A select group of Vanderbilt student-athletes and staff ventured to Morocco earlier this month on a service trip in partnership with Soles4Souls. The Commodores spent 10 days in North Africa distributing shoes to local children and immersing themselves in Moroccan culture. Each day this week, VUCommodores.com will feature student-athlete blogs written during their time in Morocco, offering in-the-moment reflections on the opportunity abroad.
Regan Clay
Sophomore, Track & Field
Day 4
Today seemed to be a little more challenging for most of us than the first service day. I think it was difficult to accept the fact that things may not go the way that we planned or wanted them to. Our first day of shoe distribution with Soles4Souls went a little more smoothly, but at the end of the distribution you still knew that what you did mattered and helped people in need. It was a very mentally and emotionally challenging day for all of us, but everyone really stepped up and made it enjoyable for both the kids and ourselves.
No matter the circumstances, the experience was worth it if it meant bringing a smile to the faces of children, maybe hearing a giggle or laugh along the way — most likely due to our poor attempts at speaking Arabic! At the end of the day, it was a real sight to be able to witness these kiddos strutting around in their new shoes and sporting a Vanderbilt baseball cap. I think we are all really excited for our final distribution day and looking forward to seeing new faces and spreading some more love!
Billy Rowe
Junior, Men’s Tennis
Day 4
Today we visited a small village in the mountains and distributed shoes, then painted a wall at the children’s school. Not only was this something I’ll never forget, but I think it’s something that’ll impact these kids for a long time, too. My main job was to wash the kids’ feet, then dry them off and help put their shoes on. To start, I was pretty nervous about it, but the more kids you help the easier it got. I feel like we were doing such a small service for them by giving them shoes, but for them it’s one of the nicest things that’s ever happened. The reactions on their faces and overwhelming joy after standing up with their new shoes on is something that’ll stay with me for a long long time.
After talking about privilege, then reflecting on it, I started thinking about the standard of happiness of these children. We are so privileged with everything we have, like our clothes, our education, and especially our way of life. Realizing that these kids have only ever seen these mountains and nothing else is shocking. They don’t know any other way of life or what they don’t have and it’s crazy. The women, especially, are treated differently in this culture. In once instances, when we were playing soccer with the kids after the school painting, I heard Fernanda Contreras from women’s tennis say, “Let’s join in and show these girls that we can play, too.” At the time I was thinking we should let the kids play, but then later on it hit me that I didn’t see one girl ever participate in the activities like soccer. Fern and the other girls set an example that can hopefully make an impact on these women in these small communities and that’s something I was completely oblivious to at the time. All in all, the day was a complete success and I think we made a lasting impact on these kids. They definitely made a significant impact on me, too.
