Moroccan the Boat! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Going to Morocco was invaluable to me. I knew I wanted to be in a lesser developed country and that I wanted to advance my Arabic skills, but never did I dream to learn this much about these topics and even more! I have found out what field I’d like to pursue in my life and I discovered, surprisingly, that I love to research. That said, I did not only learn a lot about things that have to deal with my major but also about myself.

On-site administration of your program

Abdelhay and the staff at CCCL are wonderful! They were just so genuinely interested in making this the best trip of our lives. Everyone from the directors to the teacher to even the librarian wanted to make sure we were having a good time and would be on their toes at all times. Nawal, our main supervisor, was PHENOMENAL. She helped with missing luggage, vomiting after food poisoning, and even picking out a good place to run along the beach. My only complaint is how SIT handles health emergencies. While I was fortunate enough to not need to go to a hospital after the program-wide food poisoning incident, some of my peers did and said it was extremely difficult to get any care if you didn't have cash on you. While this is unfortunately a hospital policy that students simply cannot change, I would prefer that SIT and CCCL formed a joint agreement on some type of "emergency cash fund" in case something like this happens in the future.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I LOVED MY HOST FAMILY!!! I am still regularly in touch with them via Facebook. I had two host sisters that were close to my age and they taught me how to surf, how NOT to be harassed by guys, what you REALLY should be paying for those pair of shoes, etc. It was awesome to just be at home with them and watch TV (mostly reality MTV shows) and relax.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

SIT makes sure that you see all you can see. To see is to believe -- and I am confident that they hold up to that expectation. One day, we got an email saying that there was a theatre performance downtown that evening and student tickets were nicely discounted. A group of our friends and I went to watch this Moroccan drama in a language we barely understand (sprinkled with some French) amongst Moroccan college kids and fancy people in nice gowns. It was phenomenal. I've been to Broadway, but going to a show in Morocco is just an experience in itself. Mingling with people in cafes is always charming. They are so interested to know what Americans think about Morocco. One girl in my program actually took that experience and made it into an entire research project. Because Moroccans are such a warm culture, it was easy to get involved and throw yourself in the middle of it all.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

We had a nice orientation to staying healthy and safe in Morocco within the first two days we were there. A lot of things were common sense, and a lot of them were culture-specific. As I've already mentioned, I wish SIT and CCCL could team up and create an emergency medical fund.

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

I practiced Arabic with my host family and spoke whatever French I knew the rest of the time. Although French was not taught through SIT, I quickly picked it up because everyone in Morocco will speak French to you -- whether you know it or not. If you look anything like a tourist, they will speak in French. I'm glad I learned it!

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