The word freedom has always been one of my top 10 words if not top 5. And over the past two years it has become even more important as I ponder life. Once I realized  that I have the freedom to choose what action I take and//or how I feel about this certain situation my perspective on just about everything changed. Taking responsibilty for this moment in time, regardless of the conditions that came together to create it, is the ultimate embracing of freedom.

This weekend our IBM Corporate Service Core team visited northern Morocco to the province of Chefchaouen and the most famous Blue City. The experience was nothing short of amazing. As such this blog might be a little long.

Amazing that 15 people who had never been together before, in less than a week, chose to spend a weekend in the same place together, in accommodations that were unknown and an itinerary not yet decided. We manifested transportation, Three Airbnb Dars (Arabic for home) and a most precious local guide,

Lofti, the childhood friend from one of the Days we rented, chose also to spend the weekend guiding us around. Yes we paid him money at the end of our trip but before anything was agreed to, he meet us in person as we arrived in the dark of night to welcome us to his city. He made himself available the next day to take us to the famous Cascades d’Akchour arranging both transportation and hiking guide along the way. While the full hike was almost 4 hours round trip there were several stopping points along the way. Many of which members of my team chose to turn back as this was enough for them. It was great to see how everyone supported their choice. No pressure to continue or pressure for others to stop. Those that completed the full trip were rewarded by the tall lean waterfall at the end and a lovely Moroccan mint tea.

Then on our trip back we discovered monkeys in the trees, also free of any bondage or cage. They would usually be in groups of 20 or more. You might see a slight rustling of the tree leaves. We were apparently lucky to see them at all, much less spotting them three times on our journey back. It was something else to know that you were standing so close to an animal that previously you have only seen in captivity. Can you find the 3 monkeys in the below picture?

Lofti chose again to be with us the next morning, sharing the history of his city and all the secrets that this little town had to offer. He so genuinely loved what he was doing, not only because of how proud he was of his city and province, but also because I believe he could sense how much we greatly valued him. Us being there gave him purpose. Meaning. He was an absolute treasure and will remain an important memory for me for this trip.

One piece of knowledge that he shared with our team was the background of where the name “Berber” came from. The Berber tribes have been around since pre-historic times and fought against many for their freedom – including the Romans. The Romans and Egyptians, and others who tried to conquer them, referred to them as Barbarians – or outlanders, nomads. People who are free of control.

A tribe of Berbers came to what is now northern Morocco and the Rif mountains. These mountains were excellent for hiding grounds allowing them to continue to remain “free” against those who were trying to conquer. In the 1471 the old city, or Medina, of Chefchaouen, was founded by one tribe of Berbers. They also were called Amazigh, or proud raiders. They developed their own language, which is largely oral but has some limited symbols. The picture at the heading of this blog is a necklace I was fortunate to find that has the Berber symbol for…freedom.

It was clear how important freedom continues to be for the people of Chefchaouen today. They choose to open their shops as they please. Some as early as 8 and others as late as just before lunch. As a community they choose to support each other in many important ways. One person chooses to have the brick oven for baking which is used by everyone else in the city. A family would make their dough at home and then bring to the baker to bake. Neighbors all took care of each other. If one person was fortunate in one way they would share their fortunes with the other. Lofti himself spoke very good English which he told me he learned as a mixture from school and Bob Marley. His English I’m sure was good enough to warrant him finding most likely a more modern and possibly lucrative career in one of the bigger Moroccan cities. However, he chose to stay here, and take care of his mother with his brother. All in the same dar.

When I asked Lofti, late one evening as he helped us once again to navigate the confusing pathways in the Medina, what was one thing that he would like the Moroccan government to do for the province of Chefchaouen, his answer was to give us more freedom to live our traditional ways.

I am so glad that I made it to this lovely little city. It is not often that places like this live up to your expectations, much less exceed them. I am forever grateful for the experiences. Here are some of my favourites:

That completes our 2nd weekend in Morocco and 2nd city visited. Another week serving our clients here in Rabat and we are off to Fes for another exciting adventure. Stay tuned.