About FarahL

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Some Forum Posts:

Morocco: Contract:

Hi There, I have no idea what a 'Huissier de Justice' is- but I can recommend a very good notaire in Gueliz, who speaks english. Please contact me privately if you would like her details. You could also contact the Honorary British Consul in Marrakech to see if they have any advice &/or Marrakech City Hall. I am sure this landlady would not like to see the full force of the law brought to bear on her. Did you give her a large deposit as part of your rental agreement? She is legally obliged to return that in full to you at the moment she gives you your notice .... I have never yet seen anyone's possessions out on the street, so don't panic yet- but you will almost certainly need to pop over here for a couple of days to sort this out. Fingers crossed for you.

Morocco: Housemaid/cook wanted:

Hi Caroline, The going rate for such a job in Marrakech is 2000 MAD a month and there are always lots of unskilled women looking for this sort of work. However, finding someone who will just do the hours you want, when you want them, is not going to be easy. Most women undertaking this work are doing so because it is their only way of earning a living- either because they are divorced, widowed or single- and these women need full-time work. A good starting point would be to ask friends,neighbours and/or local riads- where their 'femmes de menages' might know of someone within their own circle. You will, however, obviously need to be careful about security- in all senses. Many people employ a 'Guardian' i.e. a caretaker, who might be live-in, to keep an eye on your property, be there when any work needs doing, organise refuse collection etc- & this person might well have contacts. What you will have to do, with anyone you employ, however, is to establish clear standards for the work you want done & then this explanation needs to be reiterated on a regular basis.....this is not Europe & expectations here are highly variable...

Morocco: Moving to Morroco from usa:

This greatly depends where you are living & for what purposes you need a car! Driving in cities can be a nightmare as people here do not generally follow any rules of the road...you have also to contend, in Marrakech, for example, with donkey carts, horses & carriages, men pushing delivery carts, people on motorbikes, scooters and bicycles- almost none of whom wear safety helmets & last but by no means least, pedestrians, who have very few properly recognised pedestrian crossings.The condition/quality of the roads also varies immensely, not all roads have names & authorities have an unfortunate tendency to close roads or change traffic direction without notice. Driving intercity on motorways/interstates , on the othr hand, is a breeze- apart from always having to pay a toll. By & large these are in very good condition , well signposted & with good exits/off ramps. Apart from during rush hours or on public holidays they are largely almost empty too. Outside cities, on normal roads, driving is very varied as is the quality of the roads- and very few are lit at night. Many are one lane either way, so if you get stuck behind a fully laden old lorry, it can be very frustrating. Additionally, unless you have special permissions, importing your own car will be difficult & expensive and second hand/ used cars are unreliable as to quality. You are not permitted to buy a new car unless you have a Resident's Card- & officially you are supposed to take a moroccan driving test-although I have never met anyone who has! If your organisation is offering to pay for a driver, therefore, I would accept quickly. Otherwise you can either hire a driver easily when you need one,by the day, or use city taxi companies which are plentiful & cheap. Good Luck!

Morocco: Civil Wedding in US with moroccan partner:

Hi there your terminology 'civil wedding'- does this mean just non religious or is this a gay partnership? If it is the latter, it will never be recognised in Morocco

Morocco: moving to rabat with 4 kids!:

Hi There, The majority of people in Morocco do not have cars; this means that public transport has to be extensive & cheap- but quality standards are unlikely to be what you are used to . There is a newish tram system which looks good but I haven't used it myself. Most people make extensive use of taxis; these are all very clearly marked and all in the same colourways. They are supposed to be metered....! In terms of safety, your biggest problem will be ensuring that all the seatbelts are in place & working... Regarding security, Morocco has the lowest crime rates in Africa. Rabat, as the political capital of the country, is a relatively sophisticated city and people are well used to seeing foreigners of all types around. You should therefore just approach your security in the same way that you would in the US. One last thought: the layout of Rabat means that the city is divided by a river- and the majority of workers & schoolchildren go home for a 2-3 hour lunch break. This means that instead of two 'rush hours' a day, there are FOUR- and all that traffic has to use a small number of bridges and underpasses, leading to some truly horrendous traffic jams. I would suggest, therefore, that you ensure that your home, school and anything else important to you is all located on the same side of the river...

Morocco: VoIP Calling:

I hesitate to contradict Kwelbi and it may be the case that Whatsapp is still working within Morocco, but my experience in the past few days is that it is blocked for phone calls now from the UK & I have been told this is due to Maroc Telecom. The message that I have received in the UK when trying to call would confirm this. Texts appear to be still possible. You don't mention it, but I am not sure if Facetime is working or not.

Morocco: Marriage:

Hi Clidika, This question comes very regularly on this forum & every possible angle has been explored. I would therefore suggest that you research past questions and answers first. You will obviously also need to examine the relevant Moroccan government websites and those for the UK regarding your plans for marriage.

Morocco: American woman marrying a Moroccan man:

Hi Elyse, I think what Kwelbi may be trying to say is have you, for example, read all of the many, many questions & answers which have been posted on this site by women in the same situation as yourself over a period of years? Are you aware that residency is by no means guaranteed even if you are married to a moroccan- especially if you state that you intend to work? This is a country with approx 50% 'official' unemployment & where the vast majority of married women do not even work at all outside the home environment. Do you speak fluent Arabic/French? Are you already moslem or do you intend to convert? Are your nursing qualifications recognised in Morocco? Are you prepared to hand over all your hard earned savings to your husband once you marry? Morocco is a country in transition economically & culturally at the moment. It does not actively encourage immigration of any sort and its bureaucracy can be bewildering and very slow to the uninitiated. In addition its legal & political systems bare no relation to those in the english speaking world. The change you are proposing to make is therefore not just a question of economics- that is almost the easiest part to calculate- but a question of whether you really do understand all of the other challenges you will be facing.

Portugal: Please help. Want to move to Portugal and buy a home. Have no Portugese family or ties.:

Hi There, Two thoughts: 1: Are either of you entitled to an EU passport eg thru' grandparents - this might make things a little easier 2: The Portuguese economy is in a mess- & one sector that has suffered more than most is the house building sector. There are whole developments which have been almost finished, with buyers having paid the full purchase price- and then banks have 'pulled the plug'- leaving developers bankrupt & buyers with no property AND no returned money. I would therefore not risk buying a brand new property-also because many of these developments only contain expats who do not live there full time, so can be soulless. Also, when transferring large sums of money from one country to another, use a reputable foreign exchange dealer- do not leave your bank to decide on the exchange rate- you will lose thousands.. Finally, if you are looking to really fit into a community, you should begin learning portuguese NOW! Do not anticipate that everyone speaks english.... Good Luck

Morocco: I miss Casablanca post travel depression:

Moroccan salaries will never be the same as US or any European salary- but then the costs aren't either... There is huge unemployment, which helps keep salaries low- so, should you ever seriously consider a move, try to get a job sorted out before you arrive. Also, as I suspect you are female, I would suggest you take a look at a book called "Culture Shock; Morocco" which, whilst a little outdated & containing some sweeping generalisations, might give you a little context to your obsession!

Date Joined:

10/5/2013

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