I was explaining to some of the guys at school today about how I’m a sad person and I realised something. I shouldn’t put myself down so much. But, I find myself trying to explain why I am like I am so often. So I am going to explain here, the art of being Dry.
Definition: DRY – A person who has an absurdly boring life, and makes no effort to spice it up.
1) I don’t want to eat outside of school. Why? Because I might get ill, and the food isn’t any better, and only marginally cheaper. To me, that’s just not worth it. I don’t feel like I’m ‘missing out’ on the experience somehow.
2) I don’t want to walk around with a load of Brits. I’m sorry, I just don’t. We stick out like a sore thumb, and I hate the attention. Alone or with Moroccans, I’m not bothered as much, if at all.
3) I don’t want to make random friends. Yes, random friends can be cool, but we’re in a new place and we don’t speak the language. I don’t want to get caught in any kind of situation I don’t understand. Besides, I can make really nice new friends through my Moroccan family anyway, I don’t need to crawl the streets for them.
4) I don’t want to be alone in Fes in the dark. Fes is a relatively safe city, but then so is everywhere if you are sensible. And equally, everywhere can also be dangerous. I consider finding a taxi in the dark dangerous. I find getting in that taxi alone for a 20 minute journey dangerous. I just don’t want to do it, and that’s that.
5) I can’t contrive being a great mate. Yes, I really like all the people I’m here with on my course, and we get on well, but lets not pretend it’s any more than that. I try to make the effort, and join in, but sometimes in respect of the previous points I just can’t. And I’m not going to bypass them in order to spend time with a group of people I just got chucked in with. It’s not that I don’t like everyone, it’s just that I’m not stepping out of my comfort zone for them.
6) I like it here. That may sound ‘sad’ to some people but I’m comfortable here with the family. And I learn a lot, both French and Arabic when I’m in the house. Plus, I can do my homework at my leisure rather than cramming it into the 5 minutes before class. And I can blog, and e-mail people, and chat to Le Boyfriend. Because socialising is important, but so is keeping up other relationships, maintaining friendships which I’ve left behind. The world hasn’t stopped because I’m here, and I want to be a part of it, as well as being a part of this.
Wow, that was all a lot more serious than I intended.
