We had been looking forward to this moment for months. We, a delegation of eight students in total, were fortunate to fly to Morocco in mid-March as part of a Round Square conference. Considering that it was ‘only’ a regional conference, an amazing number of schools from all over the world took part. Representatives from the United States, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, India and many more countries were there. Among them were us!

After the rain at Lake Constance, a three-hour flight and several hours of delay, we landed in the capital. Already at the airport, we were warmly welcomed by the students of the Elaraki School and taken to our hotel. Most of the time, three to four delegates shared a room, so we were able to connect directly with the other schools. 

Every day was tightly scheduled. The first day was all about getting to know the culture. Dressed in festive school attire, we started the ‘Opening Ceremony’ at 7:30 am. This was followed by several speeches about the Round Square IDEALS (Internationalism, Democracy, Environment, Adventure, Leadership and Service) and the ‘Baraza Groups’. We met in these small groups every day to discuss the day, the IDEALS, the different cultures and problems of the world. We always found these very interesting and informative. Not only because there was always at least one delegate from almost every school, but also because of the different opinions and willingness to express them. Afterwards, we went to the Medina (old town) and had the opportunity to go to the market. We ended the evening with typical Moroccan food and music on a roof terrace above the market.

Tuesday we spent on an eco-farm. There we were welcomed by students from the Elaraki School and immediately started working in the blazing sun. Among other things, we planted trees, recycled plastic, glued tiles and helped with the cooking. We always worked together with other delegates or local students, which ensured it was never boring and gave us many opportunities to discover other cultures.

The following day, we went to another school in the mountains, which we repainted and redesigned. Afterwards we made a football out of plastic and tape, because there was no real one, and played football with the boys there. Shortly after, the girls joined us and we all danced loudly singing in the sun and had a blast. The laughter of the children and the gleam in their eyes is something we will certainly never forget! 

In the evening, the ‘Cultural Night’ took place. Each school performed a dance, a song or something similar. The German schools Landheim-Schondorf, Birklehof and Salem joined forces and performed the ‘Flieger’ song. And what can we say? It was a complete success! The other students and teachers jumped right up and joined in. Even after we left, Moroccan students sent us videos of them performing the aeroplane song with their friends. 

We started the last day with a cultural visit to a water museum. Here we were told a lot about sustainable and diverse water production and use. When the guided tour and the closing ceremony of the school was over, we started our journey to the Agafay desert. Once we arrived, we first hiked through the desert and then rode back on camels. This was quite a unique experience, but we were all happy to end the evening with a fire, good food and interesting conversations under a starry sky. 

Now it was time to say goodbye, at least for most of us. Four schools, including us, started their journey to the Sahara. After a never-ending bus ride, we got on the camels with a small backpack and rode to our desert camp with the sun setting behind us. For hours we danced around the fire with the camel guides and gazed at the stars. None of us had ever seen such a breathtaking starry sky before. The next day, our departure was already imminent. After spending some more time at the market in the morning, we made our way to the airport and started our journey home.

All in all, the trip was really exhausting, but nevertheless a complete success. We would all do it again. We came back full of positive impressions, motivation and new perspectives and would encourage everyone to take part in a Round Square trip.