For decades now, American schools, academies, institutes,
educational centers and the likes, have been luring Moroccan and international
youth to come stateside to receive the exceptional and world-class education,
in an American environment, bla, bla, bla. They resort to beautifully designed
brochures of young people in their best images, having fun in the sun, in a
background of endless grass, greenery or ocean view. I m well familiar with the
subject since I arrived on January 89 on an F1 visa, issued by the consulate in
Rabat, BL, (before lines) and one that was easily obtained after a
correspondence enrollment in the University of Evansville. 21 years in the U.S.
and I yet have to set foot in the east coast, let alone Indiana or the
University of Evansville!
However, and despite the pitiful claims of Morocco about the lack of wealth,
Moroccan youth is still falling in the industrial trap of the American system,
holding helpless parents hostage into sending them to American schools to take
up their education! The same education for which these Moroccans are paying
through the nose, could have been had in Morocco, while one is living at home,
in the safety of the family, in the company of friends and the comfort of home,
saving the country the unnecessary hemorrhage in foreign currency!
I came across numerous individuals who fool themselves and their families into
thinking that paying $3,000.00 per semester in an ESL program, is key to a
bright future, a stepping stone to academic achievement and, either, the
beginning of a bright future or a cheap investment in the road toward a Green
Card.
I recently attempted to rescue 5 Moroccan students from the clutches of Santa
Barbara College or University in California, just to be faced with arrogance,
idiosyncrasy and carefree attitude. The students cited their parents desire for
their safety, education and legal status to justify a $3,200.00 semester of
English, 4 hours a day, for less than 4 months! We are not talking about health
insurance, rent in one of the most expensive cities in the nation, food,
transportation, spending money, vacation air fare, etc..
It would not have bothered me to such an extent if it were the only way to
escapee Morocco and to try luck at a U.S immigration. But knowing that a
student could enjoy the same visa benefits through a $200 a month school, up to
two years, it must be absurd for the new comers to claim seeking enlightenment,
wisdom, knowledge and education, while subjecting their families, themselves
and Morocco to such dump practice.
To even out the field and to screen out the most deserving of students, I m calling
on the Moroccan Office d’Echange, to assess a tax on the funds allowed to be
spent on these clownish schools and to scrutinize the study subjects. If the
subject of study is ESL, than the student should be required to complete a
portion of English aptitude in Morocco before traveling abroad. If the subject
of study is offered in Morocco, than the potential exiled student should prove
the merit of an education abroad and the justification of transfer of Moroccan
funds; maybe even agree to serve a couple years of Service Civil at a low wage!
It is noted that reports have surfaced in the passed, claiming that
opportunistic Moroccan politicians, were sending their children abroad to
study, settle, obtain residence papers and to, in turn, extend residence
benefits to the parents. These politicians will, naturally, migrate to the host
country to spend their Moroccan amassed wealth and escape any consequences of
political or financial mismanagement!
It should also be noted that local peddlers in Casablanca, Rabat and elsewhere
are hustling the Moroccan youth, parents and Morocco into these education
scams, promising job opportunities, settlement, naturalization and permanent
immigration opportunities; dreams that are far from the harsh realities of
today s situation.
I pride myself in the fact that none of the initial $400 I brought with me were
spent on an ESL class and that the only schooling I ever had in the U.S., were
8 hours of traffic school!
When I had a hard time and most Moroccans turned their back, I slept in my car
long enough to graduate from Hard Knocks University! No one looked for me or
questioned my legal status. And mind you, I stayed, undocumented for more than
9 years, all of which were due to a student visa violation. Today s youth from
Morocco do not enjoy this luxury. The (criminalizing) of Arabs and Muslims in
the U.S. the discrimination, ethnic profiling and the desire to send us all
home, makes it harder for one to stay hidden. Hundreds of FBI and Homeland
Security agents have made it a quest and a daily task to seek you and to deport
you as soon as your beloved Student Advisor picks up the phone to report your
absence. Their motto should have been, and righteously so, borrowed from the
Moroccan proverb: MERHBA BELLI JA OU JAB.
I hope that this article will find its way to an overly ambitious crowd of
Moroccan youth and that it will serve as a reminder to naïve parents that you
are doing nothing but poring water in the sand; in most cases, that is.
freddie mercury : First of all, your article just doesn't flow, the ideas in it are not coherent, what's your point?. Are you telling young Moroccans to stay home and attend a Moroccan college?. I don't know if you attended college in Morocco but if you did, you'd know the reasons why these kids would rather go abroad. Besides, what you're basically saying is " look at me, I am a loser, I've been in America 21 years and I have accomplished nothing and I also came to the US to study but I never set foot in a college, and on top of that, I was illegal for 9 years".
If you're such a loser, at least don't draw everybody else with you, or is it that maybe you believe in the proverb " misery loves company".
Nalisa : Mr. Dmini,
As I go alone reading, I find that you have some good points and some others not as good or as valid for me.
There are many ways to read or interpret what you wrote. I am focusing on words or sentences such as: could have been had in Morocco, in the company of friends and family, comfort of home, saving the country the unnecessary hemorrhage in foreign currency??? I would love for you to explain or elaborate a bit more there.
I like the paragraph where you said: It would not have bothered me to such an extent if it were the only way to escape Morocco.
Mr. Dmini, I could be wrong, but I feel that there are many more students that can afford (and they are abroad) the $200,00 a month than the $3,000.00, I do not worry about those parents or students that pay or spend $3,000.00 a month except to know where the money comes from. The ones that can afford the $3,000.00 are doing well here and in Morocco as well,not to worry.
Morocco lacks wealth for the vast majority of its citizens, only some enjoy the wealth. More lacking even is an educational system that will allow those students or the young Moroccans you mentioned to acquire some footing towards their future.
Morocco lacks the most basic needs and rights of human kind: proper health, education, and housing, so any opportunity that anyone has to leave the country, thru a pretty brochure or not, they do leave, most of them do and I do not blame them at all, at ALL.
According to you, you left back then with a purpose I am sure, you did not know what you were going to face or encounter. I assume you are still here, something kept you.
Others are aiming to the same.
Believe me, there are hundreds that, like you, have graduated from the University of Life or Hard Knocks University, more graduated from that University than from any other University at least,initially.
You have not touched on the fact of what an education consist of, what constitutes a proper education? We agreed I am sure, that academics play a big role, but what about experiences and personal growth when you travel or live in another environment or culture totally away and different from yours? For me it counts a great deal, personal growth, and understanding of the world, it adds a lot or so I believe.
I do not consider futile or pouring water in the sand the fact that people pay or make efforts to keep their children out of the country for a better future outside Morocco. I would do the same, I would not want my children to be destined, I want them to have choices and options, and this country provides more so than Morocco does today: some work, education and personal growth, perspectives and a different outlook on life.
I am pretty sure you are thinking that I totally missed your point and perhaps I did, but I felt like writing and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to do so.
Sincerely,
cervantes : Nalisa,
Well said!! You should write more often. You have a wonderful style and a very clear smooth tone. You also appear to have a very good picture of the Moroccan situation. I want to hear and meet more people like you.
I am impressed.
Wafin a khai!?
A Khai, a Khai, Ara shi garro?!!
firebird : Mr Ahmed,
First,
I respect your opinion and ideas.
Now I can start...
Mr Ahmed, if this country is so bad and bla bla bla, why dont you pack your car and take down your "Hard Knocks" University degree from the wall and go.
You have no right to knock what others do with their money or where they go seek wisdom and degrees. You got your chance here in the USA and it seems that you have done well for yourself.
As far as the FBI hunting for us Arabs and Muslims is a bunch of crock of S--t that you and some other unsecure conspiracy theory brothers promote.
Get a life...
Ramadan Moubarak
Hakim
adc1259 : Ahmed,
some good perspectives and points. I have always commended a good education as a start in one’s career and future. Education is what you make of it regardless where it takes places. There are many attractive higher educational institutions worldwide. The US is not the only “world class campus” anymore. Its discriminatory policies towards foreign students turned the latter away and to places in Europe, Asia, South America. Even some US natives are going overseas for education to gain other perspectives and get away from the “us only mentality”, jingoism, and paranoia.
As for Freddie Mercury or whatever his name is (ashamed of your real heritage name, then go find other sites where you can praise the others who do no give a damn about your existence. As soon as they categorize as Arab/Muslim, you are just another terrorist to them , so a little respect for your country men and women if you are really a Moroccan if not get out of this site. Keep your two cents and nonsense comment that is just personal in nature with no value, whatsoever. By the way, check the universities and schools under “ resources” in the wafin site and see for yourself the growing number of good educational institutes all over the kingdom. Wafin Team, could you please disallow a posting of this nature that lacks the rules of civil dialogues.
Driss.
okay : I think Ahmed expressed his opinion and it should be respected.
After reading the comments made,I am surprised on how some moroccans can be rude, disrespectful, unbelievable.
plus just from reading the article, I noticed lot of hatred going on.
that is why I will never go back and live in Morocco.
you guys don't learn anything from living in the USA.
rbenabde : If you think education is expansive, try ignorance. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. It is a fact that a good American University education will open more doors for you in the US (and elsewhere) than a “Hard Knocks University” education. Of course there are outliers. Some people became successful entrepreneurs without the formal College education. However for most people, success does not come by luck. It comes with practice, hard work, dedication and most of all opportunity. Where else other than higher education institutions, do you build the tools and confidence to create more opportunities for yourself to succeed in life? Some people are more successful than others because they were offered better opportunities and they acted on them. So parents who choose to send their kids to study overseas understand this. They see it as an expansive opportunity but nevertheless an opportunity for their kids. Then, it is up to the kid to their part. Bottom line, people who were given the opportunity to go to College are more successful than the ones who did not. Plus they had more fun :P
mamiri : Well this guy story doesn't flow well. He simply never indicated what his hard knocks or sleeping in the car got him in this country. WHAT DO YOU SIMLY DO FOR A LIVING now?. back to some of points regarding the expensive fees that you pay at some colleges in the US, yes you can get SOME not all of the education in Morocco and save yourself a lot of hassle and money. as matter of fact i advised that students that want to come to US for study to complete thier bachelor's degrees in morocco and graduate studies here. I think it is a much more attractive option nowadays.
sword : Dmini’s “so called” article reads like a page from a run-away teenager’s journal. [Perhaps, fasting caused me to become light headed and hazy.] Help out here, Mr. Dmini, are you objecting to the educational system of the US? If that is the case, then emphasis your objection so that I can make sense of your criticism. If your objection is designated to alert those Moroccan parents, who can afford to send their children to study in the US. Your objection is without merit; because you have no right, under any law, to decide for other parents where they should send their children; (except when the parents is adjudged by a court of law non fit and his parental rights are terminated.)
Dmini is the greatest role model of WHAT NOT TO DO.
Youth truly seeking a higher education; will achieve it and graduate. On the other hand , the youth simply seeking to escape the reality of Morocco, will definitely end up sitting on the same bench next to grand daddy Dmini; indeed and certain, hard knocks life college graduates you to nowhere except prison, hospital/assylum, cemetery, or all of the above.
mraissam : To mr Ahmad :
how about this one ???
GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY !
no offense but the moroccan students in the USA are living their dreams the way THEY WANTED THEM
so please ..... try to help'em out instead of giving them wrong information ,
The education system in morocco is one of the weakest systems in the world ...... broken tables and offensive teachers and and and , i believe u've lived under the hassan 2 regime .... please help the new students in the usa , dont srew'em up
DAMN had lmgharba
more than 20 years f usa and still having sh*** in their minds
well , hassan 2 did a good brainwash to everyone , good good good !
(freedom of speech :) god bless america)
Nalisa : I am thinking that Mr. Dmini wanted exactly what he got: our responses and some activity in the forum. It is fun.
I like the different ways we all interpreted or understood his article, obviously, it is clear that Mr. Dmini does not agree totally with what he wrote, but it is fun to “toss some meat and have the dogs bite or chew on it”.
Mr. Dmini, a long time user of Wafin, should come forward once again and address or clarify some of point he made, yes Mr. Dmini, to make it even more fun come back and talk to us. :)
Rbanabde, I like what you wrote and I agreed, you were right on, mamiri I like your answer too. Cervantes, thank you!!!
I hope you are all having a happy and healthy month of Ramadan.
ahmed in la : freddie mercury,
My article was not written to worry about flow, its direction or volume. The only flow I would be concerned about is the flow of foreign currency, out of morocco, faster than the coffers are replenished and the flow of energy and intellect in the body of self-exiled Moroccan youth. You, missing the point, is due to your own narrow vision, rather then a lack of clarity or coherence in the article.
I did attend a university in Rabat for a few months.
What I’m telling Moroccan youth, is to obtain their education fundamentals in Morocco first and to avoid wasteful spending. There are no Harvards, Stanfords or Yales in Morocco, but there are a few, very respectable educational institutions with attendance, generally, free and paid for by 3emmek Abslam (Your Moroccan Uncle Sam).
English education centers in Morocco are a dime a dozen and (ba, boo, be) or Mina, Jolie, Mina in English, would not coast you $3200/semester, which is in reality, 4 months of class.
I’m well aware of the reason why Moroccan youth want to get the hell out of Morocco and I even know why they would want to spend the rest of their lives wanting to go back; kind of like boys in the stomach, wanting to get out for 9 months, and striving, the rest of their lives, to return! You get the picture? Maybe not! And besides, I’m a ZMAGRI too; off course I know.
You need to get back in touch with reality and realize that immigration as we knew it to be, might have changed! How would you justify dying in the Straight of Gibraltar (4000 Moroccans in one year alone), or being detained in American jails for months, pending deportations, or being subjected or coerced to give up your European residence for a few hundred Euros, or marrying someone twice or three times your age or living in miserable conditions abroad?
One of the young Moroccans I, desperately wanted to help, had a 57 year-old American male pervert attempt to seduce him into a gay relationship where he would be the passive partner (3i9) in the relationship, promised money, shelter, green card, social security and other hoaxes and lies. A young man of 19, who had exhausted his widowed mother’s savings, was facing violating his student visa status, had no place to stay, nothing to eat and nowhere to go! The fact that he declined our help and advice to stay and survive in culturally diverse L.A., was overwhelmed by the attractive mirage of an upscale beach community.
I’m also well ware of young Moroccan women who fell in the traps of prostitution and international sex industries, at worst, or developed split personalities as to the value of a suitable Moroccan partner and the Moroccan family values, due to desperation and loss abroad.
I’m not a looser, I own my home, I work for the city of Los Angeles, a life time job, protected by a union, and labor contracts, I’m supporting my two children and we all have health insurance and a shelter over our heads. I thank God everyday and his bless never ceased.
The fact that I bring up such important issues and I continue to contribute to the betterment of my brethren, proves to you and others the fact that my Hard Knocks University degree, served me and the community better than your self-centered, so called education, which has, probably, barely served your financial needs and, clearly, your ego. Your academic achievements will never equal the charitable and human contributions, for example, of Bill gates of Microsoft or Michael Jackson, two individuals who had no college degree, yet, affected your life deeply. As a matter of fact, if it were not for Bill Gates’ garage-conceived invention, you would be still occupying your time playing DDAMA and TIERCE.
Nalisa,
When a Moroccan student enrolls in a U.S. school, he or she, usually, rely on their Moroccan family’s financial support; such a support, as a matter of fact, is a condition to obtaining an I-20 and subsequently, a visa to travel stateside. The funds necessary to support this student in the U.S. are sent via bank transfers form the family’s bank to the student’s bank in the U.S. Any transfer between a Moroccan bank and any bank abroad is regulated by the Moroccan administration, AKA, Office d’ Echange. This is the Moroccan entity that reviews the student’s application and approves the transfer of funds. Funds of currency do not transfer in Dirham because it is not an internationally traded currency. So the family would place a certain sum in their bank, the bank converts into dollars and the funds are sent to the U.S.
If your were to picture the Moroccan foreign currency reserves as a purse or a bank account, for instance, Morocco pays more bills that it gets paid in income! The situation of the international students, studying English ba, boo, be, is like a pay-per-view purchase; Morocco pays for it, without needing it.
A footing on a slippery slope is not a solid footing.
The ones that leave, through a pretty brochure are not to be blamed. The ones that leave through a pretty brochure and demand that their parents pay $3200 for 4 months of English ba, boo, be, are.
The ones that leave through a pretty brochure, demand that their parents pay $3200 for 4 months of English ba, boo, be and can afford to do so, should be ashamed of themselves and should be prevented from traveling!
Among all of which Moroccans lack, you could add enough intelligence and common sense not to spend $3200 for 4-months of English ba, boo, be!
What kept me here was, definitely, not English ba, boo, be; it was rather English hard knock U and among its teachings is the need to give back to my community through my positive contributions and my advisory inputs.
I agree with everything else you wrote and I sincerely thank you for your comments.
Please do not perceive my answer as sarcastic or offensive. I could never insult your intelligence.
Cervantes,
I agree, but women with such qualities as Nalisa, are usually taken!
Keep looking.
Sorry, but I gave up smoking. They said it jeopardizes manhood!
firebird,
I will not take my Hard Knocks University degree with me to Morocco, but I will take my retirement!
At 70% of my present income, I think that I will do just fine, if I were to live until than!
I could also take my disability or social security money; it is transferable to Morocco and it will stretch allot farther than it would in the U.S.
The only think that would not be a win-win situation is if I were to die; I would not be able to collect or take with me more that a white cloth, worth a few dollars.
adc1259,
Please join the ranks of the wise the enlightened.
Thank you.
okay,
Some of us do learn and do try to teach.
Thank you.
rbenable,
Success is relative. A Moroccan peasant who is laboring everyday in the countryside, plowing the fields, milking the cows, shepherding his heard, selling his products in a local farmers market to feed his family is more successful, in my opinion, than a celibate Moroccan scientist working for NASA.
Being part of an industry that designs, oversees, controls and contributes to directing guided missiles killing Muslims and Arabs, worldwide is not necessarily a sign of success on a human, professional, spiritual or, even, on an academic scale!
So, you assume that a Moroccan parent, living in Casablanca, for instance, is going to know about the subject of educating his son or daughter, more that I would know, living in Los Angeles for 21 years?
I do agree about the sincerity of their intentions and the preoccupation with one’s children’s future, but would it be at the financial expense that I mentioned above? Would it still be at the expense of well-educated decision to study the issue and to make a sound decision as to strategies involved in this educational quest? Should they blindly, whether they afford to do so or not, sell a hectare or two, a dozen of bulls, or a year’s worth of wheat production, to pay for this education?!
The fee of education per unit for foreign students is around $230 per unit.
The fee of education per unit for resident students is around $30 per unit.
Could a foreign student work on naturalization first, get papers than study for $30 per unit?
Could naturalization, papers, legal status, asylum or whatever mean, be cheaper that $230 per unit?
Could violating a student visa and an illegal stay be cheaper that all of the above mentioned options?
In California, illegal students still have the right to study in college, still have the right the go to English ba, boo, be adult school, still have the right to study in government-sponsored Occupational Centers, in most cases for a few dollars.
mamiri,
I hope all of your questions were answered.
Thank you for seeing my point.
sword,
SIR TEFTER RAH DERREK JJOU3.
I’m not objecting to all of the education system in the U.S., but since you brought up the subject, I regret not having considered putting my first child in private school. Most of the enlightened people did and provided their children a better education.
If you were referring to an educational system where you could teach the evolution theory and mock the creationism and the existence of God, than it would be another subject, to be debated on a later date.
If you were referring to an education system that encourages children to revolt against parents, one which instills in them the thought to call the police and report their parents’ fair, timely and proper ways of discipline, as abuse!
If you are talking about a system which supports the status-quo and the police state which we live and where teachers, the police, the courts and the politicians, in conspiracy, are ruling the populace undemocratically, that it is a totally different subject.
If you are referring to the business nature of U.S. schools, where parents start saving for college money as soon as a baby is born and where tuition alone is in the thousands?
I would not state my objection, especially not to you; you get paid to argue and I never win with you, anyway. Besides, the framework by which you examine issues in your practice might not apply in this case; matters of opinion and matters of fact very and so do ways to view them.
If you were coming here to study for $230 per unit plus expenses, wonder why the majority of Americans never finish college! Not all of them are detained in prisons or sick in hospitals. Death is the outcome of all living things and it should be accepted and appreciated. In a society of 300.000.000, only 1% is incarcerated and the rate of hospital occupancy remains low due to lack of insurance coverage. The country continues to function, aided by the contributions of its members in different classes, functions, capacities and occupations and it its progress is only hampered by the prejudice and discrimination among professional classes and ethnic groups.
I was privy of the information that as of 1989, 3000 Moroccans had violated their student visas and were living in the U.S. illegally. I was certainly one of them. Not all became lawyers, doctors, PHD and engineers! We survived, though!
mraissam,
Are you sure you are U.S. educated? YA DON SOUN LIKE IT. If you were indeed, thank you for validating my point, although unwillingly. The teachers, who you complained about, were they Moroccan? The administrators who ran the schools, which you complained about, are they Moroccan? Was anyone you mentioned Moroccan?
You are one of them and you are a part of the problem.
Instead of helping you and your likes, I would rather put my energy into preventing other Moroccans from being succored into this business scam; the ones already here, have already bitten the bait. You could be one of them. My advice to you, go back to Morocco, get your fundamental education there, get an engineering degree, a BA or BS, get a job with a U.S. firm and let them sponsor you for a work visa. You know, like thousands of Indian high tech workers do or like millions of Filipino health professionals do. If You were unable to that, than you should question your own plans and you should question your ability to such an achievement in a foreign land, if you were unable to achieve the same in your own country, within your own culture.
In a time of downward spiraling economy, jobs are going to be harder to come by and education might not produce bread on the table. Especially with the rising desperation of the natives in the U.S. and the fact that, they themselves, with their own college and university education, have an advantage over foreigners. One would have to be in a very specialized area of education to afford a niche and tear in the professional veil of the U.S. employment arena.
International students to be,
For all the ones who are in the hope of escaping Morocco through education, please make sure you develop a tough skin prior to coming to the U.S. I was smart enough to pick a city where the weather is mild and snow is rare. If you were to come here and run out of money, have a back up plan and do not, readily, believe that other Moroccans will help you for long. Mosques do provide some limited help but the are not mandated by the government to close their doors during the times that prayers are not taking place; forget sleeping at the mosque!
Immigration services, FBI, ICE, Homeland Security, local police and Sheriffs WILL come look for you if you were to violate your visa.
Do not blindly follow SEMSARA that you encounter in Morocco; they are hustling you for kick back money from the Universities and they have no love for you. As a matter of fact, if they knew that the opportunity in the U.S were to be better than Morocco, they would have come or stayed here!
A comment came from one of my few best friends and one who I owe a great deal to.
He shares more that a degree with Clinton; the fact that they both denied ever inhaling.
mraissam : Mr Dmini :D hehehehe
i got u on my privat messages already ..... so no need that i copy/past anything from our e-mails ;)
i will just repeat this one more time , if morocco had the perfect education level as YOU CLAIM :)
your beloved king mohammed the 6th would NEVER leave the country to europe for education :)
why dont u just get it man :)
by the way, the schools and teachers and everything i mentioned w about MOROCCO :) and u are 9nitri as well ... please try not to deny a simple truth ;)
india , iran etc etc got a very high education level , ....
moroccoans : just 7eguara :)
ohh that hindi ??? mkelekh
ohh that iranian ??? think he is smart ??
wa rah lmoroccans li mkelkhin .. think about it
and again , god bless america.
i wish Dr Mohammed Benomar would join this subject and (clean ur ears)
o matter what you say , students Will come over to seek a good education ,
and no matter what you believe , morocco has the worst education system in the world otherwise :) people won't go to france / beligium , spain etc etc .... u know what im sayin ? ;))
peace and love after all...
Mr Dmini NEVER GIVE UP :D and if you got nothing to say , why dont u write an article about how bad is the moroccan education system , universities , schools , teachers ....
some people will take u as a fool , americans with their education have acheived a level that has nothing to do with the level we came from , think about it ...
with all our moroccan engineers and SMART people and blablabla :) we needed americans to come over and launch a satellite for US :)
do u know why ???
:-))))))))))))))))))))
Nalisa : First of all, thanks for writing back.
Please know that I am very simplistic, I have some good ideas but I am never able to put them down in writing, I do not write well, my comments will be disorganized.
Perhaps I misunderstood your original article but this one confuses me even more.
I commented then and I comment now because I see a lot of negativity, all seems futile, all sour grapes, how so? I feel a sense of constraining to object on your part.
I agree that perhaps a four year education if possible should be obtain in Morocco, but as you know, a four year degree now days is not enough, a masters is preferable, and I believe a masters obtained abroad is more valuable. But even then, the students will still have to walk the hallways of Hard Rock University, still will have to pay, still will need your help or mine, still will get into some down time and some trouble, etc. None can be achieve, as you know, without sacrifices and difficulties, there is always going to be something that imperils for a while.
Now that you mentioned English throughout your article, I am not sure if you are talking about studying English or getting a college education, it is not clear to me what you mean. If they are studying English, they will follow most likely to go on to something else, to be an engineer, to be a mechanic, an electrician, or just to work at a hotel front desk they will need English, German, Spanish, etc.
Why should I be the one advising,or instructing those parents on what to do about their children education if they send them abroad? Will they believe me since I am out of the country myself? I do not think they do this (sending them abroad or selling the little piece of land) blindly like you said, they have thought about it and they concluded that is what they want for their children. What you and I can do is giving them a hand if we see them in trouble like you seem to try or attempt to do, help out.
I must comment on this you wrote:
Success is relative. A Moroccan peasant who is laboring everyday in the countryside, plowing the fields, milking the cows, shepherding his heard, selling his products in a local farmers market to feed his family is more successful, in my opinion, than a celibate Moroccan scientist working for NASA.
With all due respect to the farmers/peasants you are referring to, those that work hard from sunrise to sunset to provide us with our daily milk, those that are clearly underestimated, under paid, and working in critical weather conditions so that we can eat fresh vegetables and eggs, don’t ask them what they think success is, theirs, I am sure they will tell you is not. I am sure you want for your children a little bit more than plowing the fields, or milking the cows.
I read you in the past and I have found some good points made by you in other topics this one and unfortunately for me, I did not get a clear picture of what you wanted to convey.
I am wondering if the mood affect writing or writing affect the mood. I feel that I have written a little grittier today that I usually like to write.:):)
Sincerely,
Cervantes : Hmidou in LA,
What makes you think that I like women sweetheart?
Wafin a hnipez?!!
A Khai, a Khai wa khales 3lia shi Coka!
nlazar : Sad story and wrong analogy. Education is what you missed my friend! Do you know that 97% of the top 500 Universities in the world are Americains. Guess what my friend? the only arab University ranked 654 is Cairo University and no showing of the Moroccocan Universities. The Ranking is recognized by every arab univeristy out there and is judged by panels of international scholars, including Moroccans, Tunisians, and Egyptians.
Please don't make arbitrary rules to stop people from seeking better education. It is their money and they are free to spend it as they wish.
One aspect you will not find in Morocco is to go back to school at 40 or 50. Here you can and I advise you to do so while in this great country. You will learn great deal !
Best
NJ
sword : Mr. Dmini; Your advice to me “Sir Taftar” is well taken. I wish I could, but I am compelled to wait. As you know the instantenous impact of wafin, the internet is a modern media and what you say on it becomes culture overnight. You advise the youth to overstay their student visa and you advise an old man like me to Ftar Ramdan, don’t you have any sense of shame?
"For those who do not know Mr. Dmini: He is a community organizer, and an avid activist for Moroccan causes. He started [Moroccan LA] organization and continues to launch his electronic news letters in the seventh counties of Southern California, once a month. He has informed the community often of relevant news to them, such as the new born Moroccans on this soil; he has also informed us and successfully raised funds and consciousness of the community, especially the death of a member in our community. Mr. Dmini is the kind of person who would drop the baby bottle of his enfant to run to the airport at 4 am to pick a guy up. If a cry from help echoed from a Moroccan lady stranded in the middle of the woods, inside an outhouse, reaching for toilet paper and can’t find it, Dmini would have already sniffed the bad news; he would be standing there, his tongue hanging out ready and able.
Some of us appreciate Dmini for his genuine love for his country men and for the good things he has done for this community so far.
I know the man and I know he means well; but I hope that he would consider writing a follow up article, redeem his views; and for God sake refrain from telling people to engage in acts he knows to be unlawful or Haram.
sueRabat : Salamu Aleycom,
Dear Ahmed Dmini, to a certain degree, you have a point, I also understand where you come from. Education in the USA may vary from Degre to another and from college to another.
Obtaining a BS or PhD in electrical engineering at a most competitive college in the USA is certainly not like studying in a community college or say some mediocre school in the US or in morocco.
Many come to study in the USA for many reasons. The ones you are talking about are only few. Many of us, like mercury said, have tried studying in Morocco and know what a bleak future we face in Morocco.
Also, in the USA, most moroccans not only come to study but also work, gaining great experience, and you know how job training and work ethincs are in the USA & in Morocco, a big difference.
Now, I am not sure if we all came here with those big dreams about jobs citizenship or whatever.
I personally left Morocco when they shut down the universities, after month of Strikes, students' kidnapping and so much fear that we survived, which probably is the reason why many of us do not even dear consider going back ever to Morocco.
We surely pay a heavy price, being away from our culture, country, family, momeries, etc.... But tell me, what is the alternative? For some of us, we have too much integrity to accept to go back to the same system that ejected us out to begin with.
YEah, we always talk about this issue, being here, how long, when will we go back, etc..... I personally tired, and know at leats 4 other friends of mine who tried and came right back to the USA.
So tell me, how can we blame people, who only leave a country because they want to have a better life, or a simply because they are tired of where they came from...
As we say in Moroccan, "no cat escapes a happy wedding."
Frankly, I am tired of those who criticize us who live outside Morocco. Read the Moroccan constitution, it says we have the right to leave and go back anytime we want. We have the right to get any country's citizenship we want, work any job we want...... (with few exceptions)
So, Why don't we Moroccan stop being so intolerant, so judgemental, for that is the real ARROGANCE.
We left Morocco exactly because of those attitudes. Yes, we Immigrant know that we ignite jealousy in the hearts of so many, but please, if you love Morocco so much, then STOP RUINING IT, BUILD IT THEN and STOP JUDGING IMMIGRANTS AND THE MILKING COWS.
Finally, let me remind you, that Moroccans all over the world, probably about 3 millioons of us, we contribute greatly to Morocco's economy, and what do we get?? An evil DARK ENVIOUS ATTITUDE from SOME whose mission in life is to do nothing but make others' life miserable.
May Allah guide us all, we do not need to slam each other, for there are enough who hate us who are doing a better job than that,
Salamu Aleycom
tachafin34 : If you look at the reality we can not compare in any case, education in Morocco and education in the U.S.. But what means that you get education in America? The same thing. You will not get any position in line with your level of education. The absence of democracy, and inequality of opportunities make a Moroccan student to lose confidence in everything. You will not get any public position or any government position. if you are not from the people of Fes, or one of their friends, even you got a doctorate in nuclear science.
Important positions are for the people of Fez, their relatives, either you and I and others of ordinary citizens, our positions in the municipal, provincial or teaching, or restaurants, or the most popular RAS ADDERB.
If that Morocco treats its citizens, democratic and fair, giving all his right, it will be much better than it is now. Will not be forced to you and me and others to leave the country, leaving parents, brothers, sisters, and friends. And will not leave the place we love, the place where we grew up, and where we spent our childhood. Then we live as strangers in countries foreign to us . These countries are not for us, and we are not for them. We lost in the world, and we have no country. That we feel alienated in the countries in which we live, and feel alienated, when we visit our country Morocco.
In my opinion, I think this is the truth
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