(Special Episode) Rock the Casbah - The Ancient Medinas of Morocco and What They’ll Teach You About Life.

SA lessons Morocco can teach you about life. So this past May or late April, I went to Morocco. And the experience was one that actually came accident, not accidentally, but kind of on a whim. I was initially I was going to be traveling to, to Ecuador, but when I checked with my Ecuadorian friends on what the, how the political situation was over there, they said that I was not, it was a no go. So I made the decision to go to Morocco instead, hitting all the major coffee cities. And the experience of Morocco, and especially one of getting lost in the ancient medinas, is one that every person should experience at some point in their life. And I'm going to share with you some of the major life lessons that you can take that I took away from this experience this way. One that maybe it'll inspire that travel bug in you, but also you can see just the natural flow and rhythm of life. So I was in Morocco, I arrived in Marrakech and at first I was feeling a little bit kind of like unsure about going through this ancient Medina because I'd heard from so many people that it's so easy to take a wrong turn and get lost. And then when you get lost, there's people there looking to take advantage of, of you and try to extort money from you by giving you directions and sometimes even not taking you to the right place. Which brings me to point number one is that there are pitfalls around every corner and you need to know and become aware of what those dangers are. Sometimes you could be going in one of these medinas. And I'd heard this story from several people. They would be going through the Medina and all of a sudden they would get stopped and someone would say, hey, where are you going? They're like, oh, I'm going to such and such a hostel. And the people that were sitting there like, you're going the wrong way. If you want to go there, you have to go back the way you were going and then take a ride and you know what, let me take you. Some people actually will follow that. And then by doing so, you're actually going in the opposite direction of where you were meant to go. That happened to a, I met a guy whom that happened to and he was actually literally no more than like 50ft from the actual hostel. But he got fearful and there were some guys who were waiting in this, in this Medina and they were, they told him like that where he was going is right, was the wrong way. And he got fearful, right? He got scared because there are these two guys, they look kind of sketchy. And you end up giving him, like, $20 to just kind of get him off his back. And then he came into the hostel all worked up. And so I tell you that, again, you have to know how to play the game. You have to know what the dangers are around you, right? So this way you could avoid them. Secondly is that if you don't have a vision for your life, someone else does. And it goes to the story that I had just mentioned. Anywhere you go, there's people who are trying to guide you and take you somewhere else, whether it be their. You know, give you directions so they could ask for money later, or maybe they're. They call you in by a compliment and then take you into the. One of your shops, and all of a sudden, you're buying things that you don't even need, which happened to me. I was looking for this coffee shop. I was wandering through the souks of. Of Marrakesh. And, like, all of a sudden, there's a point. I'm, like, going way, way deep in the souk, trying to find this coffee shop that was known for making this spice coffee with, like, six different spices. And they would do a Turkish style. I've seen it on YouTube. It looked amazing. And. But it was in this suit called, I think, souk Submarine. And it was, like, way, way back. So, like, I would walk down to the souk, and then I would, like. I'm like, am I even going in the right direction? I'd go and, like, like, can't be this far. Like, where am I going? And then I would kind of turn back, but then I'd realize that I was going in the right direction. And then I arrive at this. I arrive in this, like, kind of this little corridor, and there's this guy who calls over. He's like, hey, I love your shoes, man. Like, where'd you get them? And me being very proud of the shoes because I bought the same pair three times just because I like the color scheme. And I was like, oh, my God, thank you so much. And, like, I went over to go talk about my shoes, right? And all of a sudden he's, hey, just come in real quick. Come. I want you to take a look at my store. I was like, all right, let me go in there real quick. Just. And then once he. Once I was in there, he got me, and I'm in the store, and he's like. Starts showing me bracelets. He's like, hey, here, let me show you these. I'm like, I don't Want a bracelet? He's like, no, no, no, don't use. It's okay. Just look. Just. Just look. And then you can go, all right. So I'm looking at the bracelets, and he's showing me them, like, putting them on my wrist. I'm like, I don't want a freaking bracelet until he showed me one. I was like, all right, well, that one's kind of nice. I'm like, I. I could. I kind of could see myself wearing that one. And then he asked him. He's like, well, I'm like. He's like, I'm like, well. He's like, ask me how much. I'm like, all right, how much? He's like, 600. I don't. I think it was. I can't remember the currency, but it was. The. Ended up being, like, $60 equivalent, because the exchange was like, I think 1 to 10. And I'm like, no. I was like, I don't want. He's like, no, tell me price. I'm like, I don't want it. I do not want it. I didn't come in here because I wanted to buy anything. And then he was going back and forth. He's like, just give me price. And he started heckling me, and I was like, all right, $15, right? Thinking that that was, like, a low enough price, and he wasn't gonna go that far. He's like, 20. Come on, 20. 20. I'm like, oh, my God. I'm like, no, I don't want it. And then he was like, all right, 25. Well, he was trying to go 25. I ended up giving him 20. And then I was like, all right, I feel bad. He came down from 60, so I gave him $4 more like, so $24. And then I left with a bracelet. Actually, a very nice bracelet, but I wasn't even intending to go to. So which brings me to point number two, that if you don't know, you know, if you don't have a vision for your life, someone else is out there, and they're trying to make you match their vision. As I was going on to Tangier and then Chefchaouen, I started to meet more and more people, and it changed the entire experience in Marrakesh. Sometimes when I travel, I usually will kind of meet somebody. They may not be a complete fit for my travel or just even, like, an emotional fit or energetic fit, but I find I tend to connect with people early on. It's more like a safety mechanism. So, like, all right, I'm Here I'm in this new land. Let me know the ways of the land. Let me, like, just have some safety by meeting someone and traveling around with somebody. And then once I get my bearings, then I'm like, all right, peace. I'm out. I can do this on my own. So I started to get the confidence as I went to Tangier, and then even more confidence as I went to Chefchaouen in Tangier. I met these two girls, Caroline, and I'm blinking on the other one's name, and Courtney. And we, you know, we went out for coffee. We had a blast. Both of these girls spoke fluent Arabic, which was, you know, when Arabic guys see who, like, white American girls speaking Arabic, they're like, their minds are blown. We ended up having a good time. And as I started getting in there, I started having more and more fun because I was meeting people who were just connecting with me. In Chefchaouen, this is like a two part story that kind of goes back to point number two that I made. I've been there, I'm walking the streets, and there's no heckling here, right? There's no negotiating. They just give you the price. If you want it, buy it. If not, then they're like, get out. So I go into the stop and I see one of the other bracelets that I was interested in. I was like, ah, interesting. Let me just look what the price is. Go up to the shopkeeper, I'm like, hey, how much is this one? He's like, oh, that one. There's. And I think he said, like, something like 80, like, with the equivalent of $8. I was like, $8? Oh, my God. Like, so needless to say, the guy that I had met in Marrakesh totally took me, like, at least double what he paid for, like, this bracelet and telling me that it was handmade and it stayed. It might still be handmade, but he, you know, just when you think that you were getting off of it, you know, what a good deal he got me. He. Right, He. He got one over on me. And so, like, now I was aware I knew what the real. I was starting to learn through experience, what the real cost of things were. And so going back to the friendships, I met one of my friends, my friend Moaz from Germany, and we ended up doing some hikes up to the Spanish mosques in. In Chefchaouen, and where I would meet the most adorable little girl who was selling cookies and like, little crowns woven out of. Of flowers. And that. That's a different story. I'M going to go into about, like, the children there. But I met, and it was just an amazing time. And then fast forward, I went to Fez and then Casablanca. The times just got even better. So again, the. The next point is that just friends make the experience. And one of the best things about traveling is the friends that I meet. One of the best things about life are the people who were in it, sharing it with you. So make sure that they're good people. Make sure they're people that jive and align with your values and that you feel good being around. Okay, fast forward. Next stop was Fez. I was in Fez. I only stayed in Fez for a night. I had a great time in Fez. But I knew my time was, like, limited. I met. I spent one day. I met. Like, I went out and I got out. I got to my hostel, and immediately I met a girl from Benin and a girl from the uk And I invited him out for coffee. All of a sudden, more people came into the. Into the hostel. And I said, why don't we all go out? So one of my favorite things to do when I travel is I just get a group of people and I treat everybody for coffee. That night, we all got together. We were playing cards, joking around, horsing around. It was just. It was amazing. One of the most memorable days that I had in Morocco. But I. I knew I was going to leave. I was kind of bummed because, like, I was torn. Should I leave Fez? Should I stay one more night? I decided to leave because, you know, I saw the tannery. I saw all those things. But I. I knew that I wanted to see Essaouera. So I get on the train, and I'm heading down to Casablanca, which would connect me to Marrakech. And then from Marrakech, I go to Eswara. It's a shit show, right? It's. It's like. It's too much time. It's like three hours there, then also three hours Essoira. Then I'd have to rush back on the train. I checked in. I was like, all right, what do I really want to do right now? All right, what do I really want to do? And then I. As we were approaching the Casablanca station, I was like. I was getting this, like, inkling I should get off. So I literally jumped off before my final destination. And now I'm in Casablanca, and I have to figure out what to do, right? So I get out. I get my phone out. I book a hostel, and that's very close by. And then I go and drop off my stuff and head out into the city. That time, I met even more great people. I met my friend Ludwig. I met my friend Marzouka from Turkey, and we just had a blast. We had an amazing time again. Sometimes it is the unexpected things that bring you the most joy that are the most memorable experiences. So rather than be rigid on a plan, be flexible, and just kind of feel where your heart is tugging you. All right, so now we are off from Casablanca. We are going back to Marrakech. So now I am traveling with my friend, my friend Ludwig, because he was spending a night or two in Marrakesh before going to the Atlas Mountains. In Marrakesh, we arrive, and there's this giant festival going on in the old medina in the. In the main square. And then people are. People are coming in. People are asking, you know, trying to get you to buy certain things and something. It's different. And it's. One of the ways I love to travel is I always travel first. I will travel to the. You know, a city. Like, when I go to a country, I'll hit the city, I'll travel around, then I'll end in the same city that I started in. One of the reasons I do this is because once I get there, all of a sudden I feel. I look at the city differently, because now it feels familiar to me. I've grown. Which brings me to the last point, is that the growth. So having come full circle, having had the experience when I just went to Morocco, it was very foreign to me. I didn't know what the things cost. I didn't. Like, I was aware of some of the pitfalls, and thankfully, I didn't fall for any of them. But I was still in the very learning phase. Very, you know, eyes very alert, eyes wide open. Now as I circle back around now, I did the journey, I went through the battle, and I'm back here, and now all of a sudden, it's all familiar. People are trying to sell me different wares. I'm like, no, no, no. I know exactly what that costs, right? Because I've spent that time. I have the experience. I've pushed the. The boundaries of my box out. And now going in there, like, there was no hesitation. When I got to Marrakech, like, I knew I stayed at the same hostel. There was no. I didn't. Like, I wasn't, like, nervous walking around the streets. I knew exactly. I'm like, all right, boom, go here, boom, go there. Here I am, right? It's all familiar now. Because now I'm back in familiar territory. And even if it wasn't the same city, when I was in Marrakechefshow and all those other places, once I left, like Marrakesh the first time and went to Tangier, everything just started to seem very familiar. And I just felt very confident navigating because I started to know, like, setting a landmark and then being able to move around that, which. Maybe I'll make that the last lesson. So what I just mentioned was that when you are pushing your boundaries, when you're having new experiences, all of a sudden you're not the same person. You've grown. And when you go back, you realize that growth because you realize none of that tension you had there was there anymore. And the last lesson that I want to leave you with was what I just mentioned in Marrakesh was having a landmark. In the center of the square, there's this minaret, or I think it's a minaret. I'm not sure what they call it. There's a mosque, and there's this large tower marking the mosque. And whenever you were lost, right, you're wandering around the streets, you're not sure where the hell you are, right? But you hear the call to prayer sometimes. And then if you go to one of the rooftops, you could see this thing, this tower, like, you know, going over the old Medina. And it was a marker to show you which way you like. It was how I used. Like, it was like my North Star, right? It was my North Star to get back to my hostel, the North Star to go back home. So is true of your life. So is true of having a vision for your life. Whenever you know life is gonna happen to you, shit is gonna be thrown at you and you're gonna get all over your face. That's kind of gross. But you're gonna encounter hard times. It is a fact of life, right? It's a guarantee. When that happens, you have to have a vision, a North Star, to remind you as to where you're going. Yes, you may get sidetracked. Yes, the journey is never a straight line. It's always a zigzag and is a shit show. But as long as you have that North Star, as long as you know how to realign and to go back to your true north, you're gonna get back home. And that it was exactly what this tower was to me. This tower was the guide to say, you know what? This is the way back. And as a result, I would. I always found my way back. Even in the myriad. I mean, I did get lost sometimes and getting lost in the Medina was an adventure, but I always found my way back and it was because of that tower, having that vision for your life. So that those are just some of the lessons that I got from this trip that you could apply to your life. And it is one of the reasons why I encourage you to travel the world, to get out in the world. Because it's not as scary as a place as you may think. And people aren't as bad as you may think think people are actually great everywhere. There's good people everywhere. There's shitty people everywhere. And in my travels, very, very rarely do I encounter shitty people. I guess part of that is who you're bringing to the situation, right? Who you're bringing to that trip, meaning how you are showing up. When I show up and travel, I'm always like my best self. So notice that what you see in the world is also what you're bringing. But also that the world is a great place. There's good people everywhere and there are more good people than there are bad people. And the world is a lot safer than the news would want you to believe because it's meant to keep you in fear. It's meant to keep you glued to their television to improve their ratings. So get out in the world, go experience life. And remember that life is happening for you and that you only get one life. So make sure you live it now. Hope you enjoyed this episode here. If you did, please give it a thumbs up. If you have someone who is planning a trip to Morocco, send this to them. Or if you aspire to. No, not reality. I'm sharing this with you because I hope you do want to travel because it's one of the best ways you can enrich your life and open your eyes to the beauty that is in this world as well as to grow yourself interpersonally. So that is all I've got for you guys. I hope you enjoyed this. If you have any questions or comments, please send them to me via my website@www.donnyrouse.com. that is-o n n y r a u s dot com. That is it. Thank you so so much for tuning in. I appreciate you being here. And remember, you only get one life. Live passionately, live fully, and most of all, live now. God bless you guys and I will see you again soon.