le 28 juin 2009
Le Maroc - part deux.
If you have not heard any updates from me you must be really surprised now. You would probably expect me to still be in Brussels, working, partying and living there. Airports became my home - that is the truth. I was traveling a lot in order to get outside of Belgium as often as possible. You should not be confused because of reading I am at the airport. But this time you might be confused. You actually should be. You must be. I am. A few weeks ago, I would not have believed if you had told me I would be coming back to the Kingdom. Especially within such a short notice.
So listen to what happened to me.
It has been a while since I last fed you with any news. Less than two months but way too much for one person to handle within such a short period of one's life. It was both positive and negative. To summarize the two aspects - it was very intense.
First of all, in the last week of May, my employer decided not to prolong my contract after my internship. I was kind of happy to hear that actually. I did not want to take that job for another year(s) and for sure I did not desire to continue living in Belgium - a very weird country placed in the heart of Europe. On the other hand, the job was socially perceived as stable, predictable and comfortable. A job not to put away because in the long term it will allow you to have a settled life. A job you do not need to like for its content but rather for all the financial and material aspects it provides you with. Saying 'no' and quitting would be a difficult decision. 'Will I regret it? Will I want to be back, have a decent salary and all the social benefits? Won't it be too late?' I was confused and freaked out about the idea of having to choose between staying with the boring and predictable company or going for something that I would like more but also that would be more exciting, unpredictable and dangerous. Luckily for me, someone else made the decision. I was not given the choice - and even though their decision frightened me, I was relieved.
A few days later, I went on my planned trip to the Kingdom. Back then, I was not anticipating to return there. I booked it more than three months before and it was just a five-day trip to see the people and places I had been missing. I forgot how intense Morocco can be anytime you interact with the country. It was when I was there that my relationship finished and I had to abandon my plans to move somewhere else. Less than a week after losing my job in Belgium (or rather not being given the extension of my contract), I lost my relationship. In a way, it spoiled my trip. But the atmosphere and my friends in the Kingdom made it much easier for me to deal with it. My relationship ended in the same place (even in the same neighborhood) where it started one year before.
At the same time, I decided that it was probably a sign that things had ended that way. I realized that it could be an opportunity to move back to the Kingdom. A friend of mine told me about a European company opening up in Morocco. I got the contact and a recommendation and a few days later, I had an interview in Brussels. I was invited for a dinner that lasted so long that I managed to get drunk with the served alcohols (champagne and red wine) and still get sober after a while. A few days after the interview I was asked to complete an application form and another few days later, I was invited for a second meeting. Having discussed all the details, financial conditions and work aspects I decided to take the opportunity I had been offered. 'Book the ticket for the coming weekend' said my new boss to me last Tuesday. So on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday (from the 23rd to 24th of June) I booked the ticket from Brussels to Casablanca. To make it more meaningful and dramatic, let me gently remind that on that day exactly year ago, I left Morocco. How could I ever dare to expect that a year later, on the exact same day, I will purchase a one-way ticket back to Morocco. I guess that was the best way I could celebrate the first anniversary of my departure.
So right now, when I am writing this, I am still sitting on a chair at the airport of Brussels-Charleroi in Belgium, waiting for my flight to Casablanca, Morocco. I am sad to be leaving my friends in Brussels and I feel bad about seeing my relationship did not make it successfully. I am afraid of the new job and returning to Morocco where things could be different than before. However, for the moment I think this is the right place and the right job. I think it is Morocco where I will be the happiest. I do think it is my job that will be very exciting and it is a right thing for me to start. Within a few past weeks, many doors closed for me. But many opened at the same time.
Although very scared and stressed, I am doing the right thing.
All in all, I will live in Rabat again. Isn't this unbelievable?
2 comments:
Kamil,
You must know the significance of the date (July the 4th). It is Independence Day in the U.S. I've read your blog for some time now and am fascinated at your cultural savvy and willingness to embrace the unknown. Keep your head up and keep writing, it will serve you well in your new post! Felicitations et bon chance in Morocco.
Kamil,
Have you got some memories from Australia written down?
why did you stop blogging? It can be seen that your are in Canada these days, haven't you got anything to tell about the experience of being there? =)
cheers,
T.
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