Goshen’s first Morocco SST is now complete. Only the final grades remain to be tallied, and the final reports filed. The 14 weeks have passed by as in a dream. We have experienced so much, yet remain novices; seen so much, yet overlook the obvious; learned so much, yet struggle…
As the time of formal language and culture study in Meknes came to an end, students prepared to celebrate the Eid – the Festival of Sacrifice (or, the Great Festival) with their host families. Many travelled to be with relatives. Others stayed home and received many guests. All participated in…
Taking advantage of a free weekend in the schedule, Morocco SSTers arranged to travel north to the “blue” city of Chefchaouen in the Rif mountains. The students traveled in several groups, some exploring the city itself and the surrounding hills, while others did some serious mountain hiking. These pictures were…
We had come through the mountains on our way to the desert two weeks ago. But this time the Middle Atlas was our destination. Only an hour’s drive from Meknes, it feels like entering another world. The forested slopes are interspersed with green valleys, arid plateaus and rocky gorges. This…
“The sky was as full of motion and change as the desert beneath it was monotonous and still,–and there was so much sky, more than at sea, more than anywhere else in the world. The plain was there, under one’s feet, but what one saw when one looked about was…
Having settled into our home city of Meknes over the past week and a half, we were ready to explore other important places in Morocco. We started with the amazing city of Fes (Fez) and proceeded to the site of the ancient Roman city of Volubilis (Arabic: Walili). We then…
This week we started classes. In addition to daily instruction in Colloquial Moroccan Arabic (Darija), there were also three excellent lectures on Moroccan History, Moroccan Culture and the Linguistic Situation of Morocco. We also watched a video to prepare us for our first field trip this weekend, to Fes, Volubilis…
Having made our way from the airport in Rabat to Meknes, the group’s first stop was the old city, where they spent their first Moroccan night in the lovely Riad Zahraa, a traditional Moroccan house turned into a travelers’ refuge. Students checked into their rooms, stowed their gear, and after…
The Morocco Unit 2012 arrived today. Flights were on time and we made the bus transfer to Meknes without incident – fortified by sweet Moroccan cookies. We checked in to our hotel, located in the Medina (old city) of Meknes, on a street where the buildings date to the…
Students will soon be on their way from Goshen to Meknes. Though they have studied more than one form of Arabic already, they will encounter the unique features of Morocco’s own spoken dialect, Darija. They will live with Moroccan families, study the language, visit the main regions and cities of…
