Response to Lisa of the USA

Submitted by Rosie (Morocco), Dec 17, 2008 at 15:41

Well glad that you had a great experience with your husband and his family as well. Well let me tell you what I have seen while living for one year in Morocco. I live in Zaio which is a small town and all the women hear wear the traditional outfit and about 50 percent of the men do also. They all stare at you when you go out into the street because you dress differently from them. And only the men go into the coffee shops and not because women are not allowed but because most of the women here are at home with their children.

I go into the coffee shops with my husband and believe me I am the only woman there always. At nightime there are no women on the street only I of course since I visit the internet nightly to call my parents and we go home late every night usually after 1 am. My husbands family is very poor and they live in a home which does not have heating. It has been very cold and rainy here for over a month now and we walk everywhere as they do not own an automobile.

I have ventured out in taxis to other towns and you ride 7 in a small taxi. That is an adventure itself. I have visited Berkhanne, Nador, Rabat, Casablanca, Kenitra, Fez, Al Hoceima. These are towns which are bigger than Zaio but to me they are all the same. Morocco is only beautiful where the tourists visit and most of the other places are dirty and the roads have potholes.

I have not met anyone who speaks English only a few friends of my husband who went to the university. I do not have any women friends here since no one speaks my language which is English and I do know Spanish as well. I stayed in Morocco in order to do Direct Consular Filing and finally my husband will have his interview next week. God willing it will go well and I can finally go back home.

My mother in law is a godsend as she tries to keep me happy all the time. We do not communicate except with gestures but she is lovely and hugs me all the time. My brother in laws are all great and speak some English with me and we laugh at the TV commercials and at all the movies which we see nightly. Yet no way in the world would I come to live here permanently because I miss my job, my family, my dog and my friends. I have done this for my husband and the fact that I know he loves me as he treats me very well. He has shown great kindness, loyalty, faithfullness and support as I have been living here without my family. No way did I ever think to live in another country alone without family. Yet I am here and know that God has put this man into my life for a purpose. I hope that I have made myself clear on the situation in Morocco.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".