During the past five years Morocco Exchange organized 188 programs with more than 2100 participants.

“After this program I feel that in order to truly understand any culture
one must experience it first hand.”
Participant Katie Kollar, New York University

“I have a new awareness that the best self-reflection
and personal growth comes from challenging one´s own perceptions.”
Matt Dallos, Brown University / Sweet Briar in Seville

“This trip made me realize we are not just US citizens, but
citizens of the world, we are all human.”
Cammy Crane, Davidson College / Central in Granada

A journey into another culture is not only for adding a few new images to our memories. A journey into another culture has the potential to affect a quantum shift in the student’s perception.

The dynamic of travel, the stillness of nature, the cross-cultural experience, and connections within the group will heighten the student’s awareness of their inner lives and the ways they relate to others. Like Orpheus on his journey the participants are asked to leave home; to discover new, exciting and possibly frightening worlds; face personal obstacles along the way; and then return home enriched and transformed.

Colleen Daley traveled with Morocco Exchange in Fall 2005 and is currently serving as a Peace Corps volunter in Morocco, running a youth project in the High Atlas mountains (picture attached).

Colleen´s Story:

November 3, 2005: "I want this event to be a true watershed in my life... I know that I am not done with Morocco."
February 19, 2009: When I went to Morocco with Morocco Exchange in November 2005, the country and the experience made a permanent imprint on my heart. So permanent, in fact, that I requested Morocco immediately upon applying for Peace Corps, and now I only have nine months left. Morocco Exchange and their tremendous program brought us in contact with average Moroccans, something you can't find as an unguided tourist. It was that famous Moroccan hospitality and warmth – many times apparent despite obstacles I would consider insurmountable – that truly transformed my life, then and now, and I can't thank Morocco Exchange enough for the opportunity they gave me.
Colleen Daley, PCV Youth Development 07-09, Tahannoute, High Atlas

Matthew Murphy traveled with Morocco Exchange in Spring 2006 and is at present living in Morocco as a Fulbright in Rabat.

Matthew´s Story:

I have a very special history with Morocco Exchange and I can honestly say that my experience on my trip has drastically altered the trajectory of my life in an incredible way. In the Spring semester of 2006, I was a student in Granada, Spain and decided to embark on the 5 day adventure through Morocco which my program organized through Morocco Exchange. The experience of being in Morocco itself was incredible but I made an instant connection with several of the Moroccans who I met on the trip during a medina visit arranged by ME. After completing my five-day sojourn, I returned to Spain convinced that I needed to return to Morocco and travel independently.

I returned to college in the States to finish my last year of studies and I had planned on starting medical school immediately after finishing my undergraduate studies. However, after spending a semester in Spain and traveling to Morocco, I decided to take time to travel, broaden my interest within medicine to include a more international element and, more specifically, to return to Morocco for a more in-depth experience. Currently, I am a Fulbrighter living in Rabat, Morocco studying French and Arabic and working on a public health research project. Morocco Exchange not only provided a unique and compelling perspective on Moroccan culture but also provided a foundation from which I was able to continue exploring the country and build on my own interests in medicine. After this year, I look forward to having this incredible experience influence my medical studies and future career as a physician.