What I learned in Morocco

Near M'hamid

I just returned from an absolutely amazing week in Morocco with my family. It was one of those experiences that just blew me away! So, to get the blog posts going again, here is a very short list of the many, many things I came away with from this eye-opening journey to Marrakesh and the western edges of the Sahara…

• First, please go, don’t be scared by the complete garbage the media feeds you
• Moroccans are kind, generous, friendly, thoughtful and welcoming
• When to hand an 83 year old Nomad your meat
• Poverty and happiness can, and often do, occur together
• Stereotypes are wrong – aren’t they always!
• Blond kids with blue eyes will be safe, will learn and have tremendous fun!
• Why real men walk with, and not ride on, their camels
• The food is world-class, even in the humblest of homes (or bedouin tents)
• The desert is dramatically beautiful, strikingly colorful & deeply textured
• The difference between a kasbah and a riad
• Nomads get lost in the sand dunes, just like the rest of us
• How to eat couscous and tajine properly with my fingers (right hand only!)
• The differences between Berber, Arab and African peoples in Morocco
• Behind the adobe walls in a dark, dirty alley might be a luxurious, rich oasis
• Don’t be afraid of getting lost in the souks (hard to rid the Boy Scout in me)
• Where to buy alcohol in an Islamic country (that produces wine by the way)
• How to wrap my authentic blue turban properly
• The meaning of hadj
• The Casablanca airport handles baggage more efficiently than any U.S. airport
• Traditional customs and modernity can peacefully coexist
• My name really means “shut up,” now that fits!

More to come from our family adventure to the gateway of Africa…