AI Part: Rabat is often described as one of the calmest and most livable major cities in Morocco. It’s the country’s political capital, so it feels more organized and less chaotic than cities like Casablanca or Marrakech. A lot of people compare it to a quieter European coastal capital mixed with traditional Moroccan culture.
Day two meant leaving Casablanca behind and heading to Rabat, and the difference between the two cities is something I genuinely was not prepared for. Casablanca felt busy and touristy and familiar in a weird way with the city life, but Rabat has this completely different energy that I’m still trying to put into words. We did a tour through the Kasbah and it was honestly one of the coolest things I’ve seen so far, the kind of place where you’re just walking through and everything is happening around you all at once. I also saw leather goods at the Kasbah and I am already plotting my return because I need to go back and buy something, that is not up for debate. One thing that really stuck with me from the tour is how communal life is in the medinas. It’s a really tight gossiping community where nothing stays private for long and everything spreads through word of mouth, like there’s no need for a group chat when you have the whole neighborhood. And it all makes sense when you realize how self contained the medinas are, everything you need is within walking distance so people just don’t really have to leave. It’s almost like its own little closed off world and the community just naturally reflects that.
Then I met my host family and it was very nerve wrecking but also really exciting. There’s the host mom Fatima, her sister, and her daughter who is the only one in the house who speaks English, and she is genuinely so nice and easy to talk to. We had talked for literally 3 whole hours before I was able to escape for some peace. I did attempt to talk to my host mom by telling her my name but the language barrier is very real because she giggled and has been saying “walala” ever since I told her my name. So I think my name might just be Walala with a giggle in this house for the rest of the trip. Oh and they have a pet bird, and a pet chicken named Fatuma, named after Fatima herself, which is the most iconic thing I have ever heard. Rabat is already feeling like a completely different chapter and I have a feeling day three is only going to have so much more in store.
