With Wynn / معا وين

The desert has always called my name. From my hometown in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to all the way across the Atlantic Ocean in Marrakech, Morocco. Growing up, I always thought I’d be a surfer girl and live on the coast. I even spent my freshman year of college outside of Los Angeles in hopes of pursuing the surfer dream. But I always found myself in the desert again.

In 2020, I found myself a fresh college graduate in the midst of the pandemic. With a desire to travel and see the world with all of its amazing places and people, I made the decision to move to Marrakech, Morocco with my friend Katie. I knew that Morocco would be the perfect place for me to learn about a new culture, to push me out of my comfort zone, and give me prime access to all of the surrounding countries!

Together, Katie and I traveled to Greece, Italy, France, Germany, the Canary Islands, and all over Morocco. I met up with my mom and sister-in-laws for an incredible trip to Switzerland. And I even traveled solo to Turkey and Portugal!

In between all of our travels, Katie and I spent a large portion of our time learning Darija (Moroccan Arabic.) I was motivated to write this blog in both English and Darija so that I could continue to deepen my language skills and give my Moroccan readers an inside look into life as an American in Morocco, in their own language!

Several months into life in Morocco, a rock climbing gym opened up not too far from me. I became mildly obsessed with climbing and the amazing people that love climbing. Little did I know that here I would meet, fall in love with, and become majorly obsessed with a handsome rock guide named Achraf. From that point on, Morocco (and climbing!) would forever be weaved into my life story.

Achraf and I got engaged in September, 2023. Just four months later and only 3 days before Christmas we married with all of our closest friends and family by our side. We spent our honeymoon in Istanbul and the snowy mountains of Rize, Turkey.

Since then, Achraf and I have been busy living the newlywed life. We’ve been working, spending time with our people, and taking our new puppy Atlas for lots of walks! And of course, traveling! In our first year of marriage, we travelled to many different cities throughout Morocco AND we had the privilege of spending a month in beautiful Indonesia. I guess this desert girl does find her way to the beach from time to time.

I hope that this space will give you a look into some of the joys, peculiarities, and difficulties that come with navigating life, marriage, and community in a completely different culture! And to my Moroccan readers, I hope that you will get a good laugh out of reading my thoughts in Darija, and I hope that you will feel even more proud of this beautiful country that we call home.

Grace be with you,

Wynn