11th November, 2013. Dr. Seuss on Traveling

There are as many kinds of travelers as there are people but when it comes to good-byes there are two. There is the kind that cry and there is the kind that uncontrollably smile.

As a kid I was a crier. We traveled a lot as a family and every time I had to move schools or move away from my cousins my eyes would fill with tears and my poor parents would have to drive trapped with a wild, rowdy child in the car for hours on end. It took many years before I fully understood and lived by Dr. Seuss' words. "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." That morning the girls and my host accompanied me to the train station for a final farewell and group hug. It seemed amazing how I had only just met these fantastic strangers 48 hours ago. "Don't cry," Nawal told me. I never do anymore. I smile.

There are many things one learns through travelling that you usually wouldn't. There have been many amazing characters I passed up on talking to because I was too shy before I realized I probably was never going to get a chance again. The amount of times I've embarrassed myself because I didn't know a cultural rule have been countless, but travelling and all the mistakes, accidents, emotion and overall baggage that comes with it have made me richer and still the world holds an inexhaustible treasure chest of plenty more experiences to learn from.

The train ride took 4 hours before I got to Tangier. Lucky for me I got a seat in the packed train yet by the time I stepped off I was exhausted. Hicham, my host for the city was wonderfully welcoming and sympathetic. We took a calm night at a live jazz bar on the coast of Tangier with his friend Solene and fell asleep watching the strange yet beautiful Koyaanisqatsi.