The Deal with Studying Abroad in a Muslim, African Country

 When you announce your intentions to study abroad, people respond with a number of reactions. I've gotten everything from "why?! won't you miss your family and friends?" to "If I start dieting now, I can be down to the 45 pound baggage limit, and you can just cram me in there to go with you." Five years ago, when I was getting ready to spend my junior year of high school in France, people generally reacted positively. Sure, some questioned my sanity and the sanity of my parents, but most were helpful, excited, or even jealous. I was offered advice on where to go, what to eat, how to get along with my host family. I'd never based my decision on what other people thought of it; nonetheless, I was happy that people were happy for me.

Now that I'm getting ready to study abroad in Morocco, people's reactions have changed drastically. The number one response that I hear is "You're going to Morocco?! Ew, why?" People are aghast when I tell them. I can just see them trying to work it out in their heads, thinking Is she crazy or just suicidal? Or maybe delusional? Has she converted to Islam?? ... no, that can't be right. It's funny at times to see these reactions, but often it's just annoying. Yes, I am aware that Morocco is located on the dreaded continent of Africa. Oh, and the national religion is Islam? You don't say. To all those people who do not understand the reason for wanting to study abroad in such a dreadful place, allow me to explain.

One of my main reasons for wanting to study in Morocco is the fact that they speak French. I miss speaking French. I decided to study Chinese instead of French in college because I felt that I could build up my French skills on my own after living in France for a year and getting a good grasp of the language. But I still believe that actually being in a French-speaking country is the best way to brush up, so that was one factor in the decision-making process.

Next, the other language: Arabic. I wholeheartedly believe that the only way to ameliorate our relationship with the Middle East is for us to better understand them, and for them to better understand us. I think learning some Arabic will be invaluable (even if it ends up being the Moroccan dialect that no one else speaks) and learning about their culture will be even more beneficial. 

Reason number three: I believe that people are people, no matter where in the world you go. They may have different beliefs, different traditions, different lifestyles, but we are still all people. I don't think practicing Islam makes people any worse or better than practicing Christianity does. I've heard great things about how kind and welcoming the people of Morocco are, and I've heard these things from other students who studied in Morocco. 

I could go on and on about why I think studying in Morocco will be a great experience. Suffice to say, I'm plenty excited whether or not other people are. Am I nervous? Of course. But being nervous has never been a good reason to stop me from doing anything I really want to do.

So to all those other students getting ready to go to the countries that other people say "ew" to, best of luck! I'm sure that you'll encounter obstacles, challenges, and maybe even things that make you yourself go "ew" -- but you will also have the time of your life.