The MENA Isn’t for You? Think Again.
We recently sat down with two current participants in Morocco, Vivian and Ruby, to talk about what it’s like to study abroad in the MENA while coming from “non-traditional” majors. At Amideast, many of our students study International Relations and Arabic, though students of all backgrounds are welcome and can find opportunities to fit their studies. We wanted to get Vivian (Anthropology and Forensic Science major) and Ruby’s (Comparative Literature and Public Health major) take on what it was like preparing for a study abroad in the MENA and what they hope to take away from the experience.
How and when did you become aware that study abroad was an option for you and something you wanted to pursue?
Vivian: I’ve known that I wanted to study abroad since the first time I traveled outside of the United States with my high school French class. I learned so much about the country’s history and culture in just two weeks; I couldn’t wait to see how much I could learn in four months abroad. As an anthropology and forensic science major, however, I was worried that I would not have the chance to do so during college. Thankfully, my academic advisor helped me realize that study abroad was still an option for me. Instead of limiting my search to programs offering anthropology or forensic science courses, he encouraged me to look for those in which I could take courses adjacent to my majors. That way, I could continue developing the skills and knowledge I will need to pursue my career goals while also exploring a new corner of the world.
Ruby: I entered college knowing that I wanted to study abroad for the opportunity to immerse myself in another culture and language. I chose to attend Williams College in part because of our Study Away Office’s flexibility in programs – no one at Williams has ever done a program with Amideast, and still I was able to suggest it to our Study Away Office. During my sophomore fall, my academic advisor at Williams encouraged me to consider a semester in Morocco through Amideast. I became especially committed to a semester abroad after schooling during COVID – while I am so grateful to have been on my college campus last year, the limited campus life and online schooling left me feeling claustrophobic within my studies. I hoped that a semester abroad would be an antithesis to that, pushing me to step outside of my comfort zone.
How did you plan academically for your study abroad program?
Vivian: In the months leading up to my study abroad program, I spent a lot of time talking to my academic advisor. Together, we mapped out my course schedule for the next three semesters and filled out all of the necessary forms to receive credit for my Amideast courses. Taking these steps assured me that I would stay on track for graduation during my time abroad.
Even before I had begun this planning, my schoolwork had been preparing me for studying abroad in Morocco. The French courses I had taken gave me not only the ability but also the confidence to communicate with my host family and other locals. The cultural anthropology courses I had taken gave me the perspective needed to approach unfamiliar experiences with curiosity and compassion. The language and interpersonal skills that I learned inside of the classroom have thus helped me navigate study abroad outside of the classroom.
Ruby: Thankfully, I will have the opportunity to fulfill credits for my specific majors by completing individual courses that Amideast offers. I am enrolled in Littératures Francophones du Maroc (Francophone Literature in Morocco) and Femmes, Islam, et Politiques (Gender, Islam, and Politics), both of which will count towards my Comparative Literature major at Williams. Additionally, my Community-Based Learning placement in a health-based organization will also contribute to the required experiential component of my Public Health degree.
Both of my majors in Comparative Literature and Public Health have lent themselves well to preparing me for a semester abroad in Morocco, even though they are not centered on French or Middle Eastern Studies. Since arriving to Morocco, I have found myself thinking about main themes from my studies, like the politics of language and translation, and the role of literature in cultural history. My studies in Public Health, as well, have helped me practice what I hope is a more ethical approach to traveling and tourism right now.
Why did you pick Morocco for your program?
Vivian: I chose Morocco because it offers a fascinating mosaic of cultures for students to explore, from Arab and French to Amazigh and Sub-Saharan African. This mosaic of cultures presented the perfect opportunity for me to both improve my French and begin learning Arabic – two of my longtime academic goals. Studying French in Morocco, as opposed to France, also stood out to me as a chance to learn about the relationship of the language to the country’s colonial past and its globalizing future. And, here, I would be able to do such learning against a stunning backdrop of beaches, mountains, and desert.
Finally, I was drawn to Morocco because it seemed so different from the United States: not predominantly White, not predominately Christian, not predominantly English-speaking. I wanted to study abroad in Morocco to see just how true – or untrue – this assumption of alterity was.
Ruby: I wanted to spend my semester abroad in a Francophone country to give myself the opportunity to improve my language skills through an immersive program. However, I was interested in studying in a non-European country - it felt more likely that I would travel to France and other European countries on my own in the future. I wanted to utilize the structure provided by a program like Amideast to push myself to travel elsewhere, like the MENA, where I would encounter cultures far different from my own. Additionally, my studies in Comparative Literature and Public Health are founded on interrogating questions of colonialism in cultural texts and systems of health. Morocco poses an interesting option given that its colonial history persists in the very language I would be studying, and it is a site of immense cultural intersection.
What do you hope your experience this semester will add to your education and career goals?
Vivian: I want to come out of this experience with the confidence to follow my education or my career wherever it may lead me. In other words, I want to end this semester more adventurous and more independent than I began it. I want to stop hesitating to step outside of my comfort zone, whether that means learning a new language or taking a job in a new field. I want to feel as though I’m capable of going out and exploring new places or meeting new people by myself. I hope that, together, this sense of adventure and independence keeps me from ever saying no to an academic or professional opportunity just because it happens to be in a place I’ve never been.
Ruby: I have no idea what experiences and growth this semester has in store for me - so I am intentionally keeping my expectations broad! I do hope, however, that this semester in Morocco gives me the language skills, confidence, and perspective to pursue a more globally-oriented education and career. I hope to leave with the confidence and drive to live abroad in the future, and even pursue a career that enables that. After a year of contrastingly feeling like both a global citizen (watching the whole world suffer from COVID) and living a highly localized life on a college campus, I also hope that this semester will both broaden the scope of my studies and deepen my senses of empathy and community!
Ruby Gary (Williams College) and Vivian Kellar (Syracuse University) are students on this fall’s Regional Studies in French Program in Rabat, Morocco.
