STUDENT SPOTLIGHT - FAITH HEFFERNAN

Over the past weekend, the students took on the Atlas mountains of Morocco! After driving from Rabat to the mountains, the students arrived at the Berber Cultural Center. They got settled, had a nice cup of very strong mint tea and headed out for an evening stroll to the next village over. After returning to the center, a dinner of fresh grilled chicken, vegetables, and rice was served. The students enjoyed the fresh mountain air as they conversed and played card games together at the table. After dinner the festivities began. Inside the main courtyard a band played traditional amazingh music. The students enjoyed learning the traditional morrocan dances and danced into the night. The air was filled with energy, music, and good friends. After working up a sweat from all the dancing the students cooled off with a midnight swim in the pool. The next morning, a traditional breakfast was served and students chose to either go on a hike in the mountains or stay at the center and take a cooking class. The cooking class made classic tagine and later had it for lunch. Those who chose to go on a hike passed river beds, goats, and murals before getting to the summit of the mountain. The views from the top of the hill were incredible and all the students were amazed. Alas, all good things must come to an end so after hiking and showing the van was packed up. The students said their last goodbyes to the hosts for the night and headed off to Marrakech!