It’s strange to consider how the world works. Right now as you read this, somewhere an opportunity is in it’s early stages of being formed, preparing for you to snap it up. The opportunity I’m about to speak of started well before I had planned to visit Europe as a Suitcasing Scallywag in the 2014 European Summer. With one of the values of success I keep close to my heart being ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’, I found myself wondering the streets of Morocco, taking photos and learning how a story is put together. It began with one of the most generous and kind hearted people I’ve ever met, Fatima.

Fatima is a Moroccan born woman who moved to Australia before she was a teenager. With a heart of gold and an optimistic outlook on life that succeeds any other person I’ve ever met, Fatima’s business on this trip to Tangier was to help a three and a half year old boy – Yayha – who was born with no eyeballs, breathes through a gap in his face and has half a mouth.

I wrote hesitantly about my time and experience in Tangier a few months ago because I had made a promise to the crew of Channel Seven’s, Sunday Night, that I would keep my lips sealed about the story they were doing on Yayha.

The experience of having a local to show us around the souks and streets of Tangier allowed me to gain an extensive comprehension of what it was like to be a Moroccan citizen. Fatima was kind enough to invite us into her old neighbour’s house where a spread of outstanding delectable traditional sweets and tea were offered. I don’t understand how they aren’t all obese, because after all the sweets and tea drinking, I definitely felt as though I was on my way.

Tangier is a place I had never heard of, or even visiting but I’m glad that I did. It made my trip to Chefchouen a possibility and it allowed me to experience an overnight train experience as well as memories of a city that was done in a manner that was completely different to how any other backpacker has ever done it. The people I met and stories I was told by those involved with the production of this story as well as those locals who helped me along the way, are people who will be forever engrained into my mind.

I’ll leave the rest of the explaining up to Andrew and Sunday Night.