Not that Spain was an uninspiring place. The country has such a rich culture carved out by its fascinating history; architecture and art also telling of its past. But in Morocco we experienced and lived the culture around us. We made friends with Moroccans and had authentic Moroccan experiences. No, there was nothing uninspiring about Spain. Morocco just ruined it for me, with all of the life experiences and lessons that it threw at me. Perhaps it was because it was so different from what I am used to, perhaps it’s because it was so similar to home, perhaps it’s because I felt Moroccan.
So now that this experience is over, what did I learn? As with any field work, it can be difficult to summarize learning points into one or two succinct points. But I shall attempt to.
I think there were two ways in which this trip majorly affected me: First is in my understanding of sustainable development. In sustainability, we all know that any solution has trade-offs and sometimes negative unintended consequences. But these were all just words to me before now. Morocco is a country pushing its agenda of energy security. It has an ambitious goal of having 42 percent of its installed energy capacity from renewables by 2020. And it has progressed by building a solar power plant that will have a capacity of 500 megawatts once complete. Yet at the same time, the country suffers from severe water issues. Many small villages have no access to potable water. One such village is a stone’s throw away from phase one of the multi-million-dollar power plant. Spain also leads the way in solar energy, but faces chronic unemployment issues with over 25 percent unemployment in 2014. Both countries face sustainability problems that are complex, often with competing priorities and thus difficult to find solutions for. Sustainable development is indeed a two-faced coin.
The second point that really hit home was how much a simple life could be fulfilling. I forgot how by not having much, you tend to focus on the important things in life, and not just acquiring more stuff. I met people whose lives were enriched by being around family and friends, having good meals, welcoming visitors, dancing and making music—by simply enjoying the world around them. I am reminded of my life as a child growing up with nature surrounded by an extended family always giving thanks for what we had. I never imagined a richer life.
Much has changed in me after this trip. I am eager to make changes to the way I live, to make changes to the way I think and understand the world and its problems. I look back on my first post and realize that my goal of becoming a child of the world is progressing nicely.