Moroccan Summer Institute of the Catholic University of America

Travel recs and fun facts to learn from these 5 questions

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/14/learning/07MoroccoGeographyQuizLN.html

How Much Do You Know About Morocco? Can you find Morocco on a map? What else do you know about this North African nation with 34 million people?

Our last camel ride was at dawn. It was astounding to see a full moon at sunrise!

Here is the second round of desert shots with one more to go.

Note: Make sure to fully scroll through in order to appreciate the extent to which our group emanates "The Office" vibes, especially with our jumping photos.

We just reached 100 likes. Thanks everyone! To express our gratitude for your support, some more pictures from our desert trip will be posted shortly.

Moroccan Summer Institute of the Catholic University of America Earn 6 college credits in 6 weeks and learn about the Middle East in this interactive summer program

Here we are volunteering with some of the cutest kids around. They are supported by a local non-governmental organization helping those in need.

We were tasked with asking about 150 children about their daily practices concerning hygiene. We demonstrated with them how to use soap to wash their hands, as well as toothpaste and a toothbrush to brush their teeth. Many of the kids were already experts. Most were ready to play and make us their new friends.

Thank you to the Qalam wa Lawh Center for Arabic Studies' coordinator Rachid for making this possible!

Our first camel ride!

We're about to head to Merzouga in the Sahara Desert for a three-day trip.

Camel caravans, jeep rides through sand dunes, captivating sunsets, and lucid starry skies are on our horizon.

Photo credit: Polarsteps (we'll have our own to share soon!)

Earlier this week we volunteered at a Moroccan NGO serving children facing economic and familial challenges.

There is lots more to come about this, but in the meantime enjoy our group photo outtakes!

(FYI, organizing 150+ children to take one photo is not an easy task...)

Our first stop on the way to Meknes was Volubilis (Arabic: وليلي‎).

This ancient city rapidly spread under Roman rule from the 1st century AD until 258. It covers nearly 100 acres and continues to be excavated by archaeologists today.

Between the Corinthian columns, you’ll see many detailed mosaics. They were constructed on the floors of wealthy residents’ homes.

The local economy thrived from olive oil production. Many in the tour group remarked that the scenery looked like somewhere in southern Italy!

Who's seen Moroccan-French comedian Gad Elmaleh's Netflix special "American Dream"?

If not, here's a little preview of his stand-up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLOKSJq4tRA

Gad Elmaleh Performs Stand-up Comedian Elmaleh riffs on the difficulty he's had navigating New York City with his heavy French accent. Subscribe To "The Late Show" Channel HERE: http://bi...

There are so many great photos and videos from our last weekend trip to Fes and Meknes that it's hard to know where to start sharing...

For now, enjoy these shots of some of us monkeying around with "Frederico" in El Hadim Square of Meknes!

This weekend we're heading about three hours northeast of Rabat to Meknes and Fes. Stay tuned for more photos to come!

(Image from Musée de la Fondation Abderrahman Slaoui)

We need to say a special thank you to Director Laura Scemama of Musée de la Fondation Abderrahman Slaoui who graciously showed us around the museum's permanent collections and a temporary exhibit, "Fantasized Orient."

"Fantasized Orient" included some of Abderrhaman Slaoui's colonial vintage posters positioned between works created by contemporary women artists from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

Ms Scemama higlighted how these artists articulate modern responses to colonial motifs that reoccur in the vintage posters, most notably representations of women (often with the veil), petrol, and religion (evoked through mosque renderings).

This jewel in Casablanca is not to be missed!

More info about the museum (in French): http://www.musee-as.ma/

More from Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca

Visiting the largest remaining synagogue in Casablanca, Beth-El, which is still an active house of worship for Jewish Moroccans and foreign dignitaries.

In the 1950s, it was one of more than 30 active synagogues in the city.

Yesterday we took the train to Casablanca!

Here's a preview of what we saw during our tour of Hassan II, the largest mosque in Africa with the world's tallest minaret.

Are you ready for the big game today?!

Check out this funny advertisement supporting the Morocco's World Cup team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnoeNATwB60

#KhawaPeople فالرياضة العالمية كل جمهور وليه طابع كل جمهور وليه قيم كيحملها للعالم حنا المغاربة معروفين بسخاوتنا، و بالاخوة إلي تجمعنا ! KhawaPeople #

مبروك عيدكم! كل عام والجميع بخير إن شاء الله

Happy Eid al-Fitr to all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN5p-xQExk4

WHO'S READY TO CHEER ON MOROCCO AND IRAN IN THEIR WORLD CUP MATCH TOMORROW!?

Tune in at 11 am EST or 4 pm Moroccan time!

Hatim Ammor - Viva Morocco (EXCLUSIVE Music Video) | (حاتم عمور - ڤيڤا موروكو (فيديو كليب أتقدم بالشكر لكل من ساهم في إنجاح هذا العمل الفني من مدرب و لاعبين و ثقنيين و فنانين و أطفال صغار و كبار ، شكرا لكم جميعاً ' حاتم عمور ' حاتم عمور - ڤيڤا مور...

Moroccan Muslims are gearing up for one of the biggest holidays called "Eid al-Fitr," a joyous occasion marking the end of the month of Ramadan in which Muslims fasted and conducted other acts of charity and piety.

Eid al-Fitr's start date depends on a lunar phenomenon so we don't yet know whether it will begin on Friday or Saturday.

We hope that you enjoy this meme and have a wonderful Eid holiday.
Mabrouk el-eid! مبروك العيد

😂😂😂

Moroccan Summer Institute of the Catholic University of America updated their address.

Ustadh Mohamed Makoukh introduced us to seven main styles of Arabic calligraphy during a workshop.

Here he wrote "peace be upon you" (السلام عليكم) in each font.

We practiced the "nasskh" style today. Which one is your favorite?

We had another busy day! In addition to class and volunteering at a local association for elderly Moroccans, we participated in a calligraphy workshop.

Take a look at what we learned with the talented calligraphy teacher, Ustadh Mohamed Mokhoukh!

Today we explored Rue de Consul (Consulate Street) in Rabat's old medina, the most popular market for locals and tourists alike.

Some snapshots of memorable moments from our weekend trip to Chefchaouen, the famous blue-washed city of northwestern Morocco

CUAbroad The Catholic University of America CUA Arabic Club Catholic U Multicultural Center

We arrived to Rabat, Morocco's cultural capital, about one week ago and have already embarked on many adventures.

Have a peak at today's cooking lesson where we made a (DELICIOUS) chicken and vegetable tagine! We also shopped for the ingredients beforehand.

More to come soon!

The Catholic University of America CUA Arabic Club CUAbroad

We'll be discussing the schedule of trips, including this one to Morocco's famous blue city, during our first orientation session this Thursday. Don't miss it!