A Sense of Belonging

The last week I spent with some pretty incredible individuals. We met in Tamraght, Morocco. It is a little beach town on the coast. When I booked my ticket from Ibiza to Morocco I chose the cheapest ticket without doing much research (the usual). I knew if I didn’t like the town I could always switch locations a day or two later. Out of pure luck their happened to be a lot of other experienced travellers. I’ll introduce you to the characters or in my case my friends.

Matt

A 32 year old, entrepreneur from Poland. He has been to 80+ countries and has an unique outlook on life. He can be a bit quiet at times but he is always listening. Matt is down for anything and has the best little chuckle before he says okay. He is also our group photographer, taking the most beautiful snapshots of landscapes and people. My favourite quote from him is “it’s a lot easier to take good photos when people a genuinely smiling”. (Which was the day we were all long-boarding between towns).

Afrin

A 26 year old, ex Wall Street employee from NYC. She is by far the most book smart in the group and has a long list accomplishments that amazes me (although she won’t tell you unless you ask). However, what I respect Afrin most for is that she chose herself and her own happiness in a world that makes you feel like a failure for quitting your job and choosing you. Anyone that comes across this chicka is lucky.

Max

A 21 year old, student from Quebec. He is the one that gets the shit done in the group, aka the planner. Max makes sure we have an itinerary, a place to stay, transportation and everything else. Without Max we would not be a group. He has a big heart and is constantly making sure we are doing okay. Max should quit his studies (even though he will be helping people with speech impediments and disabilities) and instead be a fast and furious driver.

Amine

A 21 year old, student from Quebec. Friends with Max. Amine is the most innocent of the group but do not confuse innocent with life experience. He has a pure soul and will make an awesome father one day. Amine is a track star and while we are all lazy on our phones he will be out in the North African heat going for a run. Since he immigrated to Canada at the age of twelve from Morocco he is also the translator and the one we go to if we have questions about the Moroccan culture.

Thijman

A freshly 19 year old, entrepreneur from the Netherlands (or according to him the best country in the world). Thijman always lightens the mood. He cracks the best jokes and has great one liners. We all are constantly laughing because of him. He is also our Michelin star chef and often takes the lead on cooking dinners. Thijman is down to have group discussions about anything and is very intrigued by others opinions while still holding his ground on his views. Don’t under estimate him because he is truly an unique individual.

Taylor (me)

A 21 year old, lost soul from Canada. Describing yourself is hard and that’s that.

Anyway it is amazing that we all ended up at a random surf hostel at the same time. It started with a little idea of ‘want to do a road trip?’ And ended with spending a week together, with the highlight being hiking the tallest mountain in North Africa.

Over the course of a week we shared a lot of stories, laughs and maybe even a tear or two. Morocco is a Muslim country and drinking alcohol is looked down upon by most people. Finding bars or alcohol stores is much more difficult then in western countries. That means almost every night we were sober, having deeper conversations and building connections. Something that is underrated. It also meant every morning we felt great and had enough energy to do a sport from going to bed at a reasonable hour. The time we spent together we were present in the moment. (Not saying that drinking is bad but I think by not drinking it forced us to be more present, that’s all.) (We also may have came across weed or hash once or twice as well:))

Anyway, I’ll be bringing this back about me. It’s shouldn’t be a surprise that I don’t feel like a belong in a lot of places. That is part of the reason I travel so much. I don’t have many friends in Canada and the only person I would call if I had a bad day is my sister. These people make everything bad about the world, my life, society, disappear or give me hope that things will change. It is very sappy and I am sorry for that, but it is nice to know that I’m not alone. We all have very different experiences with life, had highs and lows and everything in between but yet we are all here trying to live our best lives despite it all. We are all travelling for different reasons whether it be to see family, vacation, to learn about the world or ourselves.

If you feel as I do most of the time, their is hope. You might not have to go to Africa to find it but you may have to put yourself in unusual circumstances or try different activities. Try something new and don’t wait for the day to come, instead chase it.

As we split up I look back and realize how grateful I am for the last 11 days in Morocco. Life is not easy, but the time we spent together was.

(We may get the band back together in a couple days for a new adventure in a different country but stay tuned to see if it works out.)

Saha (cheers in Arabic). Thank you, goodbye.

xx

Both photos are taken by Matt