Erin Schutte, Yale 2012, spent last summer exploring Morocco. Throughout her time there, she experienced many cultural traditions and developed her Arabic language skills. Erin spent much of her time during the week studying at the Arabic Language Institute in Fez and traveled during her free time on the weekends throughout the country. Her most memorable experience was traveling by camel to the sand dunes of the Sahara Desert and camping there overnight before the long camel journey back to civilization
A typical view of the congested marketplace in the Old Medina of Fez brings alive Morocco's small business industry as well as its growing appeal to foreigners.
This sign was posted on a large door of a mosque in Fez advising all non-Muslims not to enter their holy center of worship. It was the only English sign I saw during my stay, which emphasized Morocco's strict laws regarding Islam in society.
Here we find a highly-reputable textile factory hidden in the narrow streets of Fez's most densely populated area. Each scarf, blanket, and table cloth is produced on the hand-operated loom seen here - resulting in some of the finest textile products in the country.
Overlooking the Old Medina of Fez, this view exemplifies the city's crowdedness in an area where modern plumbing is a rarity and donkeys are the main mode of transport. What the area lacks in modernization is made up for in the overwhelming display of culture and nationalism.
Morocco is well-known for its high quality leather goods, and nestled in the Old Medina is the most famous tannery in the country where purses, belts, and shoes are handmade from camel, sheep, and goat hide. Displayed here are the vats of dye used in the back-breaking process of coloring leather.
While exploring the Old Medina of Fez, we stumbled upon a small medressa - a traditional Muslim school - for young students. This one room school taught Arabic and French in addition to other subjects, and the students were happy to welcome a few visitors to their classroom.
Morocco prides itself on its delicious bread, made in small bakeries daily and usually baked only after you have put in your order. This particular bakery is known for its tasty products kneaded by hand and baked in the single fire oven.
In the foothills of the growing city of Sephrou, south of Fez, a donkey is transports manure to use as fertilizer for the farmer's crops.
The Moroccan flag waving proudly on the beach in the capital city of Rabat.