During my freshman year of college, I took my first study abroad experience to the beautiful country of Morocco. It was a 2-week trip during Winter Break 2018-2019 that I will never forget. I was nervous to travel that far outside of the country, but I had to put my anxiety aside because I would only be holding myself back from a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I did so many activities that I never thought I would and ate foods that were so delicious. I rode a camel in the Sahara Desert, I spent the night in an oasis, I climbed down a waterfall, visited ruins of The Roman Empire, went to many of the markets, and watched a snake-charming performance. I tasted fresh Moroccan olive oil, Berber pizza, and couscous. What made my study abroad experience even better were the peers I traveled with and our instructor, Mosbah Kushad. Everyone got along very well, we looked out for each other, and we all kept in touch after the trip. We were all so blessed to make Mosbah’s last trip to Morocco before retirement memorable.

Alia is an HDFS junior with a concentration in child and adolescent development and aspires to become an obstetrician and gynecologist.