Reflection of a Semester

I have been home from my semester abroad for a little over two weeks, and as I look back over the time and reflect upon the good and the bad I find it hard to believe that such an amazing experience has already come to an end. Living abroad for an extended period of time is challenging and at times very difficult, but the lessons I learned, experiences I had, people I met, and adventure I was able to have made the time well worth the sacrifice.

I missed home, I am glad to be back. But Morocco will now always be a special place for me, and Al Akhawayn a sort of second home that I recall with fond memories. I always encourage students interested in studying abroad to go for it, it is well worth the temporary leave from home to learn and grow as a global citizen.

Morocco, a beautiful country of contrasts and rich culture, I hope to someday return.

The North and South, East and West

Morocco is a land of contrasts, and over spring break and the following weeks I truly got to experience the vastness of the country. Over spring break I had the opportunity to travel down to Marrakesh, the most popular tourist destination in Morocco. Couldn't well have traveled all the way to Morocco without visiting this city!

Close streets, a plethora of artisan wares, this city always seemed to be moving.

In stark contrast to Marrakesh was the second city I visited during spring break, Essaouira. This ocean side city had wide streets and a laid back attitude that was greatly enjoyed. A break in all the travel and study of my study abroad semester.

After returning to AUI and spending another week at school, I once again left the confines of the campus and exchanged the lush green mountains of the Middle Atlas for the rolling dunes of the Sahara.

That place is a dream, everything and beyond what I had hoped for.

Half In the Past

Today marks my departure from the United States two months ago. Two months, which places me at the middle point of my semester abroad. Two months of the academic semester are past, two are to come.

And as I look back upon all that has happened to me in the last two months, I am overwhelmed by all the experiences I've been able to have, all that I have learned, and all those who I have met! Looking back and remembering makes me eagerly look ahead to what more I will learn and discover while here in Morocco.

I have been able to see monkeys and camels in real life, hike in the gorgeous Middle Atlas mountains, travel to cities like Fez, Meknes, and Rabat as well as some smaller villages like Moulay Idriss and Azrou. I have ridden horses, strolled through Roman ruins, eaten on a boat restaurant, went skiing for the first time. I've been able to try new foods like tajine, harcha, and sfa. I've learned a new writing system and begun to the language to go with it. I have met so many people, from the states and Canada, Korea and Japan, and from all across Morocco. I have been engaged in classroom discussions and readings on complex social and gender issues. I have been able to participate in club and campus activities and experience a closely knit campus community.

Morocco is a diverse land, with a rich and  unique culture and gorgeous landscapes that are as diverse as its people. After two months I can confidently say that I would never change my decision to come to Morocco!

Ancient History

Anthropology as a discipline spans across anything that intersects with the study of humans. The four main disciplines outline this well; there is cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and archaeology.

My personal interested in the field of cultural anthropology is a major reason that led me to study abroad in Morocco. Cultural anthropology studies modern human cultures, and everything that falls into that realm. I find the study absolutely fascinating. How people interact, their traditions, customs, and lifestyles are all so unique and diverse and it is intriguing to me to study not just those outward differences but the whole breadth of human experience that can also include value and morality systems.

Having been blessed with the opportunity to study abroad in Belgium and Mexico I was keen to experience a new culture in Morocco.

And I certainly have been experiencing something new! Morocco is an an interesting intersection of cultures and its diverse people are reflective of that. Last weekend I had the opportunity to explore Moroccan culture and cultural history in a trip to the city of Meknes and the archaeological site of Volubilis.

Meknes was once the home of the Moroccan sultanate and its architecture reflects its past glory. Today the city is a bit more modest, but is still quite large compared to the surrounding towns. While in Meknes I was able to visit the Dar Jamai Museum and the Madarsa Bou Inania, both filled with history and examples of the rich culture of Morocco.

Dar Jamai Museum: Once the house of Moroccan nobility, the building now serves to house exquisite wood, metal, and fabric craft goods from Moroccan history as well as show off the past glory of Meknes.

Traditionally decorated room

Madarsa Bou Inani: A madarsa is an Islamic learning center, and this building used to house learners. It is certainly a great example of unique architecture.

Volubilis: An ancient Amazigh and Roman city, an extensive site with impressive stone architecture with massive columns and archways still intact.

Moulay Idriss: Smaller Moroccan town painted in an intriguing blue-white pattern and perched on a mountain overlooking the valley expanse below. We climbed the many stairs to an overlook of the city, and stood looking out across the buildings and the further landscape as the call to prayer rung through the valley.

Morocco possesses a rich culture and a complex history, and as I discover more I am more awed by the intricacies of this spectacular country. It certainly is a wonderful country to study anthropology!

Small Town, Large Town and All In-between

Last week was a busy one, classes are now in full swing and if that was not enough I decided to get off campus for a bit. I had been on campus for two full weeks, with occasional trips to Ifrane which hardly counts as really getting off campus.

So it was about time to explore a bit more of the surrounding region, small towns, large towns, and countryside included.

Middle Atlas Mountains

Wednesday I went with a few friends to the nearby towns of Ain Leuh and Azrou. I must admit, I felt very out of place in these small towns. The markets were packed with people, men and women in their traditional garbs and donkeys and horses all competing for the same space. These were certainly areas where foreigners were not often seen, and I felt I was so obviously not Moroccan.

View of Ain Leuh

The experience as a whole was a pleasant one. We ate an amazing lunch from a, quite literal, whole in the wall restaurant with barely enough space for seating. And from Azrou we bought delicious cookies and explored some of the small market place.

Sweets shop in Azrou

While I may not have belonged, I appreciate being given the opportunity to experience an honest view of small town Moroccan life. It was very different than the resort town of Ifrane, and certainly different than any other large tourist destination city.

On Saturday I was able to spend a bit more time in the countryside, partaking in a pastime that Ifrane is known for; skiing. I had never been skiing before, so this would certainly be an experience. And an experience it was, for skiing in Morocco is nothing like anywhere else. I went to Michlifen, a well-known slope.

Now, as I said, I have never been skiing before. But I know if I ever go skiing in the U.S., my experience will be drastically different than the one in Morocco. To gear up I was taken to a stall full of skiing equipment and was fitted with boots and skis that were in no way matching. Nothing matched. But they worked! And that's the important part. Then my friends and I were taken to a bunny hill to be taught how to ski. Though our instructor spoke no English, and just a bit of French, I somehow managed to learn to ski and did not fall once for which I can be proud. Even got two thumbs up from my instructor!

So skiing in Africa? Didn't go too badly!

Then Sunday was Fez day.

Bab Boujeloud was my first introduction to Fez and would be my last sight before leaving. The blue gate was the entrance to a maze of a market place. The city was built on-top of itself, and in the alleys crisscrossing the city at times it seemed the sky far above was only a myth.

Bab Boujeloud

Within the market maze

My group was led through dark side alleys, and then up steep flights of stairs, to get a rooftop view of the tanneries. Large pools of dye spanned out before us, smelling strongly. These were old dye pools, a tradition kept alive at Fez.

We ate on a terrace, looking out over the city of Fez from above with the mosque and distant ruins on the hill acting as focal points in the vast sea of tan buildings.

Coffee and traditional cookies on a terrace

Fez is a mysterious city, circling back upon itself in a twist of alleys and side streets, and more than once we found ourselves somehow back at Bab Boujeloud. Perhaps I will return and attempt to discover more that Fez has hidden.

Welcome to AUI

Al Akhawayn University is situated on the fringe of the resort town of Ifrane. Ifrane is known for its ski slopes in winter, so around this time of year the town hosts many Moroccan tourists. It's a quaint town situated in the Middle Atlas and yes, it is cold.

Also returning this time of year, are the students.

I have been in Morocco for 2 weeks now, and it certainly has been an experience. I arrive January 10th in the Casablanca airport, where I would get two connecting trains from Casablanca to Fez, the city where representatives from the university would pick me up.

I quickly became grateful for my French knowledge. Morocco is a multi-lingual country, most Moroccans speak specific dialects, Arabic, French, and often English as well. For me, that was extremely useful. As a non-Arabic speaker, having a common language in which to converse with the Moroccans I interacted with during my trip was extremely helpful.

I arrived in Ifrane in the evening, and the following 4 days were filled with  orientation sessions informing us about Morocco and the university. There are about 40 other international students, most from the United States with a few from Japan, China, and Canada. All the students are very nice and we easily began to get along. After a lot of paperwork to get out Moroccan residency cards we entered the weekend and the fun activities they had planned before classes started.

(Campus week 1)

On Sunday I went on a hike organized by the university to a place called Hebri in the Middle Atlas Mountains. It was an absolutely gorgeous hike, up and down the mountain slopes and between the narrow valley passes and wide plateau expanses. We stumbled across men chopping wood in the forest with their pack donkeys and dogs. The student guides took us to see Fox Hole, a large hole in the earth that opened suddenly in the midst of the wide plateau. Down far below I spotted two of the foxes for which the hole was named.

(Beside Fox Hole)

After building a fire and roasting some marshmallows we headed back from the enchanting mountains to the University campus.

Orientation ended, classes began.

I am taking five classes, two anthropology, public speaking, and a French and Arabic course. I was excited for each one, and from the first introductory classes each sounds fascinating. For anthropology I am taking Gender and Islam, and Women, Society, and Politics. It is truly interesting to be able to take such courses in Morocco, with fellow classmates who were raised in a society, religion, and culture very different from my own.

The week was progressing smoothly, I was beginning to better understand the campus, how things worked, and was being introduced to my courses. On Thursday the snow began and did not stop until Sunday, and even then there were a few flurries. It was gorgeous to see the snow weighing heavy on the leaf clad branches of the campus trees. I have traded one cold place for another, though I had not suspected that one day I would witness snow in Africa.

(Campus week 2)

Road To Morocco

On Monday, January 9th 2017 I'll be boarding my plane at JFK to embark on the first leg of my trip to Al Akhawayn University, Morocco. This journey will include a plane ride, a train ride, and finally a car ride, and I'll eventually find myself in the Atlas Mountains in Africa.

But this journey will not have begun with that first step into the airport, it began much earlier when I was first considering studying abroad. I am a current undergraduate student at Bloomsburg University, pursing degrees in French and Anthropology as well as minors in Spanish, Latin American Studies, and Linguistics. As a student of culture and languages, it was a simple decision to study abroad. My previous study abroad took me to Mexico, to study the local market systems and Spanish. This time, I was interested in practicing my French abilities and experiencing a new culture.

Al Akhawayn appeared the perfect fit, with the rich culture of the country and the ability to practice my French skills and learn Arabic as well, and through Bloomsburg University the exchange was made simple. With the help of the Global Education department I was helped figure out cost of the exchange, scholarships I could apply for, and how credits would transfer.

And so, soon enough I'll be setting foot in the foreign country of Morocco, to tackle this semester abroad. I will continue to chronicle what I learn from these next months on this blog, so feel free to check in periodically to see what Morocco has in store for me!