Learn Arabic in Morocco!
[cheerful background music]
Hi I'm Kalyn
I'm Nathan
and we are NSLI-Y students in Marrakech, Morocco
Kalyn:
Well, the NSLI-Y program is a fully funded State Department scholarship
for high school students to study what the State Department
what the government considers critical languages
Nathan: So the CLC is the Center for Language and Culture
The main component of our program is Arabic classes
we study standard arabic, called fuṣḥá
Kalyn: I take Arabic classes 2-3 hours a day, 5 days a week
There is about five of us in a class
so that keeps things very small and very personal.
You interact with your teachers on, you know,
such a personal basis and that has been great.
Nathan: The CLC uses what is called the communicative approach
so the class is all in Arabic, no English allowed
which initially was difficult,
but in the end it's really paid off.
Kalyn: t is by far the best way to pick up a language
and now I've studied Arabic for somewhere around a year, year and a half
and I'm able to communicate and express myself very fluently
The best part about travel in my opinion
is the connections that you make with other people
and when you are able to do it in the colloquial
when you are able to do it in the language of the country that you are in
it makes those connections so much more, so much stronger
Nathan:This is the kitchen, our favorite part.
My friend Mama Khadija
She is the cook for the Center of Language and Culture
Kalyn: She's number one! She's number one
Nathan: I think this experience has definitely confirmed my love for travel, international studies and languages.
Being an American in a different culture
going out in the street and speaking to someone in Arabic
and just seeing people's reactions
and the way people light up when they hear you speaking Arabic.
They hear that you are interested in Morocco
that you're interested in their culture. It's really rewarding.
Kalyn: Morocco, It's, I don't know, It's kind of a part of me now.
And, I think without this experience, I would be
somewhere totally different
You know, who knows what the future will hold
but I know beyond a shadow of doubt
that Morocco has been such a life-changing experience for me.
[cheerful background music]
