My Family 4,000 Miles Away

I now have a second home in Morocco, and that's all thank to the family that hosted me.

Instead of traveling to a foreign country and residing in a luxury hotel or airbnb, I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and stay with a family for one week to experience what the lifestyle is like, especially in Ramadan.

The family was comprised of a mom, dad, and 4 sons. Before departing for my trip, numerous amounts of people told me the Moroccan dialect of Arabic is "different" than the traditional Arabic spoken in other countries. I look at it as more unique. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that all of the sons were able to hold conversations in English and the parents knew French fluently.

The most impactful memory that I witnessed was when I was leaving for the airport at 3 in the morning. The entire family was surrounding the table full of food trying to eat as much as they could before morning prayer. I interrupted their feasting to let them know I was going back home, and their mom quickly ran into her bedroom. Before I know it, she comes up to give me the biggest hug and hands me a traditional ocean blue Moroccon outfit.

This may seem minuscule, but considering the fact that this family was extremely poor where they couldn't afford soap or toilet paper, this meant the world to me. I will always appreciate the warm hospitality, the AMAZING mint tea, and a prime example of what a family is meant to feel like.

You bet I told them Im going to visit them again