MOROCCO (Jan 1: Entry #19)

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People often ask me, “What has been your favorite country?” and I tell them I don’t have one. I truly have loved every single one. Each is beautiful in its own way. Each culture is interesting and dynamic. Each country gave me an experience I will treasure forever. 

 

However, MOROCCO! I won’t say it’s my favorite (because I have no favorites), but my enthusiasm may say otherwise. It has definitely been the most exotic and invigorating place we’ve visited on our “journey around the world.” I could write a whole book just on our one month here.

 

Let’s start with the World Cup! What a time to visit Morocco! We couldn’t have planned it any better. I’m not really a soccer fan (though I do like the show Ted Lasso), but we couldn’t help but become huge fans when watching matches with the locals. What a pleasure to experience firsthand history in the making: their Cinderella team making it to the semi-finals, doing what no Arab team had done before. We watched games in cafes. We’d be hugged by the locals so excited for the wins. We danced in the streets with the throngs of screaming fans. Car horns would honk late into the night. It was like party after party as they chalked up win after win. It was lovely to see a common thread amongst all classes of people. And they loved having foreigners celebrate with them.

 

Then there’s our Workaway experience. We volunteered (through the Workaway program—workaway.info) to teach conversational English at the British Language Academy in Casablanca. What a unique way to experience Morocco. We taught about 10 hours a week. After their traditional English classes, the students (ages 8 – 40+) would meet with the English-speaking volunteers to discuss their topic of the day. We’d talk to several students for 5-10 minutes, and then they would switch around, so we’d have a new group to talk with. It was so well organized, and such a wonderful way to get to know the locals and their culture.

 

This Workaway also allowed us to meet people from around the world (mostly young people with backpacks making their own way around the world). We’d go out together, eat together, take trips together, and some of the friendships will last forever. Again, like I encouraged before (we did a Workaway in Estonia), if you like to travel and would like to move beyond elite hotels and tourist traps, check out workaway.info. It’s a budget-friendly way to travel. 

 

Then there’s the hustle and bustle of Casablanca and other cities. I was so energized just by walking through the markets or sitting at a café and people watching. The blasting of horns by impatient drivers, the aromas of spices from the market stands, the clip clop of horse-drawn carts, and the 5x-a-day prayers through the intercoms of the mosques…everything stirred my soul and kept me so engaged with this culture. Yes, the cities are kind of dirty. Yes, it’s kind of smelly. Yes, you may get hit by a car or motorcycle if you’re not careful (the driving is crazy!). But the people are welcoming and friendly, the food is delicious and cheap, and the experience is nothing short of priceless.

 

The last thing (but not the least): It is beautiful! Morocco is more than Casablanca or Féz or Tangier. Morocco is the mountains, the desert, the sunrises and sunsets, the waterfalls, the ocean, and the flowers. It is a walk through the woods to feed the monkeys. It is a ride on a camel to overnight in a tent, and then lying on the sand dunes and counting the shooting stars in the vast pitch-black sky. It is gorgeous, it is mesmerizing, it is breathtaking.

 

As you can tell, I am 100% sold on Morocco. I hope one day you can experience it, too.

 

Camels and football and couscous, oh my! 

Tajine and head scarfs and markets galore.

Deserts and donkeys and 5 daily prayers.

Mint tea and mountains…

Morocco’s repertoire.

 

Now, off to Israel, where I already know I won’t have the proper words to express dwelling in the Holy Land.

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Hasta luego,

Pam

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(P.S: Per my 2nd blog in July 2021, during the planning phase of our trip: I did not see Depends® in Morocco. However, as expected, the pharmacies stock items that are comparable. For those who need to know. ;) )

 

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” ―Martin Buber

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