When I arrived in Morocco, I wasn’t sure what I had gotten myself into. Why did I decide to move here for four months when I didn’t have to? Why didn’t I just stay put in Florida and finish my degree with the people I’ve gotten to know over the past four years? These are…
Category: Morocco: Al Akhawayn Univ
Pre-Study Abroad
After hearing about my plans to study abroad in Morocco, my family was quick to jump on the opportunity to explore the country with me before orientation. After a period of reflection, what I learned in one week traveling through a region known as “Forgotten Morocco” has been more beneficial and eye-opening than my pre-departure…
Final Thoughts: Morocco
It’s been a few weeks now since I left from my study abroad in Ifrane, Morocco. My time there was followed by a brief three days in London, England, before I returned home to Orlando. My first few days back in the United States felt a almost surreal- suddenly I no longer faced obstacles of…
Morocco: the Halfway Point
Currently, I’m three months into my studies at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane. I recently spent ten days in Italy for my spring break with two friends I’ve made at AUI, and we split our time between Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Turin. Up until this trip, all of my travels were domestic within Morocco,…
First Impressions of Morocco
I arrived in Ifrane, Morocco in January, and began the semester a little over a month ago. My routine involves attending classes, participating in campus activities, and completing the bulk of my schoolwork during the week so I can take advantage of my weekends to travel or get to know the town. I decided to…
Final Post
After a semester abroad, it’s a weird feeling being back home. For much of five months, I developed a routine and got accustomed to my surrounding. Now that I am back at Rollins, I no longer take a 15 minute walk to the best breakfast restaurant, which is run by women, in Ifrane. My favorite…
A Migrant Perspective
Earlier in this journey, I wrote about migrants and refugees in Morocco. This community has played a big role in my experiences in Morocco, and as I get to know more migrants and refugees in this part of the world, my perspective continues to evolve. One of my preconceptions about Morocco was that Moroccans didn’t…
Integrating into my community
Integrating into a community can be hard at the beginning but after awhile it becomes easier. In order for me to successfully integrate in Moroccan communities, it was important that I knew Morocco’s culture. Culture is a way of life of a particular people group. It determines what is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable,…
Working with Migrants
Hey! I hope all is well with you. Morocco has been a great experience. Learning a lot about the culture, the language, and the history of Morocco. Two months down, two more to go. I had many reasons to study in Morocco. One was the possibility to come to an African country. The other was to…
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…