During Qalam wa Lawh’s most recent weekend trip to the Sahara Desert, former Qalam student Piera Laurenza took some video footage to document her experience. She begins the video by saying (in Italian) “What will it be like? What can I expect from a simple stretch of sand?” and continues to ruminate on her experience visiting the Sahara at the end of her time studying Arabic at Qalam wa Lawh. Join her for this adventure! (The entire transcript of her Italian voiceover is listed below.)

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“The Sahara trip… “What will it be like? What can I expect from a simple stretch of sand?” These are some of the typical questions we ask ourselves when we think about such a far place, so different from our beaches, our artistic cities, our open-air museums…

And even though sometimes we don’t have great expectations, every single time we arrive there, those endless expanses of gold sand and hills make us feel emotions that we are not able to describe properly.

At first you pass by snowy mountains and artificial lakes whose blue is something you’ve never seen before, then you reach small towns and villages where time seems to stand still but actually it’s there that you can really understand the meaning of the word “simplicity”. And finally you arrive there, in front of those huge sand stretches and you feel so small, like one of those grains of sand, but at same time you are strong and free… free to free yourself! And the sunset, the camel ride while the stars begin appearing in the sky, dancing by the fire, spending the night in tent waiting for the dawn: everything is so unrealistically real!

Personally, this trip, almost at the end of my Moroccan experience, has meant a lot. Such a long ride, among endless roads and stunning landscapes, can get you to see first- hand the heart of a wonderful country. It looks like you are watching a documentary but actually this is the reality! The desert trip makes you discover the warmth and the colours of people always willing to welcome you with energy and love. The desert trip makes you understand how apparently empty places can fill your heart and your eyes. The desert trip makes you daydream but at the end, you come back to reality richer than before!”

Morocco is a beautiful country, full of color and spices and wonder. For this reason, Qalam wa Lawh offers weekend trips to multiple cities throughout the kingdom. Trips include visits to the famed Casablanca, the imperial cities of Fes and Meknes, and the Sahara Desert – just to name a few! Visit the Trips page to learn more about weekend trips at Qalam wa Lawh.