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As a senior in college, I had yet to have a study-abroad experience. My friends had all done it, returning with their pockets filled with spare change in a foreign currency and a lifetime full of stories. 

Knowing that my school schedule wouldn’t allow me to travel for an entire semester of study and that I would be booked for the majority of the summer, one rainy day in April I decided enough was enough. I would create my own study-abroad program, one that fit my schedule and my own interests. “Claudia’s Condensed Study Abroad” was about to begin!...

I always wanted to visit the Amazon jungle, but I kept procrastinating. My procrastination had many reasons. I worried about getting sick from mosquito bites. I was concerned about the vaccines that I would have to take and their unpleasant side effects. I was worried about the cost of such a trip and, on top of that, the need to pay a single supplement. And there’s the fact that I don’t like to travel to hot and humid places. All these concerns kept me from making a decision. Then, in July 2014, I found out my sister had terminal cancer, and I realized that life is short....

In April 2015, when the temperatures in Morocco ranged between the mid 70s and mid 80s, my husband, Max, my best friend, Hetta, and I visited the one place on Earth that all of us had always wanted to visit. Morocco was everything we had imagined it to be! 

The colors, food, artwork, architecture, history and culture were amazing, but what impressed us the most was the friendliness and hospitality of the people. 

Everywhere we went, people welcomed us with Moroccan tea. No matter where we were or what time of day it was, we always felt safe and comfortable. ...