I’d like to start off with the disclaimer that this is the
first bit of personal writing I’ve done beyond a grocery list, so to keep your
attention these posts will be short and sweet with plenty of pictures in
between.
I’m a third year student at the Darla Moore School of
Business studying international business and economics with minors in French
and German. This New Year I’ll be flying
to Morocco to spend three months in Casablanca studying regional business,
politics, French, how to not fall off a camel, and, of course, Moroccan cuisine.
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| Map of Morocco (Morocco.com) |
After discovering that the 1942 movie Casablaca does not hold everything you need to know about modern
day Morocco (Hollywood, am I right?), I did some more in-depth research and
learned Moroccan culture ties in Arabic, European, and African roots. Rabat stands as the nation’s capital while Casablanca
is one of the largest economic and financial hubs on the continent. Morocco Mall, the second largest mall in
Africa, is located in Casablanca with an aquarium large enough to scuba dive in, which I consider to be an obvious measure of economic power. Morocco was also the first country to
recognize the U.S. as an independent nation, and the two countries have had
strong political ties ever since.
Winter weather is mild in Morocco, with highs in the 70s and
lows in the 50s. It’s also very dry compared
to humid Columbia, SC, so I may need to carry a misting fan around or pour a cup
of water over my head every time I go outside to adapt to the new climate. (To prospective students: I’m just kidding, the humidity in S.C. isn’t really this bad as long as you stay indoors through August.)
More on adapting to Morocco to come, but for now it’s time
to learn a few Arabic phrases and wait for departure. Tune in next time to find out if Casablanca
traffic is really as bad as they say it is, whether anyone can actually understand
my Arabic, and S’Moroccan stories.
Until
then,
À
bientòt,
مع السلامة,
Stefanie
