Letter from Morocco

Study-abroad students fulfill their dream of riding a camel in the dunes.
Photo courtesy of Magida Bargach

When I shared with my two sisters that I planned to direct a new University of Virginia summer program in Morocco, they tried to dissuade me. They were concerned about the huge responsibility of taking students abroad, especially undergraduates, in an African, Muslim, underdeveloped country. But I persevered, and in 2002, nine students, of whom eight were from U.Va. and one from Georgetown University, participated in the first run of the program. Five years later, the program enrolled 24 students —18 U.Va. students as well as students from Vassar College, Davidson College, Clemson University, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Washington University and East Carolina University.

Of course, the decision to study in a challenging country like Morocco attracts courageous, curious and interesting young people. Every summer, I have received the most rewarding compliments about our students from the program faculty, professors from the Universities of Rabat and Kenitra, who teach on the program. The students’ behavior in their classes is exemplary, their maturity amazing, their academic level outstanding — despite the fact that sometimes they have a hard time adjusting to the teaching style of a new professor. I am proud of them and I feel that I not only direct an American academic study abroad program, but also a group of young, talented American ambassadors.

We visited the major cities of the country for 12 days of touring during the six-week program. During the three days of travel to Fes, Meknes and the Roman ruins of Volubilis, we traveled through Moroccan history. A five-day trip took us from Marrakech to the desert, where the students fulfilled their dream of riding a camel in the dunes. In the High Atlas Mountains the students spent a night with Berber families, humble people with a big heart. This was one of the students’ favorite experiences, to judge from their discussions during the nine hours on the bus from the desert to Rabat. On our last trip, the students discovered the Mediterranean coast of Morocco. Starting with Asilah, Tangier and Tetuan, they found a different palette of colors, other habits, other people. For a taste of modern mythology, we spent one day in Casablanca.

By the end of the summer program, the Moroccan authorities raised the security level to maximum alert. From people working in Moroccan homeland security, I learned that this was due to an incredible number of tourists visiting the country that summer. Taking more measures to ensure my peace of mind (such as doubling the security at their dorms and school), I was confident about their safety except … when they were surfing. The students discovered two activities on Rabat: belly dancing and surfing. I secretly went to spy and see the Surf Club six or seven of them joined. There, I discovered the same courage, the same hard work and the same exemplary behavior they showed in their classes, and I got the same rewarding compliment from their surfing instructor.

Building bridges between civilizations starts with studying abroad. What do the students learn? A Muslim North-African country like Morocco is a peaceful country where Americans are highly appreciated, even though the majority of Moroccans deplore U.S. foreign policy.

Further, Morocco is a country of contrasts. The students discover the contrasting weather conditions from the North to the South. They see the striking differences between urban and rural life, between the grandeur of ancestral architecture and the humble, precarious adobe houses; between intellectuals and illiterate people. All this makes the students avoid generalizations, prompting them to think about the complexity of the world and the similarities of human beings.

To learn more about this and other study-abroad programs, read the January 2008 Arts & Sciences magazine, which is on its way to your home now and available online.