Horizons & Purdue Promise Study Ablog! : Nathan Muntz

As I write this blog I can’t help but smile reflecting over the last 3 days we spent in Merzouga, Morocco. It truly was an unforgettable experience. The weekend trip started bright and early at 8 AM on Friday, May 27. I boarded the bus and took my seat, not quite ready for the 8-hour journey. I was surprised when we stopped only 2 hours in to the trip, at what seemed like a random parking lot. The stop made sense when I heard “monkeys!” screamed by multiple people once they surveyed the area. We all hurried off the bus and ran over to the monkeys. For only 5 dirhams, we bought food for the monkeys and the fun ensured. Everyone was amazed with the monkey’s human-like demeanor and ability to take the food from our hands. I snapped a few quick selfies with a monkey before our time was up and had to leave. We made another stop at a town called Aoufous, which had breath-taking views. We stopped at the edge of a cliff over-looking a valley. The valley was full of lush trees and a few houses. We got our first taste of the Morocco winds here. Vanessa, Stephanie, and I attempted to take a few pictures here, but their hair was not cooperating with the wind. As fast we arrived to Aourfous, we had to leave.

A few hours later, we finally made it to Merzouga. We stored our luggage in a room, bought some desert clothes, and headed to our camels. After walking for a few minutes, we arrived to our camels. My excitement for the night in the desert only increased as I saw over 20 camels waiting for us to saddle up. I jumped on the first camel I saw, named him Youssef, and struggled not to fall off as he stood up. Before I knew it, we were off to our campsite in the Sahara Desert. We rode our camels for an hour and a half, thankful we bought scarves to stop the sand from getting in our eyes, then we made it to our camp. We settled in our tents and got a couple hours of free time. A few different groups spread out across the sand dunes surrounding the campsite. After looking for the biggest dune, Faith, Vanessa, and I climbed our way to the top of a dune to join a few people. Once at the top, we all got comfortable and gazed in to the night sky. The sky was disappointingly cloudy, but that did not stop us from enjoying the night. At the top of that dune, in nearly pitch black, we finally had the realization where exactly we were. We talked about our future aspirations, our desire to help people, and our lives. We all grew so much closer just from talking on top of that dune for an hour. After talking, we made our way down the dune and headed to dinner at the campsite. After dinner, we had a fire, sang songs, and genuinely enjoyed our time in the desert. The men who helped us make it to the campsite, brought out some instruments and we danced the night away.

Everyone was awake the next morning by 8 AM. We loaded on to our camels, and headed back to our hotel in Merzouga. The trip back was a lot windier and sandier than the trip there. We even had to stop for a few moments for the light sandstorm to settle down. We made it to the hotel and ran to the showers to get the sand off our selves. After relaxing for a few hours, we had a 4x4 tour of the area. We stopped at several sites, all of them amazing in their own way. The tour ended with some live Gnawa music. The Gnawa people are originally from Ghana, but have since settled in Morocco for more than a few decades. We were all amazed by the sounds they made with just a few instruments. A few people who really felt the music got up and started to dance, before I knew it our whole group was dancing in a big circle. The room was filled with smiles. After the tour, we retired to our rooms and called it a night. It was another early 8 AM morning, and we loaded the bus, shocked that the weekend was already over. During the 8-hour bus ride, we all shed a few tears to Titanic and Up, which played during the ride. Looking back on this weekend, as I write this blog, it’s hard to believe it was only 3 days. The weekend was full of so many surprises, last minute changes, and a lot fun. Knowing that we only have a week left on our study abroad trip, I am going to make sure to make the best of every second.