BEYOND the BOOKS
FAR LEFT Senior Joseph Jiménez holds a yak, a memento from his home-stay in Shangri-La, China, where fantastic regional views of the Tibetan Pavillion and Meili Xue Shan Peak are the norm. BELOW Senior Drew Monroe spent six weeks in Marrakech, home to Djemaa el Fna, Morocco’s most famous square and market place.
In a Different World, Oceans Away By Drew Monroe ’16
“A
someone possibly not eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset for 30 days in a row in the blistering Moroccan heat?” I wondered. They did it with an unwavering dedication
LLAHU AKBAR! Allahu
country, oceans apart from home.
to their religion —
akbar!”
The constant media barrage seem-
that’s how.
I opened the door and the once muffled sound
of prayer swirled around me — a
ingly generalizing Islamic cultures didn’t help my sense of optimism.
Upon my return home, I no longer
But I took my final step onto
found myself questioning
beautiful, yet strange cacophony of
the plane and knew there was no
what I had done. My eyes
noise rushed into the space.
going back. I had — for once in
had been opened to a
What had I done?
my life — completely stepped out
different part of the world
I had just arrived in Marrakech,
of my comfort zone. As I recall the
— and a different way
Morroco, and stood on the roof of
many experiences and adventures
of life.
my host family’s house. In that very
of my six-week stay in Morocco, I
second, every mosque throughout
remember shopping in one of the
the city blasted the call to prayer.
souks — or local markets — and
It seemed as if they were all
sitting down with the owner to
speaking in unison — not just to
have tea. Initially, I thought that he
me, but also to every other person
was trying to scam me into buying
in the city. Soon, the daily call to
something, but I soon realized he
prayer became mere background
was truly interested in talking to
noise. It became the new normal.
me — despite my broken Arabic.
Only hours earlier, I had begun
Most of the people I met shared
my journey, hesitating as I stepped
this man’s genuine curiosity and
through the gate and onto the jet
heartfelt desire to learn about new
bridge.
people and things.
What had I done? I would be forced to embrace a strange culture in a strange
I also witnessed my host family fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. “How can
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