Arriving in Rabat!

IES Abroad Rabat offers a truly special and unique 14 day orientation experience. Although most of it is not spent in Rabat, the first two days of the semester are. The program offered us a tour of the city, which was a great way to show us what to expect. They gave us a tour of all of the city's great sites. The old Qasba has a beautiful neighborhood uniformly painted in white. It overlooks both the Atlantic Ocean and the Bou Regeg, the city's main river. Along with the Alhambra gardens, this Unesco World Heritage Site is enclosed by walls dating from the 12th century. 

Another fascinating part of our tour through Rabat was visiting the Royal Palace, the Hassan Tower, and the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V. I especially appreciated the Royal Mausoleum, as it was dedicated to a King who was exiled by colonists, but who would later return to save his country and grant its independence. 

During our whistle stop tour of Rabat, we were given lunch with one of the host families. Their home featured beautiful Moroccan tile and a retractable roof. We had our first experience eating Moroccan couscous. Rather than being served individual plates, we were fed in the true Moroccan style, communally eating off the plate and attempting to enjoy our couscous with our hands rather than Western silverware!

For the first two nights of the semester, IES Abroad housed us in the Rihab Hotel, a four star accommodation that offers beautiful views of the city, delicious breakfast and dinner, and highly comfortable rooms. I was glad to take advantage of the in-house gym and rooftop terrace. In the evenings, our dinners together were a perfect opportunity to make new friends with other students enrolled in our program.