An important part of studying abroad in Morocco for me was experiencing new cultural differences like architecture, food, animals, and markets to widen my worldview.
Spanish and French influences heavily influence Moroccan architecture. Buildings are beautifully constructed with ornate stucco façades and often decorated with beautiful tile artwork, horseshoe arches, or muqarnas. Food is special due to its layered flavors from blending Berber, Arab, and Mediterranean traditions. Dishes often have slow-cooked meat, fresh herbs, olives, and spices, such as saffron, cumin, and cinnamon, that make dishes stand apart. Tajine is one of their best-known dishes, usually with slow-cooked lamb, chicken, or beef served with vegetables and an array of salads and bread. One question I asked was, “What is the squirrel of Morocco?” as in, what is the local animal that you can find everywhere? And it was a cat! Every place we visited, numerous cats roamed the sidewalks and medinas just like they were locals! The markets in Morocco, the souks, are always bustling with local shoppers, tourists, and even motorbikes. Seeing motorists squeeze through the tight gaps between people and shops was new to me and at first startling, but a very common thing there. If you want to buy an item in a shop, it is essential to bargain to get a fair price, a skill I got better at throughout the trip. The key is not to settle but to take time to talk the shop owner down to a lower price; sometimes, just walking out on the sale would cause the owner to call you back with a better price.
Exploring differences in culture allows us to expand our worldview and gain new insights into our world. This is important, especially now, as college students, our worldview is still forming, and experiences like this push us to think beyond what we’ve always known. Morocco challenged my assumptions, broadened my perspective, and showed me how much more there is to learn just by stepping into someone’s everyday world.
