In an attempt to be authentic and #relatable, I’ve decided to write down some of my fears and concerns about the next year. I figured publishing what I’m worried about would be cathartic, so please don’t freak out, Mom and Dad.

Arabic School Concerns
1) What if I don’t place into Level 3 and subsequently don’t get any credits?
2) What if darija is too hard? (Darija is the dialect of Arabic spoken in Morocco and from what the internet tells me, is unintelligible for speakers of Modern Standard Arabic).
3) What if I can’t keep the language pledge to only speak Arabic?
4) What if I go crazy from not speaking to my family and friends everyday?
5) What if I’m too lazy to go to the gym every day like I want to? (#newyearnewme)

General Concerns
1) What if I’m practicing my Arabic on the plane and some xenophobe gets me kicked off?
2) What if the TSA confiscates my knitting needles because they think they’re weapons?
3) What if I can’t find decently priced yarn abroad?
4) WHAT IF DONALD TRUMP BECOMES PRESIDENT?
5) What if I don’t get any useful research done for my senior thesis?

Russia Concerns
1) What if only speaking Arabic for two months makes me forget all my Russian?
2) What if my host family is racist?
3) What if everyone is racist?
4) What if I can’t find any extracurriculars?
5) What if I don’t make any friends (I’m the only Midd student going to Moscow in the fall)?
6) WHAT IF MY SPOTIFY DOESN’T WORK OVERSEAS?
7) What if my hair falls out because I can’t find a black hair salon?
8) What if I have to eat каша (buckwheat) every day for breakfast again? (no offense Anya and Sasha)
9) WHAT IF I FREEZE TO DEATH?

Morocco Concerns
1) What if I can’t find a church to attend?
2) What if I’m harassed on the streets? (According to the internet, this will definitely happen every day all the time, which probably isn’t true, but what if…)
3) What if my host family doesn’t want me to cook for them?
4) What if my host family can’t understand what I’m saying?
5) What if the Wi-Fi is spotty and I can’t communicate with my family and friends?
6) WHAT IF I’M ALLERGIC TO EVERYTHING?

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2 Comments

I’m Sorry I Abandoned this Blog (But We All Saw This Coming, Didn’t We?) aka Toni Tries Blogging: Take 2 (or 3 Depending on Who’s Counting) – Where in the world is Toni Alyssa? · August 24, 2016 at 7:43 pm

[…] but I’m also really nervous (#conflicted).  In case you’re curious, here’s a link to the post where I detailed all the things I’m worried about so the whole internet and all […]

I’m Going to Morocco Now, Byeeeee!!! – Where in the world is Toni Alyssa? · January 27, 2017 at 9:55 pm

[…] but think back to last May when I first started this blog.  One of my first posts was about my Rational and Irrational Fears for the upcoming year and as I look back at that list, I was right to be concerned about most of […]

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