Student Comments: AIFS in Salamanca, Spain

Excursion to Morocco, Student Comments
University of Salamanca, Spain

Students in Salamanca have just returned from their optional excursion to Morrocco. Here's what they had to say:

Abigail BlackburnI have never felt so overwhelmed by just simply walking through a street before. The sounds, the smells, and the people just put your senses and brain on overload. For the first day I was just silent, not really able to say a lot because I was trying to take in and make sense of everything going on around me. I have never been openly gawked at before just because of the way I look and dress but it was more than a common day experience there. I don’t think I can explain how different everything is... it is a different world, completely unlike anything I have seen before. I am so glad I went. To see an Arabic culture and get a little glimpse of life in a clearly developing, underprivileged country with so much life and essence was truly incredible. I will never forget those smells, sounds, or images...ever.

– Meredith Brandstetter, California Lutheran University

Morocco was incredible and I was reminded of that by seeing the movie Expediente Anwar (Rendition) the other day with Reese Witherspoon. It has many scenes of Marrakech. It is awesome. A whole new world. If you haven’t gone through culture shock in Spain, then you will definitely go through it in Morocco. You will get to see the markets and the delicious food they eat (couscous, Tah Jem). Especially with all the stuff going on in the Middle East this gives a taste of what the Middle East must look like. I think with the Muslim movement these days this is extremely important to see what the culture is like there. I’m so glad I went.

– Elizabeth Atkinson, Clemson University

Morocco was the coolest trip I've been on! The culture was something I would have never imagined, the weather was beautiful, and the area was beautiful. I liked that food was included and didn’t have to worry about finding it on your own or having to pay extra. There are no words to describe what we experienced there.

– Jessica Morris, Assumption College

The Morocco excursion definitely succeeded my expectations! It was such a different life there, and I loved seeing a new culture that I knew so little about. I’ll never forget the looks on everyone’s faces the first time we stepped into the Souks! It was just so cool to be in Africa, and to be experiencing something so different. I would definitely recommend this excursion, and when asked by friends and family, I’ve listed Morocco among my favorite trips!

– Jacqueline Salaway, Providence College

Morocco was by far the best experience of the semester. It was very eye-opening to actually see a culture and the lives of people so completely different from my own. Of course, I came here to learn Spanish, but culture exposure is a huge part of this experience too. At first, I came here thinking that Europe was so different from the States, but then seeing the Moroccan culture (and that of a 3rd world country) I realized how close to home I still am being in Spain. It also helped me realize how out of touch I am with the rest of the world. It's not that going to Morocco was "better" than the other excursions, but it was just so different and different in a good and interesting way. I absolutely loved it! Seeing the children begging was sad and seeing how poor the people were was disheartening, but it was fun too. Furthermore, it seems that we are taught that these sort of people (Muslims and poor people in 3rd world countries) are dangerous and aggressive. While it's wise to be conscious of your being and surroundings at all times, and just plain dumb to go off and/or have conversations with complete strangers, I found the Moroccans some of the nicest people I met. Although they knew we were tourists and they cat-called (which happens everywhere) and there were certain people and situations that made me uncomfortable, it wasn't anything that I felt was unique to Morocco. In fact, a student in our program (with whom I was with) left her purse two separate times in stores in the Sioux and the vendors found us long after we had left the shop (she hadn't even realized she left it) just to deliver her purse. They went out of their way to return her purse and nothing was missing (and there was money in the purse). I found that one of the nicest gestures I've ever witnessed. I think the Moroccan experience is so rich that it should be included in the AIFS excursions and not listed as optional just because no one should miss out on that experience. Even if one doesn't like or love it (although I haven't met anyone yet who didn't really like it) at least one would have experienced it just to know if he/she would like to visit other similar countries. Morocco is definitely a place I have at the top of my list to visit again. Furthermore, the timing of it was awesome. It was cold here in Salamanca and we got some warm weather. We had just enough days because we had the day trip to Essaouira and we didn't have too much touring to do, but just enough. We had time to relax and enjoy ourselves and venture out on our own. Yet, because there's not too much there to see, it was just enough time. Thanks AIFS for such an amazing excursion and life experience!

– Dinisha Mingo, Concordia University

Morocco was the best excursion this semester because it was outside of Spain. I felt that I was beginning to take Europe for granted: the ability to travel so easily, and the fact that I had already traveled a lot, made it feel a little less special. Also, the fact that since my Spanish had improved and I knew the culture, there was less of a challenge. While many people speak English, Marrakech is a completely different culture and it was another great opportunity I'm glad I took advantage of this semester.

– Merri Martin, Babson College

University of Salamanca