The Pleasure of Being Told a Story in Marrakech
I am listening with eyes wide open.
My eyes follow every move he makes, and I can’t help but laugh out loud with joy and excitement.
In that I am like a small girl.
In all the rest I am not.
I see clearly what he is doing.
I follow his techniques closely and I enjoy them.
Above all, I probably enjoy the effort, his presence and his energy the most. The fact that there is a living person in front of me who is telling me a story with all his being. And he is deeply engaged in presenting different characters and their ways of talking, sitting, walking.
I feel deeply touched and cared for by that level of effort and talent I am recieving.
I could tell you that at some point I have no idea what he is talking about.
Parts of the story are in Darija, Moroccan Arabic.
But do I miss much?
I don’t think so.
I am indulging in his storytelling and taking in every small change in his energy.
I know there is an old man, a sultan.
One of the audience members is asked to pretend to be him.
He does a great job.
Even his son is surprised by his father’s level of seriousness and acting.
There is a young woman.
She must be beautiful, because Hassan, the storyteller, assumes a fragile, gentle voice when he is in her role.
And there is cooking.
A great deal of cooking.
I can see the fish as they bring it before the cook.
As the cook puts it into the oil, the fish jumps out, and the storyteller jumps too.
And when they add garlic, cardamom, coriander and ginger, I can swear I smell them.
As the tea and fresh cookies then travel to the sultan’s table, I feel I want to get up and follow them…
The rest will perhaps stay in my imagination more than in the actual story I was listening to.
And that’s fine.
I had a fantastic time!
We all had a fantastic time.
If you would love to experience moments like these in Marrakech, I invite you to discover the journey I am creating and become part of its unfolding story.
⚜️ Our travel is made of tiny experiences like these.
I have spent more than two decades on the road, organizing, leading, observing and learning about the world, its cultures and the people I lead. I love writing, and so I started writing my weekly ECT Letters.
You can join the Letters below.
Alja
If you feel like spending some more time with me, you can find and follow me on these channels.
This is what I share on each of them:
Instagram for the Beauty: visuals and videos of the world and my destinations ⚜️
LinkedIn for leadership topics
YouTube for a few longer-format videos and many short ones
Facebook for all the rest, and visuals
Pinterest for different Pins
Share:
Recent posts
