Education Abroad in France and Morocco

Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.

My STEP Signature Project included traveling to France and Morocco for three weeks in the month of May. The first week consisted of touring the most prestigious and well-known landmarks of Paris. For the duration of the second week, I traveled to three cities in southern France and for the third week, I traveled to four popular cities in Morocco. While traveling to these destinations, I participated in approximately 3 hours of class each morning that allowed me to learn about the history and significance of the culture and community that I would be submersing myself in for the day.

What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.

              After having the amazing opportunity to be one out of twenty-five students that were accepted to go on this study abroad trip to France and Morocco, I have to say I learned things about myself and the world that I was not cognizant of before. First of all, I never thought I would be able to survive a ten hour plane ride, so, I proved to be way stronger than I thought. But, more importantly, I learned that reality is so much different than what you learn from textbooks. Yes, textbooks provide a basic foundation, but I never realized how basic the foundation was until I was consumed in a foreign reality I had only dreamt of. To know that the Eiffel Tour sparkles on the hour is way different than witnessing it happen. It is the most beautiful thing. And the Africa I traveled to was not even remotely comparable to was is portrayed in the media. It is a stunning place full of so much culture. This trip eradicated all misconceptions I held before embarking on such a journey. I left the trip with so much knowledge and cultural appreciation that I would otherwise not have. I am so beyond grateful that I was able to see these parts of the world in a capacity that many people do not have the opportunity to witness.

What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.

To say that I fell in love with the community of Sidi Moumen would be an understatement. Being able to see hundreds of people’s lives changed by the work of one man was truly amazing. Many times the more “fortunate” or well off people tend to neglect those who are victims of less fortunate socioeconomic circumstances and, as a result, they never give those people a chance to show that, they too, are human. The story of Idmaj and the success that they have achieved is so awe inspiring. And to think that it is all because of one person’s desire to help the community and provide them with some hope and opportunity is incredible. Mr. Boubker Mazoz is truly a hero. I have never been a part of an experience like our visit the Sidi Moumen Cultural Centers. I have only seen such acts of humanitarianism and philanthropy on a television screen. From the young to the old, the love that the community holds for Boubker Mazoz was pervasive throughout every speech that was given. Unfortunately, I was so captivated by their speeches that I only remember their stories and not their names. But the very first two girls that spoke, were so charismatic and so ambitious that it almost brought me to tears. Both of them talked about how they could barely speak any English when they first came to the cultural center and now they possess vocabularies that are more vast than some Americans that are their age. And the eloquence throughout their speeches was beautiful. One of the girls is going to Chicago for a summer convention and she wants to be an engineer. The other girl talked about how she explored dancing, singing, art, music, etc., but realized that her true passion was public speaking and now she is an aspiring public speaker. Of course, in America, these are normal ambitions; however, in a country that considers women to be second class citizens, it was moving to hear these girls say that they have such goals. They would not even have those dreams and opportunities if it wasn’t for Boubker Mazoz.

The older woman who gave the very last speech, also had a huge impact on me. She talked about how she was in a very dark place after she lost her husband. Through profusive tears, she was brave enough to admit that she neglected her kids and herself for so long before meeting Boubker Mazoz, who turned her life around for the better. I was so inspired by the twenty-year-old who gave her speech about traveling to the White House, meeting Michelle Obama and receiving a phone call to be a part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s movie about the women of Sidi Moumen. I wanted to ask her for her autograph so bad but I did not know how to go about that without it being weird. I just have this intuition that she is about to be something so great in the future. I could honestly go on and on about my experience in Sidi Moumen and I am finding hard to put into words how much I was positively impacted by the community. For Boubker Mazoz , to be supplying such opportunity and instilling such hope and promise into a community, such as Sidi Moumen, is beyond remarkable. The classrooms, the music room, the computer lab, the preschool rooms, the room filled with recycled creations, the classroom for the moms to learn English and French, the outside gym, the drums, the dance routines, and everything else was beautiful. And the fact that these resources are free to these people is truly extraordinary. One of Boubker Mazoz’s ending remarks was that he hopes that his legacy will live on forever. And I truly hope, with all of my heart, that it does.

Another aspect of the trip that will have a lasting impact on me is this conversation that I had with a guy in France who approached me to ask me if I was from the United States. When I told him that I was American he proceeded to say, “I have been to your country! I love your country! Yes, I know that there are police killing Black people all the time, but it’s worth it. Here, in France, if you are Black, you will not get hired anywhere. Tyra Banks was famous here only because she was American. Our Black people have to go to the United States to even have a chance at becoming famous because there is no way they can become anything here.” And when his friend walked over to us, he introduced him by saying, “This is my friend. He is a true French. You see his skin? White.” As our conversation continued, I began finding myself having to fight back tears. It is heartbreaking for me to be forced to realize that the United States is only one country in the world and everyone has not gotten past the stage of racism in the way that America has. For some reason, I truly believed that the entire world was just as progressive as the U.S. in terms of race relations. And to hear this man say that seeing Black people get killed by the police everyday is worth it speaks volumes about racial equality and struggles of Black people in France. Not only that but for him to believe that the only acceptable way for a true French person to look is to be white, is just so sad. The psychological oppression that he exhibited was just so devastating. The conversation was much longer than what I included in this journal entry but it was one of the most eye opening conversations I have ever had. To see how far the U.S. still must go until racism and prejudice in America is gone (racism and prejudice will never be gone) and then to hear that France is in the same place that America was in decades ago is an emotion I had never experienced before. And I don’t think that I have ever had a conversation with such a passionate person before. He was so convinced that all the bad racial relations in America were so much better than the racial relations in France. I wish I could accurately convey how I felt during this conversation but I don’t think that words can do it justice. But it was definitely one of the best conversations I have ever had.

There were so many awe-inspiring moments that I had on this trip. But these were the most impressionable moments that I will cherish for a lifetime.

Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.

This transformation is significant and valuable to my life because I now how adopted an adequate international perspective of the world and created new points of view based on personal experience. I have grown more than I could ever imagine after going on this trip. Personally, I have learned that putting myself in uncomfortable situations is imperative to growing as an individual. For example, I had never studied French before I traveled to France so the language barrier made things complicated but overall, it facilitated a greater understanding and appreciation of the French culture. Not only was I able to flourish personally, but this trip has a myriad of positive implications for my future professional goals. As a prospective physical therapist, it is essential to have an appropriate understanding of different cultures because my patients will be from diverse backgrounds. Obtaining a global mindset will enable me to communicate better with my coworkers, and ultimately help me foster more professional relationships with my patients. This experience has also left me with a better understanding of the differences among cultures, especially in medicine and the health field, which will better assist me in providing the most beneficial treatment for all of my patients. Diversity is an important aspect of my future career and being a part of this study abroad trip has further instilled in me a passion for appreciating and understanding other cultures.