An Eye-Opening and Reflective experience

This experience was truly eye-opening and I am so grateful for it. The focus of the overall program was migration, however, it brought so much more to light politically, socially, and economically, allowing students to approach it from various lenses. The program is based in Rabat, allowing us to study within the walls of the Medina (the old city) and also experience life outside of the Medina. Our classes were lectured based, something I was not used to, coming from a smaller college with discussion based classes, however I appreciated having the opportunity to listen and learn from the perspectives of academics and organizations in Morocco. The lectures and themes of the week also led to excursions to different cities in Morocco such as Fez, Tangier, and Chefchaouen, but I will still admit Rabat was by far my favorite city. We also had a one week excursion to Amsterdam when learning about the Moroccan diaspora beyond Morocco. We covered so much in the first two months in classes, so when the Independent Study Project/Internship period arose, we were able to independently work on our chosen projects/sites. I also was not expecting to be able to speak so much Darija! My arabic class would definitely be one of the most engaging and fun classes I've ever taken in my whole college experience. I came in with no knowledge of Arabic, was extremely nervous to take the class, and left wanting to pursue it more! Finally, my host family experience is something I will forever cherish; even months after my return, I have stayed in communication with my host mother and sister almost every week and frequent video calls. This program is for the student that loves to take initiative, ask questions, and critically reflect.