As Told To is a recurring segment on xoNecole where women are given a platform to tell their stories in the first-person narrative, as told to a writer.
This is Arleevia Lyles's story, as told to London Alexaundria.
So we actually visited Morocco last year in September for about eight days for our honeymoon. We were visiting these three different cities, Tangier, Marrakesh, and Chefchaouen, and while we were here, my husband was kind of giggling to himself and was like, what would you say about us possibly moving here? He was joking about it, but I was like, yeah, no, I would definitely move here. And he didn't think that I was serious about it or that I would be on board for that.
But we were kind of toying with the idea of moving here, and so from that point on, when we came back to the US, we were like, you know what, let's actually make the move. Like, why not? We were weighing the pros and cons of moving abroad, and the pros outweighed the cons. We don't have any property in the US. At the time, we didn't have any kids.
We both worked remotely, so there was nothing really keeping us tied to the US in any way outside of family, obviously. That was the only real con. We were going to miss church as well since Morocco is a Muslim country and we're Christian. So those were the two things that were like, okay, we're going to miss it, but, we can operate without it for a while.
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So after we weighed the pros and cons, we started aligning everything in terms of logistics, like booking the flights, talking to our places of employment as well, because I did have to have a conversation with them to make sure that I could work outside of the US, and they were okay with it.
By the time we booked our ticket, we were not pregnant. Then, when we were in the process of moving from Nashville to Las Vegas because we did have to move back to my hometown to drop off some valuable stuff, that was when we found out that we were pregnant.
When we initially told our family that we were going to move abroad, it was like the beginning of 2024. So, one, we knew the election was looming, so we're like, you know what, this may be a good time to go. And our family was in support of it. When we found out that we were pregnant, there was a little bit of hesitancy and some pushback from a few relatives saying, maybe wait a little bit. Just have the baby in the States, and then once the child is one or two, then go abroad and all that stuff.
We were like, 'Hey, y'all, we're gonna still do this,' and so they were still supportive. And now that we're here, they're like, 'Oh yeah, you guys made the right move, for sure,' especially post-election day. We have been here two months [and] oh, man, it has been very relaxing.
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I thought it was going to be a stressful move. I think, in a way, we kind of overthought it. We were like, oh my goodness, I don't know. Our lives are just going to be turned upside down because we're in a different country, but that wasn't the case.
I feel like moving here has been even beneficial for me being pregnant because this country moves at such a slower pace, and there's a lot more leisure time, and they actually value spending time with one another and going slower, but still getting work done. And I think that that's helped me being able to have a stress-free pregnancy, which I value as a Black woman because I know there's a lot of different things that can factor in stress for us.
It's been a very eye-opening experience as well because we're just being exposed to a different culture. It's not entirely different. I don't think it's too much of a culture shock, but with it again, being a very Muslim country, there's different values that they have here, that the US doesn't particularly [such as] valuing family.
You'll see a lot of fathers with their children. In the US, you usually see a mom out with the baby, or the moms out with the kids. Here, it's like the fathers are taking care of the kids. They're playing with them. It's very, very different to see that.
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The food quality has been better to where I don't feel bloated or nauseous all the time after I eat, which has been very, very good for the baby. I'm eating a lot healthier. I don't feel like the food is tainted with all this GMO and all these different things, and also, it's just inexpensive as well.
We have eaten out every single day. We haven't cooked at all since we've moved, but, the food is so good to where I don't feel like I've eaten out. It's quality food, and the dollar has just gone a lot further here. Since we still do have our US jobs, we're earning US money. But for every dollar, there's 10 dirham (Moroccan money). So I feel like even that factor of finance has been stress-free, not thinking about inflation as much.
Overall, though, this experience has been great, and I think even for my husband, too; him working in finance and also having his US job. I think that there's been more balance for the both of us in making sure that we're not overworking ourselves versus in the US. [In the US,] there's kind of the grind culture; the grind don't stop.
But here they're like, no, we want you guys to work, but make sure that you're taking time for leisure. Make sure you're taking time for rest. And so we're doing just that, and I feel like we've both been more balanced in our work-life.
I feel like it's been really easy to get to know people here. We had a couple of people that we met the first time we traveled here during our honeymoon, including my cousin. So we were able to ask them for help or for different insights before we moved from the US here, but since being here, I feel like we've been able to get to know people through frequenting places. There's certain restaurants that we'll go to weekly, and they kind of know us, we know them, we'll chat. So that's been nice.
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I guess an issue is the language barrier because there are four different languages that they speak here. They speak French, Spanish, Arabic, and English. So it's difficult to have a full-on, in-depth dialog with people because they don't speak English that well.
But I think just the friendliness of the environment is still something that we're able to connect to. The lady that we're renting this apartment from, she went out of her way and made a Moroccan couscous, and we're thinking she's just going to bring it, knock on the door, and like, Here you go. Enjoy it in private. But she came in and sat with us and ate a meal with us. Just the warmth of this country and the people in general has just been exceptional, and it's so different than what we've experienced in the US.
[Regarding giving birth,] we were considering having the baby here because, one, it's inexpensive healthcare here. It wouldn't have been as much. It would have been, maybe, a couple of thousand [dollars]. But I have free healthcare in the US, and so my family's like, free is better than having to pay for something. Also, they want to be there to support during that birthing process in the first few months of the baby's life too.
That's our first child, my parents' first grandchild. So I was like, let me have the baby in the US so that we're closer to them, but we definitely considered having the child here. We're gonna go back in early January, and then we'll come back in the summer, around June. After she's had her shots and has her passport and everything, we'll move back here permanently.
For this first leg of the move, it was kind of just exploring the housing market, seeing what apartments looked like; houses, checking out the pricing and everything like that, and kind of just familiarizing ourselves. Hopefully, by the end of this trip, we can have a home to come back to when we do return to Morocco.
We don't necessarily have a set date or a set amount of years that we want to be in Morocco. I do know I don't want to move again for at least three to five years, ideally, because we literally have spent our entire marriage moving. Whether it be from a different apartment or to a new city, and so we kind of want to settle in and have stability, especially for when the baby comes. So ideally, it would be nice to stay here for three to five years.
If we were to move out of Morocco, we would probably move to a different country altogether. But I don't know that we want to necessarily return to the US permanently. Not yet, at least.
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Anyway, I personally think that the less shallow folks out here may contemplate calling things “quits” or they at least distance themselves a bit from their partner (and what I’m referring to is serious relationships) due to all of the stress and strain that oftentimes comes with the holidays whether it be financial, familial, due to their tight schedules or something else.
Listen, I would hate for you and your man to miss the fun and happiness of experiencing this time of year, all because you are so overwhelmed or irritated that you can’t really enjoy it. That’s why I have a few practical tips for how to avoid allowing the typical holiday season stress from INFECTING your relationship.
Manage Your Expectations
GiphyUnmanaged expectations. If there is a main reason why the holiday season tends to be so stress-filled for so many people, I’d bet good money that this is the cause. And when you’re in a long-term relationship, expectations can manifest themselves in all sorts of cryptic and/or unexpected ways. You might have relatives who assume that you are going to be with them for Thanksgiving or Christmas when you have other plans in mind. You might be thinking that you are going to spend one amount for presents while your man is thinking something totally different. When it comes to scheduling, your signals may be crossed.
And you know what? To all of these scenarios, this is where clear and consistent communication come in. Don’t assume anything. Don’t dictate anything either. From now until New Year’s, mutually decide to check in once a week, just to make sure that you are both on the same page as it relates to the holidays and what you both are thinking will come along with it. The less blindsided you both feel, the less stressed out you will be. Trust me on this.
Set (and Keep) a Budget
GiphyOkay, so I read that last year, 36 percent of Americans incurred some type of holiday-related debt. Hmph. Last year, there was still some sense of normalcy in this country, chile, so I can only imagine what finances are gonna look like over the next several weeks. That said, since I don’t know a lot of people who don’t find being broke stressful, make sure that you and your bae set a budget and then stick to it this year — no ifs, ands or buts.
Because really, y’all — it doesn’t make sense to deplete savings and/or max out credit cards for a few days of giggles only to be damn near losing your mind because you don’t know how to make ends meet come Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
And by the way, this tip doesn’t just speak to things like food and gifts; I also mean travel. If it doesn’t make a ton of sense (or cents) to be all over the place this year — DON’T BE.
Keep Matthew 5:37 at the Forefront
GiphyIf off the top of your head, you don’t know what Matthew 5:37 says, no worries, here ya go: “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” That verse right there? Oh, it’s a boundaries lifesaver! I say that because do you see “maybe” or “I’ll think about it” in there? Nope. LOL. It says that you should tell people “yes” or “no” and leave it at that — and that complements Anne Lamott’s quote, “’No’ is a complete sentence” impeccably well. Yeah, you’ve got to remember that anything beyond a yes or no to a request is privileged information; you don’t owe anyone details or an explanation.
Besides, if you are really honest with yourself, when someone asks you something and you give a “Umm, let me think about it” kind of reply, more times than not, you already know what your answer is going to be — so why not let you both off of the hook? Give your response. Commit to that. And let everyone (including yourself) get on with their lives and schedules.
I promise you that when it comes to those holiday parties, you are pissing more folks off by not RSVP’ing or doing so and not showing up than just saying, “Thank you but not this year” off the rip.
Remember That Your Personal Space Is Privilege Not a Right
GiphyA friend of mine recently bought a new house and invited me over to come see it. He’s a single man with no children, so as I was taking in all of the space that he had, especially as I walked through his finished basement, I joked about relatives coming to live with him. “Hell no” and “absolutely not” were pretty much his immediate responses as he went on to say that some folks even had the nerve to be offended when he told them that he had no intentions on taking DNA in.
Ain’t it wild how people think that your stuff is their right? And yes, that brings me to my next point. Your home is your sanctuary space. If you want to host folks this year — cool. If not, ALSO COOL. Please don’t let folks (family included) guilt you into how they want you to act or even into what they would do if the shoe was on the other foot. You are not them — and as one of my favorite quotes states, “If two people were exactly alike, one of them would be unnecessary.” (A man by the name Larry Dixon said that.)
Hell, my friends? They know that I am good for sending them random things that they need or even want all throughout the year. Coming over to hang out at my pace, though. Uh-uh. Chalk it up to being a card-carrying member of the ambivert club yet I like keeping my living space personal — and I sleep like a baby, each and every night, for feeling that way.
Always remember that your space, your time, your resources, your energy and shoot, yourself period (including your relationship), are all things that are your own. You get to choose how, when and why you want to share them. The holiday season is certainly no exception.
Cultivate Some “You Two Only” Traditions
GiphyIt’s not uncommon for some couples to hit me up after the holiday season to “detox.” Sometimes it’s due to the financial drama (and sometimes trauma) that they experienced. Sometimes it’s because they allowed their relatives (especially in-laws) to get more into their personal business than they should’ve. More than anything, though, it tends to be because they didn’t get enough quality time together and so ended up feeling “disconnected.”
Please don’t let that happen. Listen, I’m not even a holidays kind of woman and yet, I will absolutely sit myself down with some hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies to enjoy a Hallmark holiday film or two. Aside from the fact that most of them are lighthearted and sweet, I also like that they usually focus on couples loving on each other amidst all of the holiday beauty and ambiance — which is something that all couples should set aside some time to do.
Maybe it’s a vacation. Maybe it’s a staycation. Or maybe it’s my personal favorite, A SEXCATION. Whether it’s for a few days, the weekend or even overnight — don’t you let the holidays go by without setting aside time for you and your man to celebrate one another. Don’t you dare (check out “Are You Ready To Have Some Very Merry 'Christmas Sex'?”).
GET. SOME. REST.
GiphyI once read that 8 out of 10 people get stressed out over the holidays and 3 out of 10 lose sleep during to it — and when you’re stress-filled and sleep-deprived, that can absolutely lead to hypersensitivity, making mountains out of molehills and even not being in the mood for sex.
Your relationship can’t afford to go through any of this, so definitely make sure to prioritize rest. I don’t care how unrealistic it might seem during this time, sleep should never be seen as a luxury; it will always and forever be a great necessity.
That said, try to get no less than six hours of shut-eye in (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”) and even ask your bae to take a nap with you sometimes (check out “Wanna Have Some Next-Level Sex? Take A Nap, Sis.”). Not only will sleep help to restore your mind, body and spirit but, when it’s with your partner, it’s an act of intimacy that can make you both feel super connected, even in the midst of what might feel like chaos.
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Holiday season stress is real. Still, never give it the permission or power to throw your relationship off. Put you and your man first and let the holidays be what they are gonna be, chile.
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And so, since this is the time of year when catching a cold (and/or the flu) is common, let’s talk about the impact that sleep (and again, a lack thereof) has on your immune system. That way, you can remain as healthy as possible during the fall and winter seasons.
1. Less Sleep Means More Colds
GiphyLike I stated in the intro, I’m pretty sure you’ve heard somewhere that the fall and winter are the seasons when people are most susceptible to catching a cold or coming down with the flu. And that’s exactly why I thought I would start this all off by sharing the fact that some studies reveal that if you get less than six hours of sleep, on a consistent basis, you end up making yourself more vulnerable to coming down with both. In fact, some research says that only 18 percent of people who get six-plus hours of rest caught a cold while almost 40 percent who got less than that did.
The logic behind it all is sleep gives your body time to build up the proteins and cells (like cytokines and T-cells) that you need to fight off certain viruses. So, if nothing bothers you more than having a stuffy nose or stubborn cough when it’s cold outside, getting more sleep is one way to prevent that from happening to you.
2. Less Sleep Means More Allergy Symptoms
GiphyAt the end of the day, an allergy is basically what transpires whenever your immune system “overreacts” to something that other people’s systems do not. And since sleep is what helps to keep your immune system nice and strong — well, I’m sure you get how less allergy-related symptoms and more sleep go hand in hand. Also, since sleep helps to decrease bodily inflammation (more on that in a bit) and inflammation can also intensify allergy symptoms, that’s just one more reason to get as much shut-eye as possible.
3. Less Sleep Means Potential Diabetes and Heart Disease
GiphyDid you know that in 2024, Black women were diagnosed with diabetes 24 percent more than any other adult demographic. Also, it continues to be a reality that heart disease is the leading cause of death for Black women. These two sobering statistics alone should be enough of an incentive to do whatever you can to keep the risk of diabetes and heart disease way down.
One way to do that is by getting more sleep. Aside from the fact that sleep strengthens your immune system to where it is easier for you to fight off illness and diseases, sleep can keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy space; plus, when it comes to your heart, it gives it, along with your arteries and blood vessels a break.
4. Less Sleep Means Less Time for Your Body to Push “Reset”
GiphyIf you really stopped to consider all that your body goes through during the day (you can read some about that here), you definitely would respect it enough to do your best to thank it by giving it no less than six hours of sleep, each and every night. Sleep is what helps to slow your brain and body down so they are able to “refuel” for the next day. After all, how can your body prevent you from getting sick if your immune system is too worn out to fight ailments off? Exactly.
5. More Sleep Helps You to Fight Off Infections
GiphySpeaking of, in order for your body to fight off infections, there are certain cells and antibodies within you that need to be healthy and strong — one way that they get and stay that way is by you getting a good amount of sleep. For instance, remember when I touched on cytokines earlier? Well, the same way that they help to prevent colds, they also help to prevent infections too. And since sleep lowers your cortisol (stress) levels, rest gives your body the time and space to build up an army that can fight off free radicals and other health-related challenges while you are awake.
6. More Sleep Lowers Bodily Inflammation
GiphyWhenever a health-related issue is mentioned on this platform, inflammation is something that is mentioned quite a bit. Probably the easiest way to explain inflammation is it’s how your body responds/reacts whenever something is happening to your body that shouldn’t be, whether it’s an illness, an injury, a germ or something that you may be allergic to.
If you happen to have chronic inflammation, some symptoms that are associated with that include fatigue, stiff joints, skin rashes, weight gain and moodiness.
The interesting thing about all of this is if you aren’t getting enough rest, you could be triggering inflammation in your body. That’s because studies reveal that a lack of sleep can elevate molecules that are associated with inflammation. So, if you don’t want inflammation to increase within your system, you should definitely catch more zzz’s.
7. More Sleep Regulates Hormones
GiphyWhen it comes to hormones like serotonin, estrogen and cortisol, believe it or not, they play a role in how your immune system acts and overreacts. That’s because, if your hormones are out of balance, that can cause your immune system to work harder than it actually should and that can make you more vulnerable to sickness. One way to keep your hormones leveled out? SLEEP.
That’s because sleep gives your body the opportunity to rest, repair and restore your hormone levels. On the other hand, when you are sleep deprived, that can put/keep your hormones on the ultimate roller coaster ride. #notgood
8. More Sleep Strengthens Vaccines
flu shot GIF - Find & Share on GIPHYGiphyIf you’re someone who is good for getting some sort of vaccine around this time of the year, make sure that you rest up before and after getting your shots. Not only does adequate rest before a vaccination help your immune system to be better receptive to your shots but sleep also helps your body to build up enough antibodies to make your vaccinations effective after getting them. Because if you’re gonna get pricked, shouldn’t it be worth it? My thoughts exactly.
Get some freakin’ sleep! Your immune system depends on it.
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