Friday, September 26, 2014

"For those who have seen the Earth from space, and for the hundreds and perhaps thousands more who will, the experience most certainly changes your perspective. The things that we share in our world are far more valuable than those which divide us." -Donald Williams

Today is the one-month anniversary of me being in Morocco. As soon as I arrived I knew that I would have a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The past couple weeks have been nothing short of amazing. After some paperwork, I am now a Moroccan resident and that is pretty insane. I never would have expected to feel so at home here after only a month. I think that studying abroad is a great way to see a country because being a student here makes life a lot more normal. I live in the dorms, I attend classes, and campus life at AUI is not that different than Kent so the transition of being in a new country is less intense than if I was on my own. The classes I am taking here are drastically different than the classes I took at Kent. As a science major, I was taking Chemistry, Biology and Math courses galore, and here I am taking all Social Sciences. I am definitely out of my element, but discussing the connection between religion and politics, or studying gender in the Middle East while I am in Morocco, is such an amazing opportunity.

Yesterday was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Before flying to Morocco, I was not planning on celebrating the New Year, but there are actually two more Jewish International students here! The festivities started Wednesday evening by us attending an Interfaith ceremony where we talked about the High Holy Days and heard a Muslim Professor talk about Eid Kabir. We ate apples and honey, and lamb was served for Eid. I loved how we were able to share our faith and we were able to learn about Islam. It was such a wonderful experience for us all to get together to celebrate and share our stories. Yesterday, we got excused absences from our classes for the day and decided to run our own mini services. We walked down to a stream near campus and read some stories, said some of our favorite prayers, tossed bread into the stream, and talked about how we celebrate Rosh Hashanah at home, and how the past year went for us. Being able to celebrate this holiday, especially with my new friends in Morocco, was really special for me.

This weekend I am headed to the Sahara Desert and next weekend I am flying out of Morocco to..... Amsterdam! The adventures keep on coming, and even if I am not traveling during the weekend, spending time with my friends on campus is equally exciting. Forming friendships and meeting new people have been the main goals during the past month. Everyone here is open and interesting, and I am so happy to be surrounded by such great students. I am also happy to have found a few students that I immediately connected with. Meeting people from all around the world and sharing stories and experiences, as well as making new stories and experiencing new things together, is awesome.

Dakota, Kelsey, and me! 

Hiking near campus at the Source Vittel

We had to go into a rug shop in Fes.

The Medina in Fes! I am pretty sure Kelsey, Dakota, and I were the only group of International students that did not get lost.

Intricate patterns are everywhere here.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

“Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone.” ― Shannon L. Alder

This past weekend in Rabat was full of sunburns and laughter. I was able to get to know a great group of people and see more of Morocco.

At three o'clock on Friday eight of the exchange students met to take a taxi to Meknes to board the train to Rabat. The grand taxi ride was cramped and hot. Here, the "grand" taxis are sedan Mercedes, and somehow, they are expected to fit seven people total. Needless to say, the each group got pretty comfortable with each other for the hour long ride. We drove past vast expanses of sandy hills and fruit farms before reaching the crowded train station. For 65 dirhams, you could get a second class ticket, so we went with it. Little did we know, second class would be like a scene out of Slumdog Millionaire. We had to push our way onto the train as soon as the doors opened, and when we got onboard, there were no cabins open in our car, so we had split up and cross over makeshift bridges from one car to another to find seats. The cabins looked similar to the ones shown in Harry Potter. After getting situated, we all started to read our homework for the weekend. After about two hours, the four guys in the car with us three girls asked us if we wanted to be "Whatsapp friends", to which Kiki--the only person who knew more French than the simple "hello" and "how are you"--replied, "Americans don't make friends on trains". We arrived at the station soon after, and began our journey to the apartment we were renting. Traveling in large groups makes things very stressful when trying to find enough petit taxis. Each petit taxi holds three guests, so we had to get four cars, and since someone brought his surfboards, the taxi also had to accommodate the large piece of luggage. Fortunately, we were able to find taxis to take us to the apartment. Unfortunately, once they dropped us off, we realized we were lost. After enlisting the help of a couple shop owners, we were able to track down the number of the owners and find the place. For a while, I thought that we were not going to find our apartment and we would be homeless for the evening. Thank goodness that was not the case! The apartment was amazing, it was full of lavish Moroccan-themed decor, but also had a lot of Japanese artworks, which I thought was interesting. We were given tea and some pastries before heading to sleep. Thankfully, the apartment was large enough to accommodate the eleven people who ended up coming.

The next day, we were invited to go to the beach with the owners of the apartment. They had a daughter, who was 15, and two sons, ages 14 and 6. I was so happy to play with the six-year old at the beach so that brightened my day up as we all got into taxis. The beach was so cool. It was right near the Old Medina of Rabat, and was very clean. The surf shop where the 14-year old boy goes was able to store our bags in their office and invited us to jet ski and kayak with them. After playing in the sand, and swimming in the ocean, we found some cliffs and decided to cliff jump! It was crazy and I had pretty much two anxiety attacks before finally taking the plunge off the 30-foot cliff. Then, it was time to take the kayaks and jet skis out! That was so amazing, and the workers at the surf shop were so wonderful. We ran into a man snorkeling and trying to find octopi, and we ended up holding them! That was something I never thought I would do. After a while out in the ocean, we were starving and the family showed us the Old Medina and we got some lunch. Being a vegetarian can be difficult here, so I usually go for cheese pizza when traveling around. It's usually pretty good, and I do not have to be picky with my order.

After showering and putting lotion all over our ridiculous sunburns (even after putting on copious amounts of sunscreen at the beach), we got ready to go to dinner in the New Medina. We split up into groups of three for the taxis, and my group ended up getting dropped off at the wrong Dar Naji. After waiting for a while, we finally realized that we were in the wrong restaurant and tried to wave down a taxi. Finally we got to the right place. It is really important here to know basic French or Arabic. I am really trying to pick up the languages quickly! Dinner was delicious, and the atmosphere of the restaurant was great. We went to a bar afterwards and then played some card games in the apartment.

Sunday was the day of our departure. After a first class train ride home, the weekend came to a close. I am so thankful for getting to spend time with such great people this weekend and make memories that will last me forever!

Last week in class, a major theme was "Orientalism". I think it is important to say that Morocco is not some exotic and faraway place, full of veiled woman and controlling men. "Exotic" is just a mindset; it is vital to realize that aside from some cultural differences, people everywhere are not that different from yourself. Though I have been traveling with other exchange students, the people we have met in each city have been overwhelmingly nice and welcoming. Families here are usually close, and both the mothers and fathers are active participants in the child's upbringing. Women here have rights and freedom, and most men here are respectful. Being here is opening my eyes to the destructive stereotypes towards the Middle East stemming from colonialism from the West. If I strip off my "tourist goggles" and see Morocco for what it truly is, I am able to connect with the people and adapt to the lifestyle here. Judging other cultures by your own perpetuates stereotypes and if I did that, I would never be able to feel comfortable anywhere but in the house I grew up in.
This is the view from the street near our apartment! It was gorgeous to see every morning.

Jumping off the cliff! 


The beach was crowded, but so much fun.

Jet skiing! 
Exploring the rocks on the beach!

Monday, September 1, 2014

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley

Today is my last day before the academic semester begins at AUI. After four long days of orientation, I have learned more about Moroccan culture, academic policies at the University, dos and don'ts in Morocco, and I signed my residency papers!

I have been in total observation mode since I arrived here, and I have been noticing some really interesting things. For the most part, Moroccan students are just like American students. The society here is not that different than in America, except for a few parts. First off, there is an interesting law in Morocco stating that if a woman consents to be alone in a room (or car, etc) with a man, then anything that happens afterwards, is done with consent... even if the woman says "no". I am very thankful for learning about this, because in America, it is completely different. At school, however, the President and faculty that are part of a program called the No Violence Alliance (NoVA), are able to take action against sexual assault and violence in regards to "Date Rape", even if legally, the offender cannot be prosecuted. Al Akhawayn University is extremely safe and I feel so comfortable here. Morocco as a whole is also safe, but knowing the customs and laws is vital to creating a safer environment for foreigners.

Another difference is the fact that Morocco is a Muslim country. Many women in Islam are becoming more progressive and choosing what they want to do, and what they don't want to do within their religion. My roommate, for example, chooses not to wear a hijab. She told me that even though Muslim women are usually identified by wearing a head covering, a lot of girls are choosing not to wear one. Wearing a hijab is much more than just covering one's head. Many conservative rules are applied to a woman once she chooses to wear one. As a teenager or college student, it is less appealing to wear one because strict rules regarding interaction with the opposite sex apply, and some activities that teens and students take part in, like partying, will no longer be allowed.

I really appreciate the time my roommate takes out of her day to pray. She is Muslim and prays five times a day. At night, when we are both settling in for the evening, she takes out her prayer rug and prays for about five minutes. During this time, I reflect on my own day, and I use this time to center myself as well. It is a great way to end a long day. Even if I am not part of her faith, I use the time of silence to reflect and think.

I am surprised when I see what clothes people are wearing here, particularly females. When I was packing, I made sure to bring long skirts, dresses, and pants, as well as long-sleeved shirts and cardigans to cover up. In towns, the style is much more conservative, but on campus the girls wear crop tops, short shorts, low cut shirts and tank tops, as well as tight and revealing clothing. I only brought one pair of shorts, but I wish I brought more because the campus culture is much more like Kent than I anticipated.

I am so happy to have been given the opportunity to study abroad. I have noticed that the other international students have very similar personalities, because it takes a certain kind of person to study abroad... and choose Morocco. I am meeting so many amazing Moroccans and international students from all over the globe.

This weekend, the plan is to go to Rabat and surf! My IPhone actually broke three days ago--which is terrible in regards to staying in contact with my family, but awesome because I don't have my phone 24/7--so I will be getting it fixed in Rabat and a bunch of students are making a trip out of it! I will be learning how to surf as well as navigating through a new city! Wish me luck!