Between cultures, Morroco and global tech.

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 Sitting in a café in the old medina, my laptop open, fingers flying over the keyboard as I debug a particularly tricky piece of code. The aroma of mint tea mingles with the scent of old books and spices. The rhythms of traditional life play out - shopkeepers calling to passersby, the distant sound of the call to prayer.

And there I am,... straddling two realities.

 

It's in moments like these that I wonder: Where do I really belong? Am I more a part of the bustling, traditional Morocco that surrounds me, or the global, digital world that occupies my mind?

Living in a space that doesn't quite have a name. A peculiar sensation… Being suspended between two worlds, neither here nor there. That's where I find myself these days - caught in a cultural limbo that's uniquely Moroccan and yet, somehow,... not quite.

 

Do I belong to either.

 

My family doesn't get, why I'm always tapping away at my laptop, talking about things like "algorithms" and "user interfaces."

My tech colleagues, don't understand why I insist on long, leisurely meals with family over quick, efficient lunches at my desk.

 

In the eyes of my more traditional family and friends, I'm the one who's drifted away. Seduced by the allure of technology and global culture. Maybe they're right,... in a way.

There are times when I feel like a stranger in the very places I grew up. As if I'm viewing my own culture through a lens, tinted by lines of code and tech jargon.

 

But when I'm fully immersed in the tech world. Surrounded by talks of startups and innovation, I feel the pull of my Moroccan identity, in the way I approach problems, the stories and proverbs that pop into my head, as I'm trying to explain a concept. It's in the values that guide my interactions, even in this digital space.

 

Here I am, stuck in the middle.

Too "modern" to fit into traditional Moroccan society, too rooted in my culture, to feel completely at home in the global tech community.

Being in limbo, trying to balance this cultural tightrope, sometimes feels lonely.

 

Not fully belonging to either world has also been a liberation. The lack of a clear identity in one culture or the other, gave me a blank canvas, the freedom to blend the best of both worlds, creating something uniquely my own.

 

I can understand the values and perspectives of traditional Morocco and also grasp the possibilities and potential of the global tech landscape.

This limbo, this blank canvas, may actually be a superpower in disguise.

 

Liberated from both, can feel like being on the outside looking in, never fully part of the conversation. It’s easy to feel like an imposter in both worlds, wondering if you’ll ever truly belong to either. Over time, I’ve realized that this feeling of being “stuck in the middle” isn’t a problem to solve, more a space to explore. A place where creativity thrives because you’re not confined by one set of rules or expectations.

 

You get to pick and choose, to build something that’s entirely your own.

 

The goal isn't to choose one world over the other, or even to find a perfect balance between the two. It's about embracing this unique position and using it to create something new.

 

A perspective that draws from the richness of Moroccan culture and the innovation of the tech world. An identity that's fluid, adaptable, and uniquely suited to navigate our increasingly complex world. Not fully belonging to one world or the other isn’t a weakness but a strength. It forces you to think differently, to question assumptions, and to find innovative ways to bridge gaps. It’s about seeing the world from multiple perspectives and using that to your advantage.

 

But there are days, when the disconnect feels overwhelming. When I long for the simplicity of belonging fully to one world or the other.

Then I remind myself that this cultural limbo, is fertile ground for creativity and innovation.

 

Being in between Moroccan and global tech cultures, allowed me to forge a unique path—one that’s not entirely Moroccan, not entirely global, but something in between. And in that in-between space, I’ve found my freedom. It’s the freedom to be both and neither, to belong and not belong, and to create something new out of the mix.

Thanks to Reda and Alex for reading drafts of this.

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