On Friday, I got to sleep late. After I took a shower, I plugged in my hairdryer and attempted to use it. I figured something was wrong when I turned it on and it made a deafening sound and started to emit smoke. I quickly turned it off and soon figured out that I need a voltage converter to use it in Morocco. So, with wet hair, I headed to the cafeteria. I realized after waking up that in all the chaos of Thursday, I had forgotten to eat since getting off of the plane to Madrid, over 30 hours earlier. Luckily, I ran into another exchange student named Jill, who was also headed to the cafeteria.
After attempting to enter the cafeteria through almost every door we could find, we discovered the entrance. The lunch consisted of couscous, vegetables and chicken. The food was good and at that point, anything edible would've been acceptable. I also had Dannon yogurt (or Danone), which is very different from its American counterpart. I actually like the Moroccan version much better!
We sat down with a group of exchange students who had arrived earlier in the week. I met Izgh, my student ambassador who was supposed to pick me up the day before. He said that there must have been a mix up and that he was told to pick me up on Friday at 4. I told him I made it, so it was no big deal and he was pretty amused by my adventures.
I also met Cathy, a student who goes to the same college as Jill in Oregon. The three of us went to the campus store in search of shampoo and conditioner. The store also had school supplies, food, drinks, toiletries and clothing. We can use our student IDs to buy just about anything and do not have to pay out of pocket for anything. We also came across a very interesting Speedo women's bathing suit (the neckline is verrry high). According to another student, there are swim caps that are almost like rubber veils and cover the head and neck. Girls are required to wear swim caps when using the pool.
Then, we got a chance to tour the gymnasium. I wasn't sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised for the most part. The university has an olympic size pool, weight rooms and some cardio machines. There are also daily yoga classes, which I plan on taking. Unfortunately, no spin class! :( Jill plays soccer and Cathy runs track in Oregon, and both are planning to participate on the teams here. The athletic director noted that he encourages international students to join the sports teams. According to him, most of the sports are more recreational than competitive. The gym, pool, and weight room are shown below.
After that, Jill and I decided to go into town in search of towels. As we made our way into town, stares in our direction became pretty obvious. We learned very quickly that our blonde hair attracts quite a bit of attention in Morocco. We joked that some of the men sounded like cats, because they almost purred as we walked by. We finally found the shop with towels and bought five.
As we headed back to the university, we noticed a car that had been following us for a few minutes. I looked over and a man smiled back in awe, waving excitedly. After he continued to follow us for a few more minutes, we weren't sure what to do. Then, he jumped out of his car and said, "You all are so beautiful! It's ok, I have seen you now! I will go!" With that, he hopped back into his car, continued to follow us for a little bit longer and then left. It was pretty strange, but he seemed harmless. A second car began to follow us, with two younger men inside. After asking us which language we spoke and complimenting our beauty (or hair anyway), they moved on. We finally made it back to the university, laughing most of the way back about the experience. Unfortunately, the towels we bought look nice but aren't very functional and almost seem water repellent.
In the evening, around 9 PM, we went into town to eat dinner with the other exchange students. The appetizers included popcorn, spicy olives and salted peanuts. I'm not generally a fan of olives, but the spice made them taste much better! Jill and I shared beef tagine, which is a hot dish served with vegetables and roasted beef. It is eaten with bread, which we used to grab the beef and vegetables. It was amazing! Unfortunately, I did not take a picture, but the one below is very similar to how ours looked. It was also served in a similar dish.
The wine menu include red, white, pink and gray. The white wine was incredibly mild and almost tasted like water, but had 14% alcohol. Everyone wanted to try the gray, but for some reason, the bar didn't have any available. The red tasted more like normal wine. I think some pink was ordered as well, but I'm generally not a fan of sweeter wines.
We started orientation, which will last four days, yesterday. We learned about some of the history of the university and important student policies. The university was actually paid for with money allocated by King Fahd of Saudi Arabic to deal with an oil spill off the coast of Morocco. The funding was unnecessary for the clean up, so King Hassan II of Morocco used the endowment to create the university by Royal Decree. The translation of Al Akhawayn is "the two brothers," and refers to King Fahd and King Hassan II.
While the curriculum here is based on the American system, our instructor emphasized that is not an American university. She noted that many Moroccan students come here to polish their English skills. The student population is approximately 1,700, 1,500 of which are undergraduates. AUI has over 80 academic partnerships throughout the world (including WVU of course).
Some of the rules and policies of the university were covered yesterday as well. The dorms here are gendered and students are not allowed to visit the dorms of the opposite sex. The campus is dry and alcohol is strictly prohibited. Mrs. Fishburn, who discussed the policies, noted that public displays of affection (PDA) are not generally acceptable in Morocco, especially outside of the Al Akhawayn campus. She stated, however, that "There are wooded areas around the campus." Not entirely sure what to make of that..haha
We scheduled our classes yesterday as well. I will be taking five courses, including Arabic, French, Islamic Art and Architecture, Women in Society and Politics and North African History in the 20th Century. I was surprised to hear that we aren't allowed to take more than five courses and that many people are taking four. However, it does look like I will have quite a bit of reading this semester. Most of the books look really interesting though! :)
We had an opening session with the AUI President, vice president, dean and directors yesterday as well. The building it was held in was absolutely gorgeous (see picture below)! I was impressed with the warm welcome offered by all of the administration members who spoke. The president emphasized that Moroccan and exchange students should use our time together to learn from each other.
Some of the rules and policies of the university were covered yesterday as well. The dorms here are gendered and students are not allowed to visit the dorms of the opposite sex. The campus is dry and alcohol is strictly prohibited. Mrs. Fishburn, who discussed the policies, noted that public displays of affection (PDA) are not generally acceptable in Morocco, especially outside of the Al Akhawayn campus. She stated, however, that "There are wooded areas around the campus." Not entirely sure what to make of that..haha
We scheduled our classes yesterday as well. I will be taking five courses, including Arabic, French, Islamic Art and Architecture, Women in Society and Politics and North African History in the 20th Century. I was surprised to hear that we aren't allowed to take more than five courses and that many people are taking four. However, it does look like I will have quite a bit of reading this semester. Most of the books look really interesting though! :)
Later, we went out for the first time to celebrate the 21st birthday of a fellow student. The vast majority of Moroccan club music is European "house" techno. I did hear American songs in the club we went to, but they were generally changed and infused with much more techno. Moroccans seem to love "Like A G6," which was one of the songs I heard (only a couple lines of the original song were actually included though). Below are some pictures of me with other exchange students. There are students from all over the United States, Europe and Africa. We all get along well and I've really enjoyed meeting everyone! :)
Today, we had multiple sessions covering various topics including psychological counseling services, Moroccan culture, and adjustment methods. For some reason, many of the classrooms here are absolutely freezing! It's sometimes a little difficult to decide how to dress here. During the day, it gets fairly warm, but at night its frigid cold. Layers seem to be the best way to go!
A religious counselor also stressed the importance of using our time to learn from each other. She noted that this is a wonderful opportunity and will allow us to see the differences in each other's faiths and to distinguish between truths and the misconceptions often portrayed in the media (in Morocco and other parts of the world).
One of the speakers (a member of the administration) emphasized the importance of accepting other cultures during our experience. He noted that this approach should apply to both Moroccan and exchange students. He expressed this view, stating, "Never attack or insult. Only discuss and argue. Never close your minds."
Overall, I am very impressed with Al Akhawayn University so far. The faculty and administration have made a huge effort to make all of the international students feel welcome. I love that our instructors encourage us to embrace every distinct culture and to use our experience to challenge our cultural biases. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! More to come soon- stay posted! :)
Today, we had multiple sessions covering various topics including psychological counseling services, Moroccan culture, and adjustment methods. For some reason, many of the classrooms here are absolutely freezing! It's sometimes a little difficult to decide how to dress here. During the day, it gets fairly warm, but at night its frigid cold. Layers seem to be the best way to go!
A religious counselor also stressed the importance of using our time to learn from each other. She noted that this is a wonderful opportunity and will allow us to see the differences in each other's faiths and to distinguish between truths and the misconceptions often portrayed in the media (in Morocco and other parts of the world).
One of the speakers (a member of the administration) emphasized the importance of accepting other cultures during our experience. He noted that this approach should apply to both Moroccan and exchange students. He expressed this view, stating, "Never attack or insult. Only discuss and argue. Never close your minds."
Overall, I am very impressed with Al Akhawayn University so far. The faculty and administration have made a huge effort to make all of the international students feel welcome. I love that our instructors encourage us to embrace every distinct culture and to use our experience to challenge our cultural biases. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! More to come soon- stay posted! :)
I'm loving this Katharine, I feel like I'm experiencing all this with you...thanks so much for sharing and doing it so eloquently
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