By Jayden Richardson, Staff Writer 

Two new study abroad programs to Morocco and Botswana have been introduced to Xavier Expeditions, which is a faculty-led program designed to give students an experience that they would not have anywhere else. Dr. Mich Nyawalo, who teaches in the department of race, intersectionality, gender and sociology, will co-direct with Dr. Suparna Chatterjee, the co-director of the Center of International Business the Morocco study abroad program. 

“One of our colleagues, Dr. Sen had taken a group of MBA students to Casablanca and the other surrounding cities. After the fourth day, everything started closing down due to the pandemic, so they had to come back,” Chatterjee said.

This resulted in them reviving the program, desiring to share it with other people. Morocco has a rich, unique history in terms of migration and design, with multiple countries from Europe traversing through the country. 

“Various cultures such as North Africa, Spain, France and more have influenced the architecture and landscape of the country with their strong history,” Nyawalo said. 

Travelling on foot, sleeping in tents and visiting cities are some of the few things that students will get to experience in North Africa. The program is open to anyone that desires to learn about Morocco, with the only requirements being “curiosity, love of learning, and love of adventure,” Chatterjee said. 

Dr. Chartrand Leon, the founding Director of Xavier Expeditions, began Xavier Expeditions 15 years ago, and has expanded options to travel to all seven continents, including Southern Africa where Botswana is located. The eastern Kalahari and the Okavango Delta are two places that make Botswana flourish and will be destinations for the trip. 

“The Delta is created by the Kavango River, which flows into the Kalahari rather than the sea. As a result, after the rainy season, thousands of animals migrate here,” Chartrand said. “This affords students the ultimate experience of an African safari with intimate encounters with herds of elephants, hippos, crocs, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, lion, leopard, antelope, primate and birds.” 

Students will be able to see multiple attractions through different types of transportation. “This Botswana expedition is a ‘mobile-camping safari expedition’ into the Okavango, Moremi, Khwai Game Preserves and Chobe National Park, concluding at Victoria Falls, Zambia. Not only will we be moving by safari vehicles every couple of days from one bush camp to the next, but we will also be doing game hikes in the bush and explore the Kavango in mokoros (canoes),” Chartrand said.

“When we are open to experiencing people, animals and the landscape in this way, we begin to see different kinds of wealth—wealth present in others that may be missing in our own lives. In a sense, we want to turn things upside down—to look at the world through an entirely different lens,” Chartrand said. 

Having worked with animals and native people, Botswana has really resonated with him. Interacting with the locals and endangered animals has held a special place in his heart. 

“As a former bear biologist, bear management officer and as a person specializing in indigenous lifeways, I like places that are dealing with the conservation challenges that local peoples face living alongside large animals.  And I am drawn to this place because the local people are the oldest culture and speak the oldest language in the world. The Okavango Delta at sunset is phenomenal,” Chartrand said.

 His final piece of advice was to explore as much as possible, and encourage others to take advantage of opportunities being presented to them. 

“My advice—while young and generally healthy—is to go places that you wouldn’t necessarily go to on your own, to places beyond our normal perceptions of international travel,” he said. The application deadline for these programs will be Feb.1 and programs will start May.