One Last Time

How do you start a reflection or a thank you post after every single person you have met in the last 4 weeks has impacted you so much? I will attempt to put it all into words…so bear with me, this is going to be scattered. It might some clique’ and it might sound like I a mimicking some Hollywood movie start accepting an award but I owe ultimate thanks to Allah firstly; Alhumdullilah, all praise be to God, who has been so generous in the opportunities He has given me.

Who knew that 4 years ago receiving a scholarship from the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation would give me the chance to apply for grant allowing me to go abroad and fulfill a lifelong dream? They have given me countless opportunity after opportunity, supporting me throughout in so many ways throughout the last few years. To all at the Network who are always dreaming, learning and sharing - thank you! I would totally encourage anyone to learn more about this amazing organization and it’s future plans.

Cross Cultural Solutions! The staff, the values, and the approach of this organization blow my mind. Thank you for absolutely everything. CCS does anything and everything to make sure you are having an incredible experience. If you ever go on a trip with CCS, which I think you should, you’ll volunteer side-by-side with local people and experience another culture like never before. Although I was only in Morocco for 3 weeks I feel that I was able to absorb the culture. What a beautiful country, with so many contrasts, you will never fall short of learning something new everyday. Like Candice and Kelli have mentioned before, you attain a whole new perspective. Speaking of those 2, they have totally enriched my experience and have offered me different outlooks on life. We got a little too close, hmm.. ☺? Of course, being at an orphanage has also made me appreciate my parents, family, friends and the communities I am a part of on a whole new level. Thank you for everything.

So…those kids, those orphans. Saying goodbye to them was nothing like I have ever experienced. They were old enough to know that I wasn’t coming back, their expressions confused when I was hugging them extra long with a face full of tears before their afternoon nap. I think by leaving I was most overwhelmed by the fact that their future was so uncertain and that all they really needed was more attention and more love (and a toothbrush, toothpaste, new playground equipment, etc). But they don’t know they need these things. They are content with the position they were born into in life (for now). They wake up and they smile and are happy to eat their first meal of the day. They are excited to play with a plastic bottle and if they are lucky get their chance at the swing set during playtime everyday after breakfast. That is all they know and those little things in life continually satisfy them. Who doesn’t wish for this contentment…for this simplicity? Their childhood may be stripped of some very basic things and experiences but they don’t know what they want or need because they have nothing to compare themselves to. How could they when most of them haven’t even left the 4 walls of the orphanage? All I can truly say is that they are each unique in their own way and have so much to offer the world. Each of them has this light the glows so strongly in spite of their dark situation. I can only hope that our paths somehow cross again and that they will be well treated by whomever they encounter, insh’Allah.

So what is the next move? I don’t know. But what I do know is that we now have an obligation and responsibility to relay the message and lessons from the orphanage and from Morocco so that maybe we all attain a greater cultural understanding where as a result there will be more tolerance and respect for one another. Maybe I will just talk (as if I don’t do enough of that already) about the experiences that I had. I invite anyone to ask questions and share your own experiences with us. Share as much as possible and hopefully we all become inclined to make a positive impact and take action for the causes we feel passionate about.

Viva la Maroc! Thank you for reading and for your continued love and support.

Majeda Fyith


I swore never to be silent whenever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. — Elie Weisel

Reflection

Well, we are certainly back to our lives here in Alberta, and I am seeing everything through a new lens. Everyone naturally believes where they are is the center of the universe, or the place where everything happens and that it’s the way to be/live. We get caught up in the daily thoughts, feelings, disappointments, tasks to be done, exciting times, etc. By experiencing a little bit of Morocco, and Africa in general, I can now say that we are each in our own little corners of the world, and believe it. Right now we can get all flustered about school, jobs, or routine things that are known to cause stress in our daily lives. It is easy to. I think about the tough times that others might be going thru though, and it quickly puts things into perspective. Yes, we are entitled to be involved in our lives and feel those things, but it is important to keep grounded and keep those others in mind. We should be grateful for the opportunities, freedom, health, and supporters we have here. I cannot say how thankful I am to have my friends and family to come back to. I appreciate you all on a whole new level. Thank you for being there from the beginning of this process and encouraging me every step of the way.

I have learned so much from not only the kids at the orphanage, but their caregivers, various locals, the CCS staff and other volunteers. We met some amazing people from many different corners and they all had something to offer the experience.

I need to send out a shout-out and huge thank-you to the staff at Home-Base Rabat for everything. They were there as professionals, teachers, mentors and friends. Each person has a story and I am extremely lucky to have met you. We miss you already!

To our fellow-volunteers: we shared something totally unique and I am happy that we were there together. From sharing about our days and being there for each other on the tough ones, to having some fun on our days off, I am thankful also to have met each of you, and want to keep in touch. Who knows where we might meet up one day??

Kelli really hit it when she said that there is so much more to tell than any blog or newspaper article could ever convey. I would also like to extend the invitation to share the experience with anyone who is interested. I’d like to note as well that there were photo restrictions from the orphanage and that is why no pictures have been posted from there. I whole-heartedly encourage a trip like this for anyone. We met and stayed with people of all ages and from all backgrounds … from students, to career-driven adults, to young families. If anyone has any questions, please ask! There is always a place that needs extra hands and hearts.



On a final note, I need to thank my two travel buddies for the times we had. These girls gave so much of themselves to the experience and we learned a lot about each other. They were an inspiration in each their own ways, and I am grateful to have had this past month with them.



Thanks for keeping up with us!

-Candice

New Perspectives

Well, the trio has arrived back in Canada safely, even after flying for what seemed like (especially at the end) far too long! Even with life here back in full swing with what seems daily, more and more things on the "to do" list, one thing that seems not to escape my notice is the changed perspective through which I view pieces of the familiar, much the same world to which I returned.

I would never really have defined myself as a "kid" person before the trip, although I would also not define myself as being a anti-kid person either, quite obviously I wouldn't have been volunteering at an orphanage if this had been the fact. However, I would have always defined myself as a caring person.

In my mind this is essentially the common thread that it all comes down to. Everyone in our lives needs to be shown care and in turn feels the necessity to care for others in their lives. This is an immaterial part of ourselves that we can always give to others, with the only question being whether we are willing or able to. Knowing that I was a caring person is what provided me with the confidence to make the huge decision to be able to volunteer abroad. I knew that there would be countless unknowns, communication issues and hurdles in the process, but in the end all that mattered was that I had the tools to be able to do ultimately what was the most important...show the children we worked with that unconditionally someone cared for them. This is a powerful feeling we all know, in some form or another by for instance being asked how our day was or by experiencing that random act of kindness.

I would definitely like to think that I had an impact (however small or fleeting) upon the lives of those people we encountered both at the orphanage and through the CCS program. Everyone had a different story to share and there were always new, intriguing perspectives to be learnt about and from. Everyone in our lives has something to offer, if we just slow down and take a breath long enough to listen to what it is. The children at the orphanage had plenty to offer in their own right, as the innocence of a child can show you many things no other person in your life can. They don't feel sorry for themselves or lament the circumstances of their life or existence...they simply look at the world as a place of joyful things, somewhere to explore and have fun in. One thing I simply will never forget is the looks on their faces and open arms when we'd arrive in the morning.

So even as life seems to have accelerated back to its usual hurried pace, I can say without doubt that I look at things within it through a new perspective. But, the tricky thing is how to put it all into words that would do the experience I had justice, a far move difficult thing than I could have ever anticipated. Hence, this is were I would like to extend an invitation to all our readers, family and friends. Find me on Facebook, give me a call if you've got my number or stop me on campus or back in good ol' Lac La Biche to chat about the trip as there is so much more to tell than any blog or newspaper article could ever convey...I know it would be a pleasure to speak with each and everyone of you. I would also like to send out a grateful thank you to all those family members, friends and random internet followers who have accompanied us through their readership on this journey.

-Kelli