English teachers always tell you: take a step back, take a deep breath, and then proofread your paper. Some recommend having someone else read it all together—maybe a peer, classmate, or a teacher. “A fresh pair of eyes” they call it. Sometimes you get so consumed with your work that you become desensitized to its problems and forget its strengths. Living in Philadelphia for years, if not decades, many Philadelphians experience the same phenomena. For some, being so engulfed in the city and its culture has made them blind to some of the systemic issues apparent in their everyday lives. For others, it’s made them unaware of all the assets our city has to offer, only focusing on the city’s flaws and imperfections. Sometimes we just need “a fresh pair of eyes” to help us take a step back and see the city in a new light.
Khadija Magjoubi, a 23-year-old Moroccan woman who immigrated to Philadelphia just six months ago, is here to be just that—our very own fresh pair of eyes. Her immigrant background and ample experience with various American cities across the country (having visited multiple in the past few months) makes her the perfect candidate to help us see Philadelphia from a new perspective.
Q: What was it like growing up in rural Medilt in Morocco? Walk us through what an average day would have looked like for you.
A: Well, I didn’t grow up in Midelt; I was born in Tangzhir. It was just a small town. There weren’t any buses, only taxis. No big buildings. Just normal ones. That’s really all about the city, there’s nothing special about it. I transferred to Midelt after the first grade. Midelt wasn’t like Tangzhir; it was much bigger and had way more things. It had more than one high school, for one. Oh, and buses. It was a bigger city, but still very walkable with the buses and all.
Q: What were some of the expectations you had coming into the United States?
A: The things that I expected, and I found, or the things that I expected and didn’t find? Both? Ok, we’ll start with things I expected and found. I used to hear that everything in the United States is clean; It’s not messy like it is in Morocco. I used to hear that its nature is good and that its weather’s good, too. I found all this stuff when I got here. Oh, and time! Everything’s more organized, timewise. If a bus says it's coming at a specific time, it’s coming at that time—not like [in Morocco]. I used to hear that the government system is better, and also that, here, people care more for people with disabilities; They’re given more respect than they are in Morocco. Over there, if someone was in a wheelchair, they couldn’t get on the bus, there’d be no way for them to get on. They’d just stay at the bus stop and would be forced to figure it out for themselves. But here, they’re the very first person to board. Like earlier, there was one guy with a wheelchair and a lot of people were waiting to get on, but they all stepped back to let him get on first.
The things that I heard about and didn’t find: In terms of cleanliness and that type of thing, it’s here, but in some places… There’s trash, a mess, and a lot of people taking drugs. I see it here a lot—not in Center City, but in Frankford, York-Dauphin, I think, and Girard.
Q: When was the first time you walked through the city of Philadelphia? How did it compare to the cities you were used to seeing in Morocco?
A: [Chuckles] There’s a lot of differences! The streets here are wider and bigger, and neater, too. Over there, the roads are narrower and windy; they’re hard to drive through if you’re not used to it. The lights are brighter and clearer, the lanes are clearer. Oh, and one thing, they have “lane traffic” for pedestrians here. Is that the word? Oh, yes— crosswalks and crossing signs. Like traffic lights, but for people. Yeah. We don’t have those in Midelt. There are a lot of tall buildings and skyscrapers here, too. We don’t have any in Morocco.
Q: What was the homeless situation like in Morocco? How did it compare to what you see in Philadelphia?
A: There are a lot of people on drugs and homeless people in Philadelphia. Well, we have them over there, too, but not as much as I’ve seen here. Over there, you don’t see a large group of people openly taking drugs or sitting there at a bus stop; They’re more spread out so you don’t see them as often. That image of these people sitting together, standing in a weird way, and they’re all on drugs—it’s not good. It aches my heart. I’ve never seen so many people stand the way they do and look that way.
Q: How does our public transportation system and culture here in Philadelphia compare to the system in Morocco?
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A: In Morocco, ... no matter where you go, it’s crowded. Buses are crowded. Taxis are crowded. Because over there, a lot of people use public transport. Here, on the other hand, most people use cars; they rarely use transportation. In Morocco, it’s the opposite. No matter where you go, you’d find lines for a taxi going around the block or buses overflowing with people.
It’s also cleaner here in Philadelphia. Over there, any trash you’d see on the bus one day, you’d see the next day, and the day after that, and the day after; they don’t clean or mop the buses at all. Here, though, I always find the buses clean—the buses and the trains, both. They’re clean, and newer, and more modern-looking.
But, I don’t feel safe on public transportation here. This one time, I was just sitting and minding my own business when a man just got up and punched the glass. I swear to God! I was sitting, and he was sitting there too, until he got up and went up to the driver– and you know buses, how they have that glass next to the driver—he just punched it! It was strong glass, though. You know, my heart sank, and I got cold! You could tell I was turning blue. And that’s it. He just punched and left. Honestly, I feel safer on the buses in Morocco than I do here because people here are more fearless; they’re not afraid. Back home, not so much; as long as it’s not nighttime, there’s no reason to be afraid. Here, though, it doesn’t matter if it's day or night, you’ve always got to be on your toes.
Q: How do you find shopping in Philadelphia? How does it differ from Morocco, both physically and financially?
A: In terms of economics and money, each country has its own situation. If I were to convert everything from dollars to dirhams, then yeah, everything here would be very, very expensive. But each country has its own economic situation so I don’t think it's fair to compare.
Q: How does Philadelphia compare to New York? How does it compare to Chicago?
A: New York and Philadelphia are both good, but I like New York better because it’s very active, there’s a lot of people, and there’s a lot to see. There are a lot more tourist attractions in New York than there are in Philadelphia; in Philadelphia, there’s not that much to do.
But Chicago— oh my God! Chicago’s amazing. It has huge buildings and a beach; it has everything! Out of the three, Chicago is number one. It’s clean, and there’s also a difference in the kind of people there, I don’t know how to explain it. But in general, it has a lot to see, at least compared to here, anyway.
Q: If you could change one thing about Philadelphia, what would it be?
A: Well, honestly, there’s a lot that needs to be changed. But most importantly, I think those streets need to be cleaned. You know, near Frankford, Tioga, and Burks. There’s a lot of homeless people. They have the entire street, too, and they’re all living on that street. It’s a shame, really, to see such a nice street with these nice buildings go to waste.
**NOTE: This interview was conducted in Arabic, then translated into English by a fluent Arabic and English speaker.