Literature, Politics, and Culture in Rabat

My experience in Rabat was incredible and intense from the beginning, partially because we were essentially experiencing a semester in the course of seven weeks. I had class every day--three classes a day. I chose to take literature, politics, and also had the required Moroccan Arabic course that every student too. I stayed in a host family and through them experienced every day life as well as the month of Ramadan.

My academic experience presented topics that I was familiar with (French literature and the politics of the Arab world) and turned my perceptions upside down. We explored everything from post-colonization sentiment to the concept of "being a stranger" in literature class and I wrote what I feel is the best essay I have written in some time (in English or French) in the politics class. Politics class also included a visit to the Moroccan Parliament following a unit on the Moroccan constitution.

My living situation helped my language skills immensely. I have studied French for eight years and Arabic for two years, and while almost everyone in my homestay spoke French, the one person who did not was the two year old granddaughter, who spoke the colloquial Arabic at essentially my level, allowing me easy communication and a great introduction to conversations.

The program administration felt more like camp counselors or family members than directors, which was excellent, as we were travelling with them for several weekends and were most always in the center.

My only problems with the program were that we were not informed of the medications and vaccinations recommended/required for the weeklong trop to Senegal, which resulted in panic on my mother's end and a very early morning trip to Casablanca--I am unsure if the Senegal trip will be offered in the future, but if so, do your research!

Additionally, it should be noted that since this is a summer course and is very intensive, the opportunities to interact with the local students will be limited. Perhaps the best way to meet Moroccans is through host siblings. However, I did become close with the other five students in the program and we explored the city together.

Altogether, a highly recommended program for both the cultural experiences and the enriching academics.