Today was an adventure for sure… It started quite wonderful actually. It was the first time I had the house to myself. My host family went for the day to Beni Mellal to visit their brother and I had a blissful morning of doing my laundry and playing my own music. Today was also the first day we were allowed to venture out of the site so my group decided to go for a walk to a beautiful waterfall at another CBT site, Zaouiat Cheik.

I stress that we were told it would be a gentle walk… It was not. It was in fact an hours-long intense hike. I was so grateful to have the foresight to at least bring my purse that I filled with a water bottle. We met the other group and their Moroccan families and started the journey up. The climb was grueling and it was not what most of us even understood. Some in the group were wearing sandals or only brought one small water bottle. But ultimately it was incredible. There were moments I could pretend, very briefly, that I was hiking a small trail in VT. It was nice to forget, for a little at least, all the other responsibilities. I swam in the waterfall, climbed over moss-covered rocks to this smaller alcove, and sat for a few minutes by myself just splashing my feet in the water, mom would have been proud. We all ate, drank mint tea, and even had Moroccan mint leaves from the vine. We listened to American music, people danced, we commiserated, we laughed, even saw a Portuguese ruin on the hilltop.

Exhausted after climbing the mountain but worth the effort because when else can I say I swam in a mountain waterfall and drank waterfall fresh water, had a full picnic (grilled veggies and burgers) on the mountainside.  It was the first time I actually felt cold after a dip in the water, which honestly feels wonderful. Feeling very grateful, and tired, but appreciative that I had that little experience.

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