The Adventure Begins, Part II

I noted in my last blog post of "Ben's Egyptian Adventure" from Fall 2009 - Spring 2010 that there would quite possibly be a new "Ben's _________ Adventure" site in the future. I had no idea where that adventure would be or the reason why I would be going, but I had a suspicion that I would be travelling somewhere, sometime in the future.

I wasn't expecting this opportunity at all. I applied for the U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship program at the behest of my Arabic professor, who told me about the program 2 days before the scholarship deadline. In one night I scrambled to put together 3 short essays, letters of recommendation, and the rest of the application. I submitted everything and then waited 6 months to find out that I was selected to spend 2 months in Morocco in an intensive Arabic program during the summer.

Here are two pictures of where Morocco is. I will be staying in Tangier, which is in northern Morocco, as seen in the second picture. (Pictures are public domain from www.cia.gov)

If you're interested in the program, here is a media note regarding some of the details. Even though I haven't even started the program, I have a feeling that I will end up recommending it to anyone who is interested in learning a foreign language and spending the summer in another country (but I'll write my review of the program at the end of the summer).

For now, I'm headed to Washington D.C tomorrow (Sunday--Father's Day) morning for a couple of days of orientation speakers, panels, etc. until we depart as a group on Tuesday evening.

One thing I've learned already--it's MUCH easier to pack for 2 months than it is for 9 months. I have quite a bit of room left in my suitcase (more room for souvenirs?).

Happy Saturday!