morocco
a place i've been longing to visit for quite some time a country i wanted to understand for myself
and form my own opinions on so when i was finally able to take my first steps on moroccan soil
i was excited excited to learn about a new country and a new culture that quite frankly i knew very
little about i knew that morocco had beautiful landscapes hectic cities and some supposedly tasty
dish called tajin well spoiler tajin is delicious but knowing so little about morocco i was eager
to dive deep understand its people and peel back its layers to discover what morocco really means
so i thought the best way to understand morocco was to throw myself right into the thick of it and
i decided to begin my time in this foreign place by wandering the world's largest medina in fez
one of morocco's northern cities with a population of over one million people and after about five
minutes i realized that the fez medina had won because i was lost and no i'm not exaggerating
when i say that i was legitimately lost after five minutes wandering the narrow maze-like streets and
alleyways but even in these first five minutes i was already experiencing sensory overload in
the best way possible i was hearing people converse in a language i never heard before
i was seeing the faces of morocco for the first time smelling new scents some pleasant and some
not so pleasant pigeon poop feeling new things and tasting new flavors
it was a beautiful start to really understand what morocco is and what it means to be moroccan
after my first day in morocco i'd exchanged smiles and laughs with new friends
thank you and learned about morocco's special pilgrimage where google maps doesn't work and
you're forced to harness your inner luck and find your own path through the narrow medina streets
or you can seek the help of locals who may ask to harness your inner wallet
after barely scratching the surface of what morocco is in fez i traveled north to discover
the blue city of chefchaouen and get my first glimpse of one of morocco's calmer mountain towns
i learned a few things in chefchaouen 1. this town is way more beautiful in person than online
so do yourself a favor and don't even look it up on instagram
two not all moroccan vendors are overly aggressive and many are genuinely friendly people three
chickpeas are everywhere in this country and four even though i'm not a cat person cats are
cuter with a blue background okay but on a more serious note after a few calm days exploring the
beauty in the north of morocco i felt like i still had a massive gaping hole to fill
to really understand morocco so what did i do i went to the craziest place in the entire country
marrakech now hear me out i knew marrakesh would be hectic absolute chaos in touristic but i also
thought that was such a big city and so much going on it could also be a special place to connect
with morocco yes if i push myself to go beyond the main square where i was constantly harassed
so i decided a great way to better understand morocco was to discover the country through
its food and meet the people that make and sell it so i organized my own diy food tour
around the marrakesh medina what did i learn i learned that despite a handful of bad apples
whose main goal is to scam and lie to you the majority of marrakeshians or marrakeshians you
know what i mean the locals of marrakech are kind welcoming honest and downright hilarious people
i learned so much about moroccan food too i learned that tajin isn't just a popular
moroccan dish but a way of life and something you say when you're feeling happy and free
listen marrakesh is a wild place and one that to this day i have mixed feelings about
it's loud hectic and full of lies and scans but if you dig deeper you have the chance to
crack open the door to morocco and experience a unique part of its culture in my quest to really
understand morocco and its people i knew i had to push myself further than just the busy medinas
and that i had to experience life in rural morocco so i set off across the country to
experience life with the berber people live in a home made of mud fetch my water from a well and
get lost in a new side of moroccan culture just as i felt like i was beginning to understand what
i thought to be morocco it felt like i fell off mario's rainbow road and was placed back to start
the berber family i was living with has their own language they have their own customs their own
traditions but luckily they also have some sweet dates wow so good these are amazing
i was in awe these people whom i had never met in my life welcomed me into their home with open
arms me a complete stranger i was treated like one of them immersed in their culture
my new family taught me how to properly party instead of pinky up keep your whole arm up for
those special bubbles tea with bubbles is a sign it's a good tea we've entered into the sahara
desert together made new friends atop a sand dune sang and danced together but i watched sunrise
alone no hard feelings it was super early after leaving my new berber family i rode a high all
the way to morocco's coast with what felt like a deeper and more holistic understanding of morocco
i was thankful for my new family for opening their home and way of life to me
and to be honest i was proud of myself for opening my mind to this new experience
because it wasn't all dates and sand dunes there was also the discomfort that came with living
in a new environment and especially one made of mud after a string of long windy buses alas the
smell of raw fish had creeped up into my nose and after my initial flinch to pinch my nostril shut
i took a breath and felt a sense of relief i could smell raw fish and i could walk through fish slush
now don't get me wrong it's not that i love the smell of raw fish in the morning
but this meant i could meet the fishermen of morocco i ventured further along morocco's coast
and boy was i happy i did i met the kindest people you could imagine you're welcome here he names one
for surfing for a fresh food for a good life man strangers opened their life to me sharing
their culture and others opened their doors to me offering a helping hand when i was in need
so what did i learn about morocco well i learned that the country and the people are there with
open arms and hearts but that you have to push through the hustlers and scammers to experience
the true beauty of this special place i learned that morocco is way more diverse than what meets
the eye that smiles are as universal as a glass of fresh mint tea and that there is still so much to
this country that i want to learn about luckily i know that when i return i'll receive a big markaba
morocco this isn't bislama but more of a see you later until next time morocco shukran
yes