In the wake of midterms being next week, I've decided that this post will be dedicated solely to my classes and 'university life' at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco.
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| Who wants to study when you can travel? |
As many of you read in my previous post, NOTHING HERE IS ORGANIZED! It's all go-with-the-flow and do whatever, whenever...for the most part.
Professors here are sticklers about attendance...more so than at Maryville College, which I was VERY shocked to find out. In one of my classes, if you're late, you're absent. Ouch. In another of my classes, you can't leave the classroom to get a drink of water or use the restroom.
(Something I might add that was not discussed in the syllabus, so the professor basically embarrassed this poor kid because he got up to go to the restroom...poor kid couldn't come back to class. Oops.) In yet another class, you can only have two missed classes before it starts affecting your grade...at Maryville it's between three to five. Welp...NOT MISSING CLASS! (Not that I would anyway!)
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| Snowed in...class not cancelled! |
Now I'm going to give you a breakdown of the classes that I'm taking. I'm currently in five classes, which in the grand scheme isn't that much, but I'm here to travel and experience travel, so some days I regret taking this many classes. Ha!
Conflict in Contemporary Africa (MOST DIFFICULT CLASS I'VE EVER TAKEN): This class is looking into the 'more fragile' states of Africa and what makes them that way and human security issues of Africa. VERY INTERESTING. I really am enjoying the class. It's probably my favorite. HOWEVER, I do not have a working knowledge of Africa. PERIOD. I don't know which African states were colonized by which European states; the different tribes/ethnicities that reside in each country; or anything about their political or economic standings. This class is basically me googling everything and anything my professor says after class...which can get hard because I don't know how to spell half the words that comes out of my professor's mouth. Oops.
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| Example of Islamic Architecture |
Islamic Art and Architecture (very interesting...most days): This is another really great class. It's probably one of my more organized class, and I know that my professor is obviously very passionate about the subject. I'm learning a lot about architecture during the times of the Islamic Empire that expanded across the Maghreb, parts of Europe, the Middle East, and into East Asia. It can get confusing sometimes though because my professor will randomly start talking in Arabic or French, and I'm just sitting there like... "¿Como?"
Beginning Arabic I (UGH...NEW ALPHABET THAT I STILL DON'T KNOW): This is the class I get frustrated in most for obvious reasons. We still don't know the entire alphabet and half the letters sound the exact same (to my ears) as other letters. There are three letters that make the 'th' sound, two or three that make the 'k' sound, and two that make the 't', 'd', and 's' sounds. UGH. However, I would like to point out, that I can now write my name in Arabic, which is a pretty big accomplishment if you ask me! Haha!
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| Attempting to learn Arabic |
History of the Arab World (NO ONE KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON!): So this is a class that we are about two to three weeks behind in because the professor just randomly doesn't show up for class. The school will be open, the roads will be clear, there won't be a sign on the door, there won't be an email in our inbox, and he won't show up to class...RUDE. He's missed more classes than students are allowed to with no excuses. Grr. I'm so upset about it. How inconsiderate! But then I think about how different the culture is and how maybe that's a normal thing...but I don't know. You're in a professional setting. UGH.
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| Who studies when this is your view while studying? |
Comparative Political Systems (Aka let's ask the Americans everything about everything): This is a really great class! We've covered the UK and the US so far in class, so whenever students have questions about the US political system, the professor says, "Let's ask the American students." Um...I'm not an expert on the political system of the United States. We also talked about how democratic the electoral college is...that was an interesting conversation because no one thought t was democratic...oops. The United States is apparently undemocratic and shouldn't be promoting democracy when we're not democratic. Odd. Oh well! I do love the new perspectives that I'm getting to experience here. I knew that I would run into such thoughts, so it wasn't unexpected, just new really.
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| There are days when I really miss my MC classes |
Now that you know what classes I'm taking, you have a better idea of what I'm dealing with here in Morocco. I also have midterms next week, and I only know the dates and times of three out of five classes. Well...hopefully, I'll know what the rest are before I have to take them! OH! One more quick fact! All of my classes only have like two or three grades: a midterm, a final, and one paper (or no paper at all). So...these exams are worth 35% to 45% of my grade...AHHHH!