Taking Our Leadership to Marrakech

Early Saturday morning we boarded the bus to take our weekend excursion to Marrakech. The 3 hour bus ride itself was full of energy as we played “Werewolf” for half of the bus ride, there were some sing alongs while the music was pumping, and we made multiple stops for snacks and water. We were all so excited to explore a new region of Morocco! I don’t think anyone, however, expected what we were about to experience…

To say our senses were overstimulated once we arrived in Marrakech is definitely understatement! Once we descended the bus, we were met with a temperature of 105 degrees and encountered horses, snakes, and even monkeys in the entrance of the medina in Marrakech. It truly is the New York City of Morocco! After lunch, we headed to our hotel to check in, to cool down, and to rest some before heading out when the temperature dropped a bit. 

In the evening, we traveled about an hour to the Agafay Desert, and we were so fortunate to take a camel ride as the sun set. Although many of us were nervous, we seized the once in a lifetime opportunity, and sharing the experience really brought us all closer as a group. After our desert excursion, we took some time to reflect on how fortunate we are to be able to share this experience together…emotions were running wild, and we shared a group hug! What a moment! The mood quickly changed, however, as we traveled back to Marrakech in our bus, and a dance party ensued on our bus.

On Sunday, we set out to visit a small town about 35 miles of Marrakech, Amizmiz. This village was severely impacted by the 2023 earthquake in Morocco. We were warmly received by the community as several locals invited us into their home for tea. We were so amazed by the sense of collectivism amongst this community, as they all came together and took care of one another after this massive tragedy. They really showed us the meaning of the expression “it takes a village,” and their hospitality and kindness was extremely humbling. After tea, we hiked through the village and through part of the mountains to not only survey the damage of the earthquake and the effort to rebuild, but also to learn about the community and how they capitalize on the resources available to them. Our leaders spent time bonding with children from the community during the hike and playing games with them afterwards. 

A highlight of our time up in Amizmiz was definitely when we were able to enjoy the beautiful music of the community band while the students danced with the locals. The way our leaders embraced the community and its residents really was a testament to the kind, open hearts of our students; they maintained such positivity and resilience after such a long day that we endured. They learned so much about themselves and about the meaning of community through our excursion to Amizmiz. What an incredible, humbling experience our excursion to Amizmiz was!