Kul Shi Muzein - A Semester in Morocco Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

On-site administration of your program

The CCCL staff, particularly the program assistants, were excellent! They made themselves available at all times and were ready to help you with anything, be it translation or a making a doctor's appointment or changing your living situation.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I loved my homestay family, and found them to be welcoming and caring without being overbearing. That being said, not everyone on my program had the same experience. However, those who did have problems were able to move with relative ease and the support of the program faculty.

Moroccan food is great, just be prepared for bread and sugary foods in excess. There's a lot of fresh fruit, but vegetables were almost always cooked. Few places in Morocco serve pork products, but there are plenty of chicken, beef, or seafood dishes.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt integrated with the local culture by virtue of living with a Moroccan family in the old medina. Of course, it's what you make of it -- its easy to stay in your bubble of American friends, but there are plenty of opportunities to develop friendships with Moroccans, especially if you have homestay siblings who are close to you in age.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The program coordinators are good about making appointments with English-speaking doctors if you tell them you need one, but when I went to the doctor (for a sinus infection), I had some trouble communicating with the secretary, who didn't speak English. Moreover, you will be waiting for 2-3 hours (not that different than America....) for your appointment. I was able to take the prescriptions my doctor gave me to a pharmacy and have them filled with relative ease.

The city on the whole is safe, but street harassment is very much a problem, particularly for women and people on the LGBTQ spectrum. Racism is also present in Morocco, especially in cities like Fes. It's important to be aware of your surroundings, especially if you are alone or out at night. Know that there are people around who will help you if you need it. Additionally, something like 17 people a week die in traffic-related accidents in Morocco. Be careful when crossing the street (you don't have right-of-way) and of whose car you get in to.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Morocco is an incredibly accessible country for those on a student's budget. The current exchange rate is around 10 Dh = 1 USD, and prices follow accordingly. For example, a train ticket to Tangier (a 4.5 hour ride) is around 150 Dh. While flights to Morocco are expensive, once you're there, the country is very cheap.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

We were encourage to use our Arabic skills both in our language classes, where we would take weekly field trips to cafes or squares to talk to Moroccans about a certain topic, and in our thematic courses, where we had weekly fieldwork exercises.

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• Host Family

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans

• Excursions
• ISP

• Length of ISP
• Length of northern excursion
• Some guest lecturers were sub-par

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