"A Recap of My Experience in Morocco" by Madina Zermeno

This vlog entry is a recap of my entire experience studying abroad and traveling in Morocco this past spring semester. I start off the video with me departing America to go to Morocco. I inserted clips of my arrival, including a tour of my host family's home, and meeting a couple friends (other girls on the same study abroad program).  I then take you through our first trip together - to Chefchaouen, nicknamed the "Blue City" in Morocco. This trip was super transformative for my friends and me because it was our first trip alone and we became super close. After that we had so many adventures in Rabat, where we all lived. We then took a trip to Merzouga, in the Sahara Desert for one of my friend's birthday. After that, my friend and I traveled during a weekend to Rome, Italy. During Spring Break, my group of friends and I traveled to London and also Paris. As a group with AMIDEAST, we also traveled together to Fez, another city in Morocco. All of these trips have been documented through pictures and video, and they are all super precious to me and the memories associated with them; I wanted to share how special these trips were for me with you. Despite having to leave Morocco abruptly due to the COVID-19 outbreak, I am happy to say that I made the most out of the 2 1/2 months I was there. I am now almost fluent in Arabic and learned a lot of Darija (the Moroccan Arabic dialect). I've made lifelong connections with friends that I met there, and have been blessed to meet and stay in touch with many of my teachers and a handful of the onsite Moroccan staff at AMIDEAST. I am so blessed and grateful for the opportunity to live in another country, and I cannot wait to go back soon.