![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.mtds.com\/sites\/default\/files\/u21\/cccl01.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe reason this lecture spoke to me is because I am an expatriate myself.\u00a0 Twelve years of my life were spent growing up in Mexico City, Mexico.\u00a0 Before this mosaic, I never thought of myself as an \u201cimmigrant,\u201d rather, I was a \u201cforeigner.\u201d\u00a0 The discussion between these two words was brought up by several of the professors we met on our trip.\u00a0 \u201cImmigrant\u201d carries a negative connotation, reserved for those who \u201csteal jobs\u201d and are accused of being illegal, while \u201cforeigner\u201d is used for those that are more similar to the citizens of their host country.\u00a0 To give an example, in France, a Moroccan is an \u201cimmigrant\u201d but a European citizen of another country is a \u201cforeigner.\u201d<\/p>\n
But I am an immigrant, I am a foreigner.\u00a0 I have lived in Mexico for 12 years but that will never make me Mexican.\u00a0 I could easily relate with the problems of integration that Moroccans faced while abroad.<\/p>\n
As he spoke about all the Moroccans who move abroad in order to find work because of the lack of opportunity for employment in Morocco, I began to wonder if there are Moroccans that make a deliberate choice to live abroad or that are employed in jobs that require moving.\u00a0 In fact, the professor answered yes by giving the example of his sister who lives in Canada because of her husband\u2019s job. However, the family\u2019s elevated social status is what allows them this type of mobility.\u00a0 Now they are trying to balance the struggles of raising children in a non-Muslim country.\u00a0 When this is the case, the family faces the problem of how much to integrate; how do you continue to incorporate customs and culture from your country of origin while adopting new traditions in your host country?<\/p>\n
<\/a> Professor Moudden giving his lecutre at CCCL in Rabat. I identified with all of these issues in one way or another.\u00a0 Since I moved to Mexico when I was so young, I automatically soaked up parts of the culture that have now become a part of me.\u00a0 However, since I grew up with American parents and continued to visit the United States while growing up, I never felt like too much of an outsider in my own country.<\/p>\n I enjoy being able to have this perspective when listening to others\u2019 stories of migration.\u00a0 It has made me realize that my story is a story worth telling too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our lectures in Rabat were held in the heart of the Medina, at the Center for Cross-Cultural Learning (CCCL).\u00a0 Over our five day stay, the lecture I enjoyed the most was by Professor Abdelhay Moudden of Mohammed V who spoke … Continue reading
<\/b><\/b>Courtesy of CCCL’s Facebook page. Click here<\/a> to be linked to their page.<\/p><\/div>\n