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-Watch your step! Keep your eyes on the ground in front of you. There is usually a hole in the ground with your name on it! A very deep one too!!

-Never give money to a Moroccan not even as a loan! They will always try to justify it being theirs and will ask for more on top of it. The idea of reimbursement, payback and refund does not exist.

-Always eat from your own side of the serving-plate when eating amongst Moroccans. They find it rude! Better to take a break from the table if you must sneeze or blow your nose. Don't do it if their is food in the same room.

-Do not talk about religion or faith or the King or his father or the Sahara or Jews in public. It's a moderate and sensitive democracy still being run and lobbied by the French, Saudis and Americans. Which means freedom of speech is off limits to Moroccans and any who choose to critized the system(s) they upkeep whether for better or worse.

-Question most if not all of what a Moroccan tells you. Secretly get a second opinion. If you would not, do it in your own country don't do it in Morocco. Seems like there are no rules but, there are! It's a weird combination of Christian and Islamic-related rules which no one ever tells you. You'll find out if you're a big risk taker.

-Bonus: There is no train infrastructure south of Marrakech so plan your bus trips wisely... A day in advance! Long distance white-taxis stop between 19.00 and 20.00 if you are not in a big city or become scarce, in turn making them pricier.

Travel safely!

Research
Come with an open mind and heart
Remember you are coming to a different culture don't compare with your homeland
Read lots of blogs from expats and take everything they say with a grain of salt.

Hello everyone,

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Christine

There are many things to say on this subject,聽 but I would add one rhing to what jaebee stated so well, and offer a book title in closing.
Money. Specifically banking.聽 I have had a devil of a time getting my hard earned money out of Morocco for things like paying my insurance for example.
Banking is confusing and not straightforward by my experience.聽 I opened an account at the BMCI because of my BNParisbas account in France.聽 There is a small benefit for that, but not much.聽 I control my business account at the BMCE.聽 I've dealt with banks in SE ASIA, Europe, and North America, and the ones in Morocco are very opaque.聽 The rules are rarely printed, and the ones that are printed don't seem to apply to my situation whether it be for work or personal.聽 One day I am told one thing, and another a different thing.聽 When I talk to partners in other Moroccan cities they have some of the same problems as me but with other banks.聽
So, if you want to get access to your money (Dirhams) to send/take home beware in advance.聽 My experience is that once you get a carte de s茅jour聽 (months after arrival), it still can be extremely difficult to wire money out of the country.
To wire my insurance payment, and after all the employer letters, documents, and forms, I had to give the BMCI detailed info on my house in the US, the insurance company, and write a letter for their corporate HQ to review before telling me if they would wire the money.聽 It only took 2 full weeks to do.聽
The only transfer that seems to be easy is from my BMCI to my BNPARISBAS account.聽 Everything else is a hassle in spite of having the "legal right" to expatriate my full salary.聽

Now for the book.聽 I highly recommend "Culture Shock Morocco."聽 It is very informative especially if you read it before coming AND again a few months after arriving here.聽 At least that's the case for me and my wife.

you can read millions of books and still be shocked by the experience in Morocco , its confusing place to the point even we local do not know what the fxxxxk is going here in this country lol.

Very well said!!

1-Always pretend to be poor,聽 never show them聽 u have money even little of it.
2-Pretend to be deaf when you are disturbed or bothered or confronted. and Walk away.
3- for women聽 ..use Henna in your hand that will keep away the boys from harassing you in the street, looking at the henna they may think u r married to moroccan man so they give u peace lol.. for men put a jillaba on and they may think u convert to islam and married to local so they will let you in peace lol
4- learn聽 hello, thank you, go away , no聽 in moroccan dialect that will scare them away thinking聽 u r probably resident and u are diplomat working for consulate ot embassy
5- when buying never show interest in the item that you like because the sales assistant will put the price highhhhhhh always pretend u dont like it and put the price down lol

Super LIKE ... Dude next time I'm in Casa I would like to meet you! Seem like my type of person.

jaebee,

Sure , anytime聽 .. we can catch up for coffee when you are here next聽 inchallah .... inchallah=god willing聽 )))

It is funny that i did not feel culture shock when i went to Morocco in fact i felt at home and very calm and at peace. The return to the states be came hard to live here. Would love to return and stay forever Inshallah.

There is an app for your smart phone called itrain which helps plan your route using trains AND buses in Morocco. Supratours are the buses used in conjunction with the national train service. There are other cheaper options, but聽 these are very comfortable and reliable.聽 Best to pre book to ensure you get a seat. The app gives times and costs.
Hope this helps.

I am from the US, first came to Morocco 40 years ago, now live here part time and enjoy the country and the culture. It did take time to adapt but the changes were for the better. My comments are not meant to be derogatory.

1. If you are from the US or Europe do not expect the same level of medical or dental services. It is better than most 3rd world countries and improving. Pharmacies do carry a聽 good variety of medicine.聽 Get you medical and dental work done in your home country.

2. We are guests in a modest country. Some Americans can be sarcastic, condescending or experts on everything. That has to be left at the port of entry. Most of us could not point out Morocco on a map and have no understanding of the history, culture or religion. Make an effort to study the country before arriving. Daily news in English is available on the Internet. Moroccans do know where the US is but do not necessarily comprehend our worldliness and how we express ourselves.聽 It is best not to express opinions about religion, Moroccan politics or poor conditions of the country.聽 And never discuss the Middle East or 9/11.

3. Learn how to say yes, no, thank you, no thank you,聽 good morning, good afternoon or simply Labess.聽 If you are a non-Muslim you may or may not get a response if you say Salem Ali Koom. When Moroccans greet each other they always ask about how family members are doing. When they depart they often utter a short prayer for the other person. Religious phrases are part of every day conversation. There are now apps with Moroccan phrases that can be downloaded and studied.

4. Out of respect take the time to learn about Muslim customs in Morocco. This is a modest religious society and it is part of every day life. Stop talking during call to prayers which occurs five times a day. You will often see men praying. Be quite around them and never walk directly in front. If you have a聽 Moroccan guest during prayer times show them a clean place to wash and pray. Out of modesty women must have a private place to pray. Men are obligated to go to Friday prayers in the Mosque which are well attended. Money is passed with the right hand, especially when giving to the poor. You may be invited to visit a mosque during non-prayer times, please do so. Shoes are removed outside. Find out about the month of Ramdan, when it occurs and how it is observed.聽 It is an important religious month. Non-Muslims can eat and drink during the day but should avoid doing so in public out of respect. And when someone talks about doing something in the future they always add God willing since none of us knows what the future holds.

5. Sending and receiving packages via mail is not assured. There are international courier services but I have never used them. Western Union and Money Gram are reliable and can be depended on to receive money from home. Clothing, shoes and personal items are important to bring along.聽 Do not waste shipping/suitcase space/weight on food, soap, shampoo etc. There are large supermarkets in Morocco with a variety of good local and international products. There are some food items I miss but other local or imported things make up for it. (I found Tobacco sauce, Q-tips, Gillette razors, even Taco kits). I usually drink bottled water which is very inexpensive for a five liter bottle but I do drink tap water in the city. Bring all the foreign currency you want into the country but it is hard to take back out. Only a small amount of dirhams can be taken out. Tourists can change money back if original receipts are kept.

5+ A successful expatriate to Morocco should consider local help. Years ago I hired a young man who helped me out with so much when I first arrived. He helped me find a house and someone to clean it, took me shopping, showed me around, taught me some phrases and even invited me to eat with his family. We remain friends years later and our families know each other.

I feel like some of these tips are more for tourists rather than people coming to live in Morocco. If you are going to live in a foreign country then you have to speak the language if you want to enter into everyday life at any deeper level and understand the culture. The first tip must be learn the language, not just a few phrases like hello, yes, no, please and thank you that any tourist can learn.