Addison Garner knew immediately that she wanted to be on the January Term trip to Morocco.

The NCSSM-Morganton junior originally from Hibriten High School in Lenoir is passionate about language and took a class in Arabic in her first semester at NCSSM. The trip to Morocco during the school’s short-term unique studies session would dovetail perfectly into her courses. “I wanted to choose a trip that had something to do with the classes I was taking,” she says. “I loved it. It was definitely the right fit for me.”

NCSSM-Durham senior Adrian Bedeley was excited about the trip, too. Originally from Simon G. Atkins Academic & Technology High School in Winston-Salem, Adrian had some experience with the African continent; his parents are originally from Ghana, which lies on Africa’s western coast just a few degrees north of the equator. They had taken him on a number of summer trips to their homeland to visit family, but he had never been anywhere else on the continent. When he saw Morocco on the list of J-Term travel courses, he signed up right away. “I really wanted to see and understand a new part of Africa,” he says. “And go on a camel ride, too.”

For seven days Adrian, Addison, and 28 other NCSSM students travelled through the North African country, going on cultural tours of Casablanca and Rabat on the Atlantic coast, and Fes and Marrakech in the country’s interior. 

Tonya Smith ’89, a Spanish and humanities instructor in Durham, was one of the faculty organizers of the trip, which focused on cultural immersion in the history of Imperial Morocco and each of its dynasties and movements. 

“The places we visited are just steeped in history,” Smith says. “There’s really something for everyone. You’ll be walking along and there will literally be something from the 12th century on one side of you, and then something from 2020 right beside it. You’re constantly walking between the two, and I think that’s what appeals to the kids.”

No matter where the group went, Addison was struck by how welcoming the people of Morocco were. “The hospitality of everyone was just incredible,” she says. “People were always offering you tea or food or welcoming you into their home. A lot of people also tried to engage us in conversation, and I got to have entire conversations in Arabic. Their eyes lit up when they saw me trying to engage with them in their language.”

Adrian’s only reference points for Africa were those previous visits to Ghana where the heat had been intense and the dusty roads were filled with potholes. He was unprepared for what he saw upon arrival in Casablanca.

“One thing that caught my attention was how developed everything was,” he says. “Maybe not quite the same as in America or something but it was just so developed and industrialized. The buildings were amazing.”

Because the group of students was so large, they were often divided into two smaller groups for activities. Being one of eight Morganton students – and the only junior – on the trip, Addison didn’t know many of the other students. That all changed during a game of cards on the rooftop of a riad (guest house) where some of the students were staying. “It was sunny and beautiful and just perfect,” she says. “We just started playing cards and everyone was talking and everything just started to click. We all started getting to know each other and enjoying each other’s company and it was just really cool.”

Despite being in a different activity group for much of the trip, Adrian shared a nearly identical sentiment. “What I really took away from this trip was the connections made through experience,” he says. “I know that’s sort of abstract, but taking photos together, shopping, going through all the narrow alleys in the souks (marketplaces) with amazing friends just made us become so much more connected.”

And about those camels. “Oh my goodness. The camel ride was amazing,” Adrian says. “But they spit. A lot.”