stranger in a strange land

This year I will be working and studying in Morocco through the Fulbright Student program.  The first part of my adventure starts with a key aspect: language training.  I will spend five weeks in Fez studying Colloquial Moroccan Arabic (Darija) at the American Language Institute in Fez and living in a home stay.  After, I will move to Rabat where I will spend nine weeks studying Arabic at the Qalam wa Lawh Center for Arabic Studies. 

Following the language training, I will start my research project in early January and will stay through the end of September.  Immigration is a complicated and sensitive issue in any country and it will be no different in Morocco.  My project is to study the cultural and social factors that prevent immigrants from seeking medical care for tuberculosis.  Sub-Saharan immigrants typically arrive in Morocco seeking better jobs, fleeing war and poverty, or attempt to try to immigrate to Europe through the narrow Straight of Gibraltar. At the narrowest point, Africa and Europe are only separated by around nine miles.

Immigration has always been a strong interest of mine.  Having spent time living in Hong Kong and Brazil in elementary school, I remember what it is like to be a 'stranger in a strange land'.  Moving abroad is sort of like a riding a wave, the excitement and thrill of trying different foods, hearing different sounds and learning new cultures can be followed by the crashing feeling of homesickness where you feel like you are drowning in a world you could possible never fit into.  It takes an open mind, a welcoming culture and a good dictionary to fight the current and find a nice balance between the new world and the one you left behind. 

“Living the Moroccan Life” will be a unique experience as I try and stay afloat, swimming through the Moroccan culture full of souks, mint tea and a history as diverse and rich as its people.  I'll have the experience of being an immigrant from the West, bringing with me my Starbucks addiction, love of country music and the anticipation of working with immigrants from countries like Nigeria and the Congo.  My hope is to paint a more comprehensive view of Morocco, through the eyes of immigrants, locals and my own experience as a stranger in a strange land.