For lack of a more inspiring answer: OMG, Fes! Past Review
By Karen V (Environmental Science and Public Policy, Harvard University) for
Arabic Language Institute / ALIF: Fez - Arabic Language Programs in Morocco
Now I want to live in Fes. Also, surprising as it might seem, I gained a lot of self-confidence while in Morocco because I never once felt judged or embarrassed of myself (outside of the classroom, that is).
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I really enjoyed my time at ALIF, and feel that the workload was, for the most part, level-appropriate. As described above, I did have some difficulty adjusting to the teaching system, but overall my experience was pretty great. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
ALIF was organized very well. Classes were a very manageable size, schedules were reasonable, and administrators were readily available. The housing coordinator was particularly efficient. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The homestay was the defining aspect of my abroad experience. My family was incredible. My roommate and I felt completely at ease with them, and were welcomed as family. We really gained a sense of community while there (even the neighbors and surrounding shopkeepers knew us), and created many meaningful relationships. It was such a pleasure spending time with our family that we often found it difficult to stay away long enough to do work. Our family was, of course, very understanding of our need to study and provided us with space and quiet as we needed it. My host family was located in the old medina, something that made such integration possible, and imbued my stay with more culture than would have been available in the Ville Nouvelle. This more than made up for the twice-daily commute to class. |
| * Food: |
The food was amazing. As a vegetarian, it was somewhat difficult to eat a large variety of meals, but those available to me were all great. My host family was happy to accommodate my diet, but Moroccan understanding of "vegetarian" is a bit different from that in the US (a meal was considered vegetarian even if it contained animal stock, or if the meat were removed upon serving). In terms of restaurants though, Fes has a lot of small restaurants and food stands that sell full meals. I would advise judging a restaurant by the number of locals eating at it (they usually tend to be cheaper and more authentic). |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Festival of Sacred Music in Fes (held annually, discounted price for ALIF students) Trip to the Sahara (organized by ALIF) |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
Be prepared to go into pharmacies for almost anything (like cough drops). As far as I could tell, nothing was prescription-only and nothing was over-the-counter in the sense that we mean it in the US (you have to ask the pharmacists for everything, but they'll give you whatever medication you ask for). Know your allergies ahead of time! They likely will not ask. A lot of the Americans I met got traveler's sickness. I was drinking the medina tap water throughout my entire stay and never once fell sick. I did, however, get food poisoning on a family outing to Ifrane (we bought fruit off the side of the road, and must not have rinsed it properly). Besides that though, I didn't have any health problems. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | While staying with my host family, I hardly spent any money. My only expenses were the petit taxi fare (~8 dH) and any food or items I wanted to buy in the market. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Bargaining is your friend. Know how much stuff is worth, and get a good price! My only regret was NOT buying enough things to bring home (I was very spending-conscious because of the length of my stay). Although very much on a student budget, the value of the things I did bring home is much greater to me now because of the memories associated with them. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Arabic Bb |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Unfortunately, by virtue of its location this program did not enable me to practice MSA as much as I would have hoped. However, I did learn quite a bit of colloquial Moroccan Arabic. Naturally, I wouldn't exchange the experience for the world, but I must admit that my MSA would likely have improved more in another country. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
