Morocco Trip!

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Suleima Cervantes

<i>Home Institution</i>: University of California, Santa Cruz <i>Expected Graduation Year</i>: 2023 <i>Academic Major / Minor</i>: Anthropology <i>Destination</i>: Rome, Italy <i>"Hello" in your host country's language</i>: Ciao <i>Demographics</i>: Hispanic/Latinx, First-Generation American, First-Generation College Student, Transfer Student, LGBTQ+ <i>Future Career Goals</i>: I hope to eventually earn my PhD in Biological Anthropology with a focus in Bioarcheology which would help me become a researcher. <i>Top Three Study Abroad Goals</i>: Explore archeological sites around Italy like Pompeii; Explore new cuisines in Italy; Learn and familiarize myself with Italian culture and language.

This past weekend I had my last big trip before I head back home next week. My Last trip was to Tangier, Morocco! This was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. It was also very warm, which was a surprise I loved since weโ€™ve been having an overall cold and wet winter here in Italy. When we arrived there everyone was really sweet and helpful especially the taxi drivers we got to meet in this city. Our hoastest during our trip recommended my friends and I to a driver who ended up giving us a small tour of the city as well as taking us to the beach to ride camels which was a long life wish of mine. What made it a more memorable moment was the fact that we rode them on the beach when the sun was going down which made the whole experience a long lasting memory. After this we went to eat at a local kebab place that the taxi driver recommended, he said it was a place that tourists didnโ€™t go to but was one of the best meals you could get in Tangier. He was not mistaken, they only had a few items to choose from but they were all delicious from the lamb and chicken kabobs, as well as their specialty bread and soup. I learned from many people here that we shouldnโ€™t have booked a tour before coming since they are quite expensive, rather than if you ask a taxi driver they can give you rides to wherever you want all day for only about $20 each. So if you are planning on going to Morocco, hold off on buying tours since you can get a better deal using taxis to get around places. We still enjoyed our tour nonetheless. The next day we went to Moroccoโ€™s famous Blue City where we were given a tour about the city’s history and facts about their food and culture. It wasnโ€™t my favorite part of my trip because they didnโ€™t really let us go shopping even though they told us we would have over an hour to do it. They only ended up giving us 30 minutes. It’s what I hated because I wanted to buy more stuff without stressing about time. We also went to a city which they called the White City, this was a pretty nice place but at one point during the trips my friends and I were being harassed by little boys who were trying to pickpocket us but left running when one of my friends told them to leave us alone because they started following us. Although it was a little annoying that they were trying to steal from us it was a little sad to see children doing this but the tour guide said it was a common occurrence. After this we headed home to have dinner in a beach side restaurant that was recommended by our hostess and had a nice dinner. Although we noticed the food was American food rather than Moroccan food, it was still really good. This is one of the places I wish I could have stayed longer in since I feel like I could have still seen a lot more, but hopefully some day in the future Iโ€™m able to come back.