By Angela Jossy

I am endlessly enchanted by cultures around the world. Up until now, my experience with Sister Cities was limited to a few local dinners with cultural education. The mission of the Tacoma Sister Cities program is to promote cultural and political diversity, and the organization encourages exchange between business, governments, health, arts, cultural, and educational groups and organizations.  

When I heard last year that they were going on a group trip to Morocco, I really wanted to go, but international travel isn’t exactly in my budget—especially now that I'm bootstrapping a newspaper and we are still trying to get all the parts together. But about three weeks before they were set to embark, my friend Francis Lorenz called me to say they needed at least one more person because someone canceled. I wondered if there was any way I could be that person. I had a few hurdles in place, but miraculously, I was able to overcome them just in time—so, against all odds, I was able to go to Morocco!

The flight was the hardest part. I was up for thirty-six hours before I could sleep. But I after that, I had the trip of a lifetime.

I'm writing this from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, which is like a very posh shopping mall, on my way home. I’m reflecting on all the sites, smells, sounds, and tastes of the past nine days with extreme gratitude. The whole time, I just kept repeating, “Guys! We are in Morocco! We are in Africa!” It was surreal. Where do I even begin to tell you about it?

There were animals and beautiful scenery

I held a tiny street kitten. I sat on a camel and was French-kissed on my shoulder by another. I had a conversation with a pair of ostriches at a luxurious gas station that also had two donkeys, a couple of peacocks, turkeys, ducks, and a rather large turtle too. When we were at the medina in Essaouira, I saw an albatross soaring overhead. While visiting a historical site in El Jadida, a flock of seagulls hung in the air just above my head for several minutes. I begged them not to poop on me and am happy to report that they respected my wishes! In Marrakech, at the Majorelle Garden, I saw beautiful trees, plants, flowers, water features, and koi that were five feet long! I saw a few stray dogs and cats in various places around the medinas, living among the locals and tourists. When I first arrived, a pet cat at the riad hugged me like a person and refused to let go! This was my welcome to Morocco!

I saw so much amazing architecture! And the beaches! We visited three different beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. I found two blue rocks on the beach, soaked my toes in this foreign sea, and filmed my friends doing cartwheels on the sand.

There were cocktails

Even though alcohol is frowned upon in the Quran and Morocco is a Muslim country, it's very tourist-friendly, and there were places that served alcohol everywhere we went. As a person who's allergic to alcohol, I was tickled to discover so many fruity alcohol-free cocktail options available, including in boat-shaped restaurant in Rabat that offered a virgin Sex on the Beach that made us giggle about how that could be possible! I also drank cocktails from a rooftop bar while dangling my feet in a rooftop pool, watching the sun set over Marrakech and listening to the calming sound of the call to prayer. 

There were luxurious lodgings

The hotels were the fanciest I have ever stayed at, and each one outdid the one before. You definitely get more than you pay for in Morocco! I didn’t pay anywhere near what that would have cost in the US. We also noticed how safe and welcome we felt everywhere we went and how cooperative drivers were with each other on the roads. 

There was joy

I made new friends, the kind of friendships that will definitely last. We laughed and laughed. I haven’t enjoyed myself that much in a very long time. I couldn’t have asked for better travel companions, tour guides, or even just various people we met along the way.  

There was music

We heard live music in the big square of Marrakech and our tour guide showed us some musicians he knew on YouTube while we traveled on the bus. We saw two young guys singing and playing guitar at the Kasbah in Rabat. One of our travel companions, Lucas Smiraldo, sang a couple of songs for us on the bus, one of which was an original work inspired by the music on a Youtube video of Moroccan music we were shown en route. On the final night of the trip, the kids and teachers at the community center put on a concert for us. It started with a drum team that was so fun and spirited, it brought tears to my eyes. Then two guitarists, a percussionist, and a couple of singers performed. It was magical, and I only wish I could have understood the words. We caught some of this performance on video and decided this could be the soundtrack for our documentary. 

There was filming

We captured many of these moments on film, and I will release that as soon as we have a chance to edit it into something cohesive. Dreena Sellers agreed to help out with the project, so once we all get caught up on our work back home, we will meet to figure out how to put all the pieces together so we can give you all a chance to experience it too.

There was culture

Our tour guide from Cerg Travel shared so much fascinating information about history, cultural practices, helpful phrases, and geography. Much of that was also captured on film to be shared in the abovementioned documentary. 

There was food

But what I really need to tell you about was the food!! I am a really picky eater, and Morocco never put anything that wasn’t absolutely delicious in front of me. One of the girls at the final dinner asked me which was my favorite, and I was honestly stumped. I could not pick a favorite. And the best part is that nothing is processed or loaded with chemicals. I wish I could eat like that every day. We learned about tagines and tangia, two forms of slow cooking that Morocco is famous for. Absolutely delicious!

There was shopping

Each city offered medinas—also called souks—which are small indoor/outdoor shops where people can find locally produced goods from local businesses. I bought chemical-free spices, a stunning blue purse, souvenirs for my people back home, and a few fridge magnets (one for each city). I also bought some wraparound pants, some ancient medicines, and some argan oil from a Moroccan pharmacy. I made sure to keep my promise to bring back some authentic Moroccan henna for the henna artists in my life.

There were connections made

We visited Casablanca, Marrakech, Essaouira, Sale, Rabat, and Sidi Moumen. At each place, we met people and strengthened the bonds between our countries. We visited a women's cooperative that makes argan oil. We collected business cards from people who we could potentially trade with. But the highlight of the trip was when we went to the community center in Sidi Moumen on my last night in Morocco. The tour guide asked us if we were sure we wanted to go to this area. It was not on the beaten tourist track and it had a bad reputation as a place where poor youth were exploited and turned toward extremism. But after we finished there, he and the driver both were shocked at the changes there, which our host, Boubker Mazoz, is largely responsible for. Mazoz is the founder of Neighborhoods Association IDMAJ, which he has been operating for the last eighteen years. He is also the president and founder of Sister Cities Africa, the president and founder of Morocco Association of Sister Cities International, and a public affairs specialist for US Department of State's Office of Public Diplomacy  and Public Affairs for the last thirty years. The IDMAJ Community Center has five locations now, where they have been working with youth and giving them special education, career options, and a sense of pride around their culture and heritage. In his office, he had photos on his wall showing him with well-known leaders, including including Hillary Clinton and Colin Powell, along with an impressive array of awards. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Boubker at the dinner they held for us, and we talked about making a connection between their journalism students and Weekly Volcano. They have an impressive little TV and podcasting studio and some equally impressive students who I would be delighted to work with.

There will be a return trip

I must return to Morocco. I hated to leave. Maybe someday I can buy my own riad and spend a couple months a year working from there. For the price of a one-bedroom shack in Tacoma, a luxurious three-to-five-bedroom home can be bought in the center of the medina in Marrakech. If you get the chance, you simply must go. The flight is the most expensive part (ranging from $900 to $1500). Once you get there, things are very affordable. After travel and lodging, I think I only spent about $400. And most of that was just souvenirs and meals. The fanciest meals we had were only about $20! I started a waitlist for people interested in making this journey with us next time. If you think you’d be up for it, send me an email at Angela.Jossy@gmail.com with the subject “Morocco Trip,” and I will let you know when we get the details of the next voyage together.