Every year, the U.S. Department of State’s Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad program sends a select group of American high school students to participate in an academic year-long language and cultural exchange in majority-Muslim countries around the world.
We interviewed three participants of the YES Abroad program who are currently spending the year studying at private high schools in Rabat. They are continuing their secondary studies in Morocco, in fully-French and Darija classes, all while dealing with the typical struggles of adolescence.
Their interviews shed light on such topics as the hardships of studying abroad as a teenager, the differences between American and Moroccan schools and social life, and how they have grown in the first seven months of their ten month program.
When asked why they initially chose to apply to the program, the three participants exhibited fearlessness, alluding mostly to wanting to experience culture outside of the US. Eighteen-year-old Josiah enthusiastically answered, “I was thrilled to be part of a new community and build new connections. I knew this experience would also help me discover more about myself and become more independent.”
Huiying, who is just 16, said that she wanted to leave “the bubble” of where she lives. She told us that she comes from a predominantly white neighborhood where “everyone wants the same thing,” but that being in Morocco has enabled her to “realize that there are so many different points of view that (she) didn’t even realize could be had.”
Seventeen-year-old Jack, on the other hand, told us that he is “looking at studying international relations in college” and hopes that this experience will broaden his world view.
We first discussed making friends at school, with which all three had great experiences. Jack answered that it was easy for him “…because many were curious about (him) and just came up to (him).”
Huiying agreed, saying, “It went pretty well just cause I think there’s a pretty big intrigue in learning other cultures here, it’s very different from the U.S. I think because the U.S. is already a melting pot so everyone is used to it.” Without the widespread diversity of the U.S., Moroccans might be more comfortable in their own identities and thus more open to learning about others.
In fact, Josiah told us that his friends in Rabat will often “…ask (him) random questions about the U.S. and Jamaica” (where he is from). Sharing one another’s culture was an effective way in which YES Abroad participants connected with their Moroccan classmates.
In regards to their schooling, their main difficulty has been adapting to the Moroccan teaching style, which, in their experience, is vastly different from that of American high schools. When asked how the teaching styles are different, the three students looked at each other with an air of concurrence, while Huiying spoke up first by saying, “It’s so different. In the U.S. I feel like teachers cater to the students… but here it’s like we give you the information and you have to memorize it and learn it by heart.”
Jack added, “In Morocco, teachers serve as what they are…teachers.” Josiah agreed that teachers in Morocco “…literally just teach to the test,” whereas his school in the Bronx, NY is “very against just teaching to the test,” so adjusting to the Moroccan system has been quite difficult for him.
This newer, liberal, American educational model preaches individuality. Each class’ curriculum is unique and dependent upon the school’s own policy. In addition, it is dependent on demographics, and even the teacher’s own interests.
Now, the YES Abroad students must cater to the French baccalauréat, in which there is one universally accepted curriculum. Ultimately, they all agreed that their grades in Morocco don’t matter as much; rather, as long as they try their best, they are really “just doing this for the experience.”
Discussing their language acquisition process was particularly interesting. Huiying said that the first week of school after coming home she was exhausted. “Language acquisition as a whole has been a journey,” Josiah added. They each laughed about times they misspoke, particularly when speaking Darija with friends and their host families. “They’re always nice, they always laugh it off then help you,” Huiying said. But immersion allows them to improve at rapid speed.
A month ago, Huiying found herself talking to her host mom about inflation in Darija. When telling us the story she elaborated, “I was like, I don’t know how I got here.” They each agreed that even though there is still more to learn, both their French and Darija have “really improved” during their time in Morocco.
In reflecting on the program so far, the three participants shared how hardship has helped them grow. Jack said that he initially struggled with homesickness, and reflected, “I’ve coped with that really well by keeping in close contact with my friends back home and building a community here.” Now when he calls his parents, they tell him that he has “become a different person.” Jack agrees that he is now “more independent and more aware of things.”
Huiying, on the other hand, told us that for her, “…every day is a new adventure.” Because she is exposed to so much novelty, she must “…focus on (herself) and be more independent.” Through this experience, she has “…learned so much about (herself) as a person.” She explained, “I had to build myself up from scratch because there’s no one here that knows me so I was able to make myself the person that I want to be.”
Josiah also said that he thinks he has grown; he is “…now more self-aware about what (he) needs in different moments.” After a long day of taking classes in two new languages, Josiah likes to “…journal and listen to podcasts to try and clear (his) mind.” When discussing how the YES Abroad program has made him want to travel and experience even more, he concluded, “For this to be my first time out of the country, in this experience for 10 months, there’s no way that there isn’t something bigger to it at the end.”
In just seven months, these three American teenagers built a home for themselves in a completely new culture, with a new language and new people. The strength, wisdom, and overall cultural awareness they developed in Morocco will no doubt equip them well for their respective futures.