Why you should live or travel alone at least once in your life

Rabat – More human interaction! It won’t be a choice, but a necessity; you’ll have to deal with more people than usual, because you’ll be doing everything by yourself!

I remember when I had to go to Charleroi Airport in Belgium and had to take a train, 2 taxis, walk, and run to catch up the last bus going to the airport! What made this process beautifully crazy is the huge number of people I asked for direction: some giving you the right way, others trying to make you get more lost. You will have the opportunity to know different types of people: good ones, bad ones, good and acting as bad, bad and acting as good! Therefore, trust will become just a word in the dictionary (This will make you learn how much trust you should give to every person around you). But still, you will definitely meet amazing people that will always stay in your mind.

Assertiveness. You have to take the initiative if you want to meet and know other people. If you don’t want to end up alone, then you must start conversations with others, just make sure to start it the right way, no “RASTA” (Racist, Aggressive, Stupid, Tense, Annoying) behaviors.

You get to know more about yourself. You challenge your fears, find out your strengths, and discover the adventurous and courageous power in you. Sometimes you might even be surprised from what you have done, and you will be so proud of yourself! Did I ever imagine that my best friend and I would be kicked out by our host family’s house in Turkey at 1 a.m. for absolutely no valid reason? Of course not! Because I never imagined that somebody would act this way toward its guests visiting a foreign country! It has been 3 years since this happened, I still don’t know the reason behind that behavior. It was a very painful experience, but guess what? I would want to live it again if I have to because it made me much stronger.

You will realize that you are able to speak without using words. Imagine living with a host family that doesn’t speak any language you know, and you don’t speak any language they know…It is something you’ll have to live with! Maybe in the beginning you will be speaking a language that doesn’t exist yet, or just mixing every language you know in one sentence (Zdravo amigo, cava? Labass?). However, it is just a matter of time; language is never a barrier unless you want it to be!

Freedom and Independence. Nobody tells you where to go and what to do. I remember daily eating habit in The Netherlands: making breakfast at 6:45 a.m., having 3 to 4 little snacks during the whole day, then start making a good Indian dish at 11:30 p.m. Sometimes (or most of the time) there will be nobody around you to help. You will realize that even the little things require a lot of efforts. When you want to cook your dinner late at night and find out you have no food left; or when you need to renew the residence permit card, or or or… These kinds of situations help you become a better decision maker, and build a stronger personality.

Change would be more fun than worrying when you face a new culture, language, or even currency! When I was in Serbia I had to convert the Serbian dinar to Euro, then to Moroccan Dirham before buying anything, or the cheese overdose I got there because most of the food is either with cheese or pork! No other choice. This makes you a more flexible person that adapts easily to changes.