Morocco’s Modern Life

Within our abroad program we went on a group trip to Morocco.  We went through the Morocco Exchange Program, so we were able to stay with host families there and had a chance to talk to lots of different people.  We talked with a few college students at Darna a women’s center in Tanger.  Then we made our way to Rabat, but on the way we got to stop on a beach and ride camels!!  Yes, I got to ride a camel in Africa!  It was very cool, but I don’t think I could ride a camel for very long, it was not comfortable.

 Then we got to Rabat and met our host families.  They were so nice.  They didn’t know a lot of English, but enough so we could communicate.  Every time we would say simple words like yes or thank you they would say what it was in Arabic, so I learned a few new words.  The houses were very nice and felt very fancy.  They lived in the Medina, or older part of town, but also one of the wealthier areas.  The food was delicious, very flavorful and kind of spicey.  The best and most interesting part about eating though was the technique.  They use their fingers and pull apart bread and use that as the utensil.  But you are only supposed to use your right hand, because they use their left hand for hygienic purposes.  It was interesting but a lot of fun.  After supper the first night our host mom dressed us up in traditional cloths and took our pictures.  It was really neat and I felt very welcome in her home.  The whole family was so nice.

In Rabat we were able to see both the wealthier families and a few shanty towns, so we could see how much difference there is between people.  We also were able to talk to a few people from an organization that helps out children who can’t afford school or don’t have a place to live.  We also talked to them about stereotypes that the US has about Muslims and stereotypes that Arabs have about us.  It was really interesting and really nice to hear what people think, rather than only hear what media tells us.  We got to talk with a few other people too: a family who lives in a small village in the mountains and a couple of students who are studying English at the University.  That was my favorite part of the trip.  It was really fun to just hang out with people our age and talk and laugh.  I can now say that I have some Moroccan friends.  They were all so nice.

We finished the trip in Chefchaouen, a village in the mountains.  It was so pretty.  It’s called the blue and white city because all of the buildings are painted blue and white.  It was really neat.  I am so glad that I was able to go to Morocco and get to experience lots of things that tourists wouldn’t be able to experience.  I never would have gone to Morocco on my own, so I am very thankful that we were able to go through the program.  On this trip I learned that people are all people wherever you go.  We may look a little different or speak a different language but we all are humans and have families and stories to share with the world.