• A couple moved from the US to Morocco for a better lifestyle and work-life balance.
• They work remotely, allowing them time to enjoy the country's late-night culture and leisure.
• They're expecting a baby, so they value Morocco's safety, healthcare, and family-oriented culture.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Arleevia and Ricoyo Lyles. The couple moved from the US to Tangier, Morocco, in November. Arleevia, 26, works in marketing, and Ricoyo, 40, works in finance. Both work remotely in jobs focused on the US, and they're expecting a baby in April. The couple posts on YouTube about their experience living abroad. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Ricoyo: After spending a few days here during our honeymoon, we fell in love with the culture, the people, and the food. I was joking with Arleevia when I asked her, "Hey, what do you think about moving to Morocco?" I didn't think I would get the response that I did. That sparked us going down the rabbit hole of "What if we actually moved here?"

Arleevia: We work remotely, so we thought it was feasible. We didn't own any property in the US. It was simply a conversation with my employer. They said, "As long as you get your work done." Ricoyo has his own financial firm that he had just started, so he's his own employer. So, for him, working remotely wasn't an issue. He works on US Central Standard Time. He works from about 4 p.m. until about 2 or 3 a.m., and he's up by 11 a.m. the next day.

Ricoyo: We were living in Nashville. We had been there for about three years, and then we relocated back to my hometown of Las Vegas right before moving to Morocco.

My biggest concern was, "Am I going to be falling asleep talking with clients?" But we've adjusted to it. It's almost turned into an evening-type position. It's funny because the culture here is kind of a late-night culture anyway. At night, there are still people in the cafés drinking coffee and going out to restaurants. My schedule almost fits with the vibe of the city.

Arleevia: We're still able to go out, explore the city, and hang out with friends in the afternoon if we want to. I work in the morning and often close out in the evening because I'm not on as many client calls as he is. We've been able to acclimate and socialize.

They have a healthy work-life balance here. Yes, they work very hard, but also they believe in leisure and rest. You see a lot of people out during the day — at cafés drinking tea together. A lot of men will be out, and they'll go back to work. Having that kind of influence has been very helpful for us to be like, "OK, we can take a break from work." We don't have to grind, grind, grind, like we did in the US.

Ricoyo: The priority of family feels like it's so much higher on the list. Even just seeing families out and about is a super-calming thing. We went to a park the other day, and we were thinking, "When was the last time we saw this many kids at a park?"

From the standpoint of raising a child here, that would be a great thing for our daughter.

From a safety and crime standpoint, it's a very low crime rate.

Arleevia: When it comes to gun violence, especially, we don't have to think about that. We just feel a lot safer.

Also, the healthcare is amazing. We had to find a gynecologist. We were not expecting it to be as amazing as it was. I've had the most thorough doctor experience of my life. In the US, my appointments for baby checkups would be five to 15 minutes, on average. Here, we spent 45 minutes to an hour with our doctor. She was so thorough, cared so much, and was deeply invested in answering every question I had.

Ricoyo: I was always conditioned that it doesn't get better than the US, that nowhere else has the luxuries that we have in the US. Yet in terms of the lifestyle, in Morocco the food quality, for example, seems so much better.

Arleevia: Even when it comes to customer service and how they treat people, it's with such respect and care — and they make sure that everybody feels supported. I feel like that comes through in people being able to take time away from work and spending time with their family.

Ricoyo: I set my own schedule, and sometimes Arleevia will be like, "Hey, babe, maybe don't book as many meetings today. Let's go and do something and explore a little bit." So, she kind of keeps me grounded. Otherwise, I'll work the day away.

There are other differences. For example, in terms of race, it's not something that you're thinking about as soon as you meet somebody. Here, they seem to think more in nationality, if anything. They're thinking, "Are you from Senegal? Are you from the US?" Even then, many people seem to love other countries.

Going back to safety: As a Black man, that's something that I always had in the back of my mind. Being here, we don't have to think about that as much, if at all. It's been nice to just interact human-to-human and then try to connect with your experience versus the stereotype behind your skin color.

In the US, when a complete stranger approaches me, it's kind of like I'm on guard. But here, you just meet some of the most amazing people who take time out of their day. They'll be like, "Hey, let me show you something around here." I find myself having to lower my defenses. I will stop and spend time and talk to them and enjoy cups of tea.

When my friends ask me what it's like living here, I think of it as a one-sentence answer: "This reminds me of the good old days." It feels like time has really slowed down. You're really able to take time out of your day and — not to be cheesy — really smell the roses.

Arleevia: There's a heightened level of respect for people here, especially with me being pregnant. There's so much care around that. Men are like, "Hey, take a seat. I can help you with your luggage."

We see often — and this is something very different — if an older person is trying to cross the road, somebody that's much younger will come and assist them. They don't even know them from Adam, but they'll go and walk across the road to make sure that they get across safely. That's something that you see in old movies, but that's a common practice here.

Arleevia: We want to be here for several years because we've moved so much. It'd be ideal to stay for three to five years. Even if it's not in Tangier, we would be open to living in another country. We definitely see this as a long-term living abroad.

Not having a church has probably been the most difficult thing for us to get acclimated to. Morocco is a predominantly Muslim country. There are Christian churches around, but it's tough to find them.

Being away from family is obviously also hard. We miss them dearly. The language barrier has probably been the other tough thing. But outside that, it's been a very easy transition for us.

Ricoyo: The best things in life are often outside our comfort zone. People always talk about how it would be great to travel the world, to see other places, and to experience other cultures. This is making that a reality.