On the edge of the Sahara desert trekking into the desert on camels
Why did you decide to apply for an international program?
I wanted an experience I couldn't get from an American university: the opportunity to experience a foreign culture by experiencing it daily and living it for four months.
I chose IES Abroad Rabat because the courses available lined up with my majors and minors perfectly. I was able to take literature classes for my English major, international relations courses for my international studies major, and Arabic courses for my Arabic minor. I was even able to take weekend trips to northern Morocco to practice speaking Spanish for my Spanish minor. IES Abroad Rabat also offers to help participants find internships and volunteer opportunities, which I really appreciated.
My favorite part of the location of Rabat, Morocco was its proximity to Europe, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Its closeness to each region made weekend trips easy, and its location in the middle of these three regions had a really beautiful effect on the Moroccan culture, which was a unique blend of African, Middle Eastern, and European cultures.
Compared to the other programs that were located in Morocco who only offered internships for year-long students (if they offered them at all), IES Abroad offered internship opportunities to single-semester students. The opportunity to have an international internship without studying abroad for a full year was the deciding factor in my decision to study abroad with IES Abroad.
Dinner in my host family's home
The local IES Abroad staff were always available to help with whatever my fellow students or I needed, a problem with a host family member (which very rarely happened), adjustment to living in North Africa, explaining cultural differences, or suggesting the best place to go to buy djalabas (traditional clothing) and get a chicken shawarma.
I wish I would have spent more weekends with my host family; I travelled almost every weekend to various other cities in Morocco instead. They were all gorgeous and unique, and I enjoyed every experience, but they were things I could have done after the program ended or even the next time I visited Morocco. Cities will always be there, but the opportunity to experience and enjoy day-to-day life with a family I had become part of is not something I can always return to later. My host sister is planning to move to Dubai in a few years, and my host parents are becoming old.
On weekdays, I woke up to a traditional Moroccan breakfast (lots of bread and cheese) and walked to school through the suq (Arabian market). My school day always started off with an hour and a half of Arabic language class, with history, religion, and literature to follow, depending on the day. My host-mom packed me lunch everyday, and I usually ate with my friends from the program in a tent on the roof of the IES Abroad Center, overlooking the Egyptian Embassy and downtown Rabat.
After my afternoon classes, I usually went to the beach or to a cafe with other IES Abroad students to do some homework or talk, came home for dinner around 9:00 p.m., and then went for a walk through the medina (old city) with my host sister.
My favorite activities were the weekend trips. Almost every weekend, a few friends from my program and I would find a cheap Airbnb and take a train or bus to another city in Morocco. We travelled to Tangier, Essaouira, Dakhla (in Western Sahara), Merzouga (in the Sahara desert), and even Granada, Spain for a weekend. We would spend the weekends exploring the medinas (old cities/neighborhoods) and suqs (markets), and would return with pictures and sometimes small gifts for our host families. We explored the country one weekend at a time.
Weekend trip to Chefchaouen (the Blue City) in Morocco
During my months abroad, I lived in a homestay with my 18-year-old host sister and her parents. I lived in the only bedroom in the house, but spent most of my time in the living room or kitchen, talking with my sister and cousins, learning how to make miloui (traditional Moroccan bread), or watching Turkish soap operas.
What I loved most about my homestay was that I got to be a part of familial Moroccan life on a daily basis, and was always treated as part of the family. I still talk to my host family regularly, and I still feel like a family member. These connections are arguably only possible in a homestay, they would be impossible if I had chosen a dorm or apartment.
Studying abroad in North Africa has made me profoundly appreciative of the freedoms I experience in America. The freedom to walk outside in shorts and a t-shirt if I want to, the freedom to express sexuality without fear of being literally beaten by the public, the ability to call the police if in an abusive relationship, the privilege of knowing where my taxes go, or being able to elect the leader of my country. I took all these freedoms for granted while living in the United States, and am incredibly grateful for them after my return.
Alexandra is a senior at the University of Iowa, where she is majoring in international studies and English and minoring in Arabic and Spanish. She spent last spring studying abroad in Rabat, Morocco, and exploring the rest of the country on the weekends. Though she is currently working odd jobs to pay for college and rent, she hopes to someday write about international issues for a newspaper or magazine.
Interviewed on - 1 August 2015
