Self Reflection Post

The interior of the Marrakech souk.

Story & Photos by Sammie Keller, Washington State

Going to Morocco was honestly the first true thing I have ever done “by myself,” so to speak. I have gone traveling before, but it was always walking along side my parents. So to go to a country where I knew nothing about the culture, the way of life, the setting (other then the wildlife knowledge I had, which did little to help me) or having someone I felt like I could fall back on was stressful. But after looking back on the trip, I realized I learned more by having that experience instead of being surrounded by the parents and merely sight seeing, I was able to take in the culture, the society, and the people in an educational setting that was set at a relaxed pace.

To take this two week experience and condense it into just a mere self reflection is a significant challenge for me. It is hard to explain all of the things I saw at the markets and how the social interactions varied upon whom you were bartering with, or how beautiful the architecture was with their calligraphic designs and geometric tiling, or even just the simplistic beauty that was the forests, the farm lands, and even the deserts. In my eyes, everything was an experience. Everything was something to be explored and questioned, and everyone I was able to communicate with was an opportunity to learn more.

In the end, I walked off the plane in Morocco with some questions I wished to have answered. When I stepped off the plane in New York I had gained those answers but had countless more. I was just expecting to focus on the wildlife of the Moroccan region, but instead I got so much more. The people, the culture, their religion, everything! To get the opportunity to experience a new way of life, a new culture, and just a new outlook on what some people’s lifestyle looks like outside the United States is amazing, and you can guarantee this is a trip, as well as an opportunity, I will never forget.

The dung beetle, a native and common insect in Africa, in the conifer forest just outside of Fez. I have enough pride to admit that I was too excited to see this insect most people ignored (my favorite animal).