I’ve spent the last four days of my life in Morocco, a beautiful country in Northern Africa.

When I committed to Morocco, I knew nothing about it, aside from their soccer team making it to the World Cup semi-finals. Coming to Africa was not in my initial plans for the semester, but it sounded too exciting to pass up.

The trip started with an evening flight from Copenhagen to Marrakech. Upon arrival we were driven to our private Riad (a traditional Moroccan house) located in the heart of the old town neighborhood. The Riad is three stories with three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and lovely rooftop patio (where I’m currently laying on a pillow writing this).

Day one started with a walk through the Souks, a street lined marketplace jammed with Moroccans selling hand-made goods. It can be quite overwhelming as you are walking alongside donkeys, cats, dogs, tourists, locals, bikes, mopeds, and overconfident cars driving through an 8-foot-wide walkway. We were greeted by every shop owner and given three second pitches of why we needed whatever they had to offer. After a claustrophobic couple of hours of wandering through the Souks, we ended up at a rooftop garden cafe for lunch to escape the noise.

At the cafe I experienced my first traditional Moroccan dish, Tajine. It was a mix of couscous, chicken, and vegetables and most definitely one of my favorite international dishes. Lunch also allowed us to recover from the 100-degree heat, which felt much different than the Danish weather I have grown used to.

In the evening, we were driven an hour away outside of the city into the desert. A group of camels laid buckled in the sand as we were dropped off at a campsite. Camel rides are the picturesque tourist attraction of Morocco, so we were naturally roped into the activity. The ride felt decently authentic, as we were in the middle of the desert, but still were led by a tour guide. Following the ride, we were treated to a sunset dinner (more Tajine) and a surprise performance, both taking place at the campsite. The performance included the staff of about 8 guys (who were also the drivers, servers, chefs, and camel guide) singing and playing traditional instruments while dancing around the fireplace. A once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.

Day two was just as busy, as it started again with another walk through the Souks. We were headed back to the desert, this time for a faster ride on some ATVs. Riding ATVs through the open desert was a liberating experience and provided for some dramatic photos, as we had on large biking helmets and were covered from head to toe in dust. Halfway through the ride we stopped at a small building for a tea break. We sat on cushions on the rooftop and enjoyed tea, olives, peanut butter (maybe the best I’ve ever had) and bread under some much-needed shade.

Following our second desert excursion, we returned to the city with the intent of further experiencing the Moroccan food scene. We did accomplish this by making our way to two restaurants for plenty of appetizers, drinks, and some specialty dishes.

Day 3 was my most anticipated day of the trip. Back in February, I found an excursion that went to Ouzoud Falls and it looked like a scene from the jungle book. The pictures showed a large waterfall, colorful tents and boats in the basin, and wild monkeys all over the place. Being able to make it there was on the back of my mind since I saw those pictures.

The day started with a 3-hour drive from our Riad to the falls, which further built up the anticipation. It was a crowded bus with other tourists, but it was a scenic drive that showcased the vast Moroccan landscape and the differing lifestyles of the people who lived there.

Upon arriving at the falls, we were dragged into a Moroccan history tour, which was hard to appreciate as we were all ready to get to the waterfall. After what felt like forever, we started our descent down to the falls. At this point I had my eyes peeled for monkeys and was hoping they did actually live there.

As we approached the bottom, we noticed a peanut shell fall out of the tree, thought to ourselves “that was kind of odd”, then took a glance up to see a monkey sitting five feet above us. We probably would’ve had no idea if the monkey hadn’t dropped the shell.

The excursion included a boat ride under the falls, which was an amazing experience. The boat driver was a small Moroccan man, and he was an absolute jokester. He would drive us as close to the water as possible while cracking himself up and soaking us all. We had an opportunity to jump in the water, so we did it of course. The cold water in the 100-degree heat in a place that looked like a movie set makes a case for the highlight of my trip.

TAfter the three-hour trek home, the night ended with another Tagine dinner and a walk through the vivacious city square.

Day 4 (today) was a day to wind down. We started with a relaxing breakfast, then went to the Yves Saint Laurent Museum. I had always known the YSL name but knew nothing more about it. I really had no desire to see the museum and gardens but am certainly glad we did.

Seeing the collection of YSL’s personal work was way more interesting than I expected and pretty inspiring. The gardens were in pristine condition and coated in vibrant colors. It was the perfect last activity for our time in Morocco.

To end the day, we ordered pizzas to take home and returned to the Riad for a relaxing afternoon. I’m grateful to have had this experience as it introduced me to a completely new culture and gave me one of the most memorable weeks of my life.

Advice to my future self: Seek out and experience cultures that are vastly different than my own.