Student Profile - Leo Austin Spooner

Salaam!

My name is Leo, I’m an entering sophomore from Cambridge, MA, and I’m super excited to be apart of the CIEE Rabat Session II group this summer! Since I’ve arrived in Rabat last Sunday, I’ve had quite the adventure. For me, this week was all about learning. Watching, listening, and paying attention to the locals. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” has been a guiding expression for me this week as I’ve been taking in all of Rabat.

On Sunday, we hauled our bags into the CIEE office and met our host families for the first time. It was exciting, nerve wracking, overwhelming, and a little awkward! I’m still a beginner at speaking Arabic, but we’ve managed to get over the language barrier by doing a ton of pointing and meiming, and a few of my host siblings speak English. (Alhamdulillah!) I successfully broke the ice by bringing out a deck of cards I bought for the airport, which really helped us get to know each other better in the first few days. I’m working on practicing the Arabic I’m learning in class by using it with my host family and I’m getting a lot better with time. I’ve made some pretty embarrassing mistakes, but that’s OK! The homestays have really been an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, try new things like new food, eating with bread instead of cutlery, and the turk instead of an American toilet. Keeping an open mind and embracing the changes has been really rewarding, my host family has shown nothing but patience and hospitality as I’ve been getting settled!

This week, we’ve gone on several trips after class that have been a cool way to explore the neighborhood, get to know our group members, and practice Darija. We’ve introduced ourselves and interviewed locals during Community Conversation, have had competitions in Agdal and the Old Medina to practice buying things from stores, learning about family and traditional clothes. We’ve also gone on a trip to the beach, and to see old Roman ruins, which has been pretty neat. My host brother helped me take the tram to the CIEE office the first day, so that was helpful because I’m going to be using it a ton throughout the month. Although I’ve only been here for a week, it’s starting to feel like a second home. Overall, I’ve had an awesome week and I’m really looking forward to everything that lays ahead.

Ma’a Salama!

-Leo