Why did you choose this program?
I chose to go to Morocco with Rustic Pathways because it seemed like a really different and interesting country. The culture was amazing, and there’s a ton of fun stuff we got to do. The food was great too. Since the limit on the number of students allowed for this program was rather low, it allowed everyone to really connect and become good friends. Probably the biggest reason for me was the service we got to do in a village near Marrakech, and I already really enjoyed helping people.
Really, everything about this program was great.
What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
Rustic Pathways gave me lists of everything I would need for the trip and contacts so any questions I had could be answered. They also scheduled flights to and from Morocco which was nice.
In my experience, they were always very helpful. The only things I really had to organize myself was everything I was packing and preparing however I needed to.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
A lot of people are nervous about traveling overseas, especially if it’s for the first time and with people they’ve never met. I felt the same way, and up until we actually arrived in Morocco I was still nervous about how the rest of the trip would be.
For someone who’s nervous, just know that you’ll connect with your group pretty fast and the time will fly by. You’ll have a lot more fun than you might expect.
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
You're always up and moving on this trip. There are activities planned for every day and they are all really fun. A couple of days are mainly just long bus rides to get to the next place, but even those are fun.
On any long bus rides, my group always figured out different games to play to pass the time. Some days involve a little more activity than others; for example, riding camels through the Sahara desert and camping for the night was a bit more eventful than the cooking class we did.
Almost every day on this trip was a fun day and one to remember.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
My biggest fear was traveling with people I had never met for the first time. I was always used to traveling with my family or friends so it was a big change that I wasn’t used to. I started to connect with the group really quickly, though, which honestly got rid of all the nervous feelings I had. I made some great friends and wish I could have stayed twice as long as I did.
What was your favorite experience from this trip?
While I loved the entire trip, the service project we worked on in a small village was my favorite part.
We worked on building an educational center and taught the local kids some English. The construction was hard work but it felt great to do, and connecting with the locals of the village was a great experience overall, the kids were eager to learn which was really cool.
We only stayed in the village for two days, but I could have stayed for a lot longer.
