Today was our site visit to Technopark and it was really interesting to finally see in person what we had been learning about in the classroom. From the slides alone you could already tell that Technopark has built something pretty significant, starting from just Casablanca in 2001 and expanding all the way to Rabat, Tangier, Agadir, and Essaouira over the years, each location built to serve the specific needs of that region. What stood out to me most from the visit in terms of what will actually impact our presentation is the balance between their strengths and their weaknesses. On the strengths side, Technopark has really solid partnerships, with the government, with private companies, and now even with global players, which gives the startups they support a real network to tap into. But the weakness that came up was that they still do not have enough partnerships, which is kind of a interesting tension because building more of what you are already good at is harder than it sounds. For our report that is actually a really useful finding because it points to a clear gap and a clear opportunity at the same time, and I think that is the kind of thing that makes for a strong analysis. Technopark also offers a pretty full range of services from startup support and co-working spaces to event and community services, so the infrastructure is clearly there, the question is just how far the network can stretch.
Then we headed to a huge mall in Casablanca after the visit and the day took a very different turn. There was a class of little kids who looked like they were on a field trip, and the moment they spotted me they started screaming “ni hao” and put their hands together bobbing their heads left and right. And I just stood there for a second not really knowing how to react. It was funny in the moment but it also sat with me a little, because it is one of those things that reminds you that how people see you is shaped so much by what they have been exposed to. These are little kids, they do not know any better, but it is still a reminder that being East Asian in a space where that is not common means you are going to stand out in ways you did not plan for. Day three taught me that, and day six just confirmed it. Morocco has been one of the most eye opening trips of my life and apparently that includes occasionally becoming part of someone else’s field trip experience