Cadet Amber Ward is a Junior studying with UNL's Air Force ROTC Detachment 465, majoring in Global Studies with a Minor in Arabic. She was recently selected to be part of the Project GO program, where she competed and earned a scholarship to travel abroad to Morocco for an immersive Arabic language and cultural learning experience. This past summer, Cadet Ward was awarded her second Project GO scholarship while in Air Force ROTC, and attended the American Institute in Fes, located in Fes, Morocco.
Initially she was very nervous about studying abroad, as she had never been out of the country. However, in the weeks leading up to their departure they had various discussions about safety, living with a local host family, and background knowledge of the location and culture that eased her mind. Cadet Ward arrived in Morocco with 19 other cadets from various universities, all of them jet lagged from a 7 hour+ time difference. For their first couple of days, they were introduced to the city life, Moroccan food, and local families. Monday through Friday they had four hours of language classes in the morning, focusing on Modern Standard Arabic, and typically would go home to eat with their home stay families. In Morocco, lunch is the most important, and biggest, meal of the day. Cadet Ward’s host parents, Najeeb and Hanan, both worked, but would make it a point to come home for lunch each day. After lunch, the cadets would return to school for a Duriija lesson, the Moroccan dialect of Arabic, followed by a history of Morocco class.
Cadet Ward’s host family was very different from many of her classmate's home stay families as both host parents worked, had no children, and had a pet cat named Putin. Ward found herself deeply immersed in everything Morocco had to offer, and she loved every small interaction she had. Whether it be a small conversation in a taxi, or successfully haggling over a price in the Medina (old city). Her time in Morocco not only taught her a
language, but a rich culture that welcomed her with open arms. Ward often found herself in distant host family member’s homes being told to eat another pastry or drink more peppermint tea. She was even fortunate enough to celebrate Eid with her host family and help her host grandma prepare the sheep.
On the weekends, the cadets went on excursions to different cities in Morocco. Her favorite excursion, among the 8-mile hike in the mountains and trips to various historical sites, was the weekend in Merzouga. Here, they rode camels, watched the sunset in the Sahara Desert, danced and played traditional desert music, and learned how to tie desert scarves.
Overall, Cadet Ward is thankful for the UNL Project GO program and her time in Morocco. Not only did she continue to refine her Arabic skills, but she gained a new understanding of North African culture that cannot be taught in a UNL classroom.
