I left the Marrakesh medina two years ago, and this love letter has been in my heart ever since. I was teaching at a university in Marrakesh, and in my second year I found an apartment that met all my needs: It was deep in the medina, the old city, with a rooftop terrace.

Inside the medina, there’s always this background noise — drumming and dancing and the sound of thousands of people passing through. There were, I think, seven mosques within sight of my terrace, and five times a day the call to prayer would start from each of them a few seconds apart, like a battle of the voices. I learned about the cold of the desert — my house was open, so when it would go down to 40 degrees, I’d basically be camping in my bedroom with sleeping bags. I have a ticket to Morocco in February — I’m not sure I’ll be able to use it yet, but I’m holding onto that ticket with all of my heart.

—JENNIFER BORCH