It's pretty typical of lots of countries outside on the united States and Europe:
http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/individualism/
As a newcomer, this is comforting in so many ways.
- People are not passive. At least in public settings, people do not seem to look the other way or get scared to get involved and leave people to take care of their own issues. I especially love tha men are willing to step in and take care of issues. On one long city-to-ciy bus ride we were on, there was a drunk guy flirting with a mom and her little girls. As soon as the men found out about it, they pulled the bus over, yelled at the guy, took him to the back of the bus. When he kept being obnoxious, they pulled over at the next police station, kicked him off the bus, and took him to the police. I love that people are looking out for each other and willing to get involved.
That also means people do not hesitate to get up in your business!!
- I feel like I don't have to worry as much about doing the wrong thing. I trust people to speak up and tell me when I've done something wrong, culturally or otherwise. Part of the strong social fabric is everyone giving their opinion about your life :) People ask me if I'm lazy since I don't have a job. I met a neighbor yesterday who after the first round of pleasantries, asked me 'what, you don't have children??' People correct my pronunciation in Arabic and French ALL the time. That takes a lot of pressure off of wondering all the time if I'm messing up. I'm sure there is plenty that people think and don't say, and that I get a lot of passes as a foreigner, but I'm grateful for the people who say - 'oh, you should never ask anyone that!'
- I feel cared for here, which builds even stronger trust. Moroccan (and Arab) hospitality is famous - rightly so. People invite us over for dinner all the time and offer to do whatever they can to help us. The wonderful thing about our community is that we have found the 'expat community' (fellow foreigners) from church etc to also be welcoming and wonderful, with the added bonus that we can communicate fluently with them :)
I am learning patience and kindness and amazing graciousness from our interactions here and want to learn more about being a part of the strong social fabric for others. I have a LOT to learn and am glad for lots of great everyday teachers.
(Also, if you live in a place where you have the chance to meet people who have moved from a country that has a strong social fabric, please invite them over to your house! Many people who move from elsewhere to the United States are NEVER invited into an American home. Culturally, they may feel it's polite to decline, but keep insisting a few times to make sure they know you are sincere.)
Interesting
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