LETTERS FROM THE STAFF: MY SECOND HOME AT ZEN SURF MOROCCO
Today we’d like to introduce you to Corinne, our lovely and talented yoga teacher, who’s quite a special person to us since we first met her 10 years ago, when she booked her surf & yoga vacations at our surf camp, and became our first client in the process! Since then, she has returned to Zen Surf Morocco several times, eventually settling in to become our resident yoga teacher. Today she shares her experience in this article and explains why she loves coming back so much.
A vacation between surf and yoga
About 10 years ago, I was living in London and working for a large international development NGO. I was dreaming of a vacation in a peaceful place with perfect conditions for improving my surfing. Although there weren’t as many surf camps in Morocco as there are today, I came across a number of websites, including Zen Surf Morocco. Their surf & yoga retreat had just opened and didn’t yet have any Tripadvisor recommendations (unlike today with over 330 excellent reviews ;-), and they told me in all honesty that I would be their very first client. When my friends heard the news, they immediately advised me to find another surf camp with an established reputation. I can’t remember which camps they were talking about, but I booked my vacation with Zen Surf without hesitation, following my instincts. I transferred the deposit in the hope that the surf camp would live up to what was advertised on the website. The reality turned out to be even better than advertised. To this day, it remains one of the best vacations of my life!
Nico and Tamara, who both created Zen Surf Morocco, took care of me from the beginning to the end of my stay. I had private surf lessons with Nico followed by a yoga class with Tamara. They took me to the market in Agadir and showed me around. I had a beautifully decorated room with a superb view of the ocean right across the street. In short, it was simply perfect. It also made me realize that, sometimes, you have to dare to take the risk of doing what others wouldn’t have done.
More than just a vacation
I came back several times after that first experience. The last time was while I was working on the other side of the desert, in Burkina Faso. It was a totally different experience. While the European customers were delighted with the rather hot climate, I was appreciative of the milder climate. While they were astonished by the poverty of some rural areas, I was grateful for the level of development in Morocco, which was much more advanced than in Burkina Faso. Zen Surf Morocco once again became a place of refuge where yoga, surfing and being in good company helped me recharge my batteries before returning to West Africa.
A few months later, I returned to Switzerland, a really difficult transition due to the cultural differences between Europe and Africa: I was experiencing reverse culture shock! That’s when Nico and Tamara kindly asked me to come and work at Zen Surf Morocco for a month as a hostess. This gave me the chance to rediscover the surfcamp from a new angle. It also came at a time when I wanted to become a yoga teacher myself. And I focused on that for the next few years, passing my yoga teacher certification.
Member of the Zen Surf Morocco family
So I spent three years studying yoga without surfing, so you can imagine how eager I was to get back to Morocco. I first settled into another guest house, with the idea of trying something new. But once again, the stars aligned and I returned to Zen Surf Morocco, where I was hired for two months as a yoga teacher. Then I decided to extend my stay for one simple reason: it’s so nice to feel at home! And that’s exactly how I feel here. I’m doing what I love best: teaching yoga, freelancing for yoga studios in Switzerland, all in a friendly environment, surfing and having a great time with like-minded people. People who came for a surf & yoga vacation, but who ultimately found inspiration here to build a different way of life, closer to their ideals.
Nico and Tamara, who of course, following their passion, have created this totally zen place. And of course “my Moroccan family” who take care of the place, prepare delicious meals and make sure the surf sessions run smoothly, and my international colleagues who share their experience and feed my creativity.
But also the customers, who immediately become part of the Zen Surf Morocco family. It’s a beautiful mix of nationalities, ages, families or solo travelers, beginners or advanced surfers, new yoga students or experienced teachers, all from different backgrounds and with different career paths. But they all have one thing in common: a deep attraction to the magic of this unique place.
Zen Surf Morocco is the only surf & yoga retreat to be located on the beach right in front of the Ocean, and just a stone’s throw from the region’s best surf spots. They have the most beautiful yoga studio I know: a beautiful terrace overlooking the ocean, where you can hear the gentle melody of the waves during the meditative “Savasana”. Then, after a delicious dinner prepared with care, you can enjoy a moment of conviviality and inspiring exchanges, often accompanied by the sound of a guitar and a bonfire.
Join our family between surf and yoga
Since my first visit 10 years ago, the surf camp has improved a lot, with new tastefully decorated rooms, a myriad of murals and a new varied menu with vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free options. All the while retaining the friendly, family atmosphere that makes Zen Surf Morocco so unique. Zen Surf has (unsurprisingly) become a very popular camp in the region and is regularly fully booked, because when a gem appears in plain sight it doesn’t stay hidden for long 😉
Even though I write a lot as a freelancer, I still find it hard to properly convey the magic of this place. So rather than make a long speech, I simply invite you to join us and create your own experience. We’ll be honored by your presence, and I’ll bet you a million dirhams you’ll leave a lot richer than you came. The only risk is that you won’t want to leave!
To find out more about Corinne: www.growthforpeace.com
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