Incredible Learning Experience in Morocco! Past Review
By Delaney (University of Oregon) - abroad from 01/31/2016 to 05/14/2016 with
SIT Study Abroad: Morocco - Human Rights, Social Justice, and Cultural Transformation
My semester in Morocco through SIT's Multiculturalism and Human Rights program was absolutely worthwhile, not only because of the engaging academics and fascinating subject matter, but also because of the invaluable cultural knowledge and personal growth I gained from living in Rabat and traveling Morocco.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The thematic seminars were awesome! Guest speakers were interesting and provided diverse perspective on aspects of Moroccan culture and history. Field assignments were engaging and allowed for many learning opportunities outside of the classroom. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
On-site staff are incredibly supportive and helpful with any issues, be them academic, personal, or health-related. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living with a host family was a highlight of the experience, though every students' families were very different, so some students were living with very nice amenities and others were with much lower income families. This is just something to be prepared for and aware of for future students! |
| * Food: |
Food during school days at the CCCL was really good, always balanced meals with protein, vegetables, and fruit, which was very important because I rarely got balanced meals with my host family. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Living with a host family in the old medina helped us to feel quite integrated, though I wish I had taken more opportunity to get to know more Moroccan university students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Administration did a great job of helping us all with our healthcare needs. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in Rabat, though it is always still important to be fully aware of your surroundings. There is a lot of street harrassment but I was never put in direct danger because of it and I learned to start to ignore it pretty quickly. |
| 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) |
Costs were very minimal. Food is quite inexpensive to buy in the souk orr grocery stores, though eating at restaurants is pretty expensive. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 10-20 dollars a week during the semester, 40 dollars a week during ISP |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
It was an Arabic Language intensive every morning for three hours, so we were learning quite a bit of Arabic and most students were able to practice at home with their families, the only difficulty being that we were learning standard Arabic, Fus'ha, but speaking Moroccan Arabic, darija, with host families and on the street. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | none |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Ask your host family to help you and practice with you! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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