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Post by miominmio on Feb 3, 2019 21:09:11 GMT
Sorry for the late reply. DH and family run several schools here and we are soooooooooooooooooooo busy that I barely have a moment to spare. I think most of you know that I am not on TP as much as before. We are doing great with the businesses, but dang, sucks all of your time. First, I am really, really curious as to where so many of you are getting your info that this is such a dangerous place to live? I see that one pea's DH works here, and honestly, I am curious as to where. As with ANY where you go in the world, there is certainly safety issues depending on WHERE you go. I have lived here 6 years now. All of our schools are in NON-tourist areas. Some of which are quite frankly in the hood. I always keep my wits about me, but I can only pinpoint one instance that I felt unsafe. That involved teenagers that kicked a soccer ball in the street that my car ran over and them running after my car yelling. I absolutely had my own misconceptions of Morocco before moving here. Especially the people that covered and the men that had the long beards that looked like they came straight out of an ISIS camp. As a matter of fact, we have a couple of male Islamic teachers that we are required to hire, because Islamic education is a requirement in the schools here. The first time, I met "Y", I literally gasped because he had the typical long black beard. I didn't know at the time that he was only 24 years old. As I got to know "Y", he is the BIGGEST teddy bear of a person I have ever met. We have a good natured time trying to teach each other's language. My key point, is that even if you "think" you know someone or some place or a culture, until you are "IN" it, you simply cannot judge the appearance. Let me also address that killings of the students that happened a couple of months ago. I have a very dear friend, American by the way, who runs a food tour business in Marrakech with her husband. She has been to the place where the students where killed many times. She knows people that live in that area as well and these people are devastated that this horrible incident happened. There is still quite a bit of speculation as to whether it was politically motivated. The "ISIS" word was thrown in pretty early because of how one of the guys looked. Please do not misinterpert my statement that I am victim blaming...but do understand that these two ladies went to a remote area not visited by tourists. Even for the time that I have lived here AND knowing the language pretty well, I would NOT put myself in that remote environment. I can think of some places in the States that would not be safe for two young girls to go, especially when there may be drugs involved. I honestly feel quite safe here. We live in Rabat where the main palace is and all the embassies. There is quite a lot of security focused here because of that. But we have been so many places in Morocco and even if you don't see uniformed police, there are people watching. Morocco actually has helped some European countries in the battle against terrorism because they are good at the methods in which they employ. This is not to say that there isn't petty crime. Pick pocketing is a common occurence and people do have phones snatched out of their hands at times. Again, I don't find it to be anymore than any other place in the world. Honestly, I am so tired of the "Middle Eastern males dominate females into horrible submisson" comments by people that simply don't live in the culture or countries. YES, YES, there are a FEW countries that this attitude might be more prevalant, but IMO it boils to a lack of education, poverty and enviromental factors that breed this attitude. I challange those of you that think this way to look in your own backyard. Do women get heckled here? Sure. Do they not get heckled in the US or other countries? Yep! All of this boils down to using common sense on where you go. So because they travelled to an area where tourists don’t normally go, they deserved to have their heads sawed off with a knife? And «there may have been drugs involved»? You are aware that ISIS posted the video online, I hope? I haven’t seen the video myself, but others who have, have told they started with the Norwegian girl. She was on her stomach, screaming while they unsuccessfully tried to cut off her head. They then turned her over on her back and severed her carotid artery, and then they killed the Danish girl who had seen her friend being murdered. But go ahead and blame them for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and trusting people they shouldn’t have.
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pancakes
Pearl Clutcher
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Feb 4, 2015 6:49:53 GMT
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Post by pancakes on Feb 3, 2019 21:09:13 GMT
I fully align with allipeas’s characterization of Morocco. I am a seasoned traveler, though, and I will say that Morocco or anywhere else will still be a challenge for your daughter if she is not. Especially with the language barrier. There are several red flags that would encourage me to not have her study abroad for an entire semester: 1. Her inability to go to a college that is farther away than the one she is at now 2. Her indecision about going away for college 3. A naive view of studying abroad and Morocco I would worry that she would want to return home after only a week or a few days in. I would also worry that her naïveté might get her into situations that she would not want to be in. But this would be true anywhere, much less Morocco. And the language barrier could be an issue IF she does run into any issues of her own. I would encourage her to do a shorter study abroad program — like a two week trip over winter or spring break — that is very planned and guided. I think she will still have a great time and get to travel like she sounds like she wants to. And having the shorter time frame will allow her to return to her comfort zone/home base more quickly, in the event she gets homesick or misses her own culture. If it makes any difference, I did not study abroad during college and I don’t really regret it. I’ve traveled a lot and not having that experience was ok.
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Deleted
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May 15, 2024 12:23:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2019 21:24:28 GMT
^^^^^^ Great advice.
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Post by Leone on Feb 3, 2019 21:39:24 GMT
I spent about two weeks there on a guided tour...very interesting place. Tangiers is very close to Spain. I am in favor of study abroad programs...I did Kobe, Japan and Guadalajara, Mexico before I got married. Honestly, I would encourage her to pick a different country than Morocco. I have traveled the world but I doubt I would ever go to Morocco unless it was a guided tour.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2019 21:41:14 GMT
DD told me this week that she had applied to a semester in Morocco for next year. I'm beside myself because there is really no way on this God's green earth that I feel even remotely comfortable with any part of this. It's so far away. It's in an area I'm not comfortable with sending my 19 year old daughter. That said I told her we had strong opinions but would listen to what information she had on the program. We are hoping she changes her mind and realizes it is a just an impulse for her. Mind you this is the girl that was going to go to a college across the country and changed her mind, too far. Then decided going to a college out of state 3 hours away was good, then at the last minute decided on a college a half hour from the house. Everything else was too far. And now wants to go halfway across the world. I realize she's an adult legally and could very well opt to do this on her own but financially she has no ability since we are helping her financially for school - there's no way she can do this from what I see without us signing off on it. Which brings to mind another concern which is financial to that is going to be our first line item. Plane fare for her to get there and back is a lot and we have to be able to consider having money put aside for that in case of emergency etc. My head is spinning. If any of you had any concrete experience with traveling to Morocco or any knowledge of the country and its current safety I would welcome and appreciate it so I would at least be more informed. (Say a little prayer for me that she changes her mind and this all goes away). Study abroad can be handled so many different ways it may not cost much more than study at her home university. And her federal/state financial aid will cover it if it is done through the school. Main thing I'd stress to her is experience in travel within the US before doing any travel abroad. Does she have any travel experience outside of family vacations? Camp? Anything where she has been away from home?
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Deleted
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May 15, 2024 12:23:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2019 21:45:18 GMT
Sorry for the late reply. DH and family run several schools here and we are soooooooooooooooooooo busy that I barely have a moment to spare. I think most of you know that I am not on TP as much as before. We are doing great with the businesses, but dang, sucks all of your time. First, I am really, really curious as to where so many of you are getting your info that this is such a dangerous place to live? I see that one pea's DH works here, and honestly, I am curious as to where. As with ANY where you go in the world, there is certainly safety issues depending on WHERE you go. I have lived here 6 years now. All of our schools are in NON-tourist areas. Some of which are quite frankly in the hood. I always keep my wits about me, but I can only pinpoint one instance that I felt unsafe. That involved teenagers that kicked a soccer ball in the street that my car ran over and them running after my car yelling. I absolutely had my own misconceptions of Morocco before moving here. Especially the people that covered and the men that had the long beards that looked like they came straight out of an ISIS camp. As a matter of fact, we have a couple of male Islamic teachers that we are required to hire, because Islamic education is a requirement in the schools here. The first time, I met "Y", I literally gasped because he had the typical long black beard. I didn't know at the time that he was only 24 years old. As I got to know "Y", he is the BIGGEST teddy bear of a person I have ever met. We have a good natured time trying to teach each other's language. My key point, is that even if you "think" you know someone or some place or a culture, until you are "IN" it, you simply cannot judge the appearance. Let me also address that killings of the students that happened a couple of months ago. I have a very dear friend, American by the way, who runs a food tour business in Marrakech with her husband. She has been to the place where the students where killed many times. She knows people that live in that area as well and these people are devastated that this horrible incident happened. There is still quite a bit of speculation as to whether it was politically motivated. The "ISIS" word was thrown in pretty early because of how one of the guys looked. Please do not misinterpert my statement that I am victim blaming...but do understand that these two ladies went to a remote area not visited by tourists. Even for the time that I have lived here AND knowing the language pretty well, I would NOT put myself in that remote environment. I can think of some places in the States that would not be safe for two young girls to go, especially when there may be drugs involved. I honestly feel quite safe here. We live in Rabat where the main palace is and all the embassies. There is quite a lot of security focused here because of that. But we have been so many places in Morocco and even if you don't see uniformed police, there are people watching. Morocco actually has helped some European countries in the battle against terrorism because they are good at the methods in which they employ. This is not to say that there isn't petty crime. Pick pocketing is a common occurence and people do have phones snatched out of their hands at times. Again, I don't find it to be anymore than any other place in the world. Honestly, I am so tired of the "Middle Eastern males dominate females into horrible submisson" comments by people that simply don't live in the culture or countries. YES, YES, there are a FEW countries that this attitude might be more prevalant, but IMO it boils to a lack of education, poverty and enviromental factors that breed this attitude. I challange those of you that think this way to look in your own backyard. Do women get heckled here? Sure. Do they not get heckled in the US or other countries? Yep! All of this boils down to using common sense on where you go. So because they travelled to an area where tourists don’t normally go, they deserved to have their heads sawed off with a knife? And «there may have been drugs involved»? You are aware that ISIS posted the video online, I hope? I haven’t seen the video myself, but others who have, have told they started with the Norwegian girl. She was on her stomach, screaming while they unsuccessfully tried to cut off her head. They then turned her over on her back and severed her carotid artery, and then they killed the Danish girl who had seen her friend being murdered. But go ahead and blame them for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and trusting people they shouldn’t have. I guess you missed the part about me saying I was NOT blaming the victims. The drugs were on the part of the men involved. There have been some things that have come about from local police in regards to this horrific attack. Speculation that the guy’s were on drugs at the time this happened but they are STILL investigating. Many of my friends, thousands of people in Rabat AND myself took flowers to leave at the Embassy to show condolences. Many here were disgusted and angry over what happened.
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Post by drummergirl65 on Feb 3, 2019 22:17:24 GMT
I guess you missed the part about me saying I was NOT blaming the victims But you kind of are. Many people use and abuse drugs but don't go on to rape and murder and then videotape it. I should think they already have had a propensity towards it
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Post by birukitty on Feb 3, 2019 23:27:09 GMT
If she were my daughter I'd say no for safety reasons. I've traveled abroad quite a bit (it's my favorite thing to do) and I've done a bit of it solo as a woman (that was the best) in Germany, but there is no way I'd travel solo to Morocco and I would never send a young daughter there! Look-there might be some pro's and con's to travel to Morocco but let's face it, for a young woman of 19 with very little travel experience in my opinion it's just too dangerous. Yes, even with a study abroad program with a college campus that belongs to the campus she is currently attending.
I wholeheartedly believe international travel, study abroad programs, gap years to travel through Europe or to other safe international areas (Japan is wonderful!) is an incredible teaching experience for young people. One of the biggest pros of study abroad programs is the ability to explore on your time off-the city, the museums, the surrounding areas-that builds character, knowledge, experience and interacting with the locals brings understanding of another culture. That isn't going to be nearly as easily done in Morocco (if at all) as it is Germany, Italy, France, Japan or any other country that students normally do study abroad programs or any of the other programs available.
I know you said this was the only travel abroad program her college offers that applies to her program. I get that. I still wouldn't send my daughter to Morocco. As another Pea mentioned there are other programs during college other than a semester abroad that students can apply for (in your daughter's case hopefully to other countries). If all else fails you could think about a month long trip for her to Europe (or Japan) after collage graduation during the summer before college. She could do it shoe-string style staying in youth hostels, taking the train to different areas of the country to explore it. If she is a nervous first time solo traveler you could offer to come with her the first week, and then let her travel solo the following 3 weeks. That's one idea. Or she could go with a friend.
Yes, it would cost money but doing it shoe-string style as a former student wouldn't be that much-mostly airfare and her food. Youth hostels are cheap. She could work part-time either during school or during school breaks to earn money towards it. She might even find this a more attractive idea and give up the idea of Morocco all together.
In the end it is up to you and her father (if he is in the picture) to decide what is best and safest for your daughter.
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mlana
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 27, 2014 19:58:15 GMT
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Post by mlana on Feb 3, 2019 23:37:49 GMT
My DD spent a year in China at a college that her college had an agreement with. She was the first one from her school to do this and there were some problems with he classes, ie being taught in Mandarin rather than English as they were listed. We were really worried about her going to China, both because of the distance and the political situations. She was not only fine, but she was comfortable enough to travel throughout the country alone. she did speak passable Mandarin before she want, and she studied hard and learned fast, so the language wasn’t a huge barrier for her.
Money wise, her loans were fine with her going to China. She actually saved quite a bit, even with all the traveling, because her dorm costs for the year were less than 2 months of her apartment rental here in the US. She could easily eat on $5/day, so was able to enjoy her year there.
For DD, learning Mandarin and becoming familiar with the Chinese culture were important to her chosen degree. She spent a lot of time studying both the language and the culture before she went. This helped her get the most out of her time there, I think, and made the effort worth it.
If you DD isn’t studying something specific to the culture AND if the costs are higher than her normal school costs, I’d suggest you consider telling her that this is something you won’t cover. If she wants to incur the extra costs, she can secure a private loan for the difference and pay it herself. I would still give her whatever funds you would have given if she remained at her home college, but just not the extra.
I would not necessarily get into an argument as to how safe the region is, but rather focus on how the experience is or isn’t related to her degree.
Marcy
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Post by tallgirl on Feb 4, 2019 0:16:15 GMT
I guess you missed the part about me saying I was NOT blaming the victims But you kind of are. Many people use and abuse drugs but don't go on to rape and murder and then videotape it. I should think they already have had a propensity towards it Ok, BUT. It’s simply unfair to characterize an entire area by the actions of a few. Should foreigners also deem the US to be too unsafe to travel to? - there have been more innocent people killed by terrorists and mentally unwell individuals in the US than in Morocco. No, we would say you can’t judge an entire society by the deranged actions of a radical few.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2019 1:31:28 GMT
But you kind of are. Many people use and abuse drugs but don't go on to rape and murder and then videotape it. I should think they already have had a propensity towards it Ok, BUT. It’s simply unfair to characterize an entire area by the actions of a few. Should foreigners also deem the US to be too unsafe to travel to? - there have been more innocent people killed by terrorists and mentally unwell individuals in the US than in Morocco. No, we would say you can’t judge an entire society by the deranged actions of a radical few. I think US parents don't realize families from other countries worry about sending their students to us. College campus shootings terrify other parents yet we aren't afraid to live in the US. So Morocco in/of itself doesn't phase me. I'd be more concerned that the OP's daughter seems to not have done any traveling or spent time away from home. If she only lives 30 minutes from home I'm guessing she comes home every week end. "d encourage her to find a short term study tour for a couple of weeks before launching into a full semester away. Once the deposit is down there isn't a get your money back just because you chickened out.
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Post by dockmaster on Feb 4, 2019 1:59:53 GMT
My dd spent the summer between her junior and senior year 9f undergrad studying Arabic at the Language institute in Fez, Morocco. This was her 1st trip abroad. It was through her university. She had a homestay family who took exceptional care of her. Her financial aid covered it all, she was awarded a Study Abroad scholarship also.
She had a fantastic time and really polished her Arabic. Morocco is a UN controlled country, they also have a king. DD had no scary issues during her time there. She was harassed a good bit by picture takers. She is blond and blue eyed and looks very American, people were fascinated by her I guess.
Her father and I were worried too, but it all worked out. I worry more when she tells me she wants to go to Syria. She is a linguist a d wants to travel the world.
Edited to add: She went just 21/2 years ago. She and her friends always travelled in groups of 2 or more. She did have a few people try to take advantage of her until she spoke up to them in Arabic. They had assumed she was just a dumb tourist.
I will also add, that because of this trip I totally had my mind opened to who the terrorist really are. The majority of middle eastern people are wonderful friendly people. Her homestay mom was so grateful to have the chance to host her. HS Mom treated her better than her own children. DD is still in touch with her homestay family today. She and I learned more than Arabic from her experience.
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Post by monklady123 on Feb 4, 2019 2:37:00 GMT
I should add that my reluctance to allow dd to travel to Morocco alone (even with a school program) is not because of terrorism, it's because of the harassment that a blonde white woman often gets in Africa. I just traveled, with dd, to Israel and Palestine and spent time in a Palestinian refugee camp, and traveling in areas that horrified my family. But we were with a tour group, guided by an Israeli Jew, an Israeli Arab Muslim, and a Palestinian Arab Christian. Among the three of them they could lead us through any situation. -- Students in a dorm and not supervised would be an entirely different story -- in Morocco, not Israel... I would allow dd to go to Israel or Palestine on a study program without me.
But as I said above... I would love to visit Morocco, and I'd take dd with me. But we'd do it with a group and I'd have dd in my sight, not all the way across an ocean. lol
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Post by drummergirl65 on Feb 4, 2019 6:03:56 GMT
But you kind of are. Many people use and abuse drugs but don't go on to rape and murder and then videotape it. I should think they already have had a propensity towards it Ok, BUT. It’s simply unfair to characterize an entire area by the actions of a few. Should foreigners also deem the US to be too unsafe to travel to? - there have been more innocent people killed by terrorists and mentally unwell individuals in the US than in Morocco. No, we would say you can’t judge an entire society by the deranged actions of a radical few. I'm not characterizing the entire area by the actions of the few. I'm not American and when my daughter and her friends traveled in the US, I did worry. My daughter has traveled extensively and is very independent. OP's daughter is not. I wouldn't advise her going
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2019 10:30:26 GMT
I guess you missed the part about me saying I was NOT blaming the victims But you kind of are. Many people use and abuse drugs but don't go on to rape and murder and then videotape it. I should think they already have had a propensity towards it No I m not. I simply said it was not wise that they traveled to this area alone which is EXACTLY what most everyone is saying here about traveling to foreign countries. My comment about the drugs has to do with what the police here have said in regards to the incident. They aren’t sure if it was really related to ISIS or if they were covering up some type of drug operation. There was a big drug bust here some months back and there is still goings on about that. Having been a victim of a rape myself....you sure as hell do not know me well enough to read into my posts something that is not there.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2019 10:37:34 GMT
My dd spent the summer between her junior and senior year 9f undergrad studying Arabic at the Language institute in Fez, Morocco. This was her 1st trip abroad. It was through her university. She had a homestay family who took exceptional care of her. Her financial aid covered it all, she was awarded a Study Abroad scholarship also. She had a fantastic time and really polished her Arabic. Morocco is a UN controlled country, they also have a king. DD had no scary issues during her time there. She was harassed a good bit by picture takers. She is blond and blue eyed and looks very American, people were fascinated by her I guess. Her father and I were worried too, but it all worked out. I worry more when she tells me she wants to go to Syria. She is a linguist a d wants to travel the world. Edited to add: She went just 21/2 years ago. She and her friends always travelled in groups of 2 or more. She did have a few people try to take advantage of her until she spoke up to them in Arabic. They had assumed she was just a dumb tourist. I will also add, that because of this trip I totally had my mind opened to who the terrorist really are. The majority of middle eastern people are wonderful friendly people. Her homestay mom was so grateful to have the chance to host her. HS Mom treated her better than her own children. DD is still in touch with her homestay family today. She and I learned more than Arabic from her experience. Thank you for this post. I guess I am defensive because the people here ARE so nice. My family have completely changed their minds as well once they traveled here. Why in particular does your daughter want to study here? Perhaps I can give some info about that.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2019 10:40:49 GMT
I should add that my reluctance to allow dd to travel to Morocco alone (even with a school program) is not because of terrorism, it's because of the harassment that a blonde white woman often gets in Africa. I just traveled, with dd, to Israel and Palestine and spent time in a Palestinian refugee camp, and traveling in areas that horrified my family. But we were with a tour group, guided by an Israeli Jew, an Israeli Arab Muslim, and a Palestinian Arab Christian. Among the three of them they could lead us through any situation. -- Students in a dorm and not supervised would be an entirely different story -- in Morocco, not Israel... I would allow dd to go to Israel or Palestine on a study program without me. But as I said above... I would love to visit Morocco, and I'd take dd with me. But we'd do it with a group and I'd have dd in my sight, not all the way across an ocean. lol Monk, we have family in Palestine, Gaza specifically. They will tell you that you are MUCH safer in Morocco than Palestine. I honestly am scratching my head at WHY so many of you seem to think Morocco is the land of the boogie man.
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Post by monklady123 on Feb 4, 2019 10:58:13 GMT
I should add that my reluctance to allow dd to travel to Morocco alone (even with a school program) is not because of terrorism, it's because of the harassment that a blonde white woman often gets in Africa. I just traveled, with dd, to Israel and Palestine and spent time in a Palestinian refugee camp, and traveling in areas that horrified my family. But we were with a tour group, guided by an Israeli Jew, an Israeli Arab Muslim, and a Palestinian Arab Christian. Among the three of them they could lead us through any situation. -- Students in a dorm and not supervised would be an entirely different story -- in Morocco, not Israel... I would allow dd to go to Israel or Palestine on a study program without me. But as I said above... I would love to visit Morocco, and I'd take dd with me. But we'd do it with a group and I'd have dd in my sight, not all the way across an ocean. lol Monk, we have family in Palestine, Gaza specifically. They will tell you that you are MUCH safer in Morocco than Palestine. I honestly am scratching my head at WHY so many of you seem to think Morocco is the land of the boogie man. I don't think you are really hearing our replies. No one has said it's the land of the boogie man. I said I would love to visit there one day, and I'd be totally comfortable taking my dd. And if she went there with a tour group and I was assured she'd be with the group and not venturing out alone then I'd be fine with that also. It's the unsupervised nature of a young American unseasoned traveler wandering around markets and traveling outside the university area that bothers many of us. I'd feel the same way about many other countries also, I'm not just targeting Morocco. I think you just have to accept that a resident of any particular country has advantages over travelers, and especially over travelers who are not experienced in international travel. I'm quite sure that the aggressive merchants in Jerusalem's Old City were eying me and dd in a totally different way that they were eying the woman in the hijab behind us. They weren't coming out of their shop trying to lure her inside. When I lived in Burkina Faso it was quite obvious that I was a foreigner by the color of my skin. However, by wearing clothes made from the local cloth or carrying a bag made from local leather I, and other foreign residents, would get a much different reaction from the aggressive men in the markets... they would try their sales attack, I would answer in Mooré (the local language), they would laugh and reply back, and I'd move on. A totally different reaction than a European-looking tourist would get as they would swarm around them. So no, no boogie men, just an awareness that some people in some cultures react differently to tourists than others. I've walked through many types of flea markets or other outdoor market/festivals in European countries and the swarm thing does not happen. That's just the way it is.
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Post by dockmaster on Feb 4, 2019 16:55:12 GMT
Why in particular does your daughter want to study here? Perhaps I can give some info about that.
Alinea, for my daughter it was a chance to not only further her learning Arabic, but to be immersed in the language to be able to speak it more fluently. She is a linguist, so fluency is important. She also suffers from wanderlust. Since the trip to Morocco she has gone to Mexico to teach English and was just accepted for a trip to Argintina. She wants to see the world and learn all the languages!
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Post by dockmaster on Feb 4, 2019 17:10:15 GMT
Monk, we have family in Palestine, Gaza specifically. They will tell you that you are MUCH safer in Morocco than Palestine. I honestly am scratching my head at WHY so many of you seem to think Morocco is the land of the boogie man. I don't think you are really hearing our replies. No one has said it's the land of the boogie man. I said I would love to visit there one day, and I'd be totally comfortable taking my dd. And if she went there with a tour group and I was assured she'd be with the group and not venturing out alone then I'd be fine with that also. It's the unsupervised nature of a young American unseasoned traveler wandering around markets and traveling outside the university area that bothers many of us. I'd feel the same way about many other countries also, I'm not just targeting Morocco. I think you just have to accept that a resident of any particular country has advantages over travelers, and especially over travelers who are not experienced in international travel. I'm quite sure that the aggressive merchants in Jerusalem's Old City were eying me and dd in a totally different way that they were eying the woman in the hijab behind us. They weren't coming out of their shop trying to lure her inside. When I lived in Burkina Faso it was quite obvious that I was a foreigner by the color of my skin. However, by wearing clothes made from the local cloth or carrying a bag made from local leather I, and other foreign residents, would get a much different reaction from the aggressive men in the markets... they would try their sales attack, I would answer in Mooré (the local language), they would laugh and reply back, and I'd move on. A totally different reaction than a European-looking tourist would get as they would swarm around them. So no, no boogie men, just an awareness that some people in some cultures react differently to tourists than others. I've walked through many types of flea markets or other outdoor market/festivals in European countries and the swarm thing does not happen. That's just the way it is. When dd was there she had a few try to take advantage like you describe, because she looked very much American, not just European. She would speak to them in Arabic and let them know she was aware of what they were up to, her host family was helpful with this also. I guess I am more free range. I was nervous about her going, but excited at the same time. My dd was with a group from her university and everything was prearranged. After my son joined the Navy and travelled all over at a young age by himself with no "adult" supervision persky, her trip seemed tame. I have embraced releasing my kids to the wild. I know I raised them to be smart and independant. They haven't let me down yet.
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