It was 2:00am Moroccan time when I called my good friend in the States, sobbing in the fetal position. I was done, had enough of everything and once again, like so many other times in my life, he knew exactly what to say in order to empower me. Culture shock is real, and I’m learning to give myself grace and to accept that there are challenging elements to life here in Morocco.
There were crickets in the background and soothing sounds of the deep south as he gave me invaluable advice and what he called “cultural homework.” First, find 10 things that I truly love about Morocco. With actual experience living as an expat in several different countries throughout his life, his advice was not only practical and relevant, but also inspirational. Yes, he told me I could come home if I wanted to; he also said “I know you can do this and you’ll be a stronger person if you choose to, I believe in you.” Tears streaming down my face, I started to believe in myself again. Hilarious side note, he also mentioned that he will be so intimidated by the strong force of a human that I will be when I return in two years, which really made me laugh.
Okay, ten things that I love about Morocco, I was on a mission. I also had plans to go to the beach with friends that next morning. So despite the fact that I was still busy feeling sorry for myself, I pulled myself together, bought a chocolate croissant and went to the beach. Let me pause there to talk about two things that I already love deeply in order for you to comprehend how important today’s epiphany was for me.
Water. Water is one of the reasons I left Denver and a major motivation to move to Morocco. I grew up on water, have always felt safe and happy with water and love to be in, near and apparently, on top of water. As a child, I would move my hands through the water and immediately gain a sense of peace. Every summer for as long as I can remember my Dad’s side of the family would have a weeklong family reunion on a lake. Joy and family have been symbiotic with water all my life. Paradise, to me, is lapping water and the sound of seagulls, the smell of all things growing and the indescribable smell of water.
Now allow me to describe another activity that I passionately love: yoga. I am one of those weirdos who say that “yoga saved my life” and I mean it. Yoga came into my life when I was 22 and it has threaded mindfulness, growth and self-realization into my existence since. In 2018 I even became a certified yoga instructor through a program designed specifically for teachers.
Water and yoga, two of the things I love most in the world. Some of you might know where this is going; to the beach, to the waves and to my saving grace here in Morocco, surfing. Today, I was so brave and took my first surf lesson that left me feeling elated, euphoric.
Everytime someone greets me in the French manner with the two kisses on each cheek, I secretly feel so fancy. My experience started with these two kisses and an introduction to a very handsome young french man fluent in English who would be my instructor. For an hour with a personal instructor, a wetsuit and a surfboard it would convert into a whopping total of $15. Sign me up! The lovely French man gave me my wetsuit and away we ran.
Literally, we warmed up by running up and down the beach for about 5 minutes and already I knew it would be something I loved. As we ran we looked down to see fish swimming around our feet as the wave receded. The instructor gave me a quick demonstration on the sand then had me repeat. “It is chaturanga to warrior one” I thought to myself while watching him and repeating the movements for him to observe. He showed us how to carry the tail of the board into the water and so we began.
The sexy instructor helped me gain confidence standing on my board, and pushed me off to catch my first wave. I pushed up, found my balance on my feet below me and felt like I was floating, gliding, flying free all at once. I had stood up and caught my first wave on my first wave. Not entirely sure what to do at the end, I sort of just fell off very ungracefully after making it to shore. Every single moment I was in the water I had the biggest smile on my face and was so happy, so truly happy to be there.
The hardest part of surfing is fighting the current to make it past the waves to catch the waves, as confusing as that might sound. It also looks hilarious to essentially run in place in the water and after laughing at me in a good natured manner, my helpful instructor would come over and say, “I take the board for you, come on Woods lets go.” Then I would climb onto the board, assume the position (sometimes my instructor would have to move me feet to the end of the board but I did get much better at this towards the end), and get ready to fly. I even paddled to catch a few of my first waves today and every single time I fell or caught a wave I immediately couldn’t wait to do it again.
Surfing is the first sport I have ever felt so confident in, so immediately excited. It became harder as we went on because of how tired my arms and legs became, from both fighting the waves but also from standing up on the board. One of my favorite parts is jumping with the whitecapped waves, you float weightless in the water and try to gracefully resist the current. Sometimes, you would dive under the waves and go below the water. Seawater in my mouth, hair and occasionally my eyes, I couldn’t have cared less, I was in paradise.
It has been a month since I’ve smiled with joy the way I did today. The friend I went surfing with told me that I was a natural and my instructor told me “next time we use a different board, you are ready, great first time.” My friends have said they would go again with my this week but I don’t know if I can wait that long. I am so excited to have something to look forward to again, to really fill my soul. After a month in Morocco, I finally feel like I am having fun.
Woods Wanders the World 