Emma, Molly, and Taylor, three students in Tangier, left the Grand Socco, the old market, and entered the Medina through the large white gate. Passing Berber women selling vegetables from…
Letters
Naked and Afraid
I sat in the cafeteria, peeling back the buttery layers of my croissant and laughing with my friends about the previous night’s antics when Douaa, our campus coordinator and a…
The Stranger
The brisk, crisp morning air left me seeking warmth and comfort as we stepped off the train and into our new adventure. I didn’t know what the weekend would bring…
The Medina Meat Market
From the uneven cobblestone to the bartering butchers and the vast selection of goat heads, the chaos was overwhelming. I’d never seen so much raw meat, and I’d never smelled…
Life Beyond the Gates
I approached the blue metal gate separating our campus from the outside, and hesitated as the guard pushed down the handle and swung open the door. My eyes darted in…
“Sweet Caroline” in the Atlas
I gazed out at the snow-covered peaks as our bus rumbled along the twists and turns of the bumpy road carved into the Atlas Mountains. We had just reached 7,200…
Walking in a Necropolis
My imagination soared as I thought about the lives of those who, centuries ago, lived within the walls of the necropolis. The ancient Chellah ruins were serene, beautiful, and uncanny….
A Night in the Sahara
Riding on the back of a camel under the bright sun of the Sahara, I looked around me, surprised to see so many trees and bushes. All I had was…
A Love Letter to Tangier
The mist began to dampen my face as we began on our walk to Café Smara, a Tangier café made famous by the novel Si Yussef. We walked down what…
An American Historian in Tangier
There’s a gesture that sums up the people of Tangier. When responding to a compliment or expressing an earnest emotion, the Tangerois tap their palms against their upper chests, right…
