After my first trip to Marrakesh in 2005, someone asked me if they had "real" roads here. I simply smiled and said yes, of course there are "real" roads. The roads are, I assure you, very modern and normal, however you will see a donkey pulling a fruit cart fairly often as a Mercedes flies by. But that's all part of the charm and I quite enjoy it!
I recently recounted this conversation to Ali's brother to see his reaction. He looked at me and said, with a smile and a shake of the head (presumably in responce to the "Are there roads?" question), "This is Morocco."
His answer is simple but says a lot. We Americans see so many immigrants come to our country and of course the States is rich in immigrant history. But we may forget that other countries are desirable as well, perhaps for far different reasons that those that entice people to the good ole US of A.
I see a lot of "Africans" here. I use quotes because this is how Moroccans refer to black people from different parts of Africa who come here, usually to study. Most Moroccans are definitely not black, they're typically mocha-colored, so you can easily spot the foreigners here, including me There are also a good deal of French people who live here either part time or year round. As French is the second language here in Morocco, it makes sense that so many of the French find their way to Morocco.
Morocco seems to be a study in contrasts. There are many modern aspects, primarily the influence of technology, but so many of the traditions remain and don't seem to be going anywhere. Most people seem to favor eating at home, you can still catch a whiff of homemade bread wafting from people's windows each and every day, the mint tea is still served in every home (I would wager), and negotiating for everything from fruits to furniture is still common practice.
So in light of what I've written here, did any of you have any preconceived notions of Morocco when I told her I would be coming here to live? I'd love to here about it!
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