Back to the real world

So, I'm back in Chicago. I could say "I'm home" but I don't feel like it would be any more true than it would be to say that before I left Morocco. It's like I have 3 completely different lives now. I have a home, family, and life in each Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Rabat. It's impossible to choose one because all 3 are amazing. I know I am lucky to have this, but it's really difficult because I really want to be in all 3 places. It's so weird that they are all in the same world. Seeing the differences between my life in Morocco and my lives in the states is bizarre and seems unreal. However, I knew my amazing, stress-free life in Morocco couldn't last forever, and I guess it was time to come back to the real world.

It was amazing seeing my family and friends last night. My mom made softshell crab (one of my favorite foods) and the whole family sat around the dinner table and caught up. I made Moroccan mint tea and gave them horns de gazelle (moroccan cookies) and some small gifts. Afterwards, three of my best friends came over and I showed them all my pictures and told them stories. Then we went out and I got to see most of my guy friends and it was just really great to see everyone. I'm so happy to be in Chicago, but at the same time I'm so sad to not be in Morocco.

There were a few things that bothered me when I arrived, though.

First, I wanted to play my djembe (as any of my friends in Morocco know is one of the things that makes me happiest) and my mom and sister kept yelling at me to stop because it was loud. When I was in Morocco, we were always playing music and everyone was always happy to hear it. It's the way that I learned to liberate myself and just really be content and I'm worried about losing that.

Then, my mom asked if someone could set the table and my brother and sister both did "noes goes" so they wouldn't have to do it... as if it's that difficult. I did it easily and happily in 2 minutes, and it just made me miss the group effort that we always had in Morocco. Everyone was usually willing to help and no one complained about it. We wanted to help eachother because we care about eachother, but unfortunately it's different here for some reason. It's such a small thing, but it has a big affect on my first impression back in the US.

These are just small things that I immediately noticed upon my arrival. I'm still really happy to see everyone and be back into one of my lives, but I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY miss Morocco and the "Wonderful" team.