It feels like It was yesterday that Emma was sending me emails about the fellowship preparations before arriving to Washington DC and meeting the lovely humans of class 28 (aka “the best class ever”) once I arrived. The fellowship has now come to an end after one year and 3 months living is Boston, and it’s time for new and continuous adventures.
Many times, it has been challenging to be a new human in Boston, one of the most cold-hearted places in the world, and experiencing identity from an American perspective that has been very interesting, and the cold weather. In addition to challenges of some aspects of the fellowship itself.
During the fellowship, I got to meet the brilliant and kind-hearted class 28 that became family during this year, the most diverse family ever. As cold as Boston can get, Boston has the bright side of being the heart of global resources and knowledge, and it allows for the most intellectually stimulating experience I have ever had.
Today, I leave the US with more self-awareness, and more self-love, with even more appreciation of my roots and my culture, with a more critical perspective of ‘international’ development and with a stronger sense of my identity as a brown Moroccan, African, and Muslim woman with all the complexities that that entails. Most importantly, I leave ready for whatever comes next.
