Closing Column

The Mesmeric Medinas of Morocco

A peer adviser with the Center for International Education, Lydia Grossman ’17 studied in Rabat, Morocco, last spring. She wrote this essay about her neighborhood there. Back on campus this semester, the Louisville, Kentucky, native is studying international affairs and environmental sustainability. She has done service work and taken leadership roles with UMW Habitat for Humanity and alternative spring break. By Lydia Grossman There is no place in the world that can quite compare to the medinas of Morocco. The “medina qadima,” which literally means old city, is where I had the pleasure of living in the capital city of Rabat, Morocco. For four months, I walked through the crowded, noisy streets of the medina to go to and from my daily classes. Though my feelings on the medina were of the love/hate variety, I can say that living there was probably the most defining aspect of my study-abroad experience. When you go through one of the narrow arched entrances to the medina, … [Read more...]