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By Isaac M., YES Abroad 2022-2023 Morocco

On a recent school break, I traveled to Tangier with my host family to attend a wedding. I first heard of the wedding from my host mom in mid-December over dinner one night when she asked me if I was going to be traveling during the upcoming break. Excited with the proposition of experiencing a true Moroccan wedding for the very first time, I told her I was free. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, she would continue to remind me about the trip and give me more details. I soon learned that it was her niece who was getting married. We started to finalize details in the weeks leading up to leaving for Tangier.

My host mom and sister went to Tangier a week early to help my host cousin prepare for the wedding. This time without my host mother at home allowed my host brothers and I to bond and grow closer, watching soccer and making “Moroccan” tacos (if you can even call them a taco). As the days before our departure drew closer my host brothers and dad and I all started to prepare and pack our bags.

On Wednesday, January 25th my host brothers and dad and I all got in a taxi to go to the train station. To get to Tangier, we took the new high-speed train that reaches a top speed of 320 kilometers per hour (198 mph). I also learned that this was my host family's first time out of Rabat since 2019. Upon getting to Tangier, we met my host mom’s brother-in-law who picked us up and drove us to their house where all of the family would gather. As I walked in, I was greeted with a hug by my host mother and she introduced me to all of her relatives: her sisters, brothers, mother, and other extended family. Whenever she introduced me to someone she would say, حدا ولدي اسحاق,(hada wldi Ishaq,): “This is my son Isaac.” I continued to meet people and though I did not know at the time, this would be the biggest test of my Darija (Moroccan Arabic), as none of my host relatives speak English. Though the language barrier was difficult and at times frustrating, it was very rewarding knowing that I could spend an extended amount of time speaking in a language that I only started to learn months ago. Over the next six days, I explored a new city in Morocco while growing closer to my host brothers and also extended family.

This was the first wedding I had been to in Morocco and it was different in almost every way than I thought it was going to be. For starters, it was not just one event or party; It was a combination of 4 different parties. All of the different parties had different attire, food, meanings, locations, and types of music. We celebrated every day, oftentimes staying up until 4 am with the last party lasting until 6:30 in the morning. After the last party all of the family from both sides of the new couple's family came back to the bride's parents' apartment. With the whole family standing outside the building, the bride and groom walked down the steps to the street where there was a band playing music and family members playing with flares and shooting off fireworks into the sky out of joy. Some neighbors cheered from their windows and others tried to sleep through the music as it was 7 in the morning. 

I had never seen such a big celebration but it was such a special experience to be able to see how Moroccans get married and how the family gets ready. I am so grateful that my host family included me in these family festivities as one of their own. This trip showed me a new side to Moroccan culture and strengthened my confidence in my language skills and connection with my host family.