Ability or Social Status: "Famously Cheap Labor"

 The past few days in this country have been a whirlwind of emotions, mostly feelings of appreciation and gratitude. Morocco is a beautiful country filled with diverse landscapes and cultures, and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to explore its beauty. Although there are many cultural differences between the people of this country and American culture, I have felt a strong sense of connection with the people I have met and interacted with, perhaps because of the insurmountable hospitality, but also because I have noticed so many similarities between our lives as human beings and not as citizens of different nations. I have become overwhelmed with this profound sense of empathy, and as a result, have begun to compare my life to the people I have met. While I may not be the wealthiest person, I have begun to truly recognize how fortunate I am. The fact that I am even able to have the opportunity to visit this country at all is telling of my socioeconomic status. 

Morocco is a developing country, and as such, many people are living in extreme poverty. I have become fascinated with learning about the people and culture here, and in my curiosity, I spoke to Jalal about his experiences in the country as a PhD student who got to study abroad. While speaking about how university is free here for those who partake in the national exam, he mentioned that the minimum monthly wage is $290— this stopped me cold in my tracks. As someone making close to minimum wage, I average about $800 a month, and this hardly seems enough either. Furthermore, I have been able to connect with a local from Fés, a boy my age who worked at the hotel we stayed at. Through him, I have gotten a bigger picture of what life looks like for the average person— he grew up in poverty and, as a result, has not had access to the same education as Jalal, which currently impacts what he must do to support himself and his family. He told me that he currently works at the hotel most days of the week for about 8 hours a day, but receives no pay. When he told me this, I was shocked and filled with emotion. “Isn’t that slavery?” I asked him, and his response chilled me to my core: “In Morocco, you will find only slavery.”

The country is known for its famously cheap labor, and because there are so many people trying to get an economic leg up, and because they face so much foreign competition, many companies and farms are at a disadvantage and must pick up the slack in other places— usually this effects the employees’ wages. The boy I spoke to told me that after completing 8 months of free labor at the hotel, he would be awarded a certificate, and if they liked his work, would offer him a real, paid position. When I questioned the ethics of the situation, he simply told me that this is how life is in the country. While in the US, there are situations like this for internships, I couldn’t help but feel sort of… weird about this situation, especially because his position as a waiter in the hotel restaurant does not have the same responsibilities and learning curve as a corporate job, and therefore does not require the training associated with a typical internship. The boy and people in his economic class are forced into this cyclical poverty— lack of education, borderline unethical wages, and also the inability to travel to other countries without a scholarship because of the exchange rate and the expense of airline tickets (paired with a lack of disposable income). 

There are so many things that I take for granted, and visiting a developing country has given me a larger appreciation for my privilege.