How Morocco Became Just as Much My Country as It Is the Country of My Parents

"My life improved in every possible aspect: physical, emotional, spiritual–you name it. It shocked me out of my complacency and made me realize what I had to appreciate more, as well as what I could stand to improve on when I did return."

Hello! My name is Amine Bit, majoring in Comparative Literature and Society at Columbia, and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study abroad in Morocco under SIT’s Migration and Transnational Identity program during Fall 2023. While I did arrive in Morocco early to spend the summer there in addition to my program, my program proper started in September of 2023. As a member of the Migration cohort, I took Arabic, a Research Methods and Ethics class, as well as an introductory course entitled “Migration and Transnational Identity.” In the last month of our program, all students took part in an Independent Study Period (ISP), where we were able to choose a topic of our choice and spend a month researching it. I chose to research language politics in Morocco and produced a full-length research paper at the end of my ISP that was incredibly fulfilling both academically and personally.

Amine walking through Chefchaouen, nicknamed the "Blue City," in Morocco

My typical schedule during the course of my program consisted of attending both morning and afternoon classes, as well as occasional site visits to local non-governmental organizations. After classes, my friends and I would typically go to cafes or just take walks around the city or the beach. I soon came to love Rabat and Morocco in a way that I had never experienced in my life. I had always considered myself to be close to my heritage and a proud Moroccan, but since I had never actually lived in the country, I couldn’t help but feel this constant sense of being a tourist. Now, I no longer feel this to be the case. Morocco is just as much my country as it is the country of my parents.

Around the midpoint of our program, we took a trip to Amsterdam. It was a one week that involved lectures as well as visiting different NGOs. I connected with a couple of Moroccan academics in the humanities who inspired me and served as reminders of why I decided to choose to study Comparative Literature in the future. I had recently had doubts about continuing with my choice of study, so these connections served as much-needed validation. While I did enjoy my time in Europe, my first experience of treasuring my time in Morocco came after being in Amsterdam for three days. I started to miss Morocco, and I still had at least two months there!

Leaving Morocco on January 6th was difficult. I have the most profound gratitude for all of the people I met and the moments I shared with them. I look back on my initial reason for going to Morocco, to improve my language skills, and realize that even if I had gone and not achieved what I had sought, I still would have needed the time that I had there. My life improved in every possible aspect: physical, emotional, spiritual–you name it. It shocked me out of my complacency and made me realize what I had to appreciate more, as well as what I could stand to improve on when I did return. While experiences are often seen as “life-changing” in a way that is outside of our control, I think this discounts the individual agency we have in dictating our own destinies. It is possible for us, and some may say it is our responsibility to make an experience life-changing.

Studying abroad was the most transformative, life-changing experience I have ever had, and I would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to do so. I can confidently say moving forward that I will categorize my life into two sections: pre and post-Morocco. With all of this being said: I can absolutely recommend attending SIT’s Morocco: Migration and Transnational Identity program. I walked away from the program with an enriched perspective, and outlook that I am confident will have a profound impact on the rest of my time at Columbia—and beyond.