Program Reviews

My experience with MCAS was phenomenal. I cannot express how incredible the MCAS staff (Ikbal, Jihane, and Ali) are. I studied French, Islam, and Moroccan culture with a group of students from Loyola Marymount University in order to educate myself as well as foster an ability to communicate with locals and refugees at Orient-Occident. The MCAS staff has become a second family and I can't wait for an opportunity to return to Rabat!

I came to MCAS with my a small group from Loyola Marymount University to learn about Moroccan culture and immerse ourselves in the local communities. Our French, Islam and Moroccan culture classes taught by the lovely Ikbal really enhanced our ability to communicate with locals and refugees in the community. Ali and Jihane were also incredibly helpful in coordinating our schedules, daily activities, and living accommodations. I definitely recommend this program if you're looking for a kind, informative, personal introduction to Moroccan culture and the beautiful city of Rabat. I truly feel like the people we met while staying with MCAS have become my new Moroccan family and can't wait to come back!

At MCAS, I studied French and Moroccan Arabic in order to better communicate with the local community. The MCAS staff was incredible in providing several resources for my group and I to learn about Islam, refugee rights, and women's empowerment. Overall, I am very satisfied with my experience at MCAS. They went out of their way to be hospitable and truly support my groups purpose of learning in Morocco!

TRANSLATION:

I've been to MCAS for 6 weeks to study Arabic (MSA) and am very grateful for the experience I've been able to do, with three points I'd like to highlight in the following:

- First there is the completely different culture, which is a true gift to experience and with which one comes as a mere tourist not even in the approach in touch. Rabat appealed to me most from all the visited cities in Morocco, mainly because of its authenticity, its diversity and the lack of mass tourism.

- Then the Arabic lesson: Since there are not many people coming here in November / December, I was alone in my class, making huge progress in the language. I loved the lessons at Abdu Salam and I'm excited about him as a teacher: he's very structured and disciplined, and he teaches you a great deal of grammar and general language skills; where he is extremely well prepared and a strong challenge. Mind you - but the language does not learn in the classroom, but especially at home when repeating. Thanks Abdu Salam !!

- Ali himself (the director of MCAS) is a person to enjoy: He receives you with full cordiality, makes you laugh and helps wherever he can. The strength of this school is in my opinion v.a. in him and her small size.

I can recommend them to any nice person (so that even Ali and Morocco only like to welcome lovely people!). Thank you 1000x !!!

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

Ich war 6 Wochen bei MCAS, um Arabisch (MSA) zu lernen und bin überaus dankbar für die Erfahrungen, die ich machen durfte, wobei ich nun im Folgenden drei Punkte besonders hervorheben möchte:

- Zuerst wäre da die vollends unterschiedliche Kultur, die zu erleben ein wahres Geschenk ist und mit welcher man als bloßer Tourist nicht mal auch nur im Ansatz in Berührung kommt. Rabat hat mir hierbei von allen besuchten Städten in Marokko am besten gefallen, vor allem wegen seiner Authentizität, seiner Vielfalt und des fehlenden Massentourismus.

- Dann der Arabischunterricht: Da im November/Dezember nicht viele Leute hierher kommen, war ich alleine in meiner Klasse und konnte dadurch riesige Fortschritte in der Sprache machen. Ich habe die Lektionen bei Abdu Salam geliebt und bin begeistert vom ihm als Lehrer: Er ist enorm strukturiert und diszipliniert und bringt einem in Kurzem eine grosse Menge an Grammatik und generellem Sprachverständnis bei; wobei er extrem gut vorbereitet ist und einem stark herausfordert. Wohlgemerkt- die Sprache lernt sich aber nicht im Unterricht, sondern vor allem auch zu Hause beim Repetieren. Danke Abdu Salam!!

- Ali selbst (der Direktor von MCAS) ist eine Person zum Gernhaben: Er empfängt einen mit voller Herzlichkeit, bringt einen zum Lachen und hilft, wo er kann. Die Stärke dieser Schule liegt meiner Ansicht nach v.a. in ihm und ihrer geringen Grösse.
Ich kann sie jeder netten Person weiterempfehlen (sodass auch Ali und Marokko nur liebenswürdige Personen empfangen mögen!).
Danke 1000x!!!

I love MCAS. I am a Fulbright researcher and take Moroccan Arabic and French courses here. My experience has been great, mostly because of my teacher, Jihane. She went out of her way to prepare material that I was interested in, while also challenging me to learn how to express complex ideas in a new language.

MCAS staff are very accommodating and they really cater to the desires of their students. Additionally, they also make you feel like a family and they are willing to help with anything you need while in Morocco-whether it's emotional support or buying new blankets for when it's cold, or trying to understand Moroccan cultural differences.

I studied Arabic for a year at my university KULeuven in Belgium and wanted to further enhance my knowledge and abilities of Arabic during the summer. Browsing Google I found Moroccan Center for Arabic Studies (MCAS) in Rabat. The Arabic programs looked good and since Morocco is not that far by plane from Belgium I decided to enroll myself in one of the language programs at MCAS. In the one month I stayed in Rabat my knowledge of the Arabic language grew extensively. I speak and write more fluently and can now understand more complex conversations and texts. Furthermore I got to know a lot of awesome people to live and study with. Being at MCAS also gives you the opportunity to travel throughout Morocco with your classmates. Everything at the centre and in the house I stayed was taken care of by the great staff. I had a wonderful time and it was cultural and personal experience I will never forget. Greetings from the city of Leuven, Belgium.

I've just spent five weeks volunteering in Rabat, Morocco through MCAS and I can honestly say it's been one of the best experiences I've ever had!! From the minute I stepped out of airport I had people looking out for me and making sure I felt safe and comfortable. The kindness of the Moroccan people was something I continued to see and will never forget. I stayed with a host family coordinated through the program and they instantly made me feel at home, welcoming me as one of their own. The next day I met up with Jihane and Ali, the program coordinator and director. They were so friendly and answered all of my questions and concerns, and they gave us a great orientation to Rabat and Morocco in general. The next day I began work at the Lalla Meryem Center. Volunteering here was something I can barely describe with words. The children are all so unique and beautiful, and the workers are some of the most incredible people I've ever met. It was a fantastic place to volunteer. In addition to work, I was able to travel around Morocco on the weekends. I visited Merrekech and Mezrouga( the Sahara Desert), Chefchaouan (the blue city), and Asilah. Each of these places was fascinating and beautiful in its own way, and with these travels I was able to see a lot of the different sceneries that Morocco has to offer. I traveled with friends I've made through the program, amazing people who came to Morocco with open minds and a desire to adventure. Overall, this was one of the best summers of my life, and I will never forget the experiences I've had in Morocco. I have MCAS to thank for all of the opportunities to grow and learn, and the friendships to cherish. I would highly recommend this program to anybody, thank you MCAS!!!!

My experience here in Morocco has been a monumental one. I was a beginner Arabic student and I felt that my knowledge of the language has increased significantly even though I was here for 6 weeks. MCAS provided me an unbelievable social, cultural, and academic experience. Ali provided us comfortable housing, amazing home-cooked meals, and a reliable staff. I plan to return to Morocco as it provided me with evening ever wanted in a program and more

A summer spent in Morocco is the best decision I've ever made - and MCAS made it that much better. The staff at MCAS were incredibly supportive, and gave me the freedom to mold my own summer experience. Through my internship, I was able to meet amazing people and learn about local and national issues on a first-hand basis. I learned so much about not just myself, but about an entirely new place that now holds a special, irreplaceable part in my heart. I will be back again soon!

The bewildering, breathe-taking moments that has happened on the Sam Houston State University 2017 Summer Semester II Study Abroad Group was undeniably phenomenal. Upon arrival we were immediately welcomed with love and care by Jihane and Ali. Whilst attending this memorable experience at the Moroccan Center for Arabic Studies Program, I personally got the chance to understand the Arabic language in a more intense setting. I am a student at SHSU on my third year Majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic) and I would completely and utterly recommend this Program to anyone from all levels of Arabic. Whether extremely advanced, intermediate, beginner, or 0% knowledge of the Arabic language completely starting from scratch, studying Arabic with this program is a choice one must make in order to drastically excel one's comprehension and understanding of Arabic. Ali and his staff are unconditionally committed to teaching Arabic as a foreign language as well as providing a truly unprecedented Moroccan cultural experience with a completely and utterly affordable price. Our groups flight ended up being 3 days later and Ali extended his hand for hospitality and let us stay in the Riad for the 3 days informing us that is was on him (free). This stands as proof that Ali and his staff are not all about the money. I cannot put into words how spectacular, respectable, competent, and prestigious the Study Abroad Program Ali is running and I hope to have future commendations with this Program as we already have me and another student coming back next year for sure. Most people think that if you haven't studied the basics for Arabic, you shouldn't come here first; however, this is wrong because having Siba as our teacher, within 2-3 days we could fluently get around and understand and ask for directions from the natives. If you are looking for procurable future endeavors, I would highly recommend attending this wonderful experience I would have rated it 15/10 if the website would have let me.