Skip to content
Origin Story w/ David McIntosh JrOrigin Story w/ David McIntosh Jr

POV: I Flew 1700 miles to Interview Strangers in Morocco

I travelled from Scotland to Morocco on holiday. As soon as I arrived I knew I needed to interview the locals. They were the most philosophical people I had met. Taghazout is a fascinating surf village perched on Morocco’s Atlantic coast - sun-soaked, salt-stained, and full of surprises. We spent 2 days exploring this strange-and-beautiful place, and found way more than perfect waves: unexpected kindness, late-night tea rituals, and stories you won’t hear in a guidebook… Support the show Early access & bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/davidmcintoshjr Follow Me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidmcintoshjr Buy Merch: originstoryclub.co.uk

David McIntosh JrhostUnidentified locals in Taghazout, Moroccoguest
Oct 22, 202531mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

  1. 0:00 – 0:30

    Why he flew to Morocco: chasing answers to love, happiness, and wealth

    1. DJ

      I traveled 1,700 miles from Glasgow to Morocco to understand human experience through strangers. I want to ask them the most raw, open-ended questions like, what is love? What is happiness? What does it mean to be rich? And everything else in between, told through daily Moroccan life. I'm excited to see what we have in store. I found myself stranded on the roof of a concrete car park in a remote surf village. Below me, the town looked half-built, with exposed bricks, tight alleyways, and staircases that seemed to lead nowhere. I

  2. 0:30 – 1:01

    First impressions of Taghazout: chaos, aliveness, and loneliness in a surf town

    1. DJ

      was in Taghazout, Morocco. [upbeat music] I reached the square. The town burst into life. Car horns blared. Grills hissed as meat hit hot metal. Surfboards scraped along the pavement as they were being dragged back to what felt like 50 different surf shops. In that noise and motion, I felt totally alone, and strangely, very alive.

  3. 1:01 – 2:01

    Meeting Ayub and the project’s unexpected ally (filming out of pride)

    1. DJ

      I booked the flight less than 24 hours before takeoff because my life felt stagnant. I wanted answers, so I came here to ask strangers about happiness, about wealth, and about love. Night one, I walk into Mounga and meet Ayub from Casablanca. I told him that I was an interviewer. He said, "Let me show my people right." From that moment, he filmed this entire project for free because he wanted the world to see Morocco, the Morocco he knows. I met Joanna, an English yoga teacher who married a Moroccan man and moved to the hills, and ask a French-Moroccan mechanic, says, "Be someone you'd want to love. Be happy to find happy." Bader owns, or at least works in, a hostel. At some point, the mic flips on me. Ayub asks me, "So David, what is wealth to you?" I start to answer and realize I'm here to learn that exact thing. What was your name?

  4. 2:01 – 2:51

    Joanna (English yoga teacher): happiness as balance and contentment

    1. UM

      Joanna.

    2. DJ

      And what do you do?

    3. UM

      I'm a yoga teacher.

    4. DJ

      What does it mean to be happy?

    5. UM

      Very good question. I think happiness is contentment rather than just being super happy all the time, so just feeling balanced, feeling, uh, accepting of where you are.

    6. DJ

      Has your perspective of happiness changed since you moved to Morocco?

    7. UM

      Um, I've found that different things... Well, it's probably the same things that make me happy, but I've actually realized what they are. So I, I love nature. I like swimming in water. Uh, I like growing things, so I have a garden now. I grow my own foods. Uh, I swim nearly every day.

  5. 2:51 – 4:15

    Joanna on money, love, and human sameness

    1. DJ

      Does money make you happy?

    2. UM

      A certain amount of money, enough money to do the things I want to do. Um, so I want, I want to be healthy. I want to eat well. Um, I want to be able to do things. I want to see friends and, you know, I like to go out sometimes. But extreme wealth doesn't at all.

    3. DJ

      What does love mean to you?

    4. UM

      Oh. Um, so I think love, I've come to realize, is about caring about somebody else probably more than yourself. Um, so not necessarily putting you first, but their welfare is your

    5. DJ

      Are women and men the same?

    6. UM

      I don't-

    7. DJ

      [laughs]

    8. UM

      [laughs] I don't think they're as different as people would like us to, to lead us to believe, and it could be the way we're all brought up. Who knows? Um, and, uh, there's likely genetic about it as well, but I think probably most human beings, in my experience, they want, they want to love. They want to be loved. They want to be content, so they want somewhere to live that's safe.

  6. 4:15 – 7:24

    Being a Western woman in Morocco: whiteness, assumptions, and safety

    1. DJ

      What is... How does it feel or what does it mean to be an Englishwoman in Morocco?

    2. UM

      Um, well, there's been lots of sides to that that I find quite interesting. So, you know, I'm, I'm Western. I'm white. I was brought up in the southwest of England where most people are white. [laughs] Changing a bit now, but, um, as I grew up, so as I was kind of the norm, and I don't think I've really... an- and I probably still don't really understand racism, but I do get treated differently here because I'm white.

    3. DJ

      For better or for worse?

    4. UM

      Well, the... I mean, just differently and, and things I don't like. I mean, people will always ask me for money. They assume that I've got lots of money, that I want to give them. Um, and I found that... And I stand out, you know. People will look at me sometimes. I have had children staring and that kind of thing, which I wasn't used to, but I've also think it's quite good for me to experience that because for some people, that's their life all the time. Um-

    5. DJ

      When you hold such an opinion in the UK of Moroccan immigration and they, uh, they diss it or try and prohibit it, given that you have done the inverse of that-

    6. UM

      Yeah

    7. DJ

      ... whereby you have seen a Englishwoman arrive in Morocco-

    8. UM

      Yeah

    9. DJ

      ... how did your community in England perceive it?

    10. UM

      I think a lot of people thought I was a bit crazy. Um, people were fearful for me. I mean, there are still people, there are still friends who say to me, "Is it safe for women in Morocco?"

    11. DJ

      Is it?

    12. UM

      I think it's very safe. I think it's considerably safer. Certainly in this community, I would say it's safer than parts of the UK. So I think there's a lot of trust, a lot of- Respect for women, actually. You know, the, the men are very respectful generally. I mean, it, it's a little bit different in Taghazout because it's a touristy place and that there are certain, you know, young men on the beach who are opportunist, of course. Um, but generally I would say that, that men are very respectful of them.

    13. DJ

      Are Islamic or Muslim, uh, women treated super strict?

    14. UM

      I think very much so. Very, very much so. Yeah. So there's this kind of image of women being sort of, um, you know, shut away, that they have to wear their, uh, head coveries, but it, they don't have to. It's choice. I mean, maybe it's social pressure, but, um, yeah, I d- I don't, I don't think... I think women are very well-respected in this-

    15. DJ

      Do you have friends or have experience of Moroccan ladies?

    16. UM

      Only... Yes, a little bit. Not a huge amount because of my, I don't speak the language, the local language very well. I've got a few words, but not... Uh, I find it difficult. Um, so communication is difficult, but my experience gleasing local women is, um, very friendly. Yeah, I mean, everybody, well, can't really fault it. It looks in that way, very, very community-minded. There's a great community. And again, I think we've lost that for some in the UK.

    17. DJ

      Yeah.

    18. UM

      Um-

  7. 7:24 – 9:12

    Community vs UK divisiveness—and unlearning productivity as self-worth

    1. DJ

      I believe so. I think, uh, in the UK at the moment, there is a huge sense of, like, identity politics and either w- uh, the political spectrum or the, the gender spectrum or the age spectrum. I think we are more divisive than ever before. But those in the UK find a lot of sense in belonging this polarized sense of identity. Whereas here I feel that whether it's a stranger who's picking you up on the side of the street, a surf coach who's lending you a board, there aren't... There are more similarities than diversities, I've noticed.

    2. UM

      Yeah.

    3. DJ

      Like, it's, uh... I'm reminded of a, a thought I love is that we have more in similar than we do, uh, different. We all share the same sky.

    4. UM

      Yeah.

    5. DJ

      And I feel like, uh, here in Morocco, in Taghazout, everyone is appreciative of the same landscape, the same infrastructure.

    6. UM

      Yeah.

    7. DJ

      We are all, like, common users, whereas in the UK, people, uh, hold onto their identity. Yeah, so I was saying this to you earlier. It's taken me two or three days, and it's a shame because I'm leaving soon, to almost sweat out this idea of productivity-

    8. UM

      Yeah

    9. DJ

      ... and what it means to be worthy enough for rest. I think that sp- specifically if you're, like, a type A, uh, person working in a capitalistic society, you tie productivity and worth, worth with the other.

    10. UM

      Yeah.

    11. DJ

      And, uh, you have to earn your rest.

    12. UM

      Yeah.

    13. DJ

      Oh, yes. Um, but being is enough.

    14. UM

      Yeah.

    15. DJ

      Uh, we're, we're human beings, not human doings.

    16. UM

      Yes. [laughs] I like that.

    17. DJ

      Uh, and I think being here, unfortunately, it's only, it's taken me a few days to remind myself-

    18. UM

      Yeah

    19. DJ

      ... or equip myself that before I, I head back to, uh, Scotland. [laughs]

    20. UM

      [laughs] The craziness again. Yeah.

  8. 9:12 – 10:55

    Joanna’s origin story: privilege, uncertainty, and yoga as a turning point

    1. DJ

      And just to wrap up, uh, in summation, Joanna, uh, what, what's your origin story?

    2. UM

      My origin story. Um, I, I f- I was born into a, a, you know, privileged family. They were ... We, we... Or my parents worked very hard, but we, you know, we had the... We had food. We had a house. You know, I had a loving family, siblings. Um, so yeah, I had a, a happy childhood. Um, I never quite knew what I wanted to do with my life. I was very traditional, got married, had children, um, worked part-time, looked after, after the children, looked after the home, and then I think everything went a little bit wrong when the children didn't leave [laughs] the nest because they kind of become a dependent. And I felt like if you have any worth, I think it goes back to what they're saying, and I, I sort of my way a bit. Uh, and then I'd been practicing yoga for a while, but then I decided to get deeper into yoga and, uh, the teachings of yoga and, uh, all that it represents kind of resonated deeply, and that to me is the turning point. I would, wish, I would have liked to have had it all fit seen in, but-

    3. DJ

      We are never fully-

    4. UM

      Life's a journey. [laughs]

    5. DJ

      A- a- and we're never fully formed.

    6. UM

      No.

    7. DJ

      There's probably going to be other moments of realization or epiphanies I'm gonna have.

    8. UM

      Yeah. Yeah.

    9. DJ

      And, like, through this, this podcast and traveling, I get to interview people like yourself and others, and directly and indirectly I get to learn those lessons, you know? So-

    10. UM

      Yeah

    11. DJ

      ... Joanna, I'm very grateful for your story and looking forward to-

    12. UM

      Yeah.

    13. DJ

      Are we done? Number one, that was amazing. I loved that.

    14. UM

      It was great. [laughs]

  9. 10:55 – 13:44

    Anass (French-Moroccan mechanic): happiness from within and gratitude for the small stuff

    1. DJ

      I loved that. My eleventh interviewee, Anass, a French Moroccan mechanic who runs a street brand called No Face No Name, which is why you don't see his face in this video. What do you do?

    2. UM

      I... I try to live in peace.

    3. DJ

      What does it mean to be happy?

    4. UM

      I think happiness comes from inside, not the outside.

    5. DJ

      What does that mean?

    6. UM

      Like, if you chase happiness, you're, you're not, uh, gonna be happy in your life. But if you find happiness inside of you, like, if you, if you love yourself and you know yourself, you love all of your qualities and, uh, uh, de- defects- Yeah, you can be happy, for sure.

    7. DJ

      Are you happy?

    8. UM

      Yeah, I'm happy.

    9. DJ

      What makes you happy?

    10. UM

      Now I understand all my past was for a reason. Now I understand why, and I feel more in, more in peace with myself and with others, and I just enjoy the simple things in life, like, uh, uh, laughing with my family, my friends, uh, explore, uh, the count- countries all around the world. And, uh, yeah. S- smell, uh, flowers, feel the sun, feel the wind. Uh, every morning I wake up and, uh, I, I, I'm grateful to have my two hands, my two feet, my eyes to see, my tongue to feel the taste. Everything. I'm very, I'm very grateful. I have, uh... I, I'm, I'm very lucky. I think, uh, when you have all these things and you have a, a top over your head, and a bed, and food to eat, like a, a safe place and food to eat, you are very-

    11. DJ

      Thank you

    12. UM

      ... lucky. I feel, I feel lucky. Mm.

    13. DJ

      [laughs]

  10. 13:44 – 15:58

    Anass on being rich and what love really means

    1. DJ

      What does it mean to be rich?

    2. UM

      This, this question for me, it's very close to Shakespeare, "Be or not to be." If you... You can, you can be rich financial, like you have a, a lot of money and a lot of materials and a lot of houses, but you can be very poor in your mind, in your life, in your lifestyle, and you can be, you can be not happy. You can be sick. And, uh, you can be poor financial and very rich in your mind and in your heart. Like you are very smart, very kind with people, very kind with yourself, uh, very present and connected with others, and the presence and the environment.

    3. DJ

      What does it mean to love? Or what does love mean to you?

    4. UM

      Wow. I think love is a very powerful things and very pure things. It's very rare, rare to find people who know what is it love truly. The love is not just about, uh, loving woman or man, or woman loving man. It's, it's more deep. More deep. Yeah, it's about, uh, first to love yourself unconditionally, to know yourself. Yeah.

    5. DJ

      If you love yourself, you're able to love other people?

    6. UM

      Yeah. For sure.

    7. DJ

      If you don't love yourself, you can't love other people.

    8. UM

      You can, you can love other people, but, uh, sometimes you can be jealous of others. But if you love yourself more than 100%, you can't be jealous. Yeah.

  11. 15:58 – 18:22

    Emma (Italian traveler): happiness as vibes, family, and freedom without a mask

    1. DJ

      Thank you. What is your name?

    2. UM

      Emma.

    3. DJ

      What-

    4. UM

      My name is Emma.

    5. DJ

      Where are you from?

    6. UM

      Italy.

    7. DJ

      What does it mean to be happy?

    8. UM

      I think for happiness, I think about, like, good style, good life, good time, um, good family. Yes.

    9. DJ

      Are you happy?

    10. UM

      Yes, I'm happy. Yes.

    11. DJ

      What makes you happy?

    12. UM

      Everything, like the vibes, the family. My mom here. Taghazout.

    13. DJ

      [laughs]

    14. UM

      Surfing. Yes. Like this.

    15. DJ

      What does it mean to be rich to you?

    16. UM

      I think for be rich, like for me it's have good time with friends, good job.

    17. DJ

      What is your job?

    18. UM

      Now I didn't, I didn't work. I just only travel. Yes, because I love, I really love meet people, speak with people. Yes, say stories in another life. Yes.

    19. DJ

      What does it mean to love, or what does love mean to you?

    20. UM

      Love is like kindness. «Penso che l'amore sia fatto di tanti gesti, mmh, prendersi cura dell'altra persona, e pensare all'altra persona, e rispettarla, rispettare i suoi limiti» and communication. «E capire l'altra persona. Empatia.»

    21. DJ

      When do you feel love?

    22. UM

      I feel love when I stay with people, and these people, they have respect for me. And I, I feel freedom. I can... are really Emma. It's me. Without nothing, without limits, without-

    23. DJ

      Mask?

    24. UM

      ... mask. Yes

    25. DJ

      Yes. It's like this

    26. UM

      Thank you, Emma

    27. DJ

      Thank you, too. Really, thank you. Shukran, Zeph

    28. UM

      Shukran

    29. DJ

      Shukran [laughs]

  12. 18:22 – 20:55

    Badr (hostel manager/surf instructor): happiness through comfort, sharing, and service

    1. UM

      What is your name, and what do you do?

    2. UM

      I am Badr, like the host in this hostel. Like, uh, I give service like surf also, surf instructor, and I am hosting, like, this hostel, like managing, like, all the things with some friends. And, uh, what is more? That's it.

    3. UM

      What does it mean to be happy?

    4. UM

      The happiness is like to, to keep yourself doing or staying in the things, uh, make you comfort, and, uh, you share, uh, happiness or, like, you share, like, the things make everyone keep the smile, you know?

    5. UM

      What makes you happy?

    6. UM

      Uh, living next to the sea and also helping people. That's it

    7. UM

      What does it mean to be rich?

    8. UM

      The first things, uh, make you rich or keep, uh, rich, like, I think i- the things in your mind first. Like rich, uh, helping people, like maybe your family or someone you know. Like how, like that, I think you, you be rich.

    9. UM

      Are you rich?

    10. UM

      Not really rich. Rich in my mind. [laughs]

    11. UM

      Rich in your mind?

    12. UM

      Yeah.

    13. UM

      What are the main differences between men and women?

    14. UM

      The, the things, uh, between man and woman, like the man, he, he finish the woman, and, uh, the woman, she, she c- uh, like complete the woman. Between man and woman, there is some things, like if there is, uh, the things in the woman, like the man, like nothing in this life. The same for the woman.

    15. UM

      So men have what women don't have-

    16. UM

      Yes

    17. UM

      ... and women have what-

    18. UM

      Yeah, and your question, what is the different?

    19. UM

      Yeah.

    20. UM

      Like, the woman is like, uh, like, uh, something like, uh, not really strong. Like, uh, the feeling of the woman is not like the man, you know? Here in Morocco, for example, in my family, like the woman is like the queen. We don't like to keep her, like... We try to don't keep her work a lot or try to do something, like make her feel bad or something. We keep the man always to do the hard things and the job and keep give money and the stuff, you know?

    21. UM

      Do you think women should work hard?

    22. UM

      Yeah, sometimes, like, uh, uh, independent, i- if, uh, the life, uh, easy or hard for her, you know? Because sometimes you find, here in Morocco, you find the woman, like, without husband, maybe he die or something, and there is small family, and we need someone to give money and the stuff for the babies, you know, to bring food and stuff. I think that, that make the things harder for a woman. Like, that's hard work, you know?

    23. UM

      Thank you, Badr.

    24. UM

      You're welcome, my friend.

  13. 20:55 – 30:48

    The mic flips: David interviewed on love, wealth, gender, Morocco vs the UK, and happiness

    1. UM

      Hello, David. Welcome to your podcast. [laughs]

    2. DJ

      [laughs]

    3. UM

      So what's your name, and, uh, what do you do?

    4. DJ

      My name's David McIntosh, and I collect origin stories, and I do that through a series of interviews.

    5. UM

      So how do you define love?

    6. DJ

      For me, love is a feeling where you feel like your own heart is in another body, and you can love things, people, and experiences. And what I've realized about love and its sensation is that it feels like a joy that you do not own.

    7. UM

      All right.

    8. DJ

      It's shared-

    9. UM

      Yeah

    10. DJ

      ... amongst you and a person, or you and an object, or you and a pet, or you and a, uh, an experience or a location.

    11. UM

      So, uh, what does it mean to be rich?

    12. DJ

      I think different people have different definitions of rich. There are groups of people that place it on finance and money and stability, and others find the same level of security and stability in themselves and their character and their people and their community and their sense of identity. I feel rich when I am doing what I love with people I love doing it with on my own terms. I feel very loved when I'm able to do that, and I feel very loving when I can do that for other people.

    13. UM

      Do you think there are difference be- there is a difference between men and women?

    14. DJ

      Um, there are complexities in the West at the moment around gender and sex, and I think from the biological sense, I think there is a difference between male and female. And in the UK and in the West, uh, gender is more self-descriptive, and I think it's better to talk about what men and women have in common than a difference. And I think we all live under the same sky. We all share the same infrastructure, the same planet, and I think there are complementary aspects of traditional, uh, descriptions of men and women. I think if we were to reduce it to masculine and feminine, I think masculine is very strong and holds steady in environments. And I think feminine, which is usually attributed to women, is, um, around creativity and free-flowing and, uh, nature and nurture and softness and compassion and empathy and sympathy. Um, so I think there is a lot of difference from the traditional point of view, and, um, we also have a lot in common. I think we're very equal-

    15. UM

      Yes

    16. DJ

      ... as, as humans.

    17. UM

      Yeah, of course, we are very equal. But in the sense of, uh, like, uh, complementary, being complementary, do you think, like, men complete women?

    18. DJ

      I don't think they complete them, but I think they complement them.

    19. UM

      Okay.

    20. DJ

      I think society is designed to be, uh, homogenous, to interact, and whether it is men and women or different age groups or different nationalities, we all bring a different unique experience and personality and knowledge that, like a jigsaw-

    21. UM

      Yeah

    22. DJ

      ... plugs into each other's lives. And I think specifically around men and women, they operate In the most complete form when they do connect, and they're not divisive, and they're not arguing, and they're not, um, claiming that one is worse than the other. I think we can only become a homogenous and thriving society when men and women work together in parallel using their own personality and strength as opposed to being enemies and divisive.

    23. UM

      What do you think of Morocco?

    24. DJ

      I have learnt a very new lesson about Morocco. I think what I consumed online and when I received advice from friends around Morocco, they said, "Be careful." First of all, they said, "Watch the weather. It's too warm. You're ginger, you'll burn." I have, I'm pink. Uh, but beyond that, they said it's quite dangerous and, uh, they, they warned me around, um, the Islamic nature of the country. Um, they warned me about theft and crime, and I've came here, and I've experienced none of that. Um, I've found that the people are very patient, very forgiving, very generous, very selfless. You can leave your belongings, and no one will steal it. You can forget money or forget to pay for something, and they trust you to come back within two days. Uh, they care about the wellness of the community, so they don't stand for theft or crime. They actually fight against it because they want to pro-protect and preserve the communal nature of-

    25. UM

      Yeah

    26. DJ

      ... Taghazout and this area. I think the landscape is brilliant. The waves are amazing. The food is incredible, and I don't think it will be the last time I come here. I think I will visit many times.

    27. UM

      So what do you think about the UK? What is it like living in the, in the UK or in-

    28. DJ

      The UK is a very challenging time at the moment. Uh, we have the difficult nature of the economy at the moment, which means it's very expensive to, to live on, uh, low-paid jobs. Uh, the housing market's quite expensive, and the cost of utilities and energy and food is at an all-time high. That plus this fragmentation and divisive nature of different societal groups, whether it's gender, whether it's politics, whether it's sexuality, whether it's ideology. There is no sense of what it means to be British or even, where I come from, Scottish at the moment, um, as there seems to be different teams playing different matches, uh, looking for a different result with no one ever really equaling the scoreboard at the moment.

    29. UM

      Yeah.

    30. DJ

      And when I come here, uh, to Morocco, it seems like whether it's the tourists who are multinational and from different backgrounds or it's the locals, there's a sense of community here. And I think maybe the United Kingdom could find more community in the similarities that we have-

  14. 30:48 – 31:35

    Closing reflection: Morocco’s three truths—wealth, happiness, love

    1. DJ

      I realize I came here to interview Morocco, but it seems like Morocco interviewed me. Ayoub, thank you for filming this for nothing but pride. Anas, thank you for finding poetry in the small stuff. Bader and the hostel crew, for your welcome. Ahmed, for teaching me about the waves. Lucy and Theo, for joining me, and to the locals for the food, the laughter, the skateboards, the time, and to the part of me that booked this flight when I didn't feel brave. Taghazout left me with three truths: That wealth is time shared, not hoarded. Happiness is simple: conversation, family, and sun. Love is presence to show up, not just to say it. Shukran, Morocco. Thank you for teaching me what it means to feel alive.

Episode duration: 31:35

Install uListen for AI-powered chat & search across the full episode — Get Full Transcript

Transcript of episode EI7xXFk6IrI

Get more out of YouTube videos.

High quality summaries for YouTube videos. Accurate transcripts to search & find moments. Powered by ChatGPT & Claude AI.

iOSAndroidClaudeChrome