Morocco # English board

Hi everybody ,
do you let your imagination take you to the future and you try to picture your old age and wheree you will be ?
does it cross your mind this idea: i dont want to live forever here i dream one day returning to my country live , die and be burried there , do you see somthing positive here and you say i wish this was in Morocco ?
well, the idea of returning for good to Morocco doesn t leave me , and i am obsessed with the idea of investing in Morocco , i feel sometimes jealous when i see a big wave of french people setlling well in my country running businesses and enjoying the warmth of the sun , if they can succeed why not us ???
i thought it will be interesting to shine a bit light on our future dreams in relation to our country of origins
for me i would love one day to return , set up a business , and not waste my experience living in a democratic country i feel i have some kind of responsibility toward the society where i am comming from
we have seen both worlds and i think our experiences should not be wasted but invested wisely , by importing the good positive aspects of the developped world and try to implement them in our struggling country: by being active and taking parts in associations , charities , rising awareness...etc
what is your future dreams and do you feel this kind of responsibility toward your country of origin?
i think it will be interesting to share our thoughts and point of views about this topic

Rosette1

Thank you an interesting subject , well in the last 2 years 18 months the idea of going back is on my mind almost every day ,its a dream i have in day light ,investing & working hard to make your business grow & grow old with it gracefully & on the other hand help with charities ,ONG's & help in the positive change
But every time i go back the reality hits home ,that Morocco is more & more expensive & that the way things are done there do not favour the natives & both systems + people favour the foreigners to Moroccans i have seing this time & time again ......i see that its harder to achieve what i dream off on my journey to work & even at work ..........once back to the routine again ,i start dreaming of setting up this projects or that business & planning a head ............
the French you talked about i see there in the evening living it large ,with nice car ,pretty girls ,sipping champagne & enjoying fine foods & during the day they have others running around for them ..........i feel jealous too
But on a positive note i met an expat who invested in Morocco & is doing well , i had a chance to have lunch with him & his guests he was all encouragements togo back & promised the live of a prince if we returned ect ...but i'am still not sure unless i secure a regular income back home .

good morning atlasmagic ,

i agree with you atlasmagic , foreigners are treated better in Morocco than the moroccans when it comes to administration , paperwork for projects , but still with a little determination i think and patience all these obstacles could be overcomed

i know prices in Morocco are expensive , but there is an advantage there , the further you go from big towns the cheaper the prices of land and that s an opportunity , in the countryside everything is cheaper, buying land is always a great investment ,
few years ago i bought 600 meter square in town it was a bargain i built a house on it with a lovely garden, a lot of stress from the local authority wherever i go they as me t pay , and buy kilos of stamps i dn t know why away , i managed to do it and it is a great feeling having your own place in your country no mortgage nothing , a year later the local authority sent me a leter asking to pay nearly 7 thousands pounds , they saying it s some sort of tax , i paid registration a Mo7afada and everything , i went here again and question that 7thousands complained , i did say it s not a factory or a business it s a house ???? anyway they reduced it to 1000 pound , choking isn it ???thats the system in Morocco you have to be firm and fight for your right otherwise they rob you , it was a very stressful adventure , but the outcome was good and i m glad i did it
now the idea of creating some sort of income in Morocco is always lurking around me , the other day i went to sainsbury s and i bought some mint from Moroco ( exported by : some french man caled vesquert)
coriander exported by an other frenchman name , sweet corn the same thing ....
farming is not my field at all but i would love one day to buy land in countryside and get a licence of export and why not explore different markets ??!!!
i have so many ideas but still confused where to start and will it work ? anyway i would love to get some advices what sort businesse work in Morocco a part from buying an apartment the size of a bird cage and rent it , this is not appealling to me !!!!

salam

Let me just bring you another point of view.. of those who do not have enough money to invest in morocco,
it is also difficult to consider going back to morocco. as you said Atlas, its an idea that haunts one continously, it's not only an idea but some kind of wish or even a need.. but reality is something else.. for me; i have only my diplomas and some qualifications and nothing to make me stay in this place overwhelmed by clouds, but still the decision to go back home is so difficult to make.. when i first came to europe, i thought i was different from the others as i had quit my job and decided to go back to school and was always saying, as soon as i finish my studies , i'll go back right away... now i have finished and i'am yearning to go back but still unable to do it.. i think the reason is that i know that even if you are perseverant, there might be things one cannot stand back home: corruption, favouritism and as far as looking for a job is concerned: lack of professionalism ....etc,

there is also another point of view, which does represent a lot of moroccans who live "illegally" in Europe and cannot even go there for vacation to see their families, it's far more difficult to bare .. i know a friend in belgium who has not seen his family for 7 years and cannot go to morocco to see his father who has cancer ...

hi
i agree with you living in an other country has its problems, everybody has his own circonstances ,money
papers , health problems etc
but one things which i noticed with all the immigrants they all have this dream of one day to return for good and the obstacle seems to be financial security
there are moroccans who live in France some of them very old they haven t planend nothing for their future , some of them living in France without family , no house in Morocco to return too and they just regret the fact that in their youth they haven t thought of their old age in my opinion planning the future is vital specially if we want to live , die and be buried in our homeland , sometimes life is very difficult abroad, the cost of living is high , variety of problems
but i know some very successful stories, i have a friend who did more than 3 jobs worked the week end too saved and set up a little business and he has a great life in Morocco
planning is the key and of course money too
reaching a goal doesn t happen in 24 hours it requires a lot of hard work , patience , determination and not giving up easily , having the idea is not enough but working toward it and organising your life abroad that one day you will make a drastic change to everything
it is not an easy decision to make it needs a lot of courage but if the steps are well studied before and well prepared for one day the hard worker will get there .

Your comments are all interesting. I feel a little bit different from you though..the idea of going back home rarely flares my mind. Of course, my wish is to end up my days there and be buried there but for the time being, I don’t see myself leaving England, which has become my home too. My husband and I have gotten too much used to London life, especially the cultural side. We like to go out to concerts and the west end, the markets, the bookshops etc.all things which we don’t have back home and which fullfill a big part of my life. Besides, we’re really focused on our careers and I don’t think there will be any big opportunities for us back home, maybe some for me but definitely not for my husband who is a scientist.
The idea of having my own business is definitely appealing although I don’t think i’ll be successful in every field. If I do, which will be years from now since I don’t have the means to run a business at the moment, it’ll be in what I do best, journalism. I’ve always wanted to open a radio station to promote culture for Moroccans or even a TV station, I’ve got loads of ideas but just need a sponsor
But for now, I am happy where I am, I enjoy my regular trips back home but who knows what the future brings. Life is unpredictable and things can change overnight and I might decide to go back for good. One thing for sure, If I ever go back, I will always keep a pied-a-terre in England, I developed strong bonds and it will be too hard to depart.

interesting topic thanks rosette
i am always dreaming of this idea, life is good in europe but there is something missing , i lived here over 18 years, i have a lot of friends , good job .........BUT STILL nothing is like my country , i am planning to invest in Morocco and may be live there six months and 6 months here incha allah, wintertime diffinitely there and summer here i will be just following the sun

rosette1

Thank you & well done for securing your house back home & for working out the way it work back home
I see what you mean about opportinities we see & thing about every day & i'am sure the mint /parsley & corriander /organic produce we all thought about 10 years ago & we still do but we need to have that push ............

Morocco is still this Virgin land that tend to be very good to foreigners & we need to may just use a charm & whaterever it takes for it to accept us even though we are close her! it true we did leave her but she still lives inside us ..............here we go again.............
Unfortunately i went for the second option & bought a little "bird cage" & still wondering what & how to take my next step ,but i must admit its always a dream to go back & why not as superbill do both here & there & elsewhere ................

Rosette you made me CRY in this cyber cafe in Bali with your lovely words...

Assalam,

Where is home? What about if the country where you are settled in doesn’t want you anymore? It happened before and certainly, it could happen in the future. What then? Each one of us had a strong case why he/she left Morocco, is it not? Is it money/security the only thing stopping us returning home? Are we the generation that will create opportunities for others in Morocco or simply return and disappeared into THAT concrete investment? Ah, what about the weather? Have you heard about heat waves and risqué weather patterns everywhere in the world?
You see, I have more questions than when I was in Morocco. I feel sometimes like I live in no man’s land…One thing is for sure, Education is the key to unlock the doors to whatever we want to do in our future.