Morocco: Land of Medinas, Tagine and adventure. Past Review
By liz r (International Relations and Affairs., Austin College) for
SIT Study Abroad: Morocco - Human Rights, Social Justice, and Cultural Transformation
Being in Morocco was the most incredible experience i could have had. I learned so many little things in life that you overlook when you're surrounded by comfort in the US. It was an amazing adventure that i wish i could live all over again.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academics were based heavily on seminars which i really enjoyed. They brought in different professors that were specialists on a certain topic and i really enjoyed that. It wasn't too different from the american education system so it was certainly easy to pick up. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program was pretty well organized except in the health department. When some of my classmates got sick, it was often a bit chaotic and not helpful however, that may be partly the fault of other factors in the country. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living with my host family was one of my favorite things about the program. My host family was incredibly sweet and welcoming and i had absolutely no problems with them at all. |
| * Food: |
The fruit stand at the end of Mohammed the 5! and all of the street food in the Rabat medina. Especially the eggplant sandwiches, meat and egg sandwiches, and mini donuts. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The northern and southern excursions were amazing. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Rabat was pretty safe except for the fact that if you are a woman, you will most likely get verbally harassed. However, it was always just words and nothing more ever happens. After a while, one gets used to it and its easy to simply ignore it. Other than that small issue, i always felt safe and at home. As far as health is concerned it was very common for students to get some sort of stomach sickness which would run its course in a few days and that was it. The program always assisted everybody who asked for help and although it did not help sometimes, it was nice to have the help of the program and staff. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make sure you don't buy anything before pricing around and learn how to bargain! its an incredibly valuable skill. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Arabic was used in everyday interactions. However, the Arabic we learned in class was different from the local dialect so sometimes it was a little difficult to practice the one we learned in class but using the local dialect was definitely easily picked up because it as so commonly used. In addition, French is spoken in morocco, so that was often used. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | It is of utmost importance to keep you mind open and your purse and pockets closed. Eat everything and plan on getting sick (but only for a bit!) Morocco will be the most fun you'll ever have. |
