Traveling to Morocco was an unforgettable and once-in-a-lifetime experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. After landing in Casablanca, we made our way to a nearby train station. Having never been on a train before, this was exciting for me. A few hours later we arrived in Tangier, a small coastal city. We could see Spain, which was only about 12 miles away.
If that wasn’t enough travel for one day, we took a shuttle to Chefchaouen, the blue city, where we spent the night. We didn’t know it then, but this was our collective No. 1 city. The beautiful blue walls that cover the town had me speechless. Everywhere I looked I saw a new view that was more breathtaking than the last. I was sad to say goodbye to this city and head to Moulay Idriss.
A Time for Exploration
In the morning, we were greeted by a local guide who showed us around the Medina and shared further insight about the lives of the people who live there. The most unique part about this experience was staying in a guest house here. We met with a local family and stayed with them for the night. Out of all the mint tea I drank on this trip, my favorite was at this guest house.
Rising early the next morning, we were off to the ancient ruins of Volubilis. The stunning views of the plains surrounding the ruins made this unforgettable. It is worth mentioning that every day we had beautiful weather. Meknes was our next stop, where we walked through the Medina before driving to Fez for the night. Fez is known for their leather, and we were lucky to take a tour of a tannery, along with visiting many other shops.
At this point, I was tired of all the driving, but we kept going to the Todra Gorge, which is much like Zion National Park. We took a hike through their farmland oasis before meeting up with our bus to make the drive to Merzouga. It is worth a note that our bus driver, Idriss, was absolutely incredible.
Better Than an Uber
We dropped our bags at an overnight camp and met our newest form of transportation, a camel (I named mine Greg). Greg and his friends took us through the Sahara desert where we watched the sunset before heading back to camp for the night. We enjoyed traditional food and music, and I even learned how to play the drums.
Once I said goodbye to Greg, we drove to Ait Benhaddou. But, not before our bus got stuck in the sand, and we all got out to push it. The clay architecture of Ait Benhaddou was beautiful, and at the same time, we saw some of the devastation that occurred following last year's earthquake.
We visited many co-ops on this trip, but the local tea house here was my favorite. The women use ingredients sourced from local cooperatives to prepare tea and pastries for people who come to visit. The sense of community I felt was heartwarming.
Rest and Relaxation
Our last stop, Marrakech, was also a collective favorite. We enjoyed the Medina and felt safe walking around and exploring on our own. Don’t tell Greg, but I tried a camel burger here. On our last day, we visited a hamam, which is much like a spa, for some relaxation before our flight home.
It was also in this city that I learned lines on the road mean nothing to drivers, and that turn signals are always optional.
The Lesson Learned: Seeing all these amazing places and having hundreds of experiences would not have been possible without the GEE program. I feel extremely grateful to have been a part of this program the past three years. Not only did this trip broaden my worldview, but also brought me closer to my friends that have shared in this program with me.
Applying the Lesson Learned
From the first day, our guide Mohammed made us feel welcomed and called us his Las Vegas “habibis,” which is an Arabic word for friends or lovers. Our bus driver, Idriss, and all our local guides were kind and knowledgeable.
After the first night, all my anxieties about this foreign country melted away, and I was left with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. So, I raise my glass of mint tea and say thank you to my friends, teachers, guides, and locals who I now consider my habibis for life.
About the Global Entrepreneurship Experience
Lee Business School’s Global Entrepreneurship program is a four-year curriculum that teaches students of any discipline the necessary skills in creating and scaling a business.
