(This was previously published in 2013.)
Two years ago, I was a naughty boy. I used to hang out with bad friends; we used to take drugs, smoke cigarettes, and chase girls. Luckily, I didn’t get addicted to these evil things. I have never cared about anybody else except myself. I still remember one day, my mom and I were watching the news on TV and it was about people who were suffering from hunger in Somalia. Mom started crying, but I was laughing at that skinny Somalian boy. Then Mom started yelling at me and said: "How can you behave this way, careless and selfish?" It was terrible but I simply didn’t care. I was the only one in the family who behaved like this. Everyone considered me a useless boy. In fact, this started to bother me. Then I decided to be a different person, and this is what happened! It was Ramadan, I started praying and asking Allah to show me the way and I was sure he would do it. A week after, a national initiative started. It was an idea about helping poor people, cleaning mosques and visiting patients in hospitals. The idea started in a city by a couple of young people and spread around the country. Fortunately, some youth brought the event to Meknes. Then I realized that it was my opportunity to help other people and think about them and be a good person. I went and met those great youth and we started the good work. From that time until now, we have set up an association and have done a lot of activities and social and cultural projects. I have learned a lot of lessons during these two years. I have learned how to be a good citizen. I have learned how to fight to achieve my dreams. I have learned how to be a good friend and choose good friends. I have learned how to be a volunteer and feel the reward of volunteering. I have learned how to respect other people and other religions and get respect from them. I have learned how to make a mother feel proud of her son. I have learned many great lessons and I am still learning. Anas Talhaoui Writing Club
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(This was previously published in 2013.)
There are many things that worry me, but the most common ones are being on time, waiting for summer to come and to finding a teaching job in America. I worry about being on time because I don’t like to make other people wait because waiting is a bad thing for me and for the others; and I don’t like to be late for work. That’s why I try to arrive a little early because I work in the suburbs of Meknes. I need time to be on time and I have to be the first one to be at work to take care of my students. I know they need me and they need my help and I don’t want to disappoint them. I also worry about waiting for summer to come because I want to see my son and I miss him so much. Although he is with his father, I am anxious and I don’t feel good because he is not next to me. I want to have my family together and I want to live with them forever. Finally, I worry about finding a teaching job in America. That’s why I want to be successful on my exams here and there to improve myself and to find a job as a teacher of foreign language. Loubna El Bolaoui Writing Club (This was previously published in 2012.)
Hi, I am Hiba, a 14 year old student. I was born on February 19, 1997 in Meknes. It was the greatest day in our family; I am my parents' first and last child, and my paternal and maternal grandparents’ first and last grandchild. So you can say I am the special one whom everybody loves and takes care of. My mother took care of me until I became a three month old baby, so I was taken to my maternal grandmother's home and was raised by her. Even though I didn't have any brothers or sisters, my aunts and uncles were there for me, and treated me better than they treated each other. My mom and dad used to visit me every weekend, but I wasn't really used to them. I wasn't calling my mother "mom" like all the other children my age. I was just calling her by her first name and the same for my dad. But of course I wasn't going to stay with my grandmother a lifetime, so when I was three years old and I had to go to nursery school, I went to my parents' place. I was a quiet little girl who loved her parents and aunts so much. I didn't have friends then, except my classmates. But I didn't go out like the others to play and have fun with my neighbors. My father was a lawyer and my mom an employee at the Court, so you can imagine how they think. When I was eight, I had a first true best friend; we were sisters and loved each other a lot. Her parents were divorced and her mom was my French teacher. We traveled together, studied together, we were just inseparable. But for some family problems, we weren't allowed to see each other afterwards. However, we kept a promise deep inside our souls that one day, we would meet again, break all the rules, and just feel the happiness we felt when we were eight. And then came my 11th birthday! I started forgetting about sadness. Then my dad…well, it's not easy to say that even after three years… my dad passed away. That was the event that completely changed my life. I just realized how much my paternal grandfather and aunts hated me. And I really mean it. When someone dies, I just don't know why everybody's first worry is the money. Well, maybe it's because he was MY dad and not theirs. When he was sick at the hospital, I remember myself praying, looking from a window to the sky, and saying “Oh God. I absolutely know that my dad will die someday, but don't let it be today.” The last time I saw him alive, he was at the hospital eating. He asked me how my day was and if I had great grades. I said yes, so he encouraged me and said “Well, good luck." It was the last thing I heard from him. But I kept asking myself if that was a coincidence. He was wishing me good luck for the life that he was leaving behind. He was always telling me that I could consider him as a dad, a brother, a friend and anyone I wanted. I knew that I didn't love him for who he was but for the person I was when I was with him. A quote I saw one day made me stronger: “Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.” So I want to say, Daddy, I'll always love you, dead or next to me - it doesn't make a difference. You may think it's a pretty sad story, but I am surrounded by many people who make my life beautiful. First, there is my mom and my maternal family, and second, I have my band of friends. We just have a lot of fun together and laugh all the time because as Victor Hugo said, "Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face." We just hope we will always stay together, because we know everything about each other and love each other. Anyway, you can say that we are all a single soul in a lot of bodies. My mom is like my other half; she just completes me and wants for me all the best as all mothers. “Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together." Sometimes I think about my future like any teenager, and I just say to myself, “I really love English, so I want to be an English teacher.” After that, I want to help my students learn English, and make them love the language. And then comes my biggest dream: MARRIAGE! I'm still young, I know, but I've already started to think about marriage, children, and a wonderful husband, whom I will love more with time because a successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. Well, I hope you enjoyed reading my life story and keep on reading! As Alberto Manguel said: “To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.” Hiba Zouhri Intermediate Six (This was previously published in 2013.)
My name is Maroua Bakkali and I am 16 years old and I live here in Meknes. I moved to this city six years ago and I really couldn’t stand it. First of all, we moved to Meknes because of my father’s work. The city was shabby with nothing to do and no place to hang out. In addition, I thought the people here were mean. My native city is Rabat. I was born and raised there with my cousins. When I came to Meknes, I suffered a lot from the distance and separation from them. However, thank God I found some good friends who understand and support me. It’s been six years that I have been living in Meknes and I still feel like a stranger. I’m a high school student and I love writing poems, especially romantic ones. I love horse riding, too. Actually, I have such lovely friends with whom I hang out with. To be honest, I love them and I feel like myself when I am with them. Simply, I can say that I’m a hard and moody person and I don’t like laughing about stupid jokes. I hate hypocrites. I just wanted to share my thoughts because I think it is a tremendous event. Maroua Bakkali Writing Club (This was previously published in 2013.)
I believe it is very important to discover many places and know more about other cultures, traditions, and customs. One of my most positive childhood memories is traveling with my family each summer, even though I could not choose where to go. Last year, I decided that it was time to travel alone, and to open my eyes to the world’s greatness. I had discussed the idea before with my parents, who always said no. Finally, they agreed after many trials. At the beginning, I was a little afraid because I wasn’t mature enough to face a huge world with its good and bad sides. I was also concerned about being far from my family and my friends, because I knew it would be a very interesting but new experience. The first thing I wanted to do before making a final decision was to prepare myself. I asked my parents about many things that could be available for me. I then tried to note and to register all this advice. Moreover, I collected everything that could be useful for me, like a map, compass, money, and a lot of other things. I also asked many people who had already gone on such an experience, and they were really helpful. Furthermore, I organized my plans, and decided to follow these steps to be sure and comfortable about my trip. This trip was the beginning of a lifelong experience, and I wasn’t sure I could succeed. Looking back, I definitely think that I made the right decision. I feel really happy when I find myself able to inform someone about a place or to answer my teacher in class. The idea of traveling alone and discovering many different and new places, which seemed difficult at first because of my young age, has brought about many positive changes in my life. Sometimes, I think that the trip I took alone has changed the way I think and act now. Hajar Benlahbi Advanced Three (This was previously published in 2013.)
I will never forget my best friend Houda. Her parents left the country so she had to leave with them. I used to spend most of my time with her because we lived next to each other for a long time, and we shared all our childhood memories. So we tried to find a solution for that big problem, but the biggest action we took was hiding Houda under my bed. Her parents searched for her in the entire neighborhood until they lost any hope of finding her, and decided not to travel. However, she couldn’t stay in the darkness for too long, and she also felt sorry for her parents. She appeared and apologized to them, and afterwards they traveled. They’re still living outside of Morocco, but in our last phone call, she told me that she will be back soon! I’m so excited to hang out with her again! Fatima Bouaouda Beginning Five |
AboutThe stories told by the students in this section are personal. They express the students' feelings and thoughts. They reflect the young people's emotions and way of looking at different issues. Our role is simply to give them the opportunity to voice their opinions. Archives |