If you told me a year ago that Africa was my third continent I have visited, I would have thought you were crazy. Even though Morocco had a very coastal, French-Spanish vibe, it offered a very humbling, refreshing, perspective on life outside of the U.S. unlike Europe. It is easy to get caught up in the constant go go go, hustle culture within America. Travelling to other countries gives you a different point-of-view of life that I believe is one of the most important things you can experience to grow as a human. “Be a traveler, not a tourist” is one of my favorite quotes by the late Anthony Bourdain. When I travel to other countries, I try to embody this quote as much as I can. While in Morocco, I lived by this motto more than ever before. Initially, I was incredibly nervous about the fact that we would be living with host families, but it ended up being the best thing that could have happened during our trip. What better way to be a traveler than to sleep in a local house, eating a home-cooked meal, sharing life stories with a family you have never met before, navigating the medina without a brochure, and embracing the cultural differences with open arms. This is how my two week endeavor in Morocco was spent, and I’m sure Bourdain would be proud of me.

This is a picture with the rug salesmen that I clearly bought my two rugs off of. The interaction started off normal, him giving me the American price and me countering with 50% of that, but ultimately we landed on a price that we both seemed fit. While his two employees were folding and packaging up the rugs so I could fit them inside my suitcase, we shared an insightful, business-focused conversation. He told me that his father owned the shop before him, and he has since took over a few years ago. Even though he appreciates rugs and his fathers work, he said that he is obsessed with day-trading and the stock market. He showed me his computer that was filled with different options and trades he had made that day – and was even up $1000 (9,216.24 Dirham). This took me by surprise, because before I don’t think I had fully comprehend that this was even possible, a Moroccan rug salesmen sharing the same general interests in business like me. I chose this picture because it commemorates how no matter where you come from, passions such as business are shared worldwide, whether you realize it or not.

I always try to live in the moment. There were many times throughout this trip that I was unsure if I wanted to do something, asked myself when the next time I would be 19 in Morocco would be, then did it. I tried to talk to as many people as I could even if the conversations consisted of extremely broken English. Even though this was a school sanctioned trip, the memories I made outside of the classroom are the ones I will cherish the most. All the selfies with locals, small-talk with strangers, soccer games on the beach, eating with my hands, wearing thobes and fez hats in public, bargaining in the souks, singing karaoke on a pirate ship, hitting trips in poker, and debating Moroccan Mark Cuban, are what differentiates a traveler to a tourist. If I remain to be so lucky and have the privilege to continue travelling the world, I will never forget the trip I shared with twenty other students in Morocco, and for that I thank everyone involved with the Plus3 program.