It's written in the stars

by Naida Hodžić (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

Making a local connection Morocco

- Watch out!, said Karim when he pulled me as I almost fell from the staircase while we were exploring the ancient city of Ait Ben Haddou. Since we came to Morocco, I felt like we jumped into another dimension. Morocco is a beautifully designed chaos. But, with a camera in my hands, it is always going a couple of layers deeper. I want to capture the soul of one place. I think about people who lived there, everyone who passed, and about the child who made that drawing on the wall. Was it his dream? Did he reach his goal? Karim was a driver on our way from Marrakech to Merzouga desert. As I am the one getting sick during long drives, my companions agreed to let me sit on a front seat. Somewhere between chores of Gypsy Kings and breathtaking sceneries of High Atlas, I noticed Karim's look. He analyzed my blue eyes as if they were made of magic. He was trying to deepen our talks. But he could only encounter my curiosity. His life was not easy. He was born in the heart of Sahara, grown up in Berber nomad family. He is not even sure about the exact time of his birthday. When his sister got sick, his family moved to Fez, and he found a job in the touristic agency. Although he did not go to school, he managed to learn English, French, and Spanish all by himself. Life is the greatest teacher. After one and a half days, we finally got to the Merzouga. I thought it would be a sin to close my eyes even for a second as stars were my blanket. I sneaked out from my tent and sat near the fire. It was already spring, but nights were cold in the middle of the desert. Cold and beautiful. I wasn't sure how long Karim was standing behind. - Stop staring at me, look at this sky! - But I already found galaxies in your eyes. I knew that Moroccan men are masters of flirting. He told me that he would like to visit me in Granada. But I couldn't promise that. As a solo traveler, I learned how to be careful. - So tell me, Karim, you're trying to catch at least one girl on every ride? - Hey you, "wild at heart" miss, when we meet again, then you will find out! He was funny. Self-made comedian, too, I thought. Meeting new people means learning something that isn't written in the books. So you could write your own one day. While we were riding to Fez listening "No Volvere" by Gipsy Kings, some strange melancholy became almost tangible, as you could cut it with a knife. My travel buddies were giggling on the back seat. We said goodbye, and Karim respected my decision not to stay in touch, especially when I explained I was already in a relationship. I was in a rush to not miss Magrib, an evening prayer. It is interesting that when you find yourself at sacred places built more than a thousand years ago, such as Al-Karaouine mosque, you have a feeling that you just found a puzzle that you were missing. In the left corner of the praying room, I noticed one older woman. Something in her face was familiar, but I couldn't find out what exactly. After praying, I pulled out camera to capture mosaic shapes on the wall. The woman was smiling. My mission is to make people happy through my lenses too. I wanted to send her the photo I made, but she just managed to explain that she doesn't have a phone and wrote me her son's number on the paper instead. --- As I was cleaning my camera bag, the paper fell from the small pocket. I have almost forgotten. I typed the number and sent the message on WhatsApp. - Hi! I just wanted to send a photo of your mother I made a couple of months ago. I hope she will like it! - Hello! I am currently on the road, but I'm visiting her this weekend. Thank you a lot…. I guess that I still don't know your name. I'm Karim, and you?