By Anouar Mzoudi
Maryland - Don’t immigrate. Stay in Morocco. Life is difficult around here. These kind of statements are heard a million times by the Moroccan youth who are considering trying their luck out of the country. But who is giving them the advice? A fellow Moroccan who was once like them! Should you listen to this advice and hold on to whatever you have got in Morocco?
After living abroad for 8 years, mainly in USA, I feel very compelled to reject the advice that people shouldn’t immigrate. People who try to dissuade you from immigration might do so because of their particular circumstances.
Immigrants who spent most of their life doing nothing in Morocco seem to think that their life in the new country is difficult because they have to work all the time. Some other immigrants might have a negative experience because their social status deteriorated – from being a professional in Morocco to a semi-skilled worker in USA or Europe. Others expect free and quick benefits upon arriving in the host countries, but when their expectations aren’t met, they curse the world!
My experience as an immigrant in USA has been riddled by ups and downs, but mainly because I frequently moved abroad and within USA over the past 8 years. The experience of immigration itself has mostly been positive. Being married to a US citizen has made life a little bit easier as I didn’t face any language barrier and has had firsthand experience of the American culture and mindset.
Understanding how your new society works is key to survival! When immigrants come to a new country and spend most of their time with immigrants from their own country, they miss many opportunities to develop their language skills – immigrants usually communicate with one another in the mother tongue-. They also get stuck in the same jobs that other immigrants recommended to them.
In addition, living in a capitalist society, where generosity is a rare commodity, is a challenge that creates lots of problems within immigrant communities. Moroccans expect to get help from fellow Moroccans (friends and family), and when they don’t get it, relationships turn sour. What kind of advice will you get from immigrants who have gone through these or similar experiences?!
My advice is: travel and experience the world! Life is too short to spend in the same city or country. If you are financially secure in Morocco, you are probably already taking advantage of access to international travel. If your situation is unclear, you should definitely try your luck elsewhere if you can. There are a few things to consider, of course, before making the move…this is going to be the subject of my next article.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy
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