One of the best aspects of studying abroad in Morocco, especially with this specific group of students in the IES program, is the number of cool cities and sites one can travel to, cheaply and easily. After my first full month in Morocco, I thought it best to show you the Morocco we have explored and enjoyed so far, the way I have seen it.

Host Family My host family has to be the most perfect match I could have asked for! Man, are they great. (Had to get that out of my system first and foremost). Ok, but seriously, I love them. My host parents are both extremely nice and are usually out working for the majority of the day, though we often have dinner together. They have two little boys, a 1-yr old, Ryoga-kun; and a 3-yr old, Aoto-kun. Although, sometimes its hard for me to believe Aoto is only 3 considering his straight-forward personality haha.

Although I have had some stressful days since being here (one month and three days!), there’s one thing that remains constant and reliable: the quality and variety of French FOOD.

Fridays:

La Mercè is an annual festival that takes place in Barcelona to celebrate the Virgen de la Merced. This is a weeklong celebration that started on September 18th and ended on September 24th. The last day of the celebration is the biggest day, which included activities like a parade of the giants, Castellers (human towers), concerts, and an amazing fireworks show at the end of the day. This was a fun filled day and the best part was that all the events were free!

Parade of the Giants!

A few weeks into my Parisian séjour, and I find myself quickly learning the limitations of my French conversation skills. When a new French person says something to me in French, it takes me a moment to internalize, translate, and react via a spoken response. By the time I finally get my thoughts together, the person has either assumed: a) I do not speak French, or b) that I am rude or strange for staring at them in silence or c) both.

A few weeks into my Parisian séjour, and I find myself quickly learning the limitations of my French conversation skills. I've found that when a new French person says something to me in French, it takes me a moment to internalize, translate, and react via a spoken response - by which time the person has either assumed I do not speak French or that I was offended by what they have just told me.

Before coming to London I didn't really believe in magic. Sure, I enjoy the occasional card trick and I've seen every Harry Potter movie at least three times, but this all seemed like fiction to me. However, since coming to London my belief has changed. I've been here for about a month now and I have experienced some of the most magical things that I never knew I would experience in my lifetime. Magical Moment #1: It all started with our trip to the Warner Brothers Studios!

05 October 2015 Throughout the semester, I applied to participate in the Field Placement program. I am a participant observer at a nursery school in Chiba Prefecture. Every week I go to the nursery and play with, teach, and have fun with the cutest little children. This past Saturday I was invited to the school’s Sports Day, so a friend and I went to see all the cute kids perform various athletic activities.