Sam Bittner, organiser of the IWT (International Windsurfing Tour), recently ran a competition in Morocco that left an indelible mark on her life. Read on as she shares her experiences of the mystic magnetism of Moroccan life.
MAGIC
On the flight on my way home from the Morocco Spot-X event in Moulay, my heart is already aching missing the new magic I have experienced in Morocco. Boujmaa Guilloul has been on the windsurfing tour that a team of my closest friends and I have organized for the past 8 years. There has always been an unusual sparkle in the eye of my friend from Morocco I have been drawn to, but never quite understood until this trip. He has always spoken about his home with passion and every time I have been lucky enough to Skype with his mom while on tour, her glow has shone brightly through the computer screen. Visiting his home has always been intriguing but somehow felt out of reach coming from Maui. My heart truly is in Maui, don’t get me wrong, but now I am starting to feel that perhaps the world has more to offer: a different kind of ancient love. A touch of wisdom I have not experienced before.
DREAMS
The adventures over the 13 days spent in Morocco were non-stop from the moment we arrived in the middle of the night to Marrakesh Airport and loaded our kit onto the van for the three-hour drive through the darkness to Boujmaa’s home in Moulay. Although we had been travelling 50 hours from Maui, I couldn’t sleep. My imagination was running wild wondering what the daylight would bring in 4 hours time. The house was dimly lit with candlelight glowing on beautiful silver teapots. I imagined sharing a cup of tea with the group in the morning before sharing waves together in the afternoon. I finally fell asleep right as the sun was coming up, then seemingly moments later, was softly awoken by Sarah Hauser saying “Sam, it’s 2 in the afternoon and we are going into town. Would you like to join?” I couldn’t believe I had slept in so much but of course I needed it.
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