Pre-Study Abroad Blog Post

Dear  Rollins,

It is with joy and anxiousness that I am writing my first blog post. As I sit in the airport in Amsterdam, waiting for my flight to Uganda, I can’t help but notice the days remaining until I arrive in Morocco for my study exchange program. As most of you don’t know, I will be studying abroad at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco.

My first blog post will be about my identity and how it shapes/influences my experience of the world. To begin with, I strongly believe my identity influences my experience of the world. In particular, my Christian faith is my foundation of how I perceive the world and how I interact with others. Outside my faith, my race is a big influence on how others interact with me. My race doesn’t have any effect on how I interact with others.

I am very interested to see if my identities result in different interactions in Uganda and Morocco. Both countries are similar in some aspects but very different in others. Two big differences are in the religious and ethnic majorities of each country. Whether in Uganda or Morocco,  I believe that any experience or interaction has occurred in the U.S already.

I am very excited about my stay in Morocco. Al Akhawayn University created a Facebook group for all incoming exchange students, so I have several different cultures to take account for when interacting with the other exchange students. While abroad, I plan to be very involved on campus and in the community. I enjoy learning about different societies. So Morocco is a great opportunity to get immersed in Arab culture. I think my identity doesn’t change my interaction with Moroccans any more than it does with Americans.

While in Morocco, I hope my identities don’t result in any different treatment than other ethnic groups. Researching on the internet gives varying experiences of people who identify with the same belief and race as I. Al Akhawayn University is a great institution that seems open to diversity. Regardless, I am looking forward to my stay in Morocco and being a part of the community at Al Akhawayn University.