One of the first things to strike you about Morocco is that EVERYTHING is under construction. While the world economy is shrinking, Morocco’s GDP will grow by more then 5% this year (so the acting ambassador tells me.) Morocco is a country on the make and it shows.
So what is odd is that any building more then two years old looks derelict, with peeling paint, cracked windows and broken roof tiles. And so I ask myself ‘Why build new buildings when you don’t take care of the ones you already have?’ Well I think the answer is cultural. For all the money a family may have, the thought of spending it on something that is outwardly visible is distasteful. And since here your house does not equal your mortgage, you are probably better off spending money on something not so tacking as a new paint job. This is why, the windows may be broken but inside there is a computer, a flash water heater and one of those new fangled American style toilets.
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