Class of 2008
Major: Society, Technology and Policy / International Studies (Double Major)
Project Center: Ifrane, Morocco
Major Qualifying Project: Moroccan migration to Spain and its economic and political ramifications on both countries.
Virginia Ward
September 27, 2007
We just finished out fifth week in Morocco. It's hard to believe how fast time went by! With only two or so weeks left, everyone is working to complete their research. All of the other WPI students back at home are working on their Humanities and Arts practicum. These are done individually and provide a link between previous Humanities and Arts class work to form a cohesive unit. Student project topics range from Arabic calligraphy to women in Islam to Jews in Morocco. Being in Morocco, traveling around the country, and being immersed in the environment, has been a great asset for all the projects.
Arabic class is continuing to get a bit more difficult everyday. We have gone through almost all of the 28 letters in the alphabet and are starting to study vocabulary intensely. We had our midterm last week and are sprinting to learn as much as we can in these last few weeks. The pace is a bit fast, but with 7 weeks to learn basic Arabic, there is bound to be a lot of work. I hope I can retain what I learned here once I return home. I'm not sure if I'll continue to study Arabic after leaving Morocco, but at least I can put to use what I have learned so far while I'm here.
In Islamic Civilization we're continuing to learn about early Islam and how the Koran is set up. Just about everything in the class is new to me, so I really enjoy discovering a new aspect of history. The course covers much of the history of Islam, but since it is a semester long course, we will miss the last half. I'm really interested in everything we have learned so far and look forward to reading more about Islamic history once I'm back at home.
My MQP is continuing to progress. Everyday there is something to edit, research, or write about. I'm making great progress and can see the end of my project in sight. I still have a busy few weeks ahead, but completing my project seems much more manageable now that I have a good chunk of work completed.
For our second day trip, we visited Fez on Saturday. I'm not sure if it was because of Ramadan or not, but Fez felt very different than the other major Moroccan cities we have visited so far. The whole atmosphere of the city was much more relaxed than Marrakesh and Casablanca. We had two guides for the day, a gentleman from Fez who showed us different sights and our unofficial guide, a graduate student from AUI named Sarah who grew up in Fez. Both gave us an excellent tour of Fez and brought us to some amazing places. We started the day by visiting a scenic overlook high above the city. We got a spectacular panoramic view of Fez and some of the sites we would be visiting later in the day.
Fez is known for artesian shops and crafts and we had the opportunity to visit several workshops in the city. We saw how the pottery, featured in shops in all the cities we have visited, is made starting from clay to a finished product. We also saw how cloth and leather were made at other workshops. Usually we are so far removed from where the products we buy are made, it was different to see where things are made and to be able buy them there. I also liked being able to support the local economy in some small way. The medina in Fez was similar to those we have visited in other cities with narrow, shop-lined streets. Having guides who knew the city really helped since the streets are like a maze and it is very easy to get very lost. We also saw the outside of the Royal Palace. There has been a current or former palace basically everywhere we have gone so far, but all the current ones are closed to the public. Fez is also the hub for the Jewish population in Morocco. In the past, there were thousands of Jews living in Fez, but the vast majority have left in recent decades for Europe, North America, and Israel. The Jewish section of the city, or mellah, is still active and it was easy to see the architectural differences between the medina and the mellah. The streets were much wider there with balconies on most buildings. This section of the city was started in the 14th century, but doesn't show its age. One of the biggest features of Morocco that has really struck me has been how old cities and buildings are. There are many centuries of Moroccan history that you can visit and explore. There also seems to be a melding of both the new and old in the major cities. Though parts of Fez are ancient, the ville nouvelle, or new city, looks like any modern city in Europe or America. I'm used to being surrounded by history growing up in New England, but the age and scale of places here are simply mind-blowing.
With only a few more weeks left, I'm starting to think about the end of my time in Morocco and what it will be like to return home. I'm not really too homesick, but I do miss the familiarity of things at home. It's exciting to see new things, visit new places and meet new people, but it will be nice to return to places I know and my friends and family. It will be a little odd returning to regular classes and daily life at WPI since I have been away two terms in a row.
Next weekend, we're off to Meknes and the Roman ruins at Volubilis for a daytrip.
-Virginia
