"Masalama Morocco!" by Molly Janicki
Photo Credit for the Banner Image: Mathilda Barr, 2024.
My time in the Maghreb has come to an end and I will be leaving this beautiful country by Friday of this week. The people I’ve met, the lessons and skills I’ve learned, and the memories I’ve made over this semester will stay with me for the rest of my life. I am very grateful that I got the chance to spend a significant amount of time in the country of Morocco to develop my Arabic skills and also learn from the welcoming people of Morocco.
I would like to use this last blog to reflect on my time in the Maghreb. To begin with, I would like to mention the Amideast program and my fellow SAP group members. The program itself helped greatly with my transition into living in the country and also did an amazing job at showing us all that the diverse Moroccan culture has to offer. The program was made even better by my fellow SAP group members who I grew extremely close with over these past four months. The goodbyes I will share with them will be as hard as the goodbyes I will have with my host family.
That is another topic within the program that I will dearly miss and always remember as a part of the semester. My host parents, sister, and roommate welcomed me into their lovely home and made me truly feel as though I was a member of their family. I will forever remember the many delicious dinners I shared with them nearly every night. While it was a challenge to enter someone else's home, especially when there is a language barrier, my time in the Khaldoun household has become one of my favorite aspects of my time abroad.
As I prepare to leave Morocco, I continue to think about how much I will miss my program-mates and our weekly travels to other Moroccan cities, the food and sharing meals, and the people I have met here that have made this a truly amazing experience. I am also reflecting on the progress I have made in my journey to learn the Arabic language. I feel as motivated and prepared as ever to continue with my studies and can’t wait to return to the Maghreb to practice my Darija!
Ma Salama!
Molly Janicki is a student at American University and is studying abroad on the Amideast Area and Arabic Studies Program in Rabat, Morocco this spring 2024.
