Written by: Eileen Proto (Student) 
After 5 days at sea I was looking forward to Morocco and all the exciting things to do there. After speaking with many professors and locals to the area I felt I had a sense of what I was going to do. Surfing and Rick’s Caf√© were top on my list in Casablanca, the Medina in Marrakech, and the royal palace in Rabat. Needless to say I was excited to get off the ship.
One of the most difficult things I found was planning without a cell phone or without constant internet access. Many of the other students referred us to the surf shop so with an email we were set. Thankfully, surfing didn’t fall through and four of my close friends from the ship and I were able to go. We were picked up at the port gate by a gray van with multiple surf boards on the top and I knew then that it was going to be a fun morning. Mark the co-owner of KAI Shapes drove us to the beach and supplied the wet suits and boards for our lesson. With Ramadan taking place we had the whole beach to ourselves. Mark and his employee Usaf worked with each of us individually to help us stand up on the board and I am proud to say that each one of us stood up!
Even though I ran into some difficulties when it came to planning, it was worth it. I was able to dine at Rick’s Caf√©, visit the Medina in Marrakech, and the Royal palace in Rabat. And most importantly I am now able to say that I went surfing in Africa.
