Morocco # English board

I have been thinking about moving back to Morocco lately ,a lot of people have advised me against it ,but being here has taken a toll on me , i miss home (although i go to Morocco every year ), i always have a feeling of being on vacation ..i guess what i am trying to say is that i don't feel that i "belong "

For the first time in my life, I woke up today thinking the same way you do chniwla.

Unfortunately, I have big dreams and I cannot drop them when I am half way in my path.

wanna get ur ass back to morocco??? its the worst thing u guna do in ur life
keeeeeeeeeeeeeeep tht is ur mind sweety
and do the right thing
morocco its a fucked up country

chniwla_1, I'm not in the US but lately I've been having the same urge. Probably not for the same reasons, it's more common sense, the reasons I used to have for staying away are gone, telecommunications are now affordable, even for free in a sense, everyone is just one Skype away, plane tickets from/for Europe are cheaper than ever...etc
But you can't go back without a plan, everything is available but you still have to pay for it, so going back without having secured a nest is suicidal. Last year a friend of mine, took a split second decision and went back, found a job, he came running back after nine months. Couldn't handle working for half what he was making here and he missed the little things, the little comforts that are so expensive there. Ask around before you make the jump. Good luck.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2006 08:49 by chelhman.

Quote
anyce
wanna get ur ass back to morocco??? its the worst thing u guna do in ur life
keeeeeeeeeeeeeeep tht is ur mind sweety
and do the right thing
morocco its a fucked up country

do i <<wanna get my ass back to morocco ?!>>>>> i don't see the need for such language

Quote
chelhman
chniwla_1, I'm not in the US but lately I've been having the same urge. Probably not for the same reasons, it's more commonsense, the reasons I used to have for staying away are gone, telecommunications are now affordable, even for free in a sense, everyone is just one Skype away, plane tickets from/for Europe are cheaper than ever...etc
But you can't go back without a plan, everything is available but you still have to pay for it, so going back without having secured a nest is suicidal. Last year a friend of mine, took a split second decision and went back, found a job, he came running back after nine months. Couldn't handle working for half what he was making here and he missed the little things, the little comforts that are so expensive there. Ask around before you make the jump. Good luck.

chelhman , i see what you mean, i'll have to get myself prepared to make this jump ..it's not going to be any time soon , but it's Definitely happening sooner or later ..i know some families that did it ( especially those who have kids that they don't want to raise here )

Think twice dear been there and done that and at the end i left morocco again .... i know it is not easyto be away from family and friends and only God knows how my heart is torn apart when i think of my parents but as chelhman said you need to work on having a stable future there and not look for companies to give you jobs which u may or may not find.

Best of luck

Si chniwla_1.I am sorry,I meant (not that I am not buying into your story).I do believe your account but the country is not only downtown Rabat,Casa,and Marakesh.A simple drive to the suburbs will show you another Morocco;ppl living in slums,illiterate men and women,violence,Drugs(boula 7amra),theft,and prostitution and so on.Benniis and bennanis are still exploiting 10 year old girls from the Atlas for 400 dirhams a month that get handed directly to the ignorant and poor parents of the girl.Isnt that child abuse,slavery,and Haram? That same girl would sleep in the kitchen and have her hair cut very short to avoid lice and infections..Probably ,the dog of the owners is enjoyinf better lives.You can do the math for how many households with les bonnes(no justice).
MOrocco has made significant steps in moudawanna and some social projects but everybody seems helpless against unemployment.Do you know why? Because they rely heavily on foreign investment while they dont offer transparent atmosphere for conducting business.How about promoting small business to break the deadlock created by family business.20 families in MOrocco control 97% of MOrocco's wealth.No one wanna come up with a plan to make starting small business easy to democratize entrepreneurship?The 20 families want to keep a tight grip on the monopoly.Bouzeball can go throw himself in the mediteranean. Si Karim,go to your city hall or State Commission.Actually,you dont need to go physically.Check their websites and you will find a complete guide on how to start a small business,get trained ,and financed to put an idea into practice.The small business is what hold economies together.Corprorates are corrupt and only downsize.
Morocco is not CLub Pacha,Theatro,and Candy Bar and ordering 2 Vodkas and a bottle of champagne to show off .Morocco is a vast land,beautiful,and giving but needs real hard workign pragmatic people to work it up.

In the past 3 years I have been to Morocco 8 times. I have to say that the more I go the less I like it. Morocco is still an underdeveloped country. The problem is not just money and resources but the mentality and the attitude of people. It's true that the majority still lingers in abject poverty. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening but a bigger problem is that Moroccans have no respect for the law, for themselves, and for each other. Petty corruption is rampant and if they know you have dollars you are basically a target for all to hit. Try to start a business, deal with government agencies, even banks and you will see a completely different face of Morocco. People are lazy and inefficient. There's no work ethics and very very few know what professionalism is about. I was attracted and even fascinated with the facade that my first trip shone on me. But subsequently I came to realize that the veneer was thin and slowly the glitter dimmed and a much somber image of Morocco came to life. Yes there are opportunities to do business but my advice, take a lot of money, don't tell people you have it, and buy some highly placed people so you can get things done.

bba sbs,

you make it seem that it is impossible to do anything in morocco.

In the past few years, the number of moroccans moving back permanently to morocco kept rising steadily. and I know from experience so many success stories of people that made it when they went back. I know some failures too : )


Therefore, I do agree with you that it is definitely hard to make it there if you don't prepare for
all the enventualities. But it is possible and not only for the people from the families you cited, but for everyone that loves his country and is not a coward to give up because the m9adam is corrupted.



As for me, Technopolis (a micro-electronics research center being built near rabat) here am coming in 7 years.

salam all
i have to say from experience that going back to morocco for good is not such good idea can be donne yes but i konw soooo many people that went to morocco but come back to usa _ i am one _ than i say i am going to france is close to morocco and ... but after 3 years outside USA i am packing my suitcase and going to New york
you can go back to morocco if you been living in the usa for one to three years _my case 16years_
good luck to all

Hi guys,


sounds that subject keeps pumping up, I believe inside anyone of us want to go back, cause we are starnger where we are, we can confesse our selves that we belong here, too bad we do not.

to make a live in Morocco must be a reality for any one of us, for simple reasom Morocco is still a virgin country, regardless the sharepeness of people when it comes to the reel stuff they are ignorante. you just need to be smart to make your way.

I had a plan I try it, i failed cause i tried to implimente a scandinavian mentality down there, trust people.. to pay bells ... but i find out Moroccan dont like to pay bells..

so may plan next time same project, but just cash payment never give credit..
and believe me you will make it big. i was close but i did not had that more straingt to keep waiting and deling with them, but now i am prepearing my selv to that.


Dear SBS ...
when you describe Morocco, riche and poor, you were just describing capitalism. in USA 1% have 98% of america richeniss so that make no difference with Moroccan.
i agree with you is bad, but if we dont gonna change it who will.


best wishes to u all...

Morocco is a third world country and is suffering from the same issues as any similar country in emerging markets. The difference between us and let say India is that we have not shifted our GDP to new modern industries. The fundamental issue as I see it with our country is the people and the mentality.

It is very difficult to move a nation that is focusing 90% of it time looking at the past and arguing the current situation. In most of the cased the sense of future is none existent to our youth and our people have lost hope.

There are no easy or simple answers to our problem. Criticizing without a solution is pure poison. Reform and democracy is a dangerous tool that used in the wrong time with the wrong people will cause instability and chaos.

What’s to do? Not much come to mind but maybe consulting our faith would not be a bad idea. In Islam one has to start with the small circle and then change the larger one. Maybe if each one of us started to work on the people that are closer to us where we have influence. Provide moral, financial and educational support. Small steps may lead to bigger change.

Until then, let’s have faith and keep hope. Build don’t destroy that’s all I can say.

Just think about these points if you think about returning to settle in morocco

If you want to open your own business
Morocco is among the most expensive coutries on Taxation

44% IGR , 20% TVA and many others ( so u should expect only 30% to go to ur pocket)

Morocco has a crappy service for Creating business (Real Bad experience with ignorant People at CRI )

and the movement of cash is very limited overseas.

Grosso Modo : Morocco is not a wise place to invest.

Quote
sbs
Si chniwla_1.I am sorry,I meant (not that I am not buying into your story).I do believe your account but the country is not only downtown Rabat,Casa,and Marakesh.A simple drive to the suburbs will show you another Morocco;ppl living in slums,illiterate men and women,violence,Drugs(boula 7amra),theft,and prostitution and so on.Benniis and bennanis are still exploiting 10 year old girls from the Atlas for 400 dirhams a month that get handed directly to the ignorant and poor parents of the girl.Isnt that child abuse,slavery,and Haram? That same girl would sleep in the kitchen and have her hair cut very short to avoid lice and infections..Probably ,the dog of the owners is enjoyinf better lives.You can do the math for how many households with les bonnes(no justice).
MOrocco has made significant steps in moudawanna and some social projects but everybody seems helpless against unemployment.Do you know why? Because they rely heavily on foreign investment while they dont offer transparent atmosphere for conducting business.How about promoting small business to break the deadlock created by family business.20 families in MOrocco control 97% of MOrocco's wealth.No one wanna come up with a plan to make starting small business easy to democratize entrepreneurship?The 20 families want to keep a tight grip on the monopoly.Bouzeball can go throw himself in the mediteranean. Si Karim,go to your city hall or State Commission.Actually,you dont need to go physically.Check their websites and you will find a complete guide on how to start a small business,get trained ,and financed to put an idea into practice.The small business is what hold economies together.Corprorates are corrupt and only downsize.
Morocco is not CLub Pacha,Theatro,and Candy Bar and ordering 2 Vodkas and a bottle of champagne to show off .Morocco is a vast land,beautiful,and giving but needs real hard workign pragmatic people to work it up.

You shouldn't generalize, I'm a Bennis, and in my family we never exploited young girls, as a matter of fact my mom was definetly against hiring youg people, because as a teacher she wanted them all to be in school, and did fight for many of them to stay in school.... our country is a beautifull place, I beleive that we all should eventually go back, be part of the change and contribute to its growth and advancement...Morocco is coming along slowly but surely!!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/2006 10:00 by mahaf.

GOD BLESSE YOU. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Quote
sbs
Si chniwla_1.I am sorry,I meant (not that I am not buying into your story).I do believe your account but the country is not only downtown Rabat,Casa,and Marakesh.A simple drive to the suburb
will show you another Morocco;ppl living in slums,illiterate men and women,violence,Drugs(boula 7amra),theft,and prostitution and so on.Benniis and bennanis are still exploiting 10 year old girls from the Atlas for 400 dirhams a month that get handed directly to the ignorant and poor parents of the girl.Isnt that child abuse,slavery,and Haram? That same girl would sleep in the kitchen and have her hair cut very short to avoid lice and infections..Probably ,the dog of the owners is enjoyinf better lives.You can do the math for how many households with les bonnes(no justice).
MOrocco has made significant steps in moudawanna and some social projects but everybody seems helpless against unemployment.Do you know why? Because they rely heavily on foreign investment while they dont offer transparent atmosphere for conducting business.How about promoting small business to break the deadlock created by family business.20 families in MOrocco control 97% of MOrocco's wealth.No one wanna come up with a plan to make starting small business easy to democratize entrepreneurship?The 20 families want to keep a tight grip on the monopoly.Bouzeball can go throw himself in the mediteranean. Si Karim,go to your city hall or State Commission.Actually,you dont need to go physically.Check their websites and you will find a complete guide on how to start a small business,get trained ,and financed to put an idea into practice.The small business is what hold economies together.Corprorates are corrupt and only downsize.
Morocco is not CLub Pacha,Theatro,and Candy Bar and ordering 2 Vodkas and a bottle of champagne to show off .Morocco is a vast land,beautiful,and giving but needs real hard workign pragmatic people to work it up.

Please contribute to the polls this association is doing. Do something that will make you feel that you, at least, contributed something to the land of your ancestors.





Grande Enquête Maroc Entrepreneurs sur le retour au Maroc
Le : (29/6/2006)

L'association Maroc Entrepreneurs milite depuis sa création en 1999 pour le "retour des cerveaux" au Maroc en incitant les marocains à l'étranger, et en particulier en France à regagner le Maroc pour y créer leur propre entreprise ou en intégrant une entreprise déjà existante.

L'association lance aujourd'hui une Grande Enquête sur le thème du retour au Maroc destinée à 2 catégories de Marocains :
- Aux Marocains résidant actuellement à l'étranger ;
- Aux Marocains ayant résidé à l'étranger et ayant franchi le cap du retour.

Ce thème a toujours été sujet à des débats passionnés entre Marocains. Certains sont convaincus de la nécessité de rentrer pour apporter leur pierre à l’édifice d’un Maroc en plein développement, d'autres plus inquiets, hésitent en attendant de faire mûrir leur réflexion, et les derniers, plutôt pessimistes, sont persuadés qu'ils n'ont plus aucun intérêt à rentrer au pays et préfèrent s’installer durablement à l’étranger.

Qu'en est-il réellement ? Quels sont précisément les facteurs qui poussent les marocains à rentrer ? Quels sont les véritables blocages ? Comment les surmonter ? Ceux qui ont franchit le cap, sont-ils satisfaits de leur choix ? Envisagent-ils de repartir à l'étranger ? Pour quelles raisons ? ....

C’est l'objet de cette Grande Enquête lancée par Maroc Entrepreneurs.
Ses résultats permettront enfin d'apporter des éléments de réponses concrets à l’ensemble des questions qui animent cette controverse du retour au Maroc.

Pour y participer, il suffit de remplir un formulaire -complètement anonyme- en ligne :
[www.marocentrepreneurs.com]

Les résultats de l'enquête feront l'objet d'un rapport complet, communiqué en avant-première aux participants de l'enquête.

Plus d'informations : [www.marocentrepreneurs.com]

Voir aussi
Entretien avec Houda Samir, Vice-Présidente de « Maroc Entrepreneurs »
Maroc Entrepreneurs est une association basée en France, qui regroupe plus de 5000 cadres supérieurs et étudiants marocains. Son but est d’ « inciter les talents marocains à rentrer au Maroc pour rejoindre une entreprise existante, ou en création. » A cœur ouvert, Houda Samir, vice-présidente de l’association, a bien voulu nous en parler en détail.

M.M

[www.menara.ma]

WWW.MENARA.MA

RAMIS 16,can u translate it in english plz...i dont understand it

Translation:

"Maroc Entrepreneurs" is a non-governmental organization that encourage Moroccans residing abroad to invest in Morocco.

The organization is conducting a large investigation related to the return of the Moroccan diaspora.

Moroccans currently residing abroad as well as those who previously resided abroad are welcome to participate in this investigation.

The goal of this investigation is clarify some questions raised from the heated debate of return. Moroccans seems to disagree about this issue. There are those who are impatient to return so that they can contribute to the foundations of an emerging Morocco. There also some Moroccans who prefer to wait so that they can make a better decision. And the last category is those that are not compelled to come back because of lack of interest.

They want to understand the reality on the ground. And what are the factors that compel them to return? What are the road-blocks? How to circumvent them? For those that came back, how happy are they with their decision? Do they want to return abroad? And for what reasons? ......

And at the end, they provide a link to some polls (in French) so that you give your own opinion.

thnx for the translation.

that is one one of the reason that i hate about morocco.everything must be in frensh,there are plenty of moroccans abroad who dont understand it..

watch the moroccan tv.frensh frensh frensh,i hate it,

they give us the feeling that morocco is still occupied by france.

sbs,

These people are making an effort and are not getting paid to do it. I think it is unreasonable to complain because they use french language.

In Morocco, no one will stop you if you wanted to create an organization in urdu language if you wanted. Most of the moroccan diaspora is located in french speaking countries and i think it is reasonable for "Maroc Entrepreneurs" to target the majority.

Please be realistic

Dear fellow Moroccans,

You can chat and write about a very sensitive matter through this [yoyo5838.spaces.msn.com]


where many notions can be discussed and shared

i thank you all for taking the time to answer and participate in my post
i learnt a lot reading your answers , but the homesickness is still here , i guess i am gonna have to give it a try and take a longer vacation in Morocco to see how things go ( to get it out of my system )again thank you all(tm)


ps: i'll keep you posted

chniwla, go for a 6 month vacation do some research

I garantee you gonna see in morocco a beautiful touristic destination. Nothing else.

thanks l9bi7,
that's exactly what i was thinking about , we'll see what happens .

i will be in morocco this summer 16july

Quote
chniwla_1
thanks l9bi7,
that's exactly what i was thinking about , we'll see what happens .

Keep us posted; who knows, you might find a good opportunity, or maybe at least write something like "memoirs of a retourning Moroccan" that will help others considering the same thing. anyway good luck

Hi scniwla;
amazing as nickname isn't it ? somehow if you plan to go back to Morocco for some fun and see the family as I did ; be ready for unexpected things because once in Morocco you have to think and act as an Arab African with people surrounding you but not as someone coming from the first world . Think about it and tell me later.