The expenssive ticket back home

It is vacation time. Everybody is rushing to the bus station to secure their tickets to their homeland. An unusual activity is observed in the bus station and taxi stands. Passengers with their heavy bags wearing jubilant smiles are bidding farewell to their friends and to shop keepers.  You can notice from a distance that they are very enthusiastic to leave, soon to meet their families and beloved ones. Yet  they are very concerned and worried about the long miles they have to take, too. For some people long distance is never a source of discomfort, but the poor state of many buses and taxis (plus to the crazy speed they run and repulsive treatments of those in charge of them) are, indeed, something that brings concern.

Having not been to my hometown for so long, my heart grew fonder and my desire to see my family and home-folk got even worse. Yet, I had to wait at least three days after the beginning of vacation. Everyone who has traveled by bus during the first days of holiday may be cognizant of the reasons behind my delay.

Traveling mostly by public means during the early and last days of vacation can be a risky experience. In addition to the incredible speed they run, buses, taxis and transits surfeit the number of seats they are allowed to carry, and many deadly accidents result therefrom. During these periods, all the means of transportation don’t respect the prices that are established by and maintained by the government.  Worse, they fleece passengers and make them pay out the wazoo for their tickets, even paying all the way to the final station of the bus regardless of where they want to stop. All these intentionally contemptuous practices and defiance of the law I have eye-witnessed and were usually done before the authorities.

Passengers who may be considered lucky to secure a ticket in those hard times are not always to be begrudged. They are subject to offensive language and repulsive behaviors and treatments. Most of the times buses drive non-stop, and passengers are not given any rest along the exhausting and extended distance. The luggage safety is the last thing for which you may rest assured. Being careless may cost one his/her bags.

Snatchers are generally more lively active during these busy days. Snatchers are not legally allowed to pick up passengers, but since authorities turn a blind eye, they never hesitate to give rides to passengers who are ready to pay incredible sums. These casual opportunists take advantage of the occasional and temporary periods where there is a shortage of approved means of transports and of local people’s desperation. They carry passengers with next to no measures of security for the passenger.

At the absence of a clear insight and a wise strategy on the part of the government to find a solution to this seasonal crisis, people will remain at the mercy of those self-seekers that are looking to take advantage of the chaos in this time.  But whatever it may be like in getting there, seeing your home appear on the horizon feels like no other thing on this Earth.

By Larbi Arbaoui

Morocco World News

Taroudant, Morocco, April 13, 2012

Reverse Emigration of Europeans to Morocco

By Larbi Arbaoui
Morocco World News
Taroudant, April 7, 2012

Birds are known to migrate from the cold countries in the North to warmer places in the South, but throughout recent history people normally migrated from south to north, to bountiful places that afford better living, and to countries where people enjoy a greater amount of political and religious freedom.

People from the South emigrated to European countries, mainly France, Italy and Spain, for many years. Europe was once a dreamland for many Moroccans in the same way that America used to be the dreamland of many Europeans . Europe was a place where everybody can make a fortune even those who are neither skillful nor competent. Strong muscles and physical endurance were the only required abilities needed to keep hunger away from an immigrant’s home. Mining, masonry, agriculture and other  tough jobs were the ones performed largely by migrants. They were indeed exhausting jobs, but they were, for the majority of immigrants, very rewarding. Most of those immigrants did well in their homelands, and now most of them are enjoying secure retirement.

However, when the latest economic crisis hit Europe and America,  job opportunities in those places became fewer. It affected immigrants and natives alike. Only skilled and competent people were able to maintain their jobs, and even then not for very long. People came up with various solutions to cope with the economic crisis. Some gave up their houses for sale or rent; others abandoned their big cars and other costly properties . But others chose to migrate back to the southern countries, where they still can enjoy the luxuries of life with minimal effort. A pension that hardly pays essential bills in a European country can afford the pentioner a much more comfortable life in a southern country.

Morocco is among the countries that have received and are still receiving thousands of migrants from the North. They come from different countries, but the majority have been from Europe. Migrant businessmen have chosen Morocco over other countries for many reasons.  First, the strategic geographic location of Morocco, which facilitates commerce with Europe and other targeted African markets, is a big plus. Second, the political and social climate in Morocco is very encouraging and reassuring to start any lucrative project.

In the last two years, a number of Europeans, especially Spaniards, came to work and live in the northern cities of Morocco. They came to offer their services as skillful agents, private nurses and small private investors with expertise in the hotel business, farming and construction or came as housewives. They work for low wages compared to European standards, but such wages are plenty for them to live a decent life in the cities of northern Morocco.

With such high numbers of people migrating southward, one wonders whether the world is being reshaped. Are we witnessing the economic renaissance of the South? Apparently the southern countries are now living their heyday.

 Edited by Ahmad Azizi

 http://moroccoworldnews.com/2012/04/34150/reverse-emigration-of-europeans-to-morocco/