My first week in Morocco was spent touring various different resources related to Moroccan agriculture. We went to a feedlot in Casablanca, a fruit tree farm right outside the city, and the Regional Agricultural Research Center. I also began getting acquainted with the country by visiting the Old Medina, partaking in a couple of the traditional dishes, and beginning to learn the local dialect of Arabic!
When arriving they informed us that we will be spending the first week in a hotel and will move to our first host families after that. I think this has been helpful to ease our way into the culture so we don’t experience the initial shock that many face when visiting a new country. Tomorrow we will be moving to our first family and I couldn’t be more excited! I feel that having the routine of the family will help me to feel more settled than that of a hotel. They kept us very busy on our first week. Everyday our country coordinator would tell us what time he is picking us up and we would be hurled into the day, not knowing any plans or expectations. Our first day was spent at a feedlot where we got to observe the daily chores along with the loading of cattle for slaughter. The next day we got to tour a fruit tree farm that experimented on different species’ resilience to heat and water stress. Climate change is very important to Morocco because they are feeling the rapid and immediate effects of this challenge. The fruit tree farm cultivated olives, apples, plums, peaches, argon, figs, almonds, walnuts, cherries, and much more! Later in the week we visited the Regional Agricultural Research Center where they analyzed the findings from the fruit tree farm. The week however was not all work. We were able to make friends with some of the researchers’ daughters who took us to the mall and around the city. We also had the opportunity to visit the Old Medina. The first king of Morocco hand built the palace where him and his whole family are now laid to rest in the center. The artistry was beautiful. It is said that who ever visits will be brought many blessings for the weeks to follow. My main takeaway from the week: Moroccans do not plan.
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The day before orientation ended our group got to tour Washington D.C. for the day. We spent the whole day exploring the city, observing memorials, and experiencing the various food trucks and events happening in the city. We got to explore for about 7 hours and walked a total of around 8 miles. Though we were there all day I still feel like we didn't even scratch the surface of what the Capital had to offer! I look forward to my visit to Washington, D.C.
The whole class of IFYE's met in Washington D.C. for a a four day orientation. This group includes individuals from all over the world including Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and South Korea. The orientation was necessary to help provide us all with helpful tools before leaving for our summer adventures. We worked on communication skills, coping mechanisms, and languages and customs. We had many guess speakers that visited to describe their IFYE experiences while connecting with people from all over the world. This international training helped to equip each of us with the tools needed to ensure we all have a exciting and enriching summer trip.
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