Hannah Keith

Today began as any other day here in Morocco, we woke up, got ready, and headed to class. Today's lecture was on immigration issues across the Mediterranean. It focused on Morocco and Spain’s borders and how it has affected the people trying to migrate. Our guest lecturer, Dr. Mohssine Nachit, gave us all a new perspective on the difficulties of migrating from Morocco to Spain, which has impacted the increase in illegal Moroccan immigrants. This was an eye-opening and informative lecture that all of us really enjoyed learning about. We mentioned in our debrief session after the lecture that we all liked learning about this subject and felt like we could use this new knowledge in a positive way once we get back to the states. 

After class, we all had lunch and had a few hours of free time. A group of us went out to explore the area around the hotel and shop for a bit. It was fun to roam around and get to see the city of Meknes on our own. We went to a few small stores and we were able to talk to some locals. A lot of the stores weren't open, so we asked a local who could speak English why they were closed. He told us that in Morocco they close the shops for lunch time so that they can eat their meals as a family. In Spain, they do the same thing. I find it very interesting how these two cultures have some similar aspects that you wouldn't know about unless you interact with the locals and learn from them about their culture and how other cultures may have influenced them.

Later on, we all met up to go play soccer with our Moroccan friends that we met a few days ago. When we got there, we split into four teams of six to seven people and played on two fields. When the games began, so did the laughing. We all had a blast together on the field! Although I wasn't able to participate for very long because of my back, I still enjoyed watching my team and the others fight against eachother to score some goals. Everyone's competitive side was shining bright out on the field. I saw a lot of dodging, yelling, and falling among all of my fellow classmates. It was a hoot and a half! I loved being able to see everyone have so much fun playing soccer, even though most of them didn't know how to play or had never played the sport before. Although some won and some lost, we all had a great time together and we couldn’t have asked for a better day.