Migration is an issue that has long dominated headlines in Europe. But migration, of course, is a two way street and while those trying to reach Europe are often the focus of news coverage, the journeys of those in Europe to visit their countries of origin are rarely discussed. CGTN's Mariam Zaidi has been on the road with three brothers from Belgium, to learn about what it's like to cross the Schengen Zone border from a different direction.

Back on the road with Mohammad and his brothers. They're driving all the way to Morocco – via Belgium, France and Spain - to spend the summer with relatives.

MOHAMMAD BELAFQUIH MOROCCAN MIGRANT IN BELGIUM "I've travelled to China, Indonesia, Tanzania, all the countries of Europe. When someone asks where are you coming from. My sentence starts with I'm Belgian but my parents are Moroccan. It's like that. You can't ask me to choose between Belgium and Morocco. It's like choosing your father or your mother. I can't choose. I am both."

Mohammad isn't alone. For so many people of ethnicity growing up in the West, that question of identity is not one easily answered. How a person sees you, may not be how you feel inside. But sometimes how you look, determines the way people treat you.

MOHAMMAD BELAFQUIH MOROCCAN MIGRANT IN BELGIUM "I've gone to high school in Brussels, I've studied Business studies at college. Once my teacher told me that being a sales person will be harder for me than someone else. She said it's because I will need to convince a European company to let me be its face. Few companies will be willing to be represented by 'a Mohammad with dark skin'. I know she wasn't saying that with any racism. It was a way for her to tell me not to give up. So I told myself: 'OK, let's do this.'”

Since the 1960s Moroccans have been making Belgium their home. Today they account for over 4% of the country's population. But rarely are they seen as part and parcel of the fabric of the country.

MOHAMMAD BELAFQUIH MOROCCAN MIGRANT IN BELGIUM "Now, we are heading to Morocco. But do you really believe that when we get there they will say, 'Ah, the Moroccans are coming?' No. They will say 'The Belgians are here,'. And when we get back to Belgium they will call us Moroccan."

MOHAMMAD BELAFQUIH MOROCCAN MIGRANT IN BELGIUM "How are people perceiving us in Morocco? A few are happy and proud that we are still attached to our country of origin. Others don't see us as real Moroccans."

MEDI BELAFQUIH MOROCCAN MIGRANT IN BELGIUM "They tell us we are too precious. That we want to sleep in a big comfortable bed like in Europe. And they are right. Not everyone can afford that in Morocco. In my grandmother's village, there isn't even wifi."

MOHAMMAD BELAFQUIH MOROCCAN MIGRANT IN BELGIUM "Some people like me have 'European tastes' and can't find those standards in Morocco and they are scared. But I think that we SHOULD go back one day and bring something to our country of origin. In agriculture, construction, science, sports, you name it. Returnees can bring a lot. And not only those from Europe. There are Moroccans in Asia, the US and in South America. If everyone could come back to Morocco with their skills it would be amazing. But that's just a dream."

Can Mohammad ever realise this utopia? It depends on where life takes him. Mariam Zaid CGTN.