Aaron Sakulich
Fulbright Student Scholar to Morocco 2007-08
Critical Language Enhancement Award (CLEA)
DFO Fellowships Ambassador 2014, 2015
Materials Engineering PhD, 2009
I originally heard about the Fulbright grant after the department secretary forwarded everyone an email announcing that applications were being accepted. I thought the program sounded awesome, but that there was no chance of me getting one. My advisor said I should try anyway, I did, and I got the grant! I spent 3 months in Fes on my CLEA learning Moroccan Arabic, and it was absolutely fantastic - class was interesting, the people were friendly, and every day was an absolute pleasure. I then spent 9 months in Casablanca at the Universite Hassan II and, again, it was excellent. Something amazing happened every day, whether it was having to explain to people on trains that I'm American despite being able to speak a foreign language or having cab drivers invite me to dinner because I used the phrase "Insha'allah." I recommend the Fulbright program, and Morocco, to anyone in the absolute highest terms possible. I'd do it again if I could.
Read more about my time in Morocco here.
Take a look at this hilarious and effective book on learning Moroccan Arabic, written by Aaron Sakulich, Drexel Materials Engineering BS/PhD (2009) and 2008 Fulbrighter to Morocco: Shnoo the Hell is going on Hnaa? A Practical Guide to Learning Moroccan Darija - the Arabic Dialect of Morocco.