Ability and Social Status

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    According to Focus Economics, the service industry accounts for 61% of Morocco’s GDP. (2021) This was something that I noticed while visiting Morocco: majority of the economy seems to be service/tourism focused. I say this recognizing that our view was very skewed toward the tourist experience, but this made me look further into their economy makeup. We shared many different experiences within the service sector during our two weeks and one trait I noticed most was the relationship between the person in the service role and who they were serving seemed to be very different than what I have experienced in the US. I recognized that there was a large degree of separation between the two parties when it came to connecting with one another. For example, our tour guide, Mahammad, while always being friendly and attending to our needs, he never pursued a deeper relationship with our group. He would eat separately at meals, did not share parts of his personal life unless asked, and never pursued deeper knowledge of us as well. I did consider the thought that the language barrier could make this difficult, but I noticed that even Dr. Rachidi did not seek a relationship with Mahammad or the other men that helped us along the way such as Khalid and Hasham (pictured below). I felt that, when we did try to connect with those in that role, they were surprised and did not know how to respond. In the US, specifically the south, we tend to pursue relationships with those that are assisting us such as waitresses, hairdressers, and custodians. Even as someone that works in the service industry, employees at the Georgia Center Hotel are encouraged to build relationships with our guests and make them feel a connection with us as well. The degree of separation between the two was something that surprised me. 



Morocco archives. FocusEconomics. (n.d.).(2021). https://www.focus-economics.com/countries/morocco/


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