The small city of Azrou is the Capital of Amazigh Culture. With a population of around 80,000 people, this city tucked into the Northern end of the Atlas Mountains is a peaceful escape from the larger cities of Fes and Meknes. Azrou is known for its distinctive rock located in the middle of town (from which it gets its name), and for the Cèdre Gouraud Forest, home to a nearly 800-year-old cedar tree and to the Barbary macaque monkey. The town itself is unique in Morocco because it is built in the European style with red-tiled roofs that allow the buildings to withstand large amounts of snow in the winter.

A week of my life in Morocco rarely goes by without a Moroccan asking me about how I have learned Moroccan Arabic. People are always surprised and awed that I have learned the local language here. In other countries, local people would perhaps not be as impressed that foreigners have learned the language, but in Morocco, people are always amazed and excited by this.

Marrakech (or Marrakesh) is the fourth largest city in Morocco, with a population of around 1 million people. Marrakech is one of the four Imperial Cities of Morocco but is the most popular city for tourists. The medina quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the entire city is distinctive because of its red sandstone walls—which date back to the 1100s—earning it the nickname, “The Red City.”

We are pleased to announce that Crossroads Cultural Exchange is acquiring Arabophon Languages Services, effective April 1, 2022. Crossroads Cultural Exchange will now offer language study in English, Modern Standard Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, French, and Tamazight. We will also offer cultural services and experiences, which will allow us to better serve our students and clients.

French is a mega-language that is an official language in 29 countries across several continents, and is used and spoken in 84 countries of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). This truly global language is the 18th most natively spoken language in the world, the sixth most spoken language by the total number of speakers

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA or Fossha) is nobody's mother tongue, but it is the language that every educated Arab from Mauritania to Iraq understands. It is the language newspapers and books are written in across the Arab World and is used in most TV shows and radio broadcasts.

Understanding the Arabic dialect spoken in Morocco is a worthwhile challenge, but another challenge is understanding the many questions that arise out of these language studies. What is Darija? Why is Moroccan Arabic considered a dialect, and what is the difference between it and other Arabic languages?

One year ago today, Michael, Karen, and I finished registering Crossroads Cultural Exchange in Morocco. We have previously shared why we started a cultural exchange in Morocco, and now, as we look back on these twelve months, we are filled with so much gratitude.

A herd of sheep encroached upon the side of the road. My senses heightened, I slowed down as I eyed the ewe bouncing toward the white stripe. “Stay away,” I thought to myself. Past the sheep was a rolling forest. Where was I? Not in some far-off rural mountain setting in Morocco. No, I was on the interstate highway just past Rabat.

People from cold-climate cultures tend to value structure, efficiency, and getting things done in advance, whereas people from hot-climate cultures tend instead toward responding to life as it comes and value relationships over punctuality.

One of the five senses through which we experience life is taste. Most of us eat three meals a day, and on average, we will spend four and a half years of our lives eating. Food is not an inconsequential part of our lives, and if we are also the main cook for our households, we spend even more time thinking about and preparing food.

As I was researching the topic of hospitality, I was struck by how many proverbs and sayings there are about hospitality that sound very negative. It seems like while hospitality is a beautiful idea, in practice the reality doesn’t always live up to the expectations. While we have been living in Morocco, we have learned so much about hospitality in hot-climate cultures.

Laughter. That is something that I fondly remember during our three months of homestay with a Moroccan family. Whether it be our search for the TV remote, or our karaoke singing to Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” we laughed together. There were also times of difficulty as we tried to communicate cross-culturally and cross-linguistically. Even though there were some challenging experiences, both my wife and I learned a tremendous amount about Moroccan culture by living with a local family.

Moroccans tend to speak and understand a variety of languages. Moroccan Arabic (Darija) is the most prevalent spoken language in Morocco, which is technically a dialect of the Arabic language. Modern Standard Arabic, or Fossha, is literary Arabic that is used in writing and in official communication. Hassaniya Arabic is the dialect spoken in the southern part of the county.

When most people picture Morocco, they think of the desert with beautiful golden sand dunes. Morocco does have those quintessential dunes, but you do have to go pretty far out of your way to get to them. Namely, you can have a wonderful desert experience by traveling to Merzouga, which is a small village (around 400 people) in southeastern Morocco, only about 50 km (31 miles) to the Algerian border.

In general, the food in Morocco is very flavorful, and it may not be a surprise to you as Moroccan food is growing in its popularity. In fact, it is not uncommon in the United States to find at least one Moroccan restaurant in any city of considerable size. It was at one of these restaurants in Oklahoma City that first gave my wife the idea of moving to Morocco one day.

In one sense, you can engage Morocco in the same way that you would visit a large city in your passport country. Keep your senses active, and be mindful of your surroundings. Here are some other tips to help you stay safe while traveling within Morocco.

There are cultural stereotypes that we encounter while traveling, but most of us would rather not reinforce the negative ones, and want to avoid being like the “Ugly Americans” other countries may think of. When visiting another culture, here are some things to keep in mind to be respectful and culturally appropriate.

Fes is the second largest city in Morocco with a population of around 1.15 million people. It is located inland off the coast, and is known to some as the religious capital of the country. The city of Fes is rich in history, having been founded in the late 8th Century. Due to its geographic location, the city tends to experiences extreme temperatures in the winter and summer.

Morocco’s largest city, Casablanca, sits on the Atlantic Ocean. Straight across the Atlantic Ocean is Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city by population, with over 4.2 million inhabitants. It is the country’s economic and business capital, and primary industrial zone.