Jihane and Radia: Best Counterparts?

I'll be the first to admit that the life of a volunteer serving abroad is no walk in the park. Surely to some of you that admission isn’t at all shocking, but tell that to my Facebook likers. They only see my service through my statuses of triumph that celebrate my latest accomplishments, intriguing articles I post that allude to my intellectual growth, and super awesome photo albums that depict my 'once in a lifetime' experience. You'll have an even harder time convincing my Instagram followers; depending on the lighting, they only get to see my Mayfair service, my X-Pro II service, or my Brannan service. Occasionally I'll give them the 'real deal' (#nofilter), but even that perspective is bound to the limits of my iPhone lens.

To be clear, this post isn’t about the lonely dark moments I experience as a volunteer. One thing the Peace Corps has retaught me is not to allow myself to spend too much time dwelling in the space of my melancholy—my mom being the first to teach me. Instead, I take those moments as opportunities to learn a bit more about myself, with a particular focus on my best methods for bouncing back from challenging experiences and feeling down. Like many other volunteers, I've developed a personal list of methods to employ when I'm in need of an injection of positive energy, including, but not limited to: prayer, dancing around my house to the latest Arab Pop music, and Skyping with my Mom. Another method I've found to be very effective is spending a few minutes reconnecting to sources of inspiration that drive my passion for youth development, chief among them being remarkable youth that I've encountered. It's something that we volunteers don’t talk enough about—how there are moments in which our Moroccan friends, counterparts, and students are the only fuel we have to keep going in the face of overwhelming challenges. So I'd like to use this platform to highlight two young ladies who continue to serve me as endless sources of inspiration and motivation as I try to be the best volunteer I can be.

Their names are Jihane and Radia. I had heard about these two exceptional young ladies long before I met them, because they had done a lot of impressive work with a group PCVs living in a site about an hour away from me. Their names would come up in conversation so often that I found myself frustrated by being the lone volunteer in our area who had yet to met these superstars.  Well eventually the day came, and let me tell you, their preceding reputations couldn’t possibly have done them any justice.

The first thing I noticed was their impeccable command of the English language. When conversing with them, I often forget that I’m not speaking with native English speakers. It's astounding. Once I got past their language skills, the next thing I learned was how ambitious they are. Jihane, for example, is at the top of her university class studying computer science, and Radia, while still in high school, aspires to become an engineer; both of them hope to study in America one day, which I'm almost certain will happen. Needless to say, I quickly realized that these are girls who find something they want and stop at nothing to get it. An example of this is their success in a recent international English creative writing competition. Jihane and Radia, respectively, competed in the university and high school divisions of the competition. They both came in first place at the regional level, the countrywide level, AND the international level! Yes, you read it correctly. They competed with the whole world and won. As I alluded to earlier, no goal is too large for these young ladies.

As if that wasn't enough, I gradually began to realize the extent to which both of them have supported the efforts of my fellow volunteers assigned to their city. They not only have been willing to assist with translation at the drop of a hat, but also with leading various workshops and countless camp activities, and by serving as positive role models for their peers inside and outside of the classroom. The manner in which they selflessly volunteer their time, energy, and skills for the success of any given project is truly admirable. I'm sure that if there were a competition for the best PCV counterpart in all of Peace Corps world, they'd be serious contenders.

What I love most about these girls is that their humility keeps you from ever knowing that you ought to be impressed to the point of feeling star-struck in their presence. Such language may sound absurd when referring to young people, but I'm not afraid to say that I’m one of their biggest fans. I think it's unfortunate that much of society remains fettered to ageist notions that delegitimize the wisdom, inspiration, and exemplary that can be found in our youth. Sure, one could argue that Jihane and Radia have yet to accomplish feats truly worthy of such admiration, but for me, when I look at them, I not only see what they've accomplished thus far in their short lives, but also what they have yet to accomplish—their potential, their futures. Before we know it, these young girls will be strong and powerful women contributing to both their local community and the world.

I'm certain I'm not alone in the sentiments I've shared. I think I speak for all of the PCVs who've worked closely with Jihane and Radia when I say that it's truly a challenge to articulate the gravity of their impact on their peers and us. Surely my attempt here fell short. So I'll conclude by dedicating Peace Corps Morocco's GAD Committee blog post of the month to two super awesome young ladies who continue to do amazing GAD work just by being themselves. They also happen to be two of my favorite sources of inspiration, two really effective positive energy injections, and two really compelling reasons to continue my service with fervor, even when I don't feel at my best.