The highlight of my time abroad was the five day excursion to Morocco. 5 days, 5 cities.
On the first day, we arrived in the city of Tanger after a bus ride, a boat ride, and another bus ride. We met Moroccan students, who took us on guided tours of a mosque, a synagogue, and a church all within walking distance of one another. I learned quickly that Morocco contains a mix of cultures and religions. The students told me that, contrary to what is most popularly shown in the movies, Morocco is an extremely diverse and accepting country.
After our visits to the religious buildings, we walked through markets and shops. As I walked through a market, I stopped by a pile of bread to look at all the delicious food laid out before me. I remember feeling a firm branch hit me in the back side and thinking a child was hitting me. I turned to see a woman speaking in rapid Arabic as she was playfully hitting me with a giant leaf. My friends, standing to my right, were all cackling hysterically as this was happening. I was told later that she was hitting me because I was standing too close with my back side to her bread. She had said in Arabic “don’t put your a•• by my bread!” I will never put my back to a stack of bread again.
The next day we had a delicious lunch and tea with a group of Moroccan students. We had a conversation that changed my perspective of this country. We asked the students questions of Morocco as they asked us questions about the United States. I learned Morocco’s political climate is controversial, but each student agreed that their country is changing for the better.
During this lunch, I encountered a student who told me she had studied abroad in the United States. When I asked her where, she sighed quietly and said “Oh you probably wouldn’t know it, it is a small town in the state of Washington. It’s called Walla Walla.” I gasped. “That is where I go to school!” I screamed. To learn english, she picked Walla Walla high school to study. It’s profound how small the world can be, and how many connections one can find when least expecting it.
After lunch, the bus stopped along a beach for us to ride camels. Here is a picture of my camel, isn’t he cute?
The camel ride was just a pit stop on our way to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Rabat is a beautiful city, it is simple and complicated at the same time. One of my student guides said to us, “It is simple due to its beauty, and complicated because of the rules that can be interpreted differently under our religion.” In this city, I stayed with a Moroccan family. The family had a three year old, who was incredibly curious about us. We spent a lot of time laughing and playing. Turns out, toddlers in Rabat are the same as toddlers here in the states. They love to explore and play the same games, they need to be told multiple times to finish their food, and they giggle hysterically at the simplest silly faces. I didn’t speak the same language as this little girl, but we found ways to communicate with pictures and sounds. At the end of my stay in Rabat, I was given a traditional Morrocan dress as a gift. The mother of the house had tears in her eyes as she said goodbye to us, and I will be forever grateful for her kindness and hospitality.
We left Rabat after two days (although I wanted to stay forever.) On our way from Rabat to Chefchaouen, we stopped in a village in the mountains of Rif. A family in this village was gracious enough to make us lunch. I ate the best couscous I’ve ever had. The family spent the afternoon telling us stories of their life. After lunch, I played soccer with the kids. The beautiful game is universal, so our language barrier didn’t matter.
After another bus ride, we arrived in Chefchaouen. I was immediately hypnotized by its beauty. Chefchaouen is also called the “blue city.” The buildings and streets were all painted different shades of blue. It was mesmerizing. I hiked at sunrise to get this view of the city:
During these five days, it was incredible how I could bond and form relationships with Moroccans so quickly. Everyone I met was warm and friendly. The most important idea I learned from this trip is that while we come from different places and speak different languages, we are all fundamentally equal. A friend I met at lunch in Tanger said to me “Listen closely, and tell everyone you can. We are more similar than we are different.” Morocco was a beautiful and heartwarming experience. I will be counting down the days where I have the opportunity to go back.