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Morocco Week in Review
March 24, 2007
An Operation Smile Medical Mission team will arrive in Oujda, Morocco for an international medical mission taking place March 22-30, 2007 to assist children born with facial deformities. The team consists of more than 40 medical and non-medical volunteers from Canada, England, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa and the United States. Founded in 1982, Operation Smile is a worldwide children’s medical charity dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults.
Who: An Operation Smile International Mission Team comprised of 35-40 credentialed medical professionals from 10 countries.
Fouzia Mahmoudi, Operation Smile Morocco Vice President
Abdou Jbara, Operation Smile Morocco Executive Director
Dr. Arash Babaoff, pediatrician from Ohio Kathy Miller, medical records specialist from Virginia
When: March 22-30, 2007
Where: Al Farabi Hospital Oujda, Morocco
Prior to this mission, Operation Smile held basic and advanced life support training courses in Casablanca for nursing, pediatric and anesthesia volunteers in Morocco. From March 5-7, twenty-one medical professionals completed a Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) training course. An Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) course trained 21 medical professionals from March 7-9. On March 11, seven medical professionals completed a Basic Life Support (BLS) course and two participants were certified to serve as BLS instructors. These training courses satisfy Operation Smile’s credentialing requirements for Moroccan medical volunteers. Other Operation Smile education initiatives in Morocco include the Morocco-Gaza Joint Advanced Burn Care Training Program, taking place March 12-April 7 in the burn unit at the Ibn Rochd University Hospital (Casablanca University), to train two surgeons and two nurses from Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
During the mission in Oujda, two Moroccan volunteers and one Egyptian volunteer will complete a biomedical training program conducted by an Operation Smile biomedical technician volunteer from the Philippines. The program will train the volunteers techniques in setting up, testing and maintaining the state-of-the-art equipment that Operation Smile is supplying each of its partner countries. This is a major step toward reaching Operation Smile’s goal of having one person trained in biomedical technology in each of its partner countries.
This is Operation Smile’s first international medical mission to Oujda, however Operation Smile Morocco has conducted four in-country local missions in this city. Previous international and in-country local missions have taken place in Agadir, Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Settat, Fes, Meknes, Laayoune, Tetouan, Tiznit, Ouarzazate, Kénitra, Taounat, and Marrakech. The last international medical mission took place in June of 2006 when nearly 50 Operation Smile medical and non-medical volunteers from Canada, Ireland, Italy, the Philippines, South Africa and the United States worked with Moroccan medical volunteers at Hospital Provincial de Settat in Settat to treat children and young adults suffering with facial deformities. The team of international volunteers worked together to provide free medical evaluations to 376 children and young adults and 158 received free reconstructive surgery. In 2006, Operation Smile Morocco established a dental program that provides basic follow up care for its cleft lip and cleft palate patients as well as other Moroccans who need dental care in the Casablanca area. The dental program treats more than 3,000 patients annually. In December 2006, an Operation Smile World Care patient from Settat, Morocco, was treated by Operation Smile Ireland. Morocco has been an Operation Smile partner country since 1998.
Morocco will be one of the partner countries participating during Operation Smile’s 25th anniversary year. Operation Smile will commemorate its 25th Anniversary with a year-long, multi-faceted series of initiatives to include the following:
• Global Standards of Care – The Global Standards of Care include a rigorous credentialing process and a standardization of medical supplies and equipment that will be based on the model of care that Operation Smile has perfected in 25 years of performing cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. State-of-the-art equipment valued at $3.6 million will be provided to partner countries to ensure that every patient treated by Operation Smile will benefit from the same sophisticated equipment, procedures, and highly trained and credentialed medical staff, no matter where they receive care around the world. Additionally, Operation Smile is providing emergency supplies in accordance with American Heart Association guidelines for pediatric and advanced cardiac life support.
• Comprehensive Care Centers – Following the opening in Hue, Vietnam, Operation Smile will open additional Comprehensive Care Centers in Colombia, Honduras, Morocco, China, India, and the Philippines. Each Center will provide surgical treatment and post-operative follow-up for thousands of additional patients, especially those in remote areas. The Centers will also help train medical volunteers, strengthen local development and fundraising activities and provide on-going administrative support for in-country activities.
• International Forums on Medical Diplomacy – As part of its ongoing effort to create a global humanitarian network to bring healing to the world’s children, Operation Smile will host international forums on medical diplomacy.
• World Journey of Smiles – The year-long anniversary celebration will culminate in November 2007, with the World Journey of Smiles, 43 simultaneous missions in 25 countries. With a goal of treating an estimated 5,000 children living with facial deformities, World Journey of Smiles will take place from November 8-16, 2007. To prepare for that initiative, plastic surgeons and anesthesiologists from 22 of those countries recently met at Operation Smile’s world headquarters in Norfolk, Va., to set global standards of care.
ljones@operationsmile.org
www.operationsmile.org
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?storyid=14591&ret=Default.aspx
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In recent years ecologists and officials have raised the alarm that without sufficient awareness campaigns and government action, Morocco may lose its forests. According to Hammou Jader, Secretary-General of the High Commission for Water, Forests and Desertification Control, the country currently loses 30,000 hectares of forest per year, due to a number of problems including human activity, climate change and fires. Jader said that in most cases, the risk from fires is "caused mainly and directly by humans".
Although fires are a problem throughout the year 80% of them occur between June and October. The cause of half of the fires is never discovered, although 40% of fires are known to result from negligence such as field burning, forest clearing, campfires, discarded cigarettes and smoking beehives for honey collection. Morocco's January and February frosts frequently blight large numbers of trees and make it easier for forest fires to spread.
According to the High Commission for Water, Forests and Desertification Control, deforestation can contribute to flooding and topsoil loss as plant cover is less able to play its role in regulating water flows and protecting against soil erosion. The commission is therefore trying to address the situation by restoring forest density and the balance of the ecosystem. Reforestation will be necessary to satisfy the growing demand for wood products brought about by the country’s social and economic development.
The government has implemented laws, regulations and prevention and control measures in high-risk forest districts. An inter-ministerial committee has drafted a national forest fire prevention strategy which outlines the regions threatened by fires and their main causes. The strategy aims to help put in place a prevention and information programme to tackle the problem in stages. The programme's overall objective is to ensure that the rate of regeneration will be higher than that of forest loss.
Morocco currently plants nearly 37,000 hectares of new forest per year and efforts are being made to increase this rate. In Jader’s view it should be possible to achieve a rate of 50,000 hectares a year and ensure the survival of the country’s forests. Most of the country’s lumber is produced from cedar and pine forests which cover a mere 227,000 hectares, barely 4% of the country’s total forests.
Morocco’s forests cover an area of around 9 million hectares, or 12% of the country’s surface area. Its natural forests cover a total of 5.8 million hectares, while it has 3.2 million hectares of esparto grass steppes. The country has 530,000 hectares of planted forest.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/03/25/feature-02
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UAE to help perform 2,000 eye surgeries in Morocco.
24 March 2007 RABAT
An eye surgery drive, supported by the UAE, was launched recently in Sala, on the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco. Using a mobile eye surgery unit donated to the Moroccan Medical Society for Solidarity by Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak, an eye surgery team from the UAE and Morocco will be performing around 2,000 eye surgeries each year.
The mobile medical unit features state-of-the-art eye surgery, sterilisation, anaesthesia, resuscitation and artificial respiration equipment. The unit was delivered to the Moroccan Medical Society for Solidarity in a ceremony attended by Princess Lella Merym, sister of King Mohammad VI of Morocco.
Expressing appreciation for Shaikha Fatima’s support, Chairman of Moroccan Medical Society for Solidarity Professor Mohammed Al Azzouzi said: “The team will tour various areas in Morocco to operate on needy and underprivileged Moroccan patients in remote areas of the country.”
Relief operation
The UAE Red Crescent Society (RCS) recently carried out a relief programme in Iraq in support of Iraqi families affected by the deteriorating security situation in the country. “The humanitarian programme in collaboration with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is part of our efforts to support our Iraqi brothers and to put and end to the tragic situation and its humanitarian effects on the Iraqi society,” stressed Deputy Secretary-General of RCS Saleh Mohammed Al Mullah.
“We aim to deliver relief aid to all underprivileged Iraqis without any discrimination to try and alleviate the suffering of Iraqis,” he added.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2007/March/theuae_March741.xml§ion=theuae&col=
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Morocco to train 230,000 IT teachers.
Rabat, Mar. 24
Minister of Education and Higher Education, Habib El Malki unveiled here on Friday an action plan to train 230,000 teachers in the field of New Information and Communication Technologies.
The minister, who was speaking at a colloquium on the use of NICT in education, also said his department is to set up a national laboratory tasked mainly with the validation of pedagogical materials and the follow-up of the action of the network of regional resources for the production of digital materials.
Malki called on the actors in the education field to launch awareness-raising campaigns for students and professors in order to better equip them against the misuse of the Internet.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/morocco_to_train_230/view
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Moroccan government pledges drought support for farmers.
29/03/2007
Morocco's government will launch a programme aimed at alleviating the effects of the country's current drought by providing compensation to farmers covered by the insurance program of cereal products against drought, and by supporting the payment of farmers' debts, government spokesman Nabil Benabdallah announced Wednesday (March 28th). The programme's launch will complete the emergency measures announced by the government last January, which includes providing food and water to livestock, reinforcing livestock health protection and assistance with spring cultivation. Benabdallah added that the cabinet will also proceed with the realisation of a programme for drinking water supply in the stricken rural areas and the protection of forests. Morocco is experiencing a rainfall shortage of 50% and the drought may reduce Morocco's cereal output from 7m tonnes in 2006 to 2005 levels of 4.2m tonnes thus forcing the country to increase cereal imports.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/03/29/newsbrief-02
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Morocco provides favorable environment for investments, US operator.
London, Mar. 29
Morocco has become, thanks to the reforms program it has launched, a favorable environment for successful investments in several fields, said, here Thursday, the operations director of the Morocco-based American company "Fruit of the Loom", Michael Mullon. "Fruit of the loom chose to be based in Morocco following a benchmark on several countries, including India and China," Mullon told MAP on the sidelines of an international conference on trade and investment in the Middle East, held in London on Thursday. This choice, he noted, is ascribed to the assets Morocco offers, in particular its economic achievements, its closeness to Europe and its highly qualified workforce.
Fruit of the Loom, a leader in the textile industry sector in the United States, has a 40Mn production unit nearby Salé (Rabat-twin city) that employs 1,700 people. It intends to raise this number to 4,000 thanks to a USD 140Mn investment in the near future. In the same vein, the Moroccan Premier, Driss Jettou, who led the Moroccan delegation to this conference, highlighted the “exceptional” 8.1% growth rate achieved by the Kingdom in 2006, the inflation rate contained at 2% and the budgetary deficit of less than 2%.
Lauding the presence of some 120 American firms and groups in Morocco in "almost all activity sectors," the Moroccan official stressed that Telecom, new infrastructures, water and electricity supply, and transports are the fields that need most foreign investments.
On the fringes of the conference, the Moroccan prime minister called upon young executives exercising in London to contribute to the economic and social boom of the North African country.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/morocco_provides_fav/view
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Morocco-US FTA contributes to boosting Moroccan economy, PM.
London, Mar. 29
The Free Trade Agreement signed with the United States of America, and enforced in 2006, contributes to boosting the flow of bilateral exchanges and investment possibilities of US firms in Morocco, said Moroccan Premier, Driss Jettou. The official, who was addressing the opening of an international conference on trade and investment in the Middle East, Jettou lauded the presence of some 120 American firms and groups in Morocco in "almost all activity sectors."
American ambassador to Rabat, Thomas Riley, told MAP-London on the sidelines of the conference, that the Moroccan-US FTA, which he hailed as "very important," is a successful initiative as shown by the significant rise of 44% in trade exchanges between the two countries. Stressing that Morocco's openness to world economy is a "clear" choice, citing in this respect the Moroccan-US FTA, the Association Agreement with Morocco, and the FTAs with Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan, the official called on investors to take advantage of Morocco's offers. According to the Premier, the fields of telecom, new infrastructures, supply of water and electricity, and transports are the ones that need most foreign investments. Touching on the performance of the Moroccan economy during 2006, Jettou particularly underlined an “exceptional” growth rate of 8.1%, an inflation contained at 2% and a budgetary deficit of less than 2%.
The conference, which gathers several US, British and middle-east investors, is attended by the United States, Morocco, Bahrain, Jordan and Oman. Besides the Premier, Morocco is represented by Minister of Trade and Economy Upgrading, Salaheddine Mezouar, Minister in charge of Economic and General Affairs, Rachid Talbi Alami and several senior officials.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/morocco-us_fta_contr/view
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Japan loans Morocco about USD 118Mn to fund development projects.
Rabat, Mar.30
The Japanese Bank for International Development (JBIC) has granted Morocco three loans totaling USD 117.9Mn to fund liquid purification development projects in urban centers and fight unhealthy housing. The loan agreements were signed, here Friday, by Finance and Privatization Minister, Fathallah Oualalou, and Japan’s ambassador to Morocco, Haruko Hirose.
The first grant, worth USD 27Mn, will fund projects aimed at developing drainage basins throughout the kingdom, while the second USD 43.2Mn agreement is meant to finance projects related to water purification in different urban centers surrounding the southern city of Marrakech. The third grant, amounting to USD 47Mn will fund Al-Omrane holding's programs to fight unhealthy housing and improve people’s living conditions in several areas around Kenitra (45 km Northern Rabat).
Moroccan Premier, Driss Jettou, who chaired the signing ceremony, said that these loans are meant to help carry out projects that are part of the National Initiative of Human development (INDH), a bold program aimed to improve socioeconomic and health conditions of all Moroccan citizens.
For his part, the Japanese ambassador, Haruko Hirose noted that these loans are only the beginning of a full process intended to improve the life conditions of the impoverished population by allowing them to live in an appropriate and healthy environment.
So far, Japan's development aid to Morocco has reached USD 1.7Bn, allotted for infrastructures reinforcement and fighting poverty projects such as highways, drinking water, rural electrification, water treatment, education and housing.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_social/japan_loans_morocco/view
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Vocational training benefited over 80,000 people in 2006, official.
Rabat, Mar. 30
Vocational training provided by 994 centers of Entraide Nationale (national mutual aid) has benefited up to 80,023 people in Morocco in 2006, revealed, here Thursday, the director of this institution.
Addressing a meeting of the Entraide Nationale board of directors, Mohamed Talbi highlighted the rise in the number of centers and institutions which reached 2,094 in 2006, 53pc in the urban areas and 47pc in the rural milieu.
Regarding the pre-school program, Talbi noted that the number of kindergartens almost doubled in the period between 2002 and 2006, jumping from 176 to 332, benefiting 13.000 people.
He recalled the elaboration of a new organization chart providing for the setting up of 10 regional representative committees in Agadir, Casablanca, Fès, Guelmim, Laâyoune, Marrakech, Oujda, Rabat, Settat and Tangier.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_social/vocational_training/view
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Marrakech to host in April first Women of Africa Festival.
Marrakech, Mar. 27
The southern city of Marrakech will host in April the first Women of Africa Festival, an event that will pay tribute to African women through music, art and culture.
Due on April 19 through 22, this festival, organizers said, aims to celebrate, encourage and put forward all women that work for political, economic, cultural and artistic development in Africa.
The festival which is meant to discover different cultures, traditions and the history of Africa, will include debates on violence against women in the family and the fight against HIV/AIDS, female genital mutilation and poverty.
Two shows featuring African music singers will be also held on this occasion, as well as an exposition themed: "African Beauty secrets".
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_culture/marrakech_to_host_in/view
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Berber writing system adaptable to the modern age.
By Lyes Aflou – 30/03/07
An international colloquium organized by the High Commission for Amazigh discussed the origins of the Tifinagh alphabet and the best ways to bring it back into modern usage. An international colloquium on Tifinagh, the earliest alphabet used to transcribe the Amazigh language, took place on Thursday (March 22nd) in Algiers. Organized by the High Commission for Amazigh (HCA), the conference was attended by distinguished social science experts from Niger, Morocco, Tunisia and France. Those in attendance deliberated the alphabet's use and how best to preserve it as a part of the Berber people's cultural heritage.
The event was part of a programme run by the HCA to rehabilitate the Tamazight language in Algeria. For two days, the participants presented papers on the origins and history of the Libyco-Berber language and shared their ideas on the use of the Tifinagh script. Prehistorian Malika Hachid argued for a re-adaptation of Lybic characters, which she described as being "of native origin and the earliest historic evidence we have" of writing in the region. She added that they "are fully capable of being adapted to the modern age" and that to stop using them "would erase one of the most beautiful aspects of our cultural heritage."
Historian Karima Ouazar Merzouk expounded a new theory on the local origins of the Lybic alphabet, which rejects the idea that it was a variant of the Phoenician alphabet. "If this theory were to be proven, it would change all current thinking on the origins of writing, not only in North Africa but also in the world as a whole."
In support of the previous speaker, socio-linguist Said Toudji expanded on the theory of the origins of Libyco-Berber writings and their recent developments, commenting that the most ancient inscriptions "date to the 6th century BC." In his view, this shows that the Berber alphabet survived in North Africa at least until the end of the ancient world.
Jean-Pierre Laporte, a French archaeologist, argued that surviving documents should be used effectively so that scholars can gain an in-depth knowledge of the Lybic languages. He spoke of the various methods which have been implemented to gain knowledge of them through linguistic study. "Sadly, this study has told us little and this means there are gaps in our knowledge of the exact origin of these languages," he concluded.
Hacene Halouene, an Amazigh researcher and linguist, spoke about the use of Tifinagh in the public sector in Kabylia. Giving his views on the opportunity to reinforce Berber cultural identity through the use of its language, he deplored the fact that the teaching of the Tifinagh alphabet "has not been adopted by any official institution to date."
Fatima Boukhris, the director of the Centre for Language Development in Morocco, reported on the work carried out by the Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture to develop the Tifinagh script as the official alphabet of the Tamazight language in Morocco. She highlighted the fact that for several years now, Tifinagh has been the accepted system for the writing and publishing of Amazigh textbooks and other literature.
Modi Issouf of the Ministry of Primary Education and Literacy in Niger raised the issue of Tifinagh characters in the Unicode Standard. He said that "the adaptation of national languages for use in IT requires compatibility with regard to encoding methods." He added that in 1992 the Unicode Consortium created a universal character table intended to include the characters of all world languages.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/03/30/feature-02
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Jabara uses talent to promote peace, co-existence and Moroccan music.
By Imane Belhaj – 27/03/07
Music from the Maghreb, combined with styles from around the world, can be a force for cultural dialogue and understanding. Mohamed Jabara speaks about his and other young artists' experience with the international music scene. Moroccan singer Mohamed Jabara celebrates world music on his new album Al-Ma’ida (The Table), a collection of 14 songs that combine the spirit and authenticity of Moroccan music with international music genres such as blues and reggae.
In an interview with Magharebia, Jabara said that his new album is a natural continuation of his previous work, through which he tries to affirm that music is a language common to all peoples and a means of achieving closeness, co-existence and dialog between different civilisations. Jabara, a resident of Spain, was recently in Morocco promoting the new album. "The time has come to make Moroccan music cross borders and come within the reach of different peoples. Our music is rich and powerful, and we have a young generation able to offer it, like the previous pioneers," he said.
Like all young artists enamoured by world music, Jabara envisions his music transcending national borders. "I work to make Moroccan music global music that crosses the country's narrow boundaries," he said. Jabara has interacted with Western musicians and has begun to combine styles "such as rock, blues and others with a Moroccan 'scent', and this is something beautiful in my opinion."
Jabara's bilingual, East-West character reflects his cultural and intellectual wealth and allows him to create dialog between global cultures. He explained that music today has a lofty mission and plays a significant part in supporting openness towards others. One of his song lyrics exemplifies this idea:
"I hoped we would live in peace, Beyond ethnicity, money, origin and political parties…"
Jabara said that because Moroccan artists do not usually find opportunities in their home country, he searched for them abroad. Such is the case for many artists, who are resigned to leaving their homeland for the sake of art, says Jabara. Luckily, these artists usually work for the benefit of Moroccan song and music by sharing it with various cultures.
Jabara has participated in numerous international festivals and has performed in a number of countries in Europe, Latin America, Russia and even Siberia. "As an immigrant artist, I carry a tremendous burden, which is the need to support Moroccan music. I have toured numerous nations and worked at many festivals. Through all of these stops, I try to be an ambassador for Moroccan art and Moroccan song. I sometimes hold workshops on Moroccan music...and…I always find others very receptive to Moroccan rhythms, which, as we all know, are cheerful and open to joy."
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/03/27/feature-02
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Studying abroad getting more nontraditional:
Students have the whole world in their plans
By Robb Murray . The Free Press Published March 26, 2007
London’s got the big clock, the queen and the castle, and loads of people wild about soccer. Paris has food, berets and that museum with all the masterpieces. But when it comes to studying abroad, Malika Heiller wanted something a little more meaningful, something “off the beaten path,” something that wouldn’t be as easy or as comfortable as a country very much used to American tourists. So instead of heading to Europe, she did what more and more college students are doing with their study abroad experience: finding locations that are more exotic — or at least nontraditional.
Heiller sent four months in Morocco and four months in India. “Everything I’ve seen has changed my life,” the Gustavus Adolphus College junior said. Across the board, study abroad trips to traditional locations such as Italy or Australia remain popular. Gustavus students in increasing numbers, however, are choosing adventure and unknown over comfort and familiarity.
“Students are becoming more aware of a larger world, and the old notion of the junior year in Paris is finally out of this generation’s memory,” says Patrick Quade, interim director of International Education at Gustavus. “This generation is far more interested in locations and destinations that give them a glimpse of a culture they’re not accustomed to.”
At look at statistics from the Institution for International Education, Quade says, shows a shift to non-western destinations that started about 10 years ago and has kept growing. And it’s not just private colleges. At Minnesota State University, the vast majority of students are choosing traditional locations, especially Australia. But there have always been students, says Study Abroad Coordinator Margie Larson, who have chosen unusual locations, such as the Czech Republic, South Africa and Estonia.
Heiller can easily be included in that category. Heading to Morocco was, for Heiller, sort of a trip of destiny. Her father — who died unexpectedly in January — lived in Morocco for two years while serving in the Peace Corps.
She spent half the academic year there, and the other half in India. In Morocco, the culture was drastically different than what she was used to in Minnesota. “It was hard in the beginning,” said Heiller, whose time in Morocco was spent being one of the few blond and fair-skinned people around. “Walking down the street I’d get people flirting or cat calls. I’ve never had that here living in a small town.”
She wanted something authentic, and something she wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. She didn’t want her study abroad experience to be ordinary. “I just feel like there will be so many other opportunities for me to go to London or Paris,” Heiller said. “I want to really experience what it’s like to live there, and I feel like I did that a lot. Much more so in Morocco.” In Morocco she lived with a family that didn’t speak English. Instead they spoke Arabic, which gave her a chance to practice her Arabic skills.
Gustavus student Erin Luhmann visited Thailand recently. It was a J-term that almost didn’t happen for her. She was on a waiting list for the Thailand trip. And when there was a non-violent coup, a handful of students pulled out of the trip. A space was then open for Luhmann. The political strife there didn’t bother her. “I wanted to go somewhere where we were really out of our element,” she said. “I don’t know if I’d do something this extreme on my own.”
Luhmann said she’s not surprised more students are heading overseas for more nontraditional study abroad experiences.
“I think my generation is more adventurous and outgoing,” she said. For now, she’s done with overseas travel. She wants to spend her senior year on campus with her friends. After graduation, however, she plans to head far away again. Like Heiller, Luhmann plans to join the Peace Corps. Why?
Partly to postpone having to get a real job, she says. But it’s also about helping other people. Plus, “It’s a good time to find yourself,” she said.
Quade says there may be several factors pushing students to more non-traditional study abroad locales. Current events, of course, is one. With the 24-hour news cycle and with 9/11 prompting more coverage of issues in the Middle East, more students are aware that life exists in parts of the world previously untouched, for the most part, by the study abroad experience.
Also, Quade says students are showing up to Gustavus having been exposed to more diversity in literature during high school, and civics classes are doing a better job of teaching students about world events, and the students’ place in the world. “They realize more than ever that they don’t live in an isolated world,” Quade said. “Some come back and say it transformed their life.” And some students, Quade said, return from a study abroad experience saying they’d like to devote their lives and careers to service. “They have changed when they come back in the sense that their world and their career possibilities have expanded right along with their awareness that there is a bigger world.”
Gustavus ranks 17th in the nation among baccalaureate undergraduate institutions in the number of students that study abroad. Each year, between 250 and 300 students spend their J-term abroad. Another 150 will spend either one semester or an entire academic year abroad.
Heiller says the experience was invaluable, and full of the kind of memories that are life-changing.
She remembers a woman in India who said something that made her think. “She said to me, ‘Every year you Americans come here, and every year you say you’re going to help us, and you never help us. So what are you going to do to help us?’” Heiller said. She told the woman she and others go back, talk about what they’ve seen and raise awareness.
She hopes more people will choose to visit countries such as India or Morocco. She hopes people will take the time to learn about other cultures.
Said Heiller, “What if we all went and all of us learned so much and had our lives changed and tried to make a difference?”
http://www.mankatofreepress.com/local/local_story_085004906.html?start:int=0
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