One of the first things to consider is what (if any) foreign language you'd like to learn. Not that you would ever let money decide something like this, but the Gilman grant does have supplemental extensions of up to $3,000 for the study of languages deemed "Critical Need Languages" these include:
I study Arabic, and I also receives a SMART grant from the government (not for study abroad but for my 2010-2011 academic year) as a result. While Romance languages may be more widely used in daily life, or a natural extension of your High School language studies, I encourage every student to strongly consider studying a CNL, both for the employment opportunities it will offer upon graduation and because (as the name implies) the country needs more Americans who can understand the languages spoken in the places where it goes to war. Whatever your personally political beliefs, communication is an essential step to understanding. (I'd also make the case that more of these CNL's should be taught to High School students, but, alas, I'm getting too far off of topic already.)
Another thing to consider are the State Department Travel Warnings. Most, (if not all) American universities will not allow students to go on study abroad trips to any of the countries with travel warnings. I experienced this first-hand when trying to study in Palestine in Summer 2006. There are ways around this, but I don't recommend them. For one thing, you'll likely lose all of your financial aid. For another, you'll travel without the support of your school and all of the benefits that go with that (like people who answer phones and tell your parents to stop panicking.) Of course, every place has dangers, but you'll save yourself a lot of trouble if you check the list before considering any programs.
So choosing a study abroad program based on your linguistic educational goals is pretty obvious. Further considering the affiliation of the program (mine is UW faculty-led, which means I'll be taught by a UW professor and my credits will count as specific UW classes) might save you transfer-credit headaches (or, in my department, placement-test headaches.) While Moroccan Arabic is not the most widely used or understood dialect of Arabic, the program at ALIF is both the most credits for my money and the easiest to count toward my degree. In taking a summer intensive I'm effectively saving myself an entire year of Arabic classes and graduating in August instead of June 2012.
Morocco comes with a unique set of challenges and opportunities. This will be true wherever you decide to go, so I strongly encourage you to learn as much about customs and culture before you get to your destination.
In Morocco, a predominantly Muslim nation, social norms are frequently tied to religious standards. Dressing modestly may be a challenge for the men and women in my program, as it will be incredibly hot, but I suspect that we'll be all right. Having pre-departure orientations has helped, particularly because our professor is from Morocco and can give us very practical answers about what is appropriate and not. Like the time when one particularly silly girl (me) remembered that I have 8 tattoos and sent a near-panicked e-mail asking if my host family would hate me for it. He calmly replied with links to photographs of Moroccan women with tattoos. These are things you can't ask a guide book.
The expected modesty of dress is going to vary from city to city, but it is a good idea to consider this ahead of time, especially if you are staying with a host family. Another thing to learn about is the current politics of the country you'll be visiting. In Morocco, recent demonstrations against various policies of the government have remained relatively peaceful, but some violence has occurred, most notably the Marrakesh bombing by AQIM. Knowing about these issues ahead of time will help you avoid dangerous situations and also to be sensitive to the way local politics may affect the family you stay with or the people you encounter.
Other social expectations (about, for example, alcohol consumption) will be very different in Morocco, but I'll blog more about that once I'm there.
Happy weekend!
Here is a cute cat video for you:
No comments:
Post a Comment