About marrakchimanquee

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Morocco: South African Muslim Male Getting Married To Moroccan Female:

Hi Zubair, Many congratulations on meeting the love of your life! The subject of marrying in Morocco has been covered extensively in this Forum on several occasions: I would suggest that if you can access the archives, you will find all the information you need: good luck.

Morocco: Legal issue:

Hi Richard, I hope that before you take the step of changing country, continent & culture, you have, or will have, spent a significant amount of time in Morocco. Whilst a wonderful place in many ways, with great people, the country is certainly not a benign democracy, as we would recognise in Europe and many laws, rights & customs we would view as universal in the twenty first century, simply do not exist. Laws can also change rapidly, with little, if any, large-scale public scrutiny and they can be interpreted by the various police and armed forces, in a manner which we Europeans might think was inconsistent. I would therefore advise that just because there is no SPECIFIC law banning your work, this does not mean that you could be 100% certain that you can continue to practise your trade with impunity. On the other hand, unlike some other countries where laws are based on muslim traditions, the Moroccan authorities appear largely unconcerned as to the activities of foreigners living in their midst - they will certainly not be seeking you out to find out what you do - except if you apply for a resident's card, which is essential if you propose to live in Morocco full time. The key thing is though, that In Morocco there is a very strong recognition of what is 'public' and what is 'private' in terms of a person's activities. This means that, if you continue to be very discreet about your trade, causing no concern or disturbance to your neighbours, the chances of your coming to police attention are virtually nil. You will clearly have to decide, however, whether you will be comfortable living in a society where so many of the things that identify you as who you are, are either treated as if they don't exist or are punishable by law. There is also a more practical issue: in terms of internet usage & provision, Morocco is in the dark ages! Services can go down with no warning and both speed & quality are highly variable; clearly given the nature of your work, this is something you will need to research thoroughly.

Morocco: Moving to Rabat:

Hi There, This question has been answered many times on this forum & fairly recently. I suggest you start be trawling the archives. You don't mention it in your message, but the headline mentions Rabat. Property here, whether rental or to buy, commands a premium as all government departments, embassies and a couple of top universities are located in the capital. Also, if your move is job related, the choice of location when choosing your accommodation will be critical. Rabat is a really sprawling city, built on two sides of a river and, as a result, traffic jams can be awful. A brand new tramway is apparently helping as the trams have priority - so look for somewhere on a tram route., making commuting difficult. As a general rule of thumb, anything which is used by the general moroccan population eg public transport, is cheap by western standards: anything which is mainly consumed by expats eg certain types of property, costs much the same, in Rabat, as it would in any decent capital city.

Morocco: any expats down south?:

Hi There, I know the southern area of Morocco a little & I'm afraid there are very few expats living full time in what we might call the 'Greater Ouazarzate' region. In fact, the region itself considers that it is also cut off/forgotten by the rest of the country. The sort of expats most likely to be living in the area are artists of one type or another, or people running tourist related businesses. I do know for sure that there is a Brit running a motor cycling tour business out of Ouazarzate - I met his sister in Marrakech & she was planning to go out to join him, so it might be worth trying to track them down. They will undoubtedly have other contacts. You are living in one of the least sophisticated regions of the country, where illiteracy is still common & people's horizons are very limited - many struggle merely to survive. So, meeting like minded people, especially as a woman, is going to be very difficult. If you look back at past postings, you will see mention of a couple of expat groups which have been created with whom you might be able to enjoy a distant relationship. Another idea would be to try to come up to Marrakech on a regular basis. There are plenty of expats there & meeting up with some of them might just stop you going stir crazy! Good Luck

Morocco: retired in Morocco:

Hi Hanum, I have been visiting Morocco for 3 years and have now bought a house in Marrakech which I am renovating. Morocco is, in parts, a beautiful with very varied scenery & the people are wonderfully warm but 'serene' is not a word I would use to describe the country! You really must visit Morocco before you take any major decisions - and for more than a couple of weeks. I am sure you will appreciate that the travelogs you see on TV are presenting an idealised version of reality. Just to give you an idea of what real life is I'll offer a couple of statistics. 1) Morocco is a developing country where the average income is around $2,000 a year; you absolutely cannot assume that all of the things you want & expect in the developed world will be available to you. 2) The status of women in Moroccan society is completely different: there is not a single woman on the Board of a major company in Morocco, for example. You cannot be expected to be treated automatically as an equal to the men you encounter. Furthermore, Moroccan society is centred around the crucial importance of family & friends. Women stay at home and are just not seen in restaurants, cafes etc especially once they are married. Unless you have good trustworthy Moroccan friends, therefore, access to a social life is almost impossible. Bureaucracy here is awesome: and again it is almost impossible to navigate your way through without Moroccan help. Finally, do you speak good Arabic or French? These are the two main languages used here: you will need a good knowledge & understanding of at least one, but preferably both of them. For most Moroccans, life is not serene at all: with no form of health cover or social security available, even in old age, they are mostly just struggling to survive. I have taken a number of girlfriends over to Marrakech with me: all were desperate to visit because of the apparent 'mystique' surrounding the city. Of these two absolutely hated the country as they could not mentally get past the rubbish in the streets, the lack of certainty when trying to make plans with people (insha'allah being a favourite phrase) and the poverty which is readily apparent in many places. You will need to be sure that you do not react in a similar way. So - Morocco is not utopia - but it may well suit you if you are prepared to be more realistic in your dreams. Book your first flight over as soon as you can, so that you can see if it is the place for you.

Morocco: Currency Exchange:

Hi There, Morocco, as with most countries in the world these days, has very strict controls on money laundering, both for its citizens & expats. It would therefore be completely illegal to attempt to trade this amount of money in cash. If all you are looking to do is to lessen bank charges & currency loss on the transaction, however, I would recommend using a good broker, who can assist you in moving the money at the best rate between a bank account in Morocco and one outside the country.

Morocco: The facts - so-listen-up!:

I don't know what nationality you are where you have been living in Morocco, but you clearly do not have a grasp of basic facts. It is perfectly possible for a European, or indeed an American, to own a property in their own name: I know as I have one, as do a number of other expats I know. Re Moroccan male behaviour, I would ask you how you would propose to survive in a country with 50% unemployment, 50% of the population under 30 & an average annual wage around £1500? Plus, of course, there is no social security safety net whatever. Just by arriving in Morocco, you are indicating to locals that you are rich beyond their wildest dreams: most of them have never had any sort of holiday -even a day out at the seaside. My experience is that people either love or hate Morocco: what a shame you didn't work out on which side of the fence you sat until you were committed. Still, unlike most people in the developing world, you at least do have a choice: to stay or go - unlike the people who you have chosen to insult and run down as if they were all the same.

Saudi Arabia: Moving Teenage girl to Riyadh:

I would have thought that most teenage girls, who are still possibly in their pre "I couldn't possibly leave my boyfriend" years, would be open to the IDEA of living somewhere so apparently exotic & mysterious. The problem is that, as most people have explained, the REALITY is not exotic and mysterious, it is horrendously limiting for most foreigners and, more especially, women. Do you really want to spend 2/3 years in a glass bubble where the country's laws enshrine (for all practical purposes) a complete lack of equality for all the females in your family? Do you want your sons to grow up in such an environment? I would suggest two courses of action before finally taking a decision: 1) Spend your next vacation in Saudi - that way both you & your daughter can 'try before you buy'- and see just how it feels to be forced to walk around in head to toe black in blazing heat - maybe the company might even be prepared to fund this. 2) Negotiate with the company/ your partner etc a 'get out of jail' clause in the contract, which stipulates that within a certain period ? 6months/a year?, the family has the right to decide that Saudi life is not for them & return to base. If this is an internal company move, then they must be aware that you are a family of 6 and therefore understand your cautiousness. If they rate the breadwinner highly, then they should be prepared to co-operate. I know this is not directly comparable, but I bought a house in relatively liberal, cosmopolitan Marrakech last year. I am well used to being the only woman in my working environment, so felt confident that I would be able to cope with any cultural issues. Believe me, I cannot understand how I could have been so naive! The Moroccans are charm personified compared to the Saudis, but ALL women are treated differently, and much worse than men. It is impossible to imagine just how it feels to be flung back to the attitudes prevailing in Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century - until you experience it. Even someone as strong and experienced as I am has, as a result, noticed a temporary loss of confidence under these conditions. To feel such limitations on your freedom is hard & only makes me appreciate all the more, that I am of the first generation that got the chance to create the life I wanted for myself. I hope some of these thoughts are helpful, if a little contentious! Please don't do this to your daughter unless you are 100% certain that it is right for all 6 of you.

Morocco: Discover Morocco:

Tess b, this is your second sales message in a medium where commercial selling to genuine site visitors is banned. You are not interested in discussion. Kindly stop mis-using this Forum

Morocco: Moving to Morocco - which city is best?:

Hi Marsha, I don't know how many other countries you have lived in, but does your own allow anyone who wants to, to 'up sticks' & move in?? Would you advise anyone who wanted to move to your country to just pack their bags without ever having visited, and possibly without any knowledge of its cultural heritage, languages & laws? The world just isn't like that & neither is Morocco - and, unlike some other countries, merely showing you have plenty of money won't work either. What sorts of specialist skills do you & your husband have to offer Morocco? What sort of "totally different culture" are you expecting? Do you speak good arabic &/or french? Don't get me wrong: I am a Morocco enthusiast & have just bought a property in the country. The people are generous & welcoming; it has a hugely rich & proud cultural heritage & stunning scenery, as well as a variety of different towns & cities. It also has its own problems & challenges, which can have a major effect on what you would wish to experience or achieve. PLEASE , before you do anything else, spend time researching everything that would interest you online, then jump on a plane & spend month touring round, hanging out for at least a week in each of your target towns, getting to know the country & its people. Then and only then should you even begin to think about making such a move.

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1/10/2012

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