The Homesickness Layer Cake

It’s an inescapable feeling. You’re in a foreign place, surrounded by foreign things and foreign people speaking a foreign language. You long to be back where you were before, where you understood things. I knew it was coming, and so I prepared myself, but nonetheless, I am starting to feel a little homesick.

Rest assured this post will not be about how much I miss all my friends, my family, my dog, although I do miss all those things very much. No, this post is about the differences between two countries, both good and bad. My purpose in writing it is more for me than for anyone else, a sort of coping method.

I came up with the idea of a “layer cake” of sorts. I will start off with something I miss from home and then I will talk about something I’ll miss from Morocco when I get home. Hopefully, in the process, I will highlight some interesting cultural differences.

Couscous is served every Friday for lunch. It may be one of
my new favorite foods.

From Home: The Food
Illegal Pete’s. Need I say more?

From Morocco: The Food
Couscous in the US is a joke. And McDonald’s? Not that I really eat McDonald’s in the U.S., but their meat here is halal, meaning it is raised and slaughtered in a way that is consistent with Islamic tradition and the Qur'an. Basically, it's organic and delicious. Oh, and Bueno bars. No candy bar I've ever had measures up. Hazelnut cream filled wafer, covered in chocolate. You're drooling.

From Home: Red Rocks
There’s simply nothing like it.

From Morocco: Inexpensive Shit
It might be kind of like being alive in the 50s. Something like 25 cents for a candy bar. I bought a cell phone yesterday for 20 dollars. Like, come on.

From Home: Passive Shopkeepers
When you walk into a store in the United States, it usually goes something like… “Hello” “Hello” “Is there something I can help you find?” “No, just looking” “Okay, let me know if you need anything.” In Morocco, as soon as you enter a shop, the shopkeeper bombards you. They begin throwing you all of their merchandise until you grab onto something, and then they bargain. They say “good price” to you in five languages. You leave feeling a little taken and confused.

From Morocco: Internet Everywhere
It’s a small USB stick. Insert it in the side of your computer, and you can access Internet anywhere that’s in reach of a cell tower. While it may exist in the U.S., unlimited data certainly doesn’t anymore. In Morocco, you pay for months of use, not data. I paid something like 50 USD for three months of unlimited Internet. Humdulilah!

From Home: Lines
Whether it’s trying to check out at the market or turning left on a major roadway, it’s a free-for-all in Morocco. I never thought I’d say this, but damn it, I miss standing in lines so bad.

Sometime during the first week, hanging out on the terrace.
Such a sweet hangout spot.

From Morocco: The CCCL Terrace
I’m not sure what I like more—the terrace or the people standing on it—but it’s hard to find a view like this in the U.S..

From Home: My Car
I take advantage of being in control of my own life. The cabs are inexpensive here, yes, but the cabbies are borderline insane. Sometimes drunk or high, they weave between other cars, they honk, and they sometimes drive down the wrong side of the road. I-70 doesn't scare me anymore.

From Morocco: Cafés
Café culture is completely missing in the U.S. and Starbucks absolutely does not count. Cafés are places to sit, drink coffee, and people watch, not to pull out your laptop and be pretentious.

From Home: English
Talking different languages is freakin’ tiring. I miss people understanding what I’m saying.

From Morocco: Hospitality
Everyone likes Americans here, and so everyone is very accommodating. In the US, everyone is suspicious and withdrawn of each other. It’s something you don’t realize until you leave.

I could go on all day, but I'll stop myself here. The point is, homesickness is one side of the coin. I feel a little better now. Until next time.