I would like to share the significant experience I had with the peace
corps, it was an experience that opened my eyes and made me a stronger person
in a way that I discovered a lot of things about myself, things I wouldn't have
known if it wasn't for the Peace Corps.
During my work with the Peace Corps I had to take care of six American
trainees, I had to live on my own and it was the first time for me to do so.
Getting the chance to go out and discover the other side of my personality
definitely helped me grow personally and professionally. I had to wear
different hats every day, sometimes I have to be a friend, other times I have
to be a social worker and also a teacher…
This experience has a great impact on me that made me see my role in my
society differently. Therefore, I would like to get the chance and serve my
country too.
I would like to discuss the issue of harassment
that has been a controversial issue in
Morocco for a very long time and it still is. Different people have different
opinions about the issue; some blame women for being too loose and others blame
men for being unable to control and behave themselves.
Harassment is a very serious issue that needs to be looked at more
seriously. We need to take action against this phenomenon, which is
increasingly becoming an open behavior. Men feel like they have the right to
harass women on the street because they aren’t wearing “decent” clothes. Many
men think that when women wear “revealing” clothes it’s an open invitation for
harassment. And women who wear this kind of clothing are “loose and cheap” even
if it’s not true. Let’s think for a second, is the way women are dressed the
problem? Because if we go back we will see that women in Morocco are generally
harassed regardless of their clothing, which shows that it became a habit for
men to do so, and nothing more.
As a young Moroccan
girl, I can relate to this issue as any other “Moroccan” girl. As I believe,
every Moroccan Female is harassed every time she goes out regardless of her
age, shape, color, ethnicity, background… and no matter what she wears. Any
girl who says the opposite is living in denial because that’s the reality we
deal with every day.
The only person I can think of, that has a
positive influence on me is my mom. She is always the person that I go back to
for anything.
My mom is a huge part of my life, she is also my
best friend I can tell her everything. My mom taught me how to be the person I
am now, and she has always been next to me. My mom always taught me to be
patient and believe in myself. As a part of being a house wife my mother never
failed to look after us and make us feel that she is always there. My mother
influenced me to become a responsible person, and a person that would think of
helping others. I am grateful for that.
There are
many ways in which my mother influenced me to become the person I am today and
some of those ways are her sense of responsibility, her hard work, her patience
and perseverance and also her characteristics. I have learned to truly value
them by watching her while I grew up. Those characteristic make me glad that
she is my mother.
I want to be a corps Africa volunteer, because I’ve always wanted to do
something for my country, something that would make me feel that even just
slightly I have also contributed in helping others.
Joining corps Africa, is something that would make me feel very happy,
because I have always found joy in helping others, even when its sometimes just
a small thing, like carrying a heavy bag with an old woman, or feeding a
homeless kid… being a part of something as big as corps Africa, would make me
feel so proud. As we all know voluntary work is not something big in Morocco, its
rare when you find youth interested in doing something like that. But for me I
have always wanted to do so, especially after being a part of the Peace Corps,
I have became more motivated to help my country and do something for it.
Becoming a corps Africa volunteer would be a dream comes true for me.