MEGAN ON THE RUN

The Holiday Season-Bitter Sweet

As the days go by and the months add up, slowly I am finding my place in my small Moroccan town. A town I can now call home. When I walk down the street I am ambushed with hugs and kisses from both young and old alike. I truly feel loved. But, during the holiday season it is somewhat bitter sweet.
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be in Morocco and I still have another year of experiences yet to come. However, during the holiday season I cannot help but be overwhelmed by homesickness and a longing to be on American soil. To no avail, I have been compulsively playing Christmas music trying to create a holiday atmosphere. However, it is not the same celebrating Christmas alone in a Muslim country where the holiday does not exist. Last year, during the Christmas season, a French cell phone company played “Jingle Bell Rock” in one of their commercials. The first time I heard it, I reacted as though I had just won a million dollars. I jumped from the sofa and proceeded to belt out the lyrics. My host family just giggled and considered it another “crazy American” moment. It was amazing how one commercial was able to connect me to home, even if it was only a few minutes. Family and friends sent gifts and I even had a stocking. Unfortunately, a thousand gifts and hung stockings cannot create the sounds, smells and feelings of Christmas. Christmas is not the presents that pile up under the tree or what seems to be an endless shopping list. Christmas is the indescribable feeling lingering in the air. Christmas is being with those you love. Christmas is in the heart. I suppose it is easy to get tangled up in the glitz, glamour and tinsel of Christmas. I myself am guilty. It has become so hard to look beyond the boxes and ribbons. Beyond what seems to have become a materialistic and commercial holiday that simply exists for the benefit of retail. However, beneath the shiny ornaments and pretty wrapping paper is the true meaning of Christmas. I believe Calvin Coolidge said it best when he stated, “Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.”
With the holiday season quickly approaching and thousands of miles between my loved ones and me, I am trying to keep those words in my heart. Christmas is a time to celebrate freedom and peace. Spending the past year in Morocco has given me a greater appreciation for the liberties and freedoms I have in the United States. I grow to adore my beloved country more and more with each passing day. While I have been blessed to live in the beautiful country of Morocco, there is no country more beautiful than my own. I am so proud and thankful to be an American. So, with those words sitting on my tongue, I will celebrate Christmas and ring in the New Year with a sense of joy. Happy Holidays.

posted by MeganontheRun @ 1:44 PM