One of the first things I noticed when arriving in Morocco is the many people sitting outside seemingly doing nothing. If you step out of anywhere at any time in Morocco I can practically guarantee you that you may see clusters of men sitting on plastic chairs outside talking or maybe leaning against a wall in the shade smoking a few cigarettes. Maybe you’ll see mothers sitting on the sidewalk clutching a baby to their chest with another woman or maybe other children next to her. I always find myself thinking, What are they doing there? Why are they sitting outside when it’s this hot? What are they waiting for? I guess I’m used to the constant hustle and bustle in the US.

I am used to people always feeling like things always need to go faster, the thought of standing in line for 15 minutes or having to wait for an amazon package can be almost painful, but here people feel free to do nothing. Even waiting for an Uber or the bus or train, I find myself doing something. I might be better curating a playlist for my current mood or going through pictures on my phone or even reading a book, although these things seem somewhat pointless and not very productive, I am taken aback when I see people doing nothing. People here go to a café and do nothing, and lit on a ledge and do nothing, and sit by a wall and do nothing. I can only assume they are waiting for something to happen, either the bus, or someone to get home from work, or a taxi, etc.

Either way, as my last few days in Morocco are winding down, I find myself trying to commit everything to memory. To be honest It might be strange to see people always moving about, going somewhere, doing something. I am going to miss the tranquility there is in doing nothing outside in beautiful weather.