Janie Fulling: A Semester Abroad
Our students are always on the move, and last semester was no exception. Video team member Janie Fulling ventured to Morocco, a country in Northern Africa, to study abroad for a semester. She stayed in the city of Meknes with a host family, who welcomed her and a roommate from Colorado, also studying abroad.
Janie and her roomie were able to study abroad through a program called International Studies Abroad (ISB). Janie picked this program because of their focus on culture. Morocco intrigued her and fulfilled a desire to visit an Islamic country because of the negative perceptions that exist around them. Her ultimate goal is to help provide an antidote to these views. Janie’s passion for photography also aided in her decision to live in Morocco because of the big markets, array of colors, handmade goods, colorful fruits, and spices.
Janie found adjusting to the culture to be a challenge at first, but having her host family made the transition a little easier. She described Moroccan culture as a really neat mix of modern and traditional, as an Islamic country with a lot of Westernization. Janie said living in Morocco had an affect on her when she returned to the U.S. In Morocco, they are adamant about turning off all the lights in the house when they aren’t necessary, so Janie said this habit carried over. Along with this, she has become more conscious about the food she buys after shopping in sustainable markets in Morocco (she doesn’t buy her salads in bags anymore).
Day to day, Janie had each of her classes once a week. During her free time, she spent time hanging out and adventuring on weekend trips with other students in the program. She mentioned one trip in particular that she will never forget. Janie and a couple of girls from the program took a nine hour train ride to the city of Marrakech, where they stayed overnight in a hostel. The next morning, the girls took a grand taxi (an old Mercedes car with bench seating that squeezes about 7 people) to the base of the High Atlas Mountains.
Over the span of two days, they climbed the highest mountain in North Africa, Mount Toubkal. Before the climb, Janie had been uncertain of the trek, but was so glad she took the challenge head on. Seeing mountains so vast for the very first time will be a memory she holds forever.
Her advice to students interested in studying abroad would be to do what the locals do. Take the public transportation in the city and stay with a host family. Janie said living in a new culture can truly have an impact on you and open your eyes to new habits and ideas.
