Team Morocco 2023 - Kirkwood Study Abroad

On our 30-hour trek home, we came through this hall of international flags in the airport in Chicago. It reminded us how far we'd come and how the world opened up to us during our Morocco experience. We are grateful for the learning moments gib and small that we experience while in Morocco. Casablanca, Rabat, Azrou, Chouen and Fez will all be imprinted in our minds with vivid color, and our senses will always remember Khadiga's cooking and hospitality. Bisalama friends! 

One our our favorite parts of being here is the sky and hearing the call to prayer as the sun rises and sets. Muslims follow the lunar calendar so they base their prayer times and holidays based in the moon.   First prayer is just before the sunrise. Midday payer is when the sun is above you when you can’t see your shadow. Afternoon prayer is when your shadow is even with you. Sunset prayer is just before sunset and the final prayer is when it is dark, based on the stars. The shops open and close based on prayer times. In the summer, the most active time for the community is between sunset and final prayer. Everyone is out, shopping and socializing late into the evening. In Azrou, we have our usual stops - places to stop for water bottles or ice cream. Our teaching time at the language school is between afternoon and evening prayer. On our last day we had a little party with the kids.  We have our meals and outings scheduled by the call to prayer and where the sun i...

Today’s post written by Bella Our day began with breakfast at 8:45. I'm told there were delicious peaches- anyone who knows me knows it's incredibly unlikely for me to be up by 8:45, so my day actually began after 9 with a granola bar. After breakfast, we made our way to Fez- about an hour and a half long drive from Azrou. It was brutally hot- about 107°F at the height of the day. Still, we were excited to explore Fez. First things first, we met our tour guide Mohamed at the entrance to the Medina- the old city where the streets are crowded with shops and stalls. Among the many vendors, we stopped in to see the weavers who create beautiful fabrics on their looms and bought pillow covers and pashima scarves, explored the old dorms of Fatima's university, and the bronze workers who create jewelry and metal dishes. We stopped for lunch around 2pm, escaping the heat to the fifth floor of a restaurant smack dab in the middle of the medina, where we devoured meat skewers and frui...

Today we honor our chef, teacher and newfound friend, Khadiga. She has worked with Mohamed for years and offers language lessons to Moroccans and English-speakers alike, but her real gift is her cooking. Since we are staying at a guest house and only have breakfast, Mohamed set up for us to have lunch and dinner each day at Khadiga’s. We have a 10 minute walk up the hill through the neighborhood, to Khadiga’s home on the third floor overlooking a school. Her sweet daughters and niece are there to greet us each time.  We begin each meal with fresh juice, then have a three course meal. Khadiga has taught us so much about Moroccan food. We love the fresh, balanced meals we have and the combinations of ingredients she concocts into delicious dishes. We also have amazing conversations about women’s issues, food, families, education and more. After lunch, we have siesta time to escape the heat outside. Most Moroccan homes have a guest living room that only guests are allowed, t...

Today’s post written by Kenzie After a glorious morning of swimming and hiking, it was time to refuel with some lunch. However, we just couldn’t resist stopping at some stands on the way out. Personally, I was very glad to have the opportunity to buy a sheshia, or Moroccan mountain hat. On the way to Chefchaouen, almost everyone we passed on the countryside was wearing one, so I was obviously intrigued. Since then, I have learned that they serve a very functional purpose — to both protect from the heat and repel insects. The colorful pom-poms also are believed to ward off bad djinns (evil spirits).   Eventually, we did make our way back to the heart of Chefchaouen and ate at a pseudo-American restaurant that sported beautiful murals and delicious thin-crust margherita pizzas. It was then time for a much needed siesta.  When we awoke from our naps, it felt like a whole new day. Mission accomplished! Ready to take on the evening, we made our way to the medina. Between posing for...

Today’s post written by Naomi "It's a beautiful morning I think I'll go outside for a while…." -The Rascals  From Chefchaouen's city center, a thirty minute drive up the mountainous countryside to Cascades d'Akchour, was stunning today. Once we arrived we hiked the tourist's trail that led to a refreshing waterfall. The path meandered past souvenir shops, ice cream stands, and Moroccan tangin concoctions cooking away on firewood-stoves. What distractions! Spicy aromas and kitschy knick knacks calling to tourists whose main aim was to find cascading streams and natural pools.  As we hiked along, there was no shortage of beauty to gaze at. Small trees with blooming flowers, a gecko running to safety under a nearby log, even miniature springs of cascading waters hosting a preview of what was to come further ahead. Kenzie attempted to find that geico, but sadly he was too versed at "seek and hide from foreigners!"  Any time someone in our group was d...

Hey everybody this is Reilly! Salaam!  Today we started our day with breakfast, then continued our lesson on Islam with Mohammed. It's Friday, so we had beef and vegetable Cous Cous for lunch, and it was so good! We started our 5 hour journey to Chefchaouen in taxis and stopped to see Dromedary camels. Dromedary camels only have one hump, whereas other camels have two. They were on the side of the road and we got to touch them and take lots of pictures.  We arrived to Chefchaouen at sunset, settled into our hotel, walked around, and ate dinner. This city is famous for its blue walls, and we will see more of it tomorrow!

Today was morning lessons on Islam and Arabic culture with Mohamed. We had lessons on this in Iowa and at our visit to the Iowa City Mosque, so we had a good foundation and had some good questions. We will continue tomorrow. This afternoon at Khadiga’s we met Sarah, a Peace Corps volunteer who has been here nearly a year. It was good to hear about her experiences and her volunteer work.  The weather is still quite warm so we spend our afternoons in “siesta” at Khadiga’s, playing games with her daughters and having tea and conversation and naps. We played Uno to learn our colors in Arabic. It is a lovely way to pass the time.  It is quite warm for this area of Morocco, over 100 degrees a few days in a row. Today is was down to 98 and we felt so refreshed! We are adapting and taking care to hydrate often.  Late in the afternoon, after the heat passes, is when things become more active. Then it is late in the evening, after dinner, that everyone comes out for a stroll...

Yesterday we visited the souk (weekly market) in the morning and saw all the local vendors and farmers bring their livestock produce and more. They sell household products, tools, and even have simple repair booths. It was a lot to see and fascinating how everyone and everything is there.  In the afternoon, we visited the Assanad Coop, the language school where we will be volunteering, and sat in on some French language lessons. There are students there of all ages, from early elementary to adult.  Aicha served traditional Moroccan tea and we talked about health care issues with one of the parents there who is a hospital administrator. Just like in the U.S., they have a shortage of health care workers and while medical care is much more affordable, the wait time for a specialist can be long.  On Wednesday morning we visited two women’s cooperatives in a nearby village. In these smaller villages, women are often coming together to develop economic opportunities fo...

Monday, our first full day in Azrou began with orientation to the community and some brief language lessons. Mohamed is a very helpful teacher and today Aicha joined us as well. She is our other guide and native to Azrou, which we could tell as we took our walking tour through town and she knew everyone! Azrou means “the rock” and in the middle of the city of 46,000 there is a large rock mound, not quite a mountain, but definitely prominent.  Our tour took us to a primary school, named after Fatima Al Fihriya, a famous Arab woman who founded University Kairaouine which began Mosque in 857 AD in Fez. It is the oldest university in Morocco and much of the Arab world. This school in Azrou was named after her. Even though school isn’t in session, we loved seeing the space. Throughout the courtyard painted in primary colors, there were fruit trees, fountains of cool mountain water and times tables painted on the walls. The classrooms were all on the perimeter. It was a cheerfu...

Today’s post written by Amy We started our morning bright and early when at 12:30 am we were awoken by fireworks, honking horns and cheers.  We found out in the morning that Morocco had won a very important soccer match, the African cup.   We had breakfast at the hotel ( a wonderful array of bread and pastry, egg, coffee and fresh juice). And then headed out for a walk around Rabat.  Our first stop was to see a Mosque that was built in the 1200s that unfortunately destroyed in an earthquake in 1600s. The Mosque was in the same area as the King Mohamed V  Mausoleum, where we were able to go inside and see the current King’s grandfather, father and brother’s tombs (picture with the Royal Guard below) .   We then walked through a fort where we encountered many stray cats, Aladdin-like walkways, and some of the most beautiful, Instagram worthy doorways.   Next was a walk through the medina, which was filled with just about every type of vendor.  Some beaut...

This city is the main urban area in northern Morocco and the main airport for all international flights. We arrived mid-morning and met Mohamed, our guide and host for the time we are here, then went directly to the Hassan II Mosque. It is the largest mosque on the African continent and the third largest in the world. Perched on the edge of the ocean,   The minaret towers over the area and the details of carving and painted designs are intricate everywhere.  We explored the museum and artisan’s school within the mosque, then had our first Moroccan meal. Tonight we spend in Rabat and explore the capital city a bit before heading to our home base in Azrou tomorrow. 

Our journey begins from Cedar Rapids, then North Carolina, then D.C., then on to Casablanca!